On a mobile device? Try our mobile site, optimized for faster browsing.
Real People. Real Reviews.®
Categories: Vegan, Vegetarian, Juice Bars & Smoothies [Edit]
50 Bastion Sq
Loading...
To me, this place is so "Victoria," or at least fits with a lot of the island's most attractive cliches. It's my favourite place to go for a healthy meal, or when I want a fresh juice -- the greener, the better!
If you have food sensitivities, Rebar has a lot of gluten-free and vegan options too, and flavor isn't sacrificed in a single dish.
If you go at peak lunch and dinner times (or for weekend brunch), there's a good chance you'll have to wait in a short line, but those few minutes are well worth the wait -- especially since the service is quick and so is preparation.
Highly recommended!
ReBar has an absurd and undeniable charm. It isn't that this is the best vegetarian food in BC or even the best "big name" in vegetarian food (I am a devout Naam-er) but there is a lot that is great about this Victoria staple.
Every time I visit I am charmed by the friendliness of the staff, the quaint decor of the restaurant itself, and the care that is put into every dish. My mother is Celliac so finding a restaurant that offers up tasty gluten-free options has made it easier for both of us when we are visiting Victoria. Sure there is a wait at lunch time but the wait-staff put sincere effort into taking your order as soon as possible and then bringing your food out as soon as it is prepared.
As for the food, I suggest getting one of their many yummy juices and trying out whatever signature dish on the menu looks best to you. Note: as one previous reviewer suggested, the almond burger is wicked good eats.
So, despite the somewhat hefty price, ReBar is a great place to go and get fresh, well prepared food that handles any diet restrictions you can throw out. Give it a try if you have a reason (i.e. if you want to eat out but would collapse on the floor if you ate gluten... I love you mom!) but if you don't and you're eating on a budget... it might just be better to find somewhere cheaper.
Oh ReBar how I want to love you more. You make pretty good vegetarian food and some great fruit drinks and smoothies. But you charge quite a bit for your food and it just isn't quite worth the price.
First of all, I will say that I stop here multiple times every time I come to Victoria because their fruit drinks are great. They blend the fruit/vegetables straight into the drink using blenders they have at their "bar". So if you want a healthy fruit drink, vegetable drink, or smoothie be sure to stop by.
Now for the food. When I was here two weekends ago I got the ReBar veggie clubhouse. It had marinated-spiced eggplant, grilled portabellini, mushroom and roast sweet bell pepper on a 'double-decker' stacked with fresh tomato, sweet red onion, crisp leaf lettuce and basil-lemon aioli on Cascadia Bakery's toasted sourdough. And it was served with a side salad and I chose basil vinagerette dressing.
I did appreciate how big the sandwich it was (it's called a double-decker because it is basically two sandwiches stacked on top of each other) and all of the toppings tasted great. But as you were eating it it felt like you were missing out on what could have been a great sandwich. If they had heated it up it I can't help but imagine it would have been amazing. The way it was I enjoyed it but didn't love it.
The basil dressing on the salad was pretty good. I have to say all of the seeds they used were very fresh (pumpkin, sliced almonds, sunflower seeds). The lettuce was just OK and overall it was an interesting salad but nothing mind blowing.
And that's pretty much the problem, it wasn't anything great but cost well over $10. To me the food is something I will do occasionally since it is light and usually a respite from all of the heavy three-to-four course meals I eat when in Victoria. But I would have a hard time recommending the food here to someone unless they were vegetarian and had money to waste.
I'll keep coming back for the fruit drinks for sure though. And that's what gets ReBar four stars. The food gets three for lack of value.
Listed in: Top Restaurants, Victoria May 2010
I have really enjoyed Rebar the several times I have gone there. The drink menu is extremely long… Read more »
Longish wait, but worth it. Delightful veggie food, good service, pleasant atmosphere.
This place is so yummy! It was a little crowded, and the service was a little slow, but the food was delicious! I have to say that they have the BEST almond burger!! It was delicious! Slices of almonds added just the right amount of crunch! The salmon burger was also sooo yummy! Fresh, and oh so delicious! The quinoa salad was perfectly seasoned. I love quinoa, and this salad just took it to the whole new level!!! I was so stuffed, but we ordered one of their brownies, and man, I didn't even get a bite of it! It was gobbled down in less than 5 seconds!!! We also ordered one of their juices, but I didn't think it was anything special. Fresh, but not something I'd order again. Overall this restaurant was an extremely good choice!!! :)
They were out of several menu items when we arrived a little before 9 on a Friday night, so it was somewhat difficult to decide what we wanted. I finally opted for the Yam Pepita Quesadilla, because it sounded better than the few remaining entree options. After all that deliberation, the first taste made me feel like I'd hit the jackpot. So amazing a mélange of flavors! My hubby had the almond burger, which was also delightful. Also loved the Alchemist's brew herbal tea - it had rose hips, pomegranate, and mint (like Tazo's passion but fresher and more pungent). Negatives that weighted heavily enough to knock off at least one star: Service at 9pm was with a forced end-of-night smile-like expression. Were served a dirty glass for our dessert beer and found a hair on edge of burger plate. Despite the negatives, we'll recall this place as part of what made the Victoria trip really enjoyable.
The other day I had a little cup of soup there and it wasn't the most memorable thing ever. It was a beet soup, I think.
OTHERWISE: I recommend this place to everyone who tells me that they're going to Victoria. The almond burger is killer and so are all the breakfasts. The greek one and the kurosawa one in particular. This is the good shit.
There are juices, too. They are super expensive so I don't order them unless my girlfriend is really wanting one, but they really are good.
ReBar is pricy but it's the good shit for sure
You know what? Rebar has NEVER disappointed me. And for this reason, despite the somewhat uninspired menu for vegans, I'm upgrading to five stars. Sometimes all I need is a veggie rice steamer with tofu and ponzu (and added peanut sauce for dipping), along with some roasted garlic. And it is always perfect. To me, Rebar is healthy comfort food, and it makes me love and long for Victoria despite not really wanting to live there anymore.
Listed in: Victoria Foodgasms and Other…
Rebar, baby...I love you, but would it kill you to mix up the menu a tiny bit more often?
I've been…
Read more »
Sorry, I'm going to have to go against the general consensus of reviews here and say that I won't come back or recommend this place.
I went here recently for lunch with friends visiting from Vancouver because one of them had the Re-bar cookbook and wanted to try out the actual restaurant. We had super high hopes for it because of recommendations from lots of places, but we left completely underwhelmed.
The three of us split an order of yukon gold fries/yam fries, spinach salad with smoked salmon and yams, and a 16oz. fruit/veggie juice. The dishes were boring and the value not there. There were five or so wedges of each yukon gold and yam that came with two different sauces: BBQ and a creamy one I can't remember. The sauces were kind of tasty, but the wedges paired with it weren't good. The spinach salad sounded really awesome in the menu description, but really, it was a pile of spinach plopped on a plate on top of some mushy yam slices, a handful of pumpkin seeds, and some smoked salmon. Presentation bad, salad dressing was meh. This was a big disappointment.
The juice we ordered was pretty tasty. I wouldn't have thought of adding red pepper and mango together in the same juice. They have a really extensive juice/smoothie list that could be fun to try out, but at those prices, it wouldn't be something I'd come back for.
I have heard so many people say how amazing this place is. I have been here twice, to give it a go and each time leave feeling like I spent way too much money on something I could have whipped up at home for half the price - nothing memorable at all. The line up is also ridiculously long at lunchtime. If I am downtown, I do pop in for a juice which they do well, although it is getting more expensive. With the HS Tax a small glass of juice comes to over $6, then add in a tip... again much cheaper to make this at home, which we do these days.
I hate writing bad reviews. But here goes it. I went here and orderered a vegggie burger a few times and it came luke-warm. It was a good veggie burger but didn't taste fully cooked. It came with a salad. It came to a total of $15.00. I guess that's average? The service wasn't great either. It takes 15 minutes for anyone to refill your water. It made me feel I had sip it just to be insured I had any water to drink. Other than that good food!
I had high hopes for ReBar after reading positive reviews here but in the end left disappointed - not by the quality of the food [which is very good] - but by the overall experience which felt a too pedestrian and short on specialness. Eating here reminded me of dining in a small college town restaurant where most of the patrons are either in college or wish they still were. The tables are too small and too close together; the chairs too fragile and tablecloths are just downright ugly.
I had a salmon salad that was fresh but a bit short on seasonings; my companion had noodle seafood bowl that needed some color since the entire dish was practically white. I know this is a popular place for breakfast and lunch in the heart of downtown Victoria but would probably not recommend it for dinner for those seeking a dining experience beyond basic vegetarian fare and very casual [though friendly] service.
Bland, uninspiring, and downright boring. I love what comes out of their cookbook however. But maybe this means my girlfriend is just a really good cook?
I knew I was eating two stars when I made the comment, "Wow, this ketchup is so yummy". That's kind of sad.
It was really good homemade spicy ketchup too, but that shouldn't be the only thing I want to talk about here.
It may be an institution in Victoria, but I am unlikely to visit this establishment ever again!
The smoothies rock.
Try the Super Conductor and feel the life sweep through your soul.
Wow!
It's a shame it gets so loud there. Why must humans squawk when we get out and about?
Also, the washrooms are haunted. You'll feel a chill in your marrow as you tinkle. Promise!
I can only base my rating on a take out experience. It was Sunday after Boxing day and it was very crowded, At least 5 people were wating for seats the entire time I was there.
I ordered the spinach salad w/ sweet potatoes, smoked salmon and chipotle balsamic dressing and it was superb. My boyfriend got some sort of sandwich w/ swiss and spinach. We were both impressed with the food, very tasty and unique.
The prices not so great. The sandwich says on the menu that it comes with side salad but we were told that was a mistake. Well it is a darn pricey sandwich (~$12 and about average sized).
The service was polite and the food took 20 minutes which is what she said it would take.
May go back again when a little fatter in the wallat.
Had our best meal in Victoria here. The sweet potato & avocado salad was fresh and tasty, and surprisingly filling. Lots of fresh herbs and a very good dressing made me want to buy their cookbook. But alas, I have no room for more cookbooks at home.
Very funky interior, quick friendly service (there is no shortage of staff here) and plenty of interesting smoothies. The juice/smoothie menu is several times larger than the food menu. When I ordered a smoothie a day earlier, I was surprised to see whole pieces of apple dumped into the juicer and part of a cucumber. No juice from a box here!
Money well spent.
ReBar is a Victoria institution, serving a number of unique dishes for very reasonable prices, considering the quality and relative rarity of many ingredients.
Many items appear on the menu throughout the year, and others rightfully change with the seasons.
One highlight is Rebar's juice bar, from which you can order endless combinations of fresh fruit juice, which always seems to cure what ails you.
Even die-hard carnivores tend to like this place, and if they feel the need for some animal protein, they have fish on the menu.
I also like how they take reservations.
Who can deny the deliciousness of those freshly made smoothies? gaaa. Delicious. Juices aside, Rebar is still pretty kickass but it definitely requires patience in finding what you love.
I first hit up Rebar eons ago (actually, maybe a decade) and I found it to be overly health oriented and basically dull. But over the last two to three years I gave it another shot and went with people who knew the menu; this was huge. First off, if you ever get the chance to eat their orange yogurt pancakes, you eat them. Don't even bother considering anything else. I don't care if you drank a litre of maple syrup before going, you get those pancakes when they are there. Second, if you are a big eater, over-order. The portion sizes aren't giant and for a heffer like myself, I need an appie to go with that main or else a thick smoothie. Third, their pastas and anything with cheese in them are awesome. Just delicious. I find their vegan stuff to rely to heavily on sesame, miso or tofu which, while delicious in their own right, are better compliments to a flavour than the flavour itself.
Now, can you say orange yogurt pancakes?
I've been here twice, with a group of 5, and later a group of 8. In both cases, people walked out of the restaurant raving, converted. The food's yummy, extracting maximum flavor out of fresh ingredients.
As a vegetarian, it's nice to eat at a place where I can eat just about everything on the menu, but ReBar satisfied the cravings of folks in both groups of mostly non-veg friends.
The staff's also sensitive to food allergies and intolerances, knowledgeable about ingredients, and very happy to help.
I really think ReBar is one of the absolute gems in the city. I first went there at age 14, with my sister and her friends, and was skeptical, as she described it as "hippie meets funky", and at 14 I hated everything that wasn't painted black and sneering. But the restaurant won me over. It's primarily vegetarian (though some menu items do contain seafood), with plenty for vegan diners as well. They have an enormous menu of fresh squeezed juices and smoothies, with al kinds of addable brain foods like wheatgrass and vitamins and stuff. The decor is very entertaining, all bright colours and unusual art, which is good, because it's so popular that unless you go at a slightly unusual time of day, you're likely to wait a while to sit. But it's worth the wait, and they do ensure you have plenty to look at. If the decor isn't your thing, the door is smack dab in front of the dessert case.
The food, simply put, is amazing. It's expertly prepared and I really don't think I've ever had a bad or even boring meal there. The veggie and rice steamer, which sounds pretty pedestrian - steamed veggies with a side of brown rice, optional tofu, and your choice of dipping sauce (GET THE PEANUT) - is flavourful, filling and satisfying. Other favourites include the salad with soba noodles, red pepper and avocado, the yam and pepita quesadillas, the enchiladas con calabacita, and the ReBar salad (with the honey ginger dressing). They also make one of the best Caesar salads I've ever tasted, and I find all too often that 'Caesar salad' these days refers to limpish romaine, heavily doused in garlic mayonnaise and buried in parmesan.
I'm a meat-eater, for the record, and I never leave ReBar feeling anything less than sated and delighted. It's really a great place.
They have a cookbook, too!
I would give anything to give this place a fourth and fifth star. I really do love the place, but sometimes I find it a little too pretentious for fine dining. It's a mom's kitchen coziness, but has the tiny table and upitiness of fine dining. Four dollars for a pot of tea is just plain out of this world. No pot of tea, not even Silkroad, on a plastic table cloth is worth four bones. But don't let my tea snobbery let you down, the apple pie was almost as good as my mama's.
Went to Re-Bar for a healthy lunch after kayaking. My London Fog, less expensive than at Starbucks, was also much better, however, it took a very long time to arrive at my table. I ordered the almond burger and soup. The soup was excellent. The almond burger was tasty, but fell apart as a tried to eat it... a little too heavy on the alfalfa sprouts i think.
This was a nice place to eat alone in. I didn't feel out of place at all. The godzilla action figures above the bar were cute and i loved the mosaic pieces around the entire restaurant. Very hip looking. Unfortunately, they do not have their own washrooms and, well, they were sort of below par.
When I spent four days in Victoria I ate here almost every day. It is an amazing cafe that sells soul food for people who love food and care what they put in their body. ReBar is so well-loved they sell their own cookbook of recipes served up regularly in the restaurant. You can even get it at Chapters (See The ReBar Modern Food Cookbook).
So if you sample something on the menu you love you can learn to make it at home. They do salads, sandwiches, soups, baked goods and fresh fruit and veggie juices, and have vegetarian and vegan options. I've had their Huevos Rancheros, which are delicious and a bean burrito that I had to come back twice for. It's guiltless eating that is good for body and soul. See http://www.RebarModern....
Listed in: Green lifestyle
We LOVED ReBar! For this food-allergy conscious family, helpful servers are a must, especially when my daughter is in-tow, and ReBar met and exceeded our expectations. The menu was varied and full of options from almond burgers to coconut shrimp. My husband had the udon noodles, my daughter had an amazing rice and veggie steamer, and I had the coconut shrimp, and for a (mostly) vegetarian restaurant, each of us left feeling content and full. Our server was wonderful, and the service was fast.
The decor is funky and interesting -- avocado green walls and fun art to be viewed from each seat. We were there for lunch on a Friday, and the line waiting to be seated did not end while we were there, however, it did only take about 15 minutes to get a table. ReBar is worth the wait.
ReBar - you are in desperate need of an overhaul. Time to mix up the menu, clean up the decor and keep it fresh. All "institutions" need a change at some point. Get with it!
If you think you could never enjoy eating a purely vegetarian meal, try this place and get over your fears. I am not a vegetarian, but I would eat at Rebar any time.
Get the raspberry oat bar! One of the best $2 purchases I've ever made.
Take time to read the drinks menu. I had a delicious hot apple-lemon-ginger-cinnamon concoction. Also enjoyed the Kurosawa breakfast: eggs, tofu, rice, soy sauce. It was a little heavy on the soy but otherwise good.
Love the strawberry rubarb pie!
I love ReBar! Everything on the menu is delicious and the atmosphere is wonderful. The food is always fresh and flavorful, and if you have any questions the wait staff are more than happy to answer them. The only thing to be wary of is going to ReBar with someone who isn't very adventurous and is expecting your normal bread and butter menu.
I've been coming here with my family since I was a kid and it has always been a great choice for meals out. ReBar is a funky, cheerful bistro serving up healthy and creative cuisine ranging from fresh juice to plates of Tomato Tofu & Cashew Stir Fry or Lotus Land Linguine. On top of a menu jam-packed with mouth-watering fresh food fusion, they also have desserts... Not everything on the menu is Vegetarian but a great deal of it is and there are always plenty of Vegan options as well.
Listed in: Dining out in Victoria, BC
We had a wonderful dinner here. I had the club sandwich made with smoked salmon and shrimp - I was blown away. Don't let the vegetarian label frighten you away - although the vegetarian dishes at our table of eight were magnificent as well. We also liked the warm, casual service and funky ambience. Even a nice beer selection.
Victoria, BC
Victoria, BC
Victoria, BC
Victoria, BC
Victoria, BC
Here is a list of all the places I tried on my…
Clean, green, enlightened being is easier when you…
Victoria is a great town to visit. I've spent more…
Without fail, I get my eat on every time I'm on…
