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Il Terrazzo
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Dressy
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Ambience:
- Romantic
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
43 reviews for Il Terrazzo
Review Highlights
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"...stuffed with roasted butternut squash and asiago cheese." In 1 review -
"The gigantic wine list will help." In 6 reviews -
"...pasta in a three cheese sauce) was just overwhelming with..." In 2 reviews
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43 reviews in English
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Review from Mario P.
12/4/2011
Truly outstanding. Tremendous wine list.
We had a group of 9, and our table was ready when we arrived for our 7:00 reservation. We had lots of different dishes around the table, and there were no complaints. I had the braised buffalo ribs, and they were outstanding. We ordered several desserts and shared them . . . all quite good.
The service was great. The sommelier definitely knows his stuff and was very helpful. Our courses were timed perfectly.
Frequently, I come away from a meal and say, "that was great, but it would have been better if . . . ".
I cannot come up with any "better if" for this one.
Give it a shot. You will not be disappointed. -
Review from Kristoffer Vik H.
Vancouver, BC
5/15/2012
Amazing atmosphere, beautiful place, and excellent food. The scallop, tuna, and seaweed salad was the highlight of the food we tried.
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Review from Euler U.
4/18/2012
A delicious Italian restaurant in Victoria. Ordered the Seafood Linguini with the mixed green salad. The restaurant is deserving of the high ratings.
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Review from Drach V.
4/24/2012
Fantastic, absolutely first-rate.
Had Vitello con Funghi preceded by the best Caesar salad that I can recall in recent memory.
Nodded to myself in appreciation. You know the feeling.
Good atmosphere; dark, bricks & plaster, flames here and there, not noisy.
Definitely coming back when I come to Victoria next, which is usually 1-2 times per year. -
Review from Carlo G.
Victoria, BC
3/31/2012
Dined here on a rainy week day with our two young kids. It was a little confusing finding the entrance as google map placed it on Johnson St. but the entrance is actually a short walk down a drive/alley way. Immediately struck by the charming ambience of the place as we entered. Inviting bar on the left, wine "cellar" above the bar, beautiful fresh flower arrangement at the front, everything tastefully appointed. I can't remember exactly what we ordered but the service was excellent and I do remember enjoying our meal and time there. In other words, the food was not remarkable but certainly very good and the ambience and service are excellent. We will definitely eat here again and next time I'll pay more attention to the meal!
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Review from Dave D.
8/14/2011
We loved this place! A bit hard to find, but that keeps the less than desireable tourist foot traffic away. We were seated on the patio and immediately noticed these awesome two-tops with individual gas fireplaces. As soon as one freed up we moved and were glad that we did. Super romantic and the warmth that came from the fire and brick work was nice. Admittedly it is an active and busy atmosphere, but the wife and I enloy that.
Recommend trying the Sangiatini to start. Wife liked it so much she had two, which she never does. Spread for the table bread was delightful; we ended up eating so much that there would be no way we would finish our entrees. I ordered the pork scallopini which was INCREDIBLE!
Tender cutlets that were cooked to perfection which a smoky bacon, chili and cheese sauce. Wife had the braised beef tenderloin which was good but couldn't hold a candle to mine. Even she agreed.
Overall, a great place that made for a memorable meal. Don't miss it in Victoria. -
Review from Hikaru N.
Vancouver, BC
4/15/2012
Upon arriving in Victoria and fresh off the ferry, my friends and I were in the mood to go out and enjoy a nice dinner. We looked through some choices and ended up going to Il Terrazzo. Upon arriving, the restaurant was very busy despite being only 7PM on a Thursday. Nevertheless, we were fortunate enough to be seated at the bar. I started off with the Zuppa di Pesce and it was stunning. The seafood combined with the amazing flavour of the curry broth was absolutely delicious. For my main course, I tried the Canneloni Maiale which was also exceptionally good. However, (this is probably from being so picky in Vancouver) I felt that the sauce was a bit too thick and slightly overpowered the vegetables and meat. If not for this minor hiccup, I would rate this as five stars for sure. The wine list is also something to behold as they have a bit of everything one could ask for. The service was also good, and I look forward to going back on my next trip to Vancouver Island.
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Review from Andrew M.
2/20/2012
Il Terrazzo is tasty, solid Italian cuisine.
I would recommend reservations if you plan on going as the staff informed me they are regularly busy.
On my visit my gf and I had no reservations but were quickly seated at the bar. The ambiance is chic; low lighting, brick walls, candlelit tables, and great art with a bar area separated from the dining area by a wine cabinet.
Bartender service was quick and delightful. After choosing a bottle of Pinot Grigio we were given delicious sliced bread with one of the best tapenades I have ever had. Scrumptious complimentary appetizer.
Forgive my lack of remembering the names of the dishes!
For dinner my sweetheart chose a cannelloni dish with crab cakes in a coconut curry sauce. It arrived quickly and well presented with a comment from her saying, "should I eat it or take a picture?" after her first bite I could tell she was pleased with her choice and she proceeded to clean her plate!
I chose a seafood linguine with scallops, mussels, and prawns in a tomato/wine base. Excellent presentation with basil leaves gently stacked on top of the linguine noodles. A pleasantly tasty dish with great flavor graciously accented by the Pinot I was drinking.
We chose the Creme Brûlée for dessert, nothing special, but a solid tasty dessert.
As other posters have said, Il Terrazzo won't leave you mind blown after dinner, but you will enjoy your meal of good Italian food. -
Review from Todd S.
11/23/2011
Always great! Look forward to dinning here each time we come to Victoria! Awesome food, great staff and atmosphere! Would highly recommend!!!
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Review from Nancy M.
8/8/2011
One of the best Italian restaurants we have been to!
My husband and I stopped by for an early dinner on a Saturday
night during our recent visit to beautiful Victoria. We did not
have a reservation but were lucky to arrive soon after someone
had cancelled their 5:30 reservation. The restaurant was very
busy and all the tables were full by the time we sat down [which
was as soon as we walked in the door].
Our meals were wonderful! I had the halibut and my husband
had the fettucini. The warm bread with olive tampade was delicious!
The servers were very attentive and helpful. The atmosphere
was warm and very "italian".
I am so glad that I did my homework and Yelped downtown
restaurants before we arrived [the restaurant is tucked
away down an alley and would have been hard to find if we
wouldn't have had the address]. Lucky for us we did! -
Review from Jill Y.
6/15/2011
Simply the best Italian meal I've ever had.
We had a mix up with our reservation and we ended up sitting with four of us at the bar. While this was a little awkward, it worked out well.
I wish I could remember the names of the dishes we had, but to suffice it to say, if you love Italian come here. If you want something else, go else where. -
Review from Lindsey H.
1/9/2012
The outdoor seating is beautiful, but unfortunately, it was too cold to sit outside when we dined here. On a trip from Seattle, we stopped in here for a romantic lunch. The restaurant was busy, and the service was bad. We were rushed along to order and then barely saw the staff again. I could look past the service if the food was amazing, but there was way too much salt in the dishes. The veal marsala tasted like it had at least a tablespoon too much salt. Give this place a swerve and check out Brasserie L'ecole instead. Fabulous service and amazing food.
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Review from Jason B.
11/30/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Great food and great wine plus great service means you have one great place. The vegetarian selection is abundant, but the menu is constantly changing and they always have a few select vegetarian options. If you are in Victoria you have to stop by this little Gem.
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Review from Utopian C.
Victoria, BC
12/20/2011
What makes this place warm and inviting is it's brick building that gives it a great rustic look. Unfortunately, there are no choices for vegetarians if any. I end up ordering Fusili Verdura every time I'm here.
The menu seems to be the same forever. They should think of revamping the menu and incorporate some more option for vegetarian customers.
Ambience and service are top notch. Wine selection is good as well. It does gets a bit noisy though when it fills up. -
Review from Mike P.
11/15/2010
I took my partner here for his birthday. I highly recommend reservations... which, I had unfortunately not made, and they were booked for the entire evening... we were lucky enough to get the last 2 seats available at the bar.
The staff, the service, the ambiance, and the food are absolutely amazing. You will not be disappointed.
I'm actually glad that we were seated at the bar... from there, you have a direct view into the kitchen and get to watch the amazing detail they put into the food with great care. You also get a up close view of the amazing wine cellar and the vast selection they have available.
We started our meal with an order of Gamberi con Funghi, which is an absolutely amazing scallop, shrimp and mushroom appetizer... the scallops and mushrooms just melt in your mouth and the amazing marsala basil cream sauce is just exploding with flavor.
For my entrées, I had Scallopini di Maiale. It was the most tender and moist pork tenderloin I ever had. The sauce was light, and full of flavor... it really complimented the smoky bacon and pork tenderloin fairly well. It came with grilled asparagus and roasted, which were both seasoned and cooked to perfection.
My partner ordered the Pollo Apollonia. The chicken was beautifully roasted, and was very tender and juicy. Jast as with the Gamberi con Funghi, the scallops just melted in his mouth and the tiger prawns really complimented the dish well.
Overall, this was an amazing dining experience... we will gladly visit many times to come... but we'll be sure to make reservations for the next time! -
Review from Kelly R.
Vancouver, BC
5/30/2011
Il Terrazzo is basically a good Italian steakhouse. The dishes were well prepared and pretty tasty but offered nothing special. I was disappointed that the food had no regional authenticity at all -- the dishes were a mishmash of crowd-pleasing flavours. The place was jam packed with tables elbow-to elbow and extremely noisy.
The service was fine except that I didn't appreciate being addressed by the server as "guys" the entire night. "Are you guys doing fine?" "How was the food guys?" For two women over forty, this really was far too casual.
I won't go back unless I'm with friends who prefer large plates of food to a good dining experience. -
Review from Salsaboy S.
8/30/2011
More appropriately a 4.25, but very good.
We discovered this place because a local who we met in Tofino told us of this hard to find, alley-ridden Italian gem that we would otherwise never know about. Thinking that we were going to a local's place for those in the know, the bus boy told us Il Terrazzo is rated #1 on TripAdvisor for restaurants in Victoria (I checked when we got back to our bed and breakfast, and -- at least at present -- it's true).
I really enjoyed our meal at Il Terrazzo. The food is very good. We started with the Zuppa di Pommodoro, shared a Funghi Arrosto (without the proscuitto), and had the Melanzane al Forno as our entrees.
The soup was a rich tomato soup with a chunk of polenta and cheese in the middle. It was very rich and tomatoey. Unlike many tomato soups, this was not cut with cream to take the edge off of the acidity or intensity. Truth be told, I would have preferred that it had a touch of cream. That said, it was still very good.
The Funghi Arrosto was a breaded and fried portobello mushroom sliced atop a spinach salad, and it was delicious.
The Melanzane al Forno was a delicious pasta dish with a pureed eggplant-ish paste rolled inside of elongated pasta ribbons in a tomato cream sauce. Delicious. The sauce was perhaps just a touch too creamy, but I'm just picking at hairs. It was really good, and I'd order it again in a second.
They started us with some homemade foccia and olive tapenade. Both were good.
Il Terrazzo also has a nice wine list and we had some BC-based wines, whites, to enjoy with our meal -- a Gewurztraminer and a Chardonnay (Mission Hill).
I am a vegetarian, and there are certainly options for vegetarians here. There were a couple more things I could have gotten -- don't remember what they were -- but I imagine were I a local, I would likely get variations of the same thing every time I came (unless seasonality made such impossible).
My only reservation about Il Terrazzo is that this is not a delicate Italian restaurant. The food is on the heavier side. The sauces are good, flavorful, and tasty, but they are not masterful. There's nothing wrong with that. My favorite pizza restaurant in the San Francisco Bay Area is a Chicago-style pizzeria (Zachary's) which suffers the same sin: it's amazing but it's not nuanced. For stuffed pizza I am a bit more forgiving (what do you expect from a food-choice made of dough and stuffed with cheese and vegetables (or meat for those who eat it)?). For Italian food to take me over the top, it would have had to have been deft. This is definitely a cut-above the average run-of-the-mill Italian joint, and its TripAdvisor rating is not an accident. I recommend Il Terrazzo, and I do so without reservation. It will be satisfying; it will be delicious. At the same time, it won't likely be transcendent and it won't change your life. This is solid Italian food, nothing more, nothing less. -
Review from Elle J.
Victoria, BC
8/31/2010
We save this place for special occasions; the food never disappoints, service is impeccable and the ambience is perfect for a romantic date!
The wine list is another bonus, lots of choice for all price points. The halibut is a seasonal dish, but if it's on the menu when you visit you must order it, it is to die for!!
Going to il terrazzo will not disappoint, they go beyond amazing food, they have great service and awesome ambiance; a total package fine dining experience! -
Review from Doug H.
9/16/2011
Good Italian dining in Victoria but expensive. The dishes are not your usual suspects for an Italian restaurant but good food with lots of selections. A bit touristy/Italian which is reflected in the prices. A huge wine list with a limited selection of Italian bottles under $100 - these days that is ridiculous and may assume it's due to the location close to the inner harbour. By far the most expensive meal in 10 days of great food from Seattle to Victoria but not the best meal. The service was fine. Try to be seated in the terrazzo area otherwise it's incredibly loud. Pretty little fireplaces burning in the outdoor brick walls of the terrazzo and gas heaters.
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Review from Antonia W.
Toronto, ON
9/19/2010
I went there very recently for an afternoon lunch for two for my bday. I made reservations for 12, and the place was pretty empty when we first got there, but within half an hour, the lunch crowd had arrived and the place was rolling. We sat outside by a fireplace in their pretty outdoor patio.
Since we beat the crowd, we actually got our food really fast!!
We had :
funghi arrosto - deep-fried breaded portobello mushroom, sliced thin on a bed of greens. really good and stayed crispy.
calamari ripieni - breadcrumb-stuffed baby squid.. i could have passed on this, i didn't care for the stuffing so much. the squid was perfectly cooked though.
linguine fruitti di mare - seafood pasta... this was really good, flavour-wise and filled with shrimp and scallop. it is, however, super creamy so lay off this if you're counting calories! i like how they roast or panfry the capers, it seems to mellow out the flavour. i don't normally like capers, but i ended up picking out little capers from the dish we were sharing :)
Service was on the cool side, but very attentive and efficient.
I've looked through their dinner menu and it seems to get quite pricey for entrees, but I would come back here for lunch anytime for a more upscale-ish place that won't eat my wallet. -
Review from Matthew L.
Edmonton, AB
7/20/2009
Il Terrazzo would be an asset to the culinary scene of any city. It specializes in a large menu of rustic Northern Italian dishes.
The restaurant itself has quite a large space, including a cavernous, brick-laden indoor space, and a covered, yet airy patio area. I recommend the patio.
I went for lunch and ordered a delicious seafood stew of clams, mussels, scallops, prawns, and halibut (the brodetto del pescatore) which balanced the flavors well. I could taste the fresh flavor of the seafood, along with the garlic and tomato base. I could also taste quite a bit of salt, but not too much.
I also like how our server was more than happy to provide me with all of the bread I needed to soak up all of the broth. -
Review from Stacey E.
12/24/2008
I came in for lunch here and had the antipasto plate with a nice assortment of cheese, veggies, bread and olives to snack on. The service was friendly and professional. The ambiance of the restaurant was up-scale but still welcoming and cozy.
Years ago I came here for a few fancy dinners which I remember being really good as well. I'd definitely make this an eating destination again. -
Review from John S.
9/29/2011
For a first time visitor, it was a little tough to find in the alley, but well worth the effort. My wife and I loved the interior, service and most of all the food. As discussed by others, the pork scallopini was truly wonderful. Incredibly tender and moist -
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Review from kunal k.
3/24/2010
Words cannot describe.
First, finding the place is a great little adventure. It's nicely tucked away into a small alley so it feels like a great accomplishment when you figure out where the heck it's located.
Service: I don't always think too much of it but this was just about as perfect as service as one could receive. Our host was always attentive but never intrusive, gave recommendations when we seemed (and were) unsure, but never imposed recommendations on us, guided us to just the right amount of food (ok i overate, not going to lie), and was fun and lively without trying to be our best friend.
Came here on company dime which made things a lot easier. It takes a coin, but truthfully i'd come again on my own dime easily.
Food: saved the best for last. Wowee. Distinctive, creative, and even the things i thought I didn't like, i loved.
Our order, between two:
-Beef Carpaccio
-Hazelnut crusted salad with mango salsa (fourteen times as good as it sounds. this salad was remarkable - i don't think i've EVER had a better salad). the cheese was fresh and the mango a great touch.
-Linguine with grilled chicken, cashews, lemon cream sauce. Delicious. Just delicious. House specialty, filling, tasty, great quality chicken. I ate tons of it.
-Pork, Guyere Cheese, and Apple Canneloni. I normally hate pork. Loved this. Loved. the sauce is slightly creamy.
Had a delightful Barolo and some grappa to boot. Just incredible. This was a dining experience and a half. I want to go back. I came back to my hotel room after this and was in glorious bliss. It's the morning after and I still am.
Can i give a place 6 stars? -
Review from Susanne K.
3/8/2011
Had a wonderful evening here with some fine italian food. The wine menue boasts of Canadian wines, which for me was quite surprising. The quality and taste of the wine was really nice and very enjoyable. I had a salad caprese followed by a nice carbonara with meatballs. Delicious!
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Review from G P.
8/16/2010
Great indoor-outdoor patio with numerous gas fireplaces. Very good Insalata con Gamberi (tomatoes, two avocados halved with fresh shrimp), stuffed, grilled, baby Calamari, and Chicken Marsala was fantastic with super authentic chicken, both in flavor and texture, rich bits of portabello mushroom. Tapenade and olive oil spread with focaccia to start was a nice touch. Super nice ambiance and efficient service. Lunch menu was super affordable, around $12-$14CDN for entrees, and $6-$10 for appetizers.
Definitely a nice intro to Victoria! -
Review from John R.
8/2/2010
After finding Il Terrazzo nestled in an alley way off of Johnson we were fortunate to get a table immediately on a very busy Friday evening without a reservation. We sat in the terrace area which is not quite outside and has a wonderfully cozy feel with small fire places in the back and heat lamps from above. With only an hour to spare we dove into the menu and I quickly chose the Insalata Caprese and the CANNELLONI con MAIALE - when I saw this it seemed so unique that I actually stopped reading the rest of the menu. (Fresh pasta stuffed with braised pulled pork. Baked with Gruyere cheese, apples, savoy cabbage and smoked bacon.) As the waitress knew we were on the clock everything came out as quickly as we were ready giving us enough time to actually enough the meal.
The salad was exceptionally good but the main course was beyond outstanding. Not only was it extremely tasty but the uniqueness of it sent the experience way over the top for me. When it was time to leave I felt both satisfied to have had such a great meal but also sad thinking I might not ever see something like that on a menu again never mind at the same state of quality that I just experienced.
Obviously if you are ever in Victoria (or lucky enough to live close) Il Terrazzo is a place not to be missed.
In the whirlwind of being there I do not know if there was a kids menu but regardless of that fact they made a plain cheese pizza for the young one at our table so it all worked out very well. -
Review from Bradley C.
11/8/2011
Solid. Love to go here when visiting Italy - oops I mean Victoria.
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Review from Steven S.
3/13/2011
It was good food although I would say a bit over-ratted. It's pretty loud, crowded, and rushed.
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Review from adam b.
3/15/2011
Had the venison which was well done when I ordered rare to medium rare. The meat was more like hamburger meat consistency than the way I have experienced venison many times in the past. The seafood pasta was OK. The sauce was a bit bland. The shrimp were good, the scallops were mediocre, and the mussels were the highlight (usually the mussels at other restaurants are the wost of the seafood). I wouldn't go back here.
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Review from Deb K.
2/19/2009
Ahhh the romance. This is the place to light the fires on a romantic weekend get-away in Victoria. The ambience is rustic, old-world, dimly-lit perfection. The gigantic wine list will help!
I had the somewhat confusing, but incredibly delicious mango, cashew, roasted chicken linguini dish, that sounded more appropriate for a Thai place, but somehow delivered unique Italian flavors and did not disappoint. I also have to rave about the awesome Caesar salad, which I am typically unimpressed with at other places. This is the real thing!
You definitely have to get reservations on the weekend, but it's also a great spot for lunch if you find out about this too late in your stay to make them. I highly recommend it! -
Review from Alison A.
7/8/2011
The reviews on Yelp got me very excited for this restaurant! I wasn't disappointed, but I don't think it quite lived up to the hype... If you're thinking of eating here - make a reservation! And then expect to wait 30 minutes. It's a pretty small restaurant and there is little they can do to control the length of time that another party stays at a table. Regarding the food - it was good, not the best and certainly not authentic Italian. The wine selection is great for bottles, but limited for glasses. For a good, hot, home cooked meal I would recommend Il Terrazzo - but know that you won't be getting the absolute best Italian food you can get.
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Review from Kath U.
12/28/2010
We LOVE this restaurant for so many reasons. Firstly, let me just say that I am Italian, both sides of the familia & one side from Sicily & the other side from the North, Lake Como region. So I am picky when it comes to Italian!
Service: Outstanding in every way. Attentive but not overbearing. Our server had a great sense of humor & he took good care of us including making some awesome wine suggestions.
The atmosphere is very European which I love. The bar & the ambiance is fantastic.
This was our second time here. I started out with FORMAGGIO di CAPRA which is:Hazelnut-crusted goat cheese, baked in an open flame oven and served on a salad of mixed baby greens with poached pear, sun-dried cranberries and a lemon, pear and port-wine dressing . My husband had the AGLIO ARROSTO e CAMBOZOLA which is: Fire roasted garlic bulb served with fresh baked rosemary flatbread
and a wedge of cambozola cheese. Flatbread is amazing & so was the salad.
Next I had the CANNELLONI con FUNGHI. OMG...SO good. Fresh pasta stuffed with roasted butternut squash and asiago cheese.
Baked w/ portabello mushrooms, Marsala wine, garlic confit and cream. Topped w/ lemon dressed arugula and cherry tomatoes.
My husband had the classic FUSILLI con SUGO di MANZO which is the pasta w/ Bolognese-style meat sauce, spinach and mozzarella cheese which was outstanding.
They also have over 1000 selections of wine as well as "Strega" at the bar. An Italian liquor that I grew up having on special occasions that many people here in the US have never had. They also have Grappa as well as a full bar.
Yes an amazing dining experience in every way.
Love the old brick building and they have an awesome patio. Can't wait to go back! -
Review from Jessica P.
10/26/2011
This place is amazing! My boyfriend and I decided to try this place after a yelp search for our upcoming trip to Victoria. I'm usually very critical of Italian restaurants (being Italian) but this place hit all the marks. The restaurant is a little small, the tables are set kind of close together, and the noise level is quite high. With that said, it does have a cute outdoor area and great art on the walls. The wine list was out of control! There were so many options to choose from and the waitress was very helpful in choosing a wine. Our meals were divine. Portions were more than enough and absolutely delicious. Everything was super fresh. Definitely reserve ahead of time because this place was busy. Great place for a romantic date.
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Review from Michael P.
6/9/2009
So S and I were up in Victoria for our 10th anniversary, and Il Terrazzo came highly recommended, so....
Wow! This was an almost perfect experience. Got there thirty minutes early and for some crazy reason there were a couple of open seats at the small bar, so down we sat and were taken care of by the bartender. Great personality, good wine-- we knew we were in for a great night.
Checked in with the very over-worked host staff who sat us within five minutes. Are you serious? The line was out the door and out into the alley! Still, we weren't about to complain that they kept their reservations. The hostess asked if we wanted to sit on the covered courtyard or inside and it being a nice evening, I chose the courtyard. S was a little disappointed until we got to the table-- out in the courtyard, right in front of its own little fireplace. I couldn't have set this up if I tried!
Now comes the reason I couldn't give this place 5 stars-- the server. She wasn't rude, but it never felt as if she cared we were there. With a long background in the industry, this ruffled me quite a bit. Obviously a product of the McDonald's take-your-order-and-never-come-back-again mentality. Fortunately (again- how did we get so lucky?), the server assistant was incredible. She was there refilling water, keeping the table clean, with just the right amount of chatting to make us feel as if someone appreciated our being there. Was she making up for the server's severe lack of ability? Maybe. Either way, she saved the night.
Oh yeah-- the food? Awesome! The Caesar salad was near perfect and the brodetto del pescatore had the perfect tomato flavor but was well balanced with spice. Why wasn't this an entree?? We shared the Pollo Apolonia for our main course-- again the choice disappointed S, but the food won her over quick. Chicken breast pan-roasted with scallops, prawns, tomatoes, smoked bacon, lemon, cream and fresh basil all served on fusilli pasta in a three cheese sauce..... still makes my mouth water. Finished with a cappuccino and port.... This is certainly going to be a Victoria mainstay for us-- but can we have a different server please? -
Review from John G.
8/4/2009
This was a great meal. The salad (insalata mista) we split four ways and was lightly dressed and fresh as could be. The stuffed grilled squid (Calamari Ripiena) were yummy. My wife reports that the Frutti di Mare (her predictable choice whenever and wherever it is offered) was the best she ever had. Their SPAGHETTINI CARBONARA con POLPETTI di VITELLO was a disappointment at first. I think our food got hung up at the pass and I suspect that the Carbonara sat in the under the heat lamp too long and congealed in a big wad. When I pointed this out they immediately whisked it away and brought me a fresh plate all luscious and creamy and bacony and carbonary. The Meatballs, an unusual touch in my experience with a carbonara, were light and flavorful. I was quite gratified. My in law's selection of Pollo Appolonia (Chicken breast pan-roasted with scallops, prawns, tomatoes,smoked bacon, lemon, cream and fresh basil served on fusilli pasta in a three cheese sauce) was just overwhelming with its goodness). My daughter ordered the Filetto d'Alibut and was speechless for quite sometime while she concentrated on this fresh concoction. Great list of beers and wines.
Service was perfect. And the price was really pretty reasonable at about $35 a piece before tipping.
. -
Review from Chris R.
10/8/2011
Excellent service and food. Unreal wine list but pricey. Flavors matched the menu and we would go back
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Review from Mike M.
Calgary, AB
7/5/2010
You definitely are paying for the atmosphere. Beautiful patio, food feels like a tourist trap though. Wasn't recommended by locals!
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Review from Ami D.
7/7/2009
Absolutely loved the food - we got the halibut and salmon and both were cooked to perfection & unique. My riesling was great too! I took off 1 star just because of the waiter service but that's across Victoria. This restaurant set a very high bar for the rest of our trip and no other place topped it!
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Review from Jerry M.
7/22/2011
I am always in search of quality Italian restaurants. This is one of the better ones I have found. Great food, nice wine list and an authentic Italian feel.
