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Harbour House Restaurant
7 reviews for Harbour House Restaurant
7 reviews in English
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Review from Lisa S.
Victoria, BC
5/16/2012
This is a very lovely restaurant that my husband, friends and I go on a regular basis. I actually work in the industry myself so I could be considered as a bit difficult when it comes to food and service ! It has a unique caracter and the atmosphere is super cozy. It's been around for over 30 years in James Bay and my grandma use to go there every week ! I'm honestly quite shocked and suprised with such bad reviews. If the place has been around for so long, I mean, its pretty obvious that it's a great place ! The quality and freshness of the food is always very satisfying and tasty, I always have the seafood in croute, it's just simply a taste of heaven. Everything is made in house, desserts as well. The service is always excellent, and some waiters are just simply hilarious. Everyone is welcoming and friendly. We always have a lovely time and a perfect meal. It's a fact that they have a lot of an "older clientele" but it's only because they've been around for so long and people have just kept coming back ! I was there just last week with a girlfriend for her birthday, the place was really busy with all sorts of people, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, they're was a great atmosphere. We had a such a great meal and the service was simply perfect.
These bad reviews are just way over board and makes me wonder what is wrong with people ! Seriously ! -
Review from Deng T.
7/14/2011
Ohh, so I wasn't the only one who thought this restaurant was mediocre! During our stay in Victoria, we were enticed by its lobster tail + steak deal (hey, we're Asian).
Unfortunately, the seafood tasted rotten (wtf, this is a restaurant located near a body of water!) and the waitress had no clue how to smile... or how to restrain from making weird worried faces for no reason.
And I think they premake their food because I ordered for a simple bowl of boiled vegetables--just that, boiled vegetables! The waitress told me she didn't know if they could make it unless she took an existing item on the menu and changed it (what?).
When the outrageously simple dish came out--they managed to mess up boiled vegetables, folks. I told them, EMPHASIZED, that there was to be no butter or oil--nothing. And guess what came out?
A tomato with melted cheese and mushrooms drenched with olive oil and pepper.
/facepalm -
Review from Chanele B.
12/29/2010
One thing I've come to accept with a Christmas Day birthday is that dining options are limited. Still, McDonald's was open, and in retrospect, we probably would have enjoyed the food more there.
My husband planned a special trip for the holiday/birthday in Victoria, and he was somehow misled into booking with the Harbour House. The experience was so surreal that I felt like it was a joke for a while... but an expensive, disappointing joke. If only he had found these reviews on Yelp before going...
Even though we had reservations for 6, we showed up a little bit early. The receptionist made sure to tell us 5 times that we were early and couldn't be seated. She then proceeded to seat three parties that came in after us - all with 6pm reservations. Finally, a manager-type figure seated us because he "hated to see us just standing there." If only we had taken this as a sign and bailed...
The waiter was acceptable, but the service was horribly slow, even though the place appeared to be overstaffed. The waiters also acted as busboys, and they were rushing around at a pace that made me slightly uncomfortable. He was helpful when selecting wine. We had a BC merlot, and I think the red wine is the only thing that helped us get through the meal. This is probably the only high point of our meal.
The starters were fine, the soup actually even good, but the entrees... Jaw droppingly bad. I think they might have gone to the local hospital cafeteria for them! We both selected steaks, and they arrived unseasoned and undercooked. (I had to send mine back, but the wait took so long that my husband was done by the time I finally got it back actually cooked as I'd ordered it.) The side dishes (of which you had no choice) consisted of completely flavorless **boiled** vegetables - carrots, sliced yams, and brussel sprouts. (I didn't know you could boil the flavor from a yam, but it can be done apparently.) They were boiled with NO seasoning - not even salt. Mashed potatoes also accompanied them, but the lack of seasoning made them entirely inedible, even with salt profusely added. (They actually tasted bitter, and I wondered if they were spoiled.) "Dessert" consisted of a cheap log-style sponge cake with cheap chocolate mousse topping that had been sliced into pieces. It reminded me of something that would be purchased in bulk at a warehouse store like Costco.
The clientele seated around us seemed to know the waiters and indicated that they came there regularly. There was most definitely a cast of strange characters there, so at least we got some amusing stories while being totally ripped off. There was no one in the restaurant under the age of 60, which might explain why the food was so bland. It actually did remind us a bit of what would be served for a holiday meal in a nursing home. Never the less, my elderly parents would have walked out when these plates were put in front of them, so it's not even a good excuse.
The thing that is most distressing is that our meal cost us just short of $200. It was by far the worst meal either of us have had in a long, long time, and it was more expensive than anything else we had in Victoria, including some amazing food at highly rated restaurants. The experience made my husband so heartsick that he still talks about it. It was a Christmas and a birthday meal that went horribly wrong.
If this is the "special event" meal, I can only imagine what their regularly menu is like. I suppose it will at least digest well... -
Review from Jenny B.
1/9/2009
My fiance and I had Christmas dinner at the Harbour House this year and we will NOT be returning or recommending this place to any of our friends. They provided a prix fixe menu with NO options and the food was bland and uninspired. Service was lacking. We decided to leave after the dinner course and still had to pay full price even though we decided to skip the dessert and coffee. Save your money and go to Tapa instead!
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Review from Phillip B.
7/7/2010
We selected this restaurant because of it's proximity to the waterfront and because our first choice was sold out that evening. What a disappointment! The first clue should have been how empty the restaurant was. Our waiter was extremely cold and impersonal. My girlfriend had questions about two of the dishes and beyond telling us that they were seafood (halibut and salmon, no duh) he could not describe how they were prepared. He wore a black tuxedo which was extremely filthy. When we asked for rolls we were informed that we could have 1 roll per person but that there was a $1 charge for each additional roll.
The food was decent and the price was reasonable but I would NOT recommend it. -
Review from Elizabeth H.
1/4/2011
I'm surprised by the bad reviews. We went to dinner at the Harbour House because we couldn't get reservations at the hotel we were staying at. I was nervous since we didn't know the place but our dinner was fine and the service was very good. I had sole and my husband had a steak and both were very good as were the vegtables and salad. I guess we got lucky.
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Review from Laurie K.
4/25/2010
Wish I would have read Yelp before we went there tonight.... and we would have gone somewhere else. We were in Victoria on our last night of a week long trip to BC and decided to walk around the corner from our hotel to try this restaurant (which looked very nice and had a nice looking menu posted outside). First of all, all the waiters are dressed in suits so that was a little unnerving - we were dressed decently but not dressy. The atmosphere is kind of romantic with cloth tableclothes and candlelight and a fireplace in the main dining room. The service was attentive (hovering, actually). Our waiter was french, I believe, and acted a little too stiff and stuffy. No friendly talk, just straight to ordering. When I asked questions about the menu he wasn't helpful at all and pretty much acted like he couldn't speak much English. We each ordered soup - I had french onion, he had lobster bisque. Mine was good and very hot, his was not hot. For dinner, he had shellfish thermador and I ordered salmon. Being from Seattle, I am used to good fresh salmon and expected that here since the menu said "a local specialty, BC salmon filet with a champagne cream sauce". Yum, sounded good. When it arrived, the salmon was almost white, not the deep pink I am used to. I ate it without complaining, but was not very happy as it had no flavor. When the waiter came back to take our plates, I asked him what kind of salmon it was since it was so pale. He didn't know and went to check with the kitchen. When he returned, he said it was Atlantic salmon. I said "the menu said it was a BC filet" and he said "it is from BC, it was farmed here". What??? That's a new one on me... Okay, it's my own fault.... I never, ever order salmon without first checking to ensure it's fresh and wild. I didn't do that this time, so I couldn't complain too much. But when a menu specifically states it's a BC salmon, I think serving an Atlantic farmed piece is pretty misleading! Posting this to hopefully prevent others from going there.
