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Ferris' Oyster Bar
Categories: Restaurants Nightlife Bars Restaurants, Bars [Edit]
536A Yates StVictoria, BC V8W 1K8
(250) 382-2344
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Music:
- Background
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- No
- Coat Check:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Good For Dancing:
- No
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
25 reviews for Ferris' Oyster Bar
Review Highlights
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"beautiful exposed brick walls, albeit a much classier..." In 4 reviews -
"The oysters and mussels were divine." In 5 reviews -
"The raw oysters were amazing, really." In 5 reviews
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25 reviews in English
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Review from Yummy M.
Calgary, AB
3/30/2012
Love love love!! Best fresh oysters in Victoria! Easy going and professional service staff-- fantastic drinks!!
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Review from Betsy S.
5/8/2012
Cozy, warm, inviting. Good drinks, fresh oysters, killer sinfully rich chowder. Ferris downstairs is a great choice for a low-key fresh seafood meal with someone special.
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Review from Lucy C.
8/11/2011
I saw this place on-line and booked a table for our one night stay in Victoria. There is some heavy restaurant competition in this town so at first, walking over from the Empress, we weren't sure we wanted to stick to our plan. But we did, and I'm ever so grateful that we did.
I started with a mini pisco sour. Possibly it's that I live in LA, but it didn't seem to mini to me. It tasted a little watered-down, but it was really good. We also ordered a lovely bottle of vino verdhe, it was fizzy and not too sweet and perfectly refreshing. It also happened to be a steal at 22 a bottle. We had the smoked fish to start which was out of this world good. For my main, I had the halibut with greek yogurt, and it was outstanding. The crabmelt was also one of the best presentations I have ever seen and it was so tasty. The clams from the bouillabaisse was also my favourite.
I cannot recommend this place enough. Just as we were walking down the street discussing how wonderful our meal was, I felt a tap on my shoulder and there was the friendly owner running to catch me to give me a bag of cookies I had bought and left by our table. What service! -
Review from Jen W.
Vancouver, BC
7/14/2011 1 Check-in Here
Really lovely place for some quality bivalves. We enjoyed oysters and mussels in a variety of preparations, all were absolutely delicious.
Service was prompt and friendly.
Also, we sat in the terrace at the back, which was completely lovely. Reminds me of the back gardens of New Orleans. Totally charming! -
Review from Poulina K.
5/19/2011
I was craving seafood and raw oysters and yelp came through once again!
Farris' was very casual and lived up to its name, the menu was chuck-full of oyster dishes (other choices are available as well). Everything from raw, to panko breaded, to a great selection of baked options.
We went with a dozen raw to start. Very fresh and buttery, with 5 different sauces to compliment the flavor. My favorite was the traditional vinegar and shallots, although the habanero one came in close second.
Steamed mussels with spicy coconut curry broth, I love the complimenting sweetness of curry with this particular shellfish, it's always a winner.
We tried 3 different kinds of baked oysters and they were all different but equally tasty.
Add some Bloody Cesar's and a great server and you've got yourself an awesome evening full of seafood! -
Review from frances t.
11/30/2011
We went to Ferris' recently and it was so delicious. My husband had the 1/2 lb burger and he said it was the best burger hes ever had, flavorful and juicy. I had the pan seared salmon with veggies- I still crave that meal! The salmon was perfectly cooked and the sauce was great. I had a housemade drink called the pink squirrel- it tasted sooo yummy and was also qhute strong! Overall I will definitely be back to this place anytime I'm in Victoria and I'll dream about their food every other day!
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Review from Mira S.
Surrey, BC
12/26/2010
This place is always a stop when I am in the Victoria area. Good service, good variety of dishes, reasonable prices, and you get your moneys worth with the portion size. The burgers are HUGE! Sharing always works too!
Nestled in the downtown area, this narrow restaurant is easy to miss when you walk by so go slow and pay attention! Look for the many pictures of PUG dogs! -
Review from George D.
12/29/2010
Yelp helped us find this place while on an overnight trip to Victoria. Wow, are we glad we tried this place! We would definitely return. Everything about the place worked for us: nice upstairs room was comfortable but not intimidating. The staff was efficient and incredibly friendly. Drinks were tasty and right on (a lavender sidecar and a Jalisco Sizzle, which is kind of like a carbonated margarita).
Our food choices: 2 fresh oysters, a roasted garlic bulb with cambozola mousse & rosemary spring on baguette, wonderful smoked rainbow trout with apple fennel & pecan salad in a nice vinagrette, and we split a lamb tagine with Israeli couscous and wonderful nuts and vegetables. It was all perfect: tasted great, and wonderfully presented.
We closed with a creme brulee that was yummy and crusty on top.
It was one of those experiences where everything worked: comfortable but not stuffy, tasty but accessible, and friendly but not cloying.
I just wish this place were closer to where we live!
Oh, and the prices are completely reasonable for what you get.
Loved it. -
Review from Ally S.
Victoria, BC
2/22/2012
Just ate at Ferris' tonight with my husband and brother-in-law. We came right home to write our very first review on Yelp, we just needed to share our experience. AMAZING oysters...as good as it gets in the city. The baked scallops were incredible! Leaks, prosciutto and scallops were a delicious combo. Great atmosphere, great wine and incredible service. (Ask for D. Snider...great server!) Very reasonable prices for what you get. We will definitely soon return try something different.
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Review from Crystal H.
Vancouver, BC
11/28/2009 1 photo
Bueller? Bueller? Bueller?
Okay, I couldn't help myself... and Ferris' has nothing to do with said Bueller. Having not been to the main floor Ferris', I can't compare. However, I must admit, the exposed brick walls, loungy couches and long staircase all added to the ambiance. Just watch for the drafts from the door if you're sitting against the railing.
Between the various styles of baked oysters, the mussels, the reasonably priced delicious cocktails, and cheap and tasty creme brulee, I left on a high, without a care in the world.
The questions that linger - Why an over-the-top Bollywood poster? And why serve so much amazing food but prepare a bocconcini salad with unripened, white centred, hard as rocks beefsteak tomatoes?Listed in: If Life Were a Movie, A Victorian Weekend, Victoria, BC Beauty!
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Review from Peter S.
10/18/2009
The oysters and mussels were divine. The baguettes arrived as if straight outta the oven. The drinks were spot on...
A five star joint for sure, however, one star removed because all my clothes wreaked of kitchen the next day. -
Review from Adam Q.
10/3/2011
Food was good, drinks were good. We only ate upstairs at the bar but it was a all good.
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Review from Reena M.
8/6/2010
I came here for Saturday Brunch. It was a little empty but maybe everyone left town for the long weekend. I instantly loved the ambience walking into this place. I love the brick wall, the loungy chairs, and our cozy table to the side. It felt like I just discovered a hidden secret in Victoria.
Starting with the negatives (I know that's not kosher, but I'd like to end on a good note), I would echo Crystal H's comment about the over the top Bollywood poster. I actually, my disinterest wasn't necessarily in that because I thought it was quite an interesting, antique/vintage piece and they don't make movie posters like that anymore. I thought it was cool. What I didn't really like was the Canadian art on the walls with the HBC colour-theme on them and framed with hockey sticks. And what I liked a little less was that all of these 3 types of art I noticed (bollywood, canadian, and these guitars with flowers coming out of them) didn't really go together or follow a theme. It was a bit weird.
However, none of this took away from my actual experience. Another negative was that they didn't have breakfast-y beverages like hot chocolate. I ended up just getting a glass of milk.
But, the positives definitely out weighed the negatives. The menu was divine. I was drooling when I was searching this place a couple days before online! I settled on the Foux de Fa Fa--brie stuffed french toast with apricot walnut vanilla compote. It was large enough to get full from and heavenly! The price point was definitely reasonable! And whatever the table next to us got looked delish too!
I can't wait to come back for a Saturday brunch! -
Review from Christine C.
6/30/2011
in an adventure to victoria, we discovered that there aren't a lot of places open for breakfast earlier than 11 am on a saturday morning.. we'd been roaming downtown for a quite a while when i remembered glazing over this place on yelp and seeing that they should be open. i'm really happy i remembered :)
service was great, only one lady but she was really friendly, gave us recommendations and tips on what to do in victoria, and despite being the only server she was on top of things and prompt
food was amazing. definitely different from seattle breakfasts and everything we ordered was good. there were a variety of baked oysters with different seasonings. I got a brie, apples, prosciutto, walnut baguette that i don't think i've found in seattle before & it was really delicious. a couple others got their benedicts, they have a couple different kinds, and their hollandaise sauce was perfect. i've only had good hollandaise one other place that i've liked and and usually hesitant about trying new places but ferris didn't let me down at all
great bloody mary's, you can ask to have it as much or as little spicy, one person ordered it at our table, we all took a sip to try, and two more ordered after trying cuz it was that good (it woulda been three more had i not been already hungover :p )
everything's reasonably priced, $12 for a breakfast that was really gourmet (better than the typical denny's eggs, bacon, & toast) was more than acceptable. i would definitely make it a point to come back here if i'm in victoria and would love to try here or their downstairs place for any other meal
random side note, the squirrel/chipmunk paintings all over the place give a weird vibe but it's definitely distinct -
Review from Eric B.
Victoria, BC
2/28/2010
Good seafood - the raw oysters were fresh, the baked scallops were creative, and the clams were abundant with a broth that was perfect for soaking bread in.
The room is great - brick walls all around with couches at one end and a nice bar at the other. This is a great place to go with a bunch of friends for drinks and appies - the selection of seafood dishes that are available will satisfy most any appetite. -
Review from Dave D.
Victoria, BC
6/25/2011
Easily one of my favorite restaurants in the city. Fantastic staff and service, good food and drink.
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Review from Chelsea M.
Victoria, BC
7/11/2011
Ferrìs` is oviously known for their oysters, and rightly so. They are fresh, local, and served in both traditional and interesting ways. For me, Ferris`is the place in town to go for Yam fries - THE best in town. They have some damn fine mayos to go with. The food is great, drinks are awesome, and staff is friendly and knowledgeable. I`ve been coming here for years, and love the opportunity to bring friends here.
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Review from Dustin W.
3/29/2011
Walked into this place expecting to order a small dinner to pass the evening and single handedly finished a dozen raw oysters in addition to the baked oyster combo meal. The raw oysters were amazing, really. The vinegar based sauces they provided were also quite unique and brilliant. Service was polite and attentive as well.
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Review from Melisa V.
8/25/2010
came here for Seville Sunday around 8:00. it's a cozy space, but it didn't feel crowded, nor did we feel rushed when it got busy. we had cocktails and ordered a few items at a time. being pregnant, I was thrilled that they had mocktails on the menu (I had a clear conscience) and enough tasty small plates that I didn't feel bummed that I was missing out on the raw oysters, tuna, smoked salmon and goat cheese.
our eyes were definitely bigger than our stomachs and we ordered: crab cakes on potato chips, chorizo in puff pastry, a bruschetta with roasted red peppers and manchego cheese, oven roasted prawns, scallops baked with creamed leeks and halibut in tomato & fennel broth. in our defense, they were small plates (the largest being the halibut) as each portion only had 2-4 pieces, depending on size. we ate everything with no guilt attached. they also paced it so we never had more than two items at a time.
the only negative is that when it started to get really busy, the service started lacking. our server was stuck with what looked like a difficult table and the other server brought over our plates. at that point we asked for another round of drinks (we were also out of water at this point). we waited a good ten minutes for our drinks. we were actually ready to cancel our final drink order when the server brought it over. (we wanted something to wash down our final plates!!) our server was sincerely apologetic, which in my mind made up for the lengthy drink wait.
all of the food was delicious! (my husband also ordered a couple fresh shucked oysters, which he also enjoyed) my favorites were the crab cakes and halibut (the first and last thing I put in my mouth).
not sure about the rest of their menu, but ferris is definitely worth visiting on sunday night! -
Review from Steve W.
3/27/2011
Use to work here so I know how good the oysters are! Still go
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Review from christine c.
Victoria, BC
9/30/2009
The similarities between Ferris' upstairs and downstairs are as follows;
both are owned by Tom,
both serve delicious oysters, among other things,
beautiful exposed brick walls, albeit a much classier, modern feel upstairs.
The areas where they differ starts with the ambiance. Upstairs has a completely different vibe. Its the kind of place that makes you want to dress up and feel sexy and fun. Definitely a good date place. I've also gone here for work functions and it would be first on my list for a good place to mingle with a group of friends. You just have to make sure you book the wall of leather couches underneath the window.
The drink list is much more extensive than downstairs. My favourite being the chocolate martini with, get this, a brownie on the rim. They also do a decent Pimms and offer other interesting concoctions like the lavender sidecar.
After starting out with the oysters, my favourite dish is the spinach salad with goat cheese and warm apple curried vinaigrette. Add some roasted pecans and you've got my fave salad to order in a restaurant. Another delicious indulgence, but only when I'm feeling super skinny, is the crab melt. Crab and smoked salmon with cream cheese on a baguette... baked! Heaven.
Plus I just discovered Ferris' Upstairs is now open Sundays and Mondays! Definitely as good as it gets.Listed in: Best Evaaaaaaa!!!! In VicCity
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Review from Caro W.
Victoria, BC
9/28/2010
This 2 star rating goes along with every experience that I've had at Ferris'. Known to be a "hot spot" in Victoria, I thought it would be a nice place to get good food and catchup. I've recommended this place to many before, but will no longer.
A friend ordered the pan fried oysters having ordered oysters from there before which weren't well prepared. When the order came, they were too little and too few of them. A little disappointing.
My sister ordered a mixture of the steamed clams and mussels; but they only served her the mussels in their white wine, butter, garlic, fresh tomatoes, red peppers and onion sauce which hardly had flavour. When she told the waitress that the order was wrong, the waitress just said "Oh" and walked away.
Their renowned fries were tried, but I was expecting more. They had no flavour and judging from their texture, I'm to think we got the end of the basket. The fries ended up saving my appetite as my order arrived much later than everyone else at the table.
I had their spicy oyster soup in the past, but they had just run out, so I agreed to have a fresh batch of red pepper soup. When it came, it was as cold as outside. I asked if it could be heated up a bit more and when they took it away, they didn't bring it back. After everyone was finished eating, I thought I should ask where my soup was. Another while later my soup arrived and, because of all the wait, it was cold again. I decided to just sip my now gaspacho, but I had no comment to make.
We were all still very hungry from our "meals" and were considering going elsewhere to have our fill when the waitress brought over a slice of cheesecake for the soup wait. (I'm going to sound very harsh, but it needs to be said) The cheesecake wasn't very good. It was very creamy and flavourless. I ate it simply because I was still hungry. Pagliacci (read my previous review) still has my cheesecake vote anytime!
To make things worse, the owner came up to us after we finished eating and were chatting a little after paying the bill to tell us to leave as a bigger party was coming. That's alright tho, he's lost 3 customers and I'll be sure to not go there with anyone I know and will no longer recommend this place to people from out of town. And what's with the pug posters? It had nothing to do with the place!
On a good note, their ambiance is great and the back patio is really nice. They have excellent drinks and cocktails so they are an excellent post meal/drinks spot. -
Review from Kristel B.
6/19/2010 1 photo
Good location near the harbour. No view but no matter. The brick walls, leather couches and white drapes blowing in the open windows make this a great atmosphere. We went twice during our visit. No disappointment. Food was great both times. Friendly, accommodating staff. Sat at the bar second time because it was busy and got to see the kitchen at work, impressive. I recommend the oysters either shucked or one of the six ways. Try with the Road 13 Chenin Blanc. Cornflakes, thyme & lemon was my favourite. Crab melt & smoked trout app were also enjoyed. Short ribs were very tender and the gravy was great. Mash could have used a bit more spice, hence the 4
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Review from Maggie R.
5/19/2010
Wonderful service and delicious oysters to match. Ferris' Oyster Bar offers a variety of ways to enjoy local oysters. Of course, you can't go wrong with raw oysters, but the broiled offerings are quite unique and worth a try, as well.
Sit on the covered & heated patio outside. It's the best spot in the house. -
Review from Lyndsay B.
12/29/2010
My boyfriend and I stopped by Ferris' right away on our trip to Victoria. We ordered oysters to start- of course. They came with 4 different sauces which was pretty fun.
We ordered the Oyster burger- not something I normally would order but my boyfriend made me and I was really glad he did! It and the fries it came with were really great! He ordered some "pasta" that came with salmon and prawns with a black bean sauce. It wasnt what we expected. It reminded me of Asian food- it came in a noodle bowl and was so saucy it could have been soup.
Overall- the Oyster burger saved the day. The notoriously bad service was slightly better than usual, although I had to ask twice to get more water (but, ill admit it, I drink a lot of water).
The amazing part of the meal- people began to line up outside in order to get in. The place was packed and obviously popular! Im glad we made the trip, but wish we would have chose a different second dish. It was expensive and not great
