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Pescatore's Fish House
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
25 reviews for Pescatore's Fish House
Review Highlights
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"We started with an order of fresh oysters." In 3 reviews -
"...crab cakes for him; king crab with avocado and delicately..." In 2 reviews -
"...Jillian was attentive and sweet without being overbearing." In 3 reviews
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25 reviews in English
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Review from Scotty J.
4/19/2012
"Buck a Shuck!"
You can't go wrong. The oysters were fantastic at this 5:00-6:30 PM special.
They have daily specials, too and tonights $2 fish tacos were great, too.
The staff must hve been reading some of the earlier reviews because they were friendly, greated everyone entering with a hearty welcome and were quick with refills and the tab.
If you're in Victoria's Inner Harbor and it's happy hour, you'd be doing yourself a disservice not stopping in for a dozen oysters and a pint or two. -
Review from Wayne S.
5/10/2012
Disappointing.
A lovely restaurant with an awesome fish tank.
Service was distant, as if his mind was somewhere else.
The bread was terrible and cold (I don't mean room temp here, I mean 35°F) and tasteless. No excuses for bad bread.
Food was ok, my salmon was nicely cooked. -
Review from C M.
5/22/2012
The cod and spinach salad were excellent! Well worth the price!
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Review from Janet D.
7/6/2011
When in the Pacific Northwest what's a girl from Florida to do but eat seafood right? Specifically salmon!
Recommended by our hotel bartender we took a lovely stroll pass the Empress Hotel to the restaurant. It was mid-week so the place was quiet with a nice ambiance and some not too cheesy jazz playing.
We settled in for what was a spectacular meal. My Cedar Plank Roasted Salmon (Wild spring salmon with a sweet soy butter glaze, served with risotto) was perfect. The presentation with the cedar plank, a nice touch, that often doesn't work, but it did this time. Our server was great as was our wine selection.
Pescatore's set the salmon bar high for my time in Victoria and I have to say they weren't beat! -
Review from Ann L.
1/17/2012
Decor was strange, but service was fantastic! Food was really good but came out surprisingly fast (did someone actually make this for me or just pull it off a shelf and heat it up?). The desserts were AMAZING - try the bread pudding :)
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Review from Arden C.
5/31/2011
I had dinner here the first night in Victoria! Overall I loved it. (A lot of people recommended this place)
Started out with the Oysters, they were fresh and very tasty. They have a pretty long list of fresh oysters to choose from.
Main dishes I had the Cod it was pretty good, a little too much butter but I'm probably the only person that might not like that. Most people love food drenched in butter :) My friend had the Prawn and Scallop Arrabiata - which was AMAZING, I stole a couple bites and was sad I didn't order that to begin with. I didn't have room to try the desserts but they all sounded amazing. -
Review from Lula L.
5/14/2011 1 Check-in Here
Filet of sole with shallot confit was delicious if complicated. Lovely light clam chowder. Crab cakes were crisp on the outside and had a good flavor.
Pescatore's was an awesome, classic fish restaurant. Beautiful inside, great food, excellent service. This place really is 5 stars - even though I tend to error on the generous side with the stars, this restaurant is a very classy place with top quality fish. -
Review from Tim H.
6/12/2011
If you read my reviews, you will find I rarely post bad reviews for a place if I have just been there once.. If it's bad, I usually just won't return.
Pescatores... Not impressed. In fact, on the verge of offended. Overpriced for what you get... We went here from the reviews on yelp but after eating there I was wondering if these other people have ever eaten decent seafood. I had the following: iced tea (they serve sweetened Lipton!!!who does that?!?!)
Pan Fried Oysters (12.95): three oysters, over breaded and slightly undercooked.. The batter was slightly raw in the biggest oyster.. Not enough to send back, but strike one.
Strike two: the oysters whet my lust for more, so I asked for three additional raw samples... After going through it, our terrible waiter said they didn't have the ones on the list.. In a tone like I should have known that... Then cuts me off and says he will have to come back because he has two other tables to turn... WHO.SAYS.THAT??
but hey, were on vacation... Let it roll.
He comes back 10 minutes later.. And tries to school me on oyster terminology.. Ok.
So I go with his recommendations and ask for him to bring Tabasco and more bread.. He literally smirked at the Tabasco and informed me that their oysters come with freshly grated horseradish... Like Tabasco and oysters is soooo low brow...
the oysters were good.. With the Tabasco.. :)
The bread at this place is sub-par. It's
Supermarket French bread. (but I won't count that as a strike...)
Main dish: King Halibut for me, Shrimp and Scallop scampi for the wife.
The waiter complimented me for the selection, praising it as his favorite.
First rule of halibut.. Blackening that beautiful fish is a travesty... When you add the saltiness of a blackening season, you really take away from the natural flavors of the fish... The rest of the fish topping was minimal. The highlight of the dinner was thought by both my wife
and I to be the beet served in the vegetable... My wife was aside herself when her $32.00 dish arrived with 2 scallops.. 2!!! Can you spare then? Both dishes had the same accompaniment with them.. Over boiled and tasteless mashed potatoes and a small assortment of vegs, with the highlight being that half of a beet.
Sad.
Third strike: charged over $11.50 for soda water and iced tea..they dont give refills!! WHODOES THAT ANYMORE??
when we asked about that-- it was the final straw... He said it's restaurant policy and "this is fine dining establishment so of course we would charge for it!!". WOW. Yelpers are usually young, smart and hip.. Three things this place is not.. Will not go back and will make sure to mention how
Much of a dislike button it deserves! -
Review from Mark B.
7/27/2010
We showed up at 8:15 on a Monday night and couldn't get a table until 9. Fortunately, the Oyster Bar is next door and we could wait there. We had a dozen Kusshi oysters on the half shell with a nice local Pinot gris. Dinner was great. The arrabiata is excellent with just the right amount of pepper. The smoked salmon fettucine was great and this place actually knows how to grill a salmon (not overdone!). The seafood salad was good
but included exactly one mussel and one
oyster (it was mostly shrimp and calamari). -
Review from Jazz C.
5/5/2009
We ate here our first night in Victoria, following the recommendation of the rental car clerk! It was Friday night of Easter weekend, so there was a bit of a wait. It was also past 9 pm. Place was packed, and it was justified, as we later discovered. A tad loud in there, but the lighting is soft, the decor is eclectic, and for guys---lots of cute girls working there.
Decent wine list and a fairly well-stocked bar. Fresh oysters are available, different selection daily, as with the fresh fish offerings. The hubby always orders seared ahi, which they ran out of, so I think he had the halibut, which he liked very much. I had trout stuffed with crab and brie, which was awesome...but the roasted mushrooms on the side were out of this world and completely stole the show! I could just eat a plate of those mushrooms and be happy! There was a fancy, glazed wedge of layered potatoes which seriously pushed me to the edge. It was good but I was way too stuffed to eat more than a corner.
Dessert was a caramel almond bread pudding with gelato...TO DIE FOR! Compliments to the pastry chef! The other desserts also looked mouthwatering.
All in all, an outstanding dinner experience. I would've been content to eat here every night we were in town, but Victoria has such great food we decided to eat our way up one side and down the other! -
Review from Zagreus A.
7/9/2010
Not bad... First time I had fresh horseradish (with the awesome oysters). Good carpaccio, good carbonara with big chunks of bacon. Those were the highlights, but let's face it, these dishes are not exactly a challenge.
The halibut was decidedly OK which wouldn't have been an issue under $20, but at over $30, I expect better execution. Specifically the blackening spice was heavy on the salt, light on Cajun, light on spice and the mash was just bland. My tastes were pretty accepting back in the late 80's where this dish belonged. The deserts were just as 'alright' and probably not a great value considering.
There was nothing wrong with any part of our meal, it's just not what we expected. -
Review from Natalie W.
Edmonton, AB
11/16/2011
The food was amazing, the service was attentive, and the wine list was long. WWhat more could you ask for?
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Review from Naoko S.
9/9/2008
Loved the ceiling with the fans. Very cool.
The decor was awesome. The lighting was also perfect.
The waiter was cool.
Very good ambience.
Pasta was little bit dry but tasty.
Everyone was happy with their food. -
Review from O.G. O.
7/27/2011
spent about $105 USD for appetizers, 2 meals, no desserts, and no drinks for me and my wife. big dissappointment overall. bread was very low quality, portions were small, prices were way too high for what we got. The "famous" crab cakes were ridiculously tiny and plain. The calamari was comprised of a small quantity of coin sized calamari pieces. I don't know how they are not embarassed to serve those 2 dishes. The tempura shrimp was good, not great. The fried oysters were ordinary. The "famous" seafood salad was awful. The only things that were good were the service, the presentation and the ambiance, all of which were excellent. Won't be going back.
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Review from Luc P.
Pointe-aux-Trembles, QC
8/13/2009
Good service in a nice environment
The restaurant is spacey, but with very limited daylight getting in.
Fish is good. I don't recommend sharing the deluxe seafood platter between 2. Would probably be OK for 3, especially at 85$.
Halibut was fantastic, but salmon and crab slightly overcooked. -
Review from Marissa M.
8/9/2009
My mom and I chose Pescatore's as the first place for us to eat when we arrived to Victoria. We were starving and luckily it was just a short walk from our room at the Chateau Victoria. As we looked at the menu outside, an older couple just leaving the restaurant gave it two thumbs up so we decided to check it out.
The ambience was pretty modern and classy. There was a long seating bench in the back complete with pillows and cushions that I didn't really understand.
We were greeted with nothing but a huge smile from one of the cute servers when we walked in. Actually, even one of the patrons gave me a huge smile as we were taken to our table. Mmk. We started with an order of fresh oysters. They had a long list of the oysters they served but only had a small selection in stock, most being from the "superior" list. The mignonette was good, however I am one of those that enjoys the natural taste of a raw oyster. I ordered a dungeness crab sandwich that was served with salad. I thought the vinaigrette was too much and the crab in the sandwich seemed to have been enhanced with "patis", or Filipino fish sauce. The oyster sandwich that we ordered was huge and awkward to eat.
Overall, it was ooookkayyyyy. The prices were a tad high for what we got and the food was alright but I'd probably eat somewhere else next time. -
Review from Betty R.
10/31/2010
I thought this would be a regular fish and steak kind of place, but was very pleasantly surprised. We went with our two kids (under 10). There was no kids menu, but they are fine with us sharing. The variety of the dishes were superb. Not just the usual fresh fish cooked 3 ways with your carrots and beans. Very nice. Try the chocolate fondue dessert. Worth the wait. Our server was very attentive and always with a smile, but not hanging around all the time. Would have loved to try the oysters, but we had them next door at The Oyster -- don't go there.
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Review from Angela D.
7/1/2011
We are staying at the beautiful Fairmont Empress and this restaurant was recommended as a place to get something light since we were eating later than usual. I do have to say that the atmosphere was pleasant and the staff was friendly, but that is where the positives end. Just like another reviewer (Tim H. on 6/12/11) we had one strike after another: first the bread (straight from the local supermarket), second the soup sampler tasted three days old and watered-down as if they were rationing it for a soup kitchen, lastly the smoked salmon bruschetta had no salmon in it and the crab cakes I would bet were made with canned crab. They were the size of two half dollars and cost as much as an entree. We sent back the soups and didn't finish the bruschetta. Our waitresses offered to have us order something else but STRIKE three and I'm done!! I gave the food one star because I had to assign something but I would give our waitress Genevieve, 5 stars.
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Review from Allison A.
6/26/2009
Fast, good seafood. Halibut was rockin', and my seafood salad was very fresh and tasty (after I put a lot of lemon on it). Other food...eh. Bread was OK. My mother's lobster cannelloni was burned on the edges. Expensive. So overall, good for the seafood, but skip the rest.
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Review from Ian G.
5/11/2010 1 photo
We stumbled across this place just before their Happy Hour started, and spent a lovely afternoon slurping up local oysters! I can't speak for non-Happy-Hour foods but the place looks brand new and gleaming, and the staff was incredibly nice to us, even when I knocked over the dipping sauces.
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Review from Caitlin P.
10/28/2010
No need for a waterfront view when you have great seafood and great service to make for a great evening out in Victoria. Bustling but still romantically lit, Pescatores has an excellent selection of fresh seafood prepared in savory but still hearty portions. Our waitress Jillian was attentive and sweet without being overbearing. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for a wonderful meal out in Victoria.
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Review from Ferlyn C.
Calgary, AB
1/17/2011
They have fallen off in customer appreciation and quality. The service was absolutely horrible; the food took hours; the manager defended the staff to a point of belittling our observations and refusing to acknowledge anything was wrong. Pathetic. All would be forgiven if the food was as it was in years past, no such luck.
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Review from Angeline K.
6/5/2009
When my husband and I planned our week long Alaskan cruise for our 2-year anniversary, we made dinner reservations at Pescatore's knowing Victoria would be our last port stop. This restaurant came highly recommended by a couple of Victorian locals I spoke to. I don't know what the locals are thinking because this was one of the worst restaurants I have ever been to. First of all, the service was TERRIBLE. To add insult to injury, it seemed as though our table was the only table getting bad service. The tables to the left and right of us (who were being served by our server, btw) both came after us, yet received their main courses before we even got our soup. It took an excruciatingly long time to get our food and let me tell you, it was not worth the wait. The trout I ordered was so dry and overcooked. My husband ordered the surf and turf and he said the steak was bland and tasteless and the crab legs were also overcooked. I don't mind so much the occasional bad meal dining out, but I certainly do mind if the bill comes out to be $150. We could have saved that money and had dinner on the cruise ship where the food was a million times better... and PAID FOR.
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Review from Patricia C.
8/14/2010
We happened upon Pescatore's in the early afternoon and weren't that hungry. So, we ordered 'starters' that looked interesting. What we received were gourmet plates: crab cakes for him; king crab with avocado and delicately julienned pommes frites-- all with just the right proportions for a light dish. The wait staff was very attentive, without being overbearing. We thoroughly enjoyed a very relaxing atmosphere and delicious food.
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Review from Lyndsay B.
12/29/2010
My boyfriend and I took the Clipper in and spent a night in Victoria for our 3 year anniversary, Pescatores was our romantic dinner. It was an amazing experience!
I had made a reservation for 7 and we were sat almost immediately in a large dimly lit booth. We ordered a decanter of the house white for $20, and took our time deciding what to eat. They were offering a deal for $30 bucks you would get any appetizer, a half order of pasta, and a dessert. We opted out and decided on getting the seafood dinner for 2 for $90. For two college students, it was an expensive meal but SO worth it!!!
First, we got bread. It was fresh and delicious and held us over for the slightly long wait for the food (which the waitress warned us about since there is so much to cook). While waiting, the service was great. The manager was walking around and stopped to chat with us, but it was not overbearing.
When the food came, we each received a plate with mashed potatoes with a carrot and a beet, and a large stand was placed in between us covered with seafood. There was-
-A bowl of the most DELICIOUS muscles and clams. These things had the most amazing marinade it was to die for!!
-2 yummy king crab legs
-Bacon wrapped scallops (the scallops were HUGE!)
-Tuna cooked rare (my FAVORITE thing, it was like the absolute best sushi you will ever have)
-an entire portion of salmon (pretty standard salmon)
-an entire portion of halibut (was a little dry, not my fav)
-4 or so large prawns in a spicy sauce
and on top was 3 dishes, one melted butter being melted by a candle, cocktail sauce, and some other sauce that was amazing with the tuna.
It was the single best seafood dinner I have ever had, we ate everything except a small bit of halibut. I would recommend this place to anyone!! I wish it was closer and I had a larger budget!
