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Clive's Classic Lounge
- Hours:
Mon-Wed 11 am - 12 am
Thu-Fri 11 am - 1 am
Sat 5 pm - 1 am
Sun 5 pm - 12 am
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Music:
- Background
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Sun, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- No
- Coat Check:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Good For Dancing:
- No
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
16 reviews for Clive's Classic Lounge
Review Highlights
16 reviews in English
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Review from K S.
12/13/2011
Finally a good drink. Oh Canada, how I wish alcohol was more accessible to your peoples, and therefore, me when I am visiting.
Bartender is good.. and knows it. I will give him props for making a great name for himself in Canada. We enjoyed our experience... That said, in the Seattle/ Portland area most bars are doing the mixing he does, but with a greater selection and constantly one-uping each other causing bartenders to constantly push the envelope. I would go back, when there, to enjoy a delightful cocktail. Can get packed. Sit at the bar and have a chat. -
Review from Mike V.
Victoria, BC
12/12/2011
Love the GQ Gin & Tonic and the Pilsner Urquel there is on tap!
Ambiance is nice and the folks behind the bar are knowledgeable and mix a mean drink. -
Review from Arc P.
8/10/2011 1 Check-in Here
Not only is Clive's the best bar in Victoria, it's the best bar I have ever been to hands down. No real contender. The service is excellent. I have never had a history lesson, a spirits lesson, a bartender skills demonstration and a joke served with almost every order. Shawn served me all three days I spent here. He is the best!
With respect to the product, quality spirits throughout the shelf. Handmade syrups and bitters created by the master. Perfect cocktails that make you want to try another. Every order an experience!
We tried a number of cocktails all of which were home-runs. However, for me the cream of the crop would have to have been the GQ Gin and Tonic, Rhubarb Fizz and a perfect Hendrick's Martini.
5 stars doesn't do this place justice! It over-achieves and gives style with a lot more substance.Listed in: Restaurants/Lounges I Can't…
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Review from S alicia S.
10/3/2011
I don't remember much. I must of had a great time. And when I awoke at 3am from a slightly drunken state, leftovers were the perfect antidote. Blackened halibut in a spinach wrap with yams fries and basil aioli from Clive's Classic Lounge. They're the best!
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Review from danna m.
Victoria, BC
5/15/2011 2 Check-ins Here
I've read all the reviews on this place and it was on TEAM E&D's hit list for a while... but for some strange reason, it took us a while to go.
and now.. it's my 'go to spot' for a cocktail. Tired of the same old G&T - this is the place to go. With 5 pages of different types of cocktails that showcase their hand made bitters, syrups, infused alcohols and a storage facility of different glassware you won't be disappointed.
oh, and the food is pretty dang tasty as well. We had the kobe sliders, the fall-off-the-bone-and-melt-in-your-mouth ribs and the beet salad. yum x 10. -
Review from John T.
Victoria, BC
10/29/2011
Clive's is the best place in Victoria for a cocktail. Period. What more is there to say? Oh, ok: maybe the New York Times says it best: http://tmagazine.blogs...
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Review from Dustin D.
Victoria, BC
4/23/2011 5 Check-ins Here
Wow this place is fantastic. Best drinks I've ever had. Every drink that came to our table was so good that each person felt compelled to share it so others could taste (but at the same time wanting to be fiercely protective of their beverage), but I digress...
Clive's is a very cool lounge seemingly out of place in the hotel that encapsulates it. The service was excellent all night, our group on 9 hadn't even all made it through the front door and Shawn the bartender was already out there joining tables together for us and engaging in playful banter with our resident British friend.
Some stand-out drinks from the evening were; The red rosemary cocktail (the name eludes me, we'd already had a few stops for drinks prior), the french pressed coffee drink (Canadian squirrel), the super clean and crisp palate cleansing cucumber beverage (my friend described it as an alcoholic sunomono salad), the brazilian old fashioned and well honestly, anything that came to the table, there wasn't a dud drink the entire evening.
The kobe beef slider was succulent and the ribs were so good that every time we ordered some, the section of the table eating them became suddenly unable to speak due to overwhelming awesomeness.
The friday night homage drink list was excellent. One member of our party was so impressed that he couldn't stop saying how spoiled he felt.
Despite most things being a bit on the pricier side, the quality difference makes it seem like an absolute bargain. I can't wait to come back and try more of Shawn and companies offerings at Clives. -
Review from Eric B.
Victoria, BC
9/27/2010
Wow, what a great place.
A+ for the drink selection. Creative, lots of diversity and, most importantly, delicious. Serious drinkers will thoroughly enjoy coming to Clive's, irregular drinkers might get confused but the servers know their drinks. These are drinks that you want to dress up for.
B+ for food. Had the Kobe beef sliders and the yam fries - typical nice bar food. Would have liked to tried the cheese and charcuterie.
A- for the room. Very nice, classy room. Plenty of privacy with the booths, perfect for drinks at the end of a date or for your under the table business deal.
Can't wait to return for another round (or several). -
Review from christine c.
Victoria, BC
7/1/2010
Clive's has serious drinks for people serious about their drinks.
It's been a few weeks since I've been so I won't regale you with the details of all the amazing concoctions I've consumed. But. Understand you want to consume them. Shawn is a master. As in the best in Victoria. Aside from his beautiful cocktails this guy also patented a muddler and sold it to the Keg.
Friday nights are the best, because that's when Shawn does his 'homage night.' He basically picks a few cocktails from a world renowned bar in another country and replicates them.
My only qualm, and I won't fault them for it, is that I always seem to drop way too much money each time I go, hence the small hiatus.
I would recommend sitting at the bar for the best experience, but I don't want you take my seat so find a cozy booth and enjoy ;)Listed in: Best Evaaaaaaa!!!! In VicCity
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Review from Eric K.
For some reason I decided to trust this Tom W. guy's review and check out Clive's Classic Lounge. Boy am I glad I did. I would call Clive's Victoria's answer to NYC's Milk & Honey, to Seattle's Zig Zag Cafe, and to Tacoma, WA's 1022 South.
Walking in I have to say I was a bit nervous about the place. It is in a hotel and has a pretty nice lounge interior. It doesn't look like the type of place you would normally associate with incredible cocktails. But I plopped myself down at the bar and was excited to try it out.
From looking at the extensive cocktail list on their website (http://www.clivesclass...) I could tell that whoever ran this place was a true mixologist. And lucky for me Shawn, the guy who runs Clive's, was working the bar last night when I stopped by (he takes Monday and Tuesday off).
As usual with all great bartenders he was personable, funny, and willing to give recommendations on places to check out in the area. He is also Australian and has a killer accent. He definitely was a commanding presence at the bar but makes you feel very welcome.
I started off with a sazerac. I hadn't had it before so he gave me a bit of the history (it comes from New Orleans) while I was drinking it. From the first taste of my drink I knew Shawn was for real. I ended up having an Alaskan after the sazerac since it is my bar comparison drink. He hadn't made it before but did a great job anyway. He probably could have used some bitters with a bit more kick in the Alaskan but it was still a great drink. And at $9 a piece they were very reasonably priced for such great cocktails.
On top of Shawn being a great bartender and the amazing drinks they do a lot of cool stuff here. Sunday nights tend to be industry night (and you know a good bar when all the local bartenders like to drink there). They also have the dead bartender's society where Shawn takes great bartenders of years past (William T. Boothby at the moment) and recreates their famous drinks with a modern twist. He also has homage night where he takes the menu of another bar and recreates it with a local twist.
They also serve food which I didn't get to try. Shawn let me take a cocktail menu with me so I can look at it when I am in Seattle and wish I was back at Clive's. I'm going to make sure I spend at least one other night here before I go back to Seattle though. I love great bars and I know that I lived in Victoria I'd pretty much live at Clive's.
If you love great cocktails go here now; Clive's is the real McCoy. And make sure to ask Shawn about the three types of ice he has at the bar because one of them is particularly awesome.Listed in: Victoria May 2010
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Review from Anne R.
Vancouver, BC
6/14/2011
Didn't eat, only drank. Fantastic bartenders with huge skills. The best, truest cocktail experience I've had in Victoria. Dimly lit, modern, sultry prohibition style lounge stuffed in the lobby of a dated, slightly creepy hotel--not where you'd expect to have a marvelous Sazerac. Go here, enjoy.
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Review from Mike K.
Victoria, BC
6/5/2010 9 Check-ins Here
A classic Cocktail Lounge with a nod to the past, Clive's -- and master mixologist Shawn -- will re-introduce you to what a well-made cocktail is supposed to be.
Those that have been to the Chateau Victoria hotel in the past will be struck by how much things have changed as much as how they have stayed the same: the ambience is still relaxed, comfortable and inviting, however this is now a modern, dare I say "hip" place where the staff really care about what they do.
Don't bother asking for a Cosmo or a Jager-bomb; there are plenty of bars and clubs in Victoria if that's you're thing. Clive's dips into the past to bring back drinks from an era when the Cocktail was King. Be sure to visit during a "theme night" - either an "homage" to bartenders from centuries past, a special tasting or hand crafted beers or local spirits.
Clive's is THE place in Victoria for a great night with great drinks and good people. -
Review from Michelle P.
8/9/2010
Holy crap. We never would have found this place if it wasn't for Yelp, so thank you previous reviewers! I was unsure when I saw that Clive's is a small bar in a mid-range hotel, but I can't be happier that we gave it a try. As other have said, this is a place to go if you're serious about cocktails. It reminded me very much of Seattle bars like Zig Zag Cafe, Knee High Stocking Co., and Tavern Law, and I think I actually like Clive's a little more than those. We went on a Saturday night, which is the Dead Bartender's Society where the bartender Shawn chooses a classic bartender from the past and recreates his drinks. My husband and I had a variety of drinks, I remember a mint julep, mai tai, zombie, sorrel rum punch, and Pimm's cup and all were excellent! We also got the yam fries, which were yummy and a much larger serving than the price would suggest. Our waitress was extremely friendly and had great drink recommendations. Overall an excellent experience, probably my favorite part of our trip to Victoria.
As a side note, for a Saturday night this place was surprisingly empty. While it was a refreshing change from the above mentioned Seattle bars, I hope they continue to get at least a steady crowd as this is the kind of place you want to stay in business forever. -
Review from Tom W.
4/19/2010
If you are looking for a 'macrobrew' or your everyday cocktail, go somewhere else. But if you really enjoy well mixed unique libations created by a true master of the mixology art, then go see Shawn at Clives in the Chateau Victoria. You will find many liquors and bitters you just can't find anywhere here. Kudos galore!
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Review from James F.
7/14/2010 6 Check-ins Here
Ignore the fact that this place is located in a crappy outdated hotel. The lounge is nice and it is the best place for cocktails in the city hands down. Shawn the bartender is passionate about what he does and it comes through in the drinks. Really there isn't much else to say, this place is head and shoulders above anywhere else in Victoria.
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Review from brad a.
8/15/2010
Was skeptical upon entering, but the drink menu blew me away. Tons of great classic drinks using high quality and unique liquids. Drinks were executed pretty well. Food was good too. Definitely worth checking out.
