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Stage
Categories: Restaurants Tapas Bars Nightlife Bars Wine Bars Tapas Bars, Wine Bars [Edit]
1307 Gladstone AveVictoria, BC V8R
(250) 388-4222
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Late Night, Dinner
- Happy Hour:
- No
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- No
- Coat Check:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
15 reviews for Stage
Review Highlights
"mussels, cheeks & frites, duck confit and crispy pork belly..."
(in 3 reviews)
"the langos and the house sausages, but they were excellent."
(in 5 reviews)
"...loud place to visit for small plates, Stage is one of my..."
(in 3 reviews)
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15 reviews in English
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Review from Emily-Anne P.
Vancouver, BC
3/2/2011
My expectations were pretty high for Stage the first time I went, expecting a really enjoyable, relaxing experience, I wanted a large selection of wines, local food and knowledgeable staff and I got just that. In fact every time I've gone, I've got just that.
Their wine selection, I thought, was fabulous. They have a wide range of reds and whites and for those who aren't into wine (why you'd go to a wine bar I'm not sure) but those not into wine can rest knowing that they do have other options.
Every time I've gone, I've had some combination of cheese and sausage plate. This time, I branched out and tried the House smoked Lox, arugula, buttermilk & dill dressing and was so glad I did. Definitely recommend it.
If you are looking for exceptional value for money, incredibly speedy service and a cosy atmosphere, this is not the place for you. I will say that you absolutely pay for what you get, the markup on the bottles of wine isn't that bad and it is worth every penny; but be warned, as my last guest felt a bit of sticker shock. -
Review from May C.
Vancouver, BC
8/25/2011
To end my last day in Victoria, we chose to have some post-work tapas and drinks at Stage Winebar. It seemed like an appropriate way to end the day before heading back to Vancouver.
It opens at 5pm, and we arrived about 10 minutes before. We waited patiently, exploring the block. It reminded me a little of Commercial Drive & Main Street. Not as busy, of course, but there was a sense of cultural diversity.
We sat down and ordered drinks. I ordered the B. Ress Hattenheimer Riesling (Ger.), and my fiancé ordered the Dirty Laundry "Woo Woo" Gewürztraminer (BC) to sip on. Both were delightful and worthy of trying if you're looking for a light, sweet white. For food, we ordered the sablefish risotto, fried local octopus with lemon, and porchetta and some Le Brebiou, a light sheep cheese to go along with the meat.
To my surprise, the risotto was the first to appear on the table. This leads me to believe that the risotto had already been made along with the sablefish. Having made risotto a few times myself, I know it takes a while to make. I was a bit disappointed in this dish for a few reasons. Aside from it being pre-made, it lacked flavour, and the sablefish was overcooked to the point where it was chewy.
The octopus dish was recommended to us, and while it arrived on a small plate, it was quite substantial. The sliced tentacles were meaty and definitely a nice treat from the usual calamari dish, which is made up of squid and batter. It was lightly fried without too much batter. The drizzle of fresh lemon made this a pretty good dish.
We decided to order something from the charcuterie menu, and chose the porchetta and sheep cheese. The porchetta and cheese came with some bread and crackers, along with some pickled veggies. It was a nice combination; the porchetta was sliced delicately, and was a nice combo with the Le Brebiou and a smear of Dijon mustard. The pickled veggie assortment was refreshing, although there was one exception. There were pickled cherries, which offered a very unpleasant taste for the both of us. I couldn't pin the exact taste, but I think there was a hint of cinnamon in the concoction that it was soaked in.
At the end, I kind of regretted not trying their cocktails. The food was okay, but I think the place is better known for its drinks. Maybe I will give this place another try the next time I return to Victoria. -
Review from Cindy B.
3/2/2011
We definitely drove out here specially for Stage from the downtown hotel we were staying after reading the reviews.
The ambience was lovely and I liked the decor a lot besides finding the lighting a bit too dim.
As for the food, I liked most of them but find the value uneven. For instance, edamame for $8 was way overpriced!
While considering heirloom pork, pommes puree, roast garlic reduction, friends and I debated if pommes puree was potato or apple. He said it literally meant apple puree while I countered that fries were often called pommes frites and potato seemed a more likely side. (Both would have worked with sausage, I must say.) It turned out to be a gloried banger and mash, which while good was a bit pretentious.
I liked the forest mushrooms, parsley, garlic, sherry & grilled bread as well as the duck confit with caramelized caraway cabbage, wine syrup. Tho I have to say the cabbage side didn't work too well for the duck in my opinion.
Crème brulee was the very good creamy, smooth consistency but the burned sugar top was thin and $8 was a bit expensive.
Our server was polite and friendly but disappeared after the last dish arrived for a long time and didn't check back until we were ready for dessert.
Overall, good food but not great value. 3.5 stars. -
Review from Pam S.
5/29/2010 1 Check-in Here
Right before I moved from Boston to California, I visited a psychic, for no other reason than I wanted to find out what the move had in store for me. The psychic told me that I'd meet a doctor who loves wine within the first 6 months after moving- who would become my romantic interest. This should come as a shock to no one, but the psychic lied. I ended up working for a psychotic doctor who liked wine, but that's as far as it went.
What I HAVE found in recent months is a gorgeous man who is a big fan of wine. To the point that I do not need to be the one to peruse the wine list- I leave it up to him. While he had drank at Stage before, he hadn't yet eaten there, so we made it our Saturday night date spot.
He chose a great bottle of wine to start, and then I started picking the food...because I'm the picky one when it comes to what goes in my mouth. No, really.
He chose the Laughing Stock Portfolio wine, which is interesting because (according to our waiter), they don't release on the label exactly how it's blended- you're supposed to guess and then look under the neck label to see if you're right. We failed to look under said label, although we didn't even hazard a guess anyway.
For dinner, I wanted a little of everything. First we started with some camembert cheese with bread and salami, and then we got more small plates to share- the grilled haloumi with local tomatoes &
herb vinaigrette, pommes frites, parsley, piave, garlic &
lemon aioli, and crispy lamb shank, gnocchi, peppered
goat cheese. We may have gotten one other thing, but I can't recall what it was. This is what I get for writing my reviews a week late and a country away.
In any case, I loved the decor, and the food was amazing. The service was better than most, and it's well worth a visit for a date night, although a group can sample and enjoy as well. I'm hoping on my next visit we can come back, because I always enjoy a good date with gorgeous man.Listed in: Oh Canada...
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Review from Julian H.
10/26/2010
4.5 stars. Minus a half because of a disappointing texture on the pork carpaccio and a very disappointing pork belly (hardly any fat, the meat was chewy and tasted like chicken; Lark in Seattle kills this dish so we are spoiled).
great atmosphere
good wine tastes
great service
one of my favorite spots in Victoria. -
Review from James F.
7/14/2010
This is one of my favorite places for a casual dinner with friends. The food is consistent and the staff are decent. What really makes this place though is the atmosphere and the fact that you can get so many different things. The entire menu is small plates and 95% of them are awesome. Occasionally I've had something that was mediocre but it's well worth it because most of the food is simply amazing.
Make sure you don't park in the residential only parking zones though. They actively ticket in this area. -
Review from Hermann T.
Victoria, BC
1/21/2011 1 Check-in Here
My first visit after I found out about this place on Yelp. We wanted to go for a casual meal - nothing big, but a bit more then a snack. And this was really the place for us.
We chose the daily feature, which was Sidney Island Venison, with Ricota filled raviola, and Bourdolaise sauce. What a feast. Ok, it was a pretty small portion - but I guess that's why they call it Tapas. But the taste - absolutely fantastic!
Very friendly, attentive service. She suggested a full bodied BC red to go with the Venison, and that was an excellent choice too.
Next time I'll probably try one of the platters to sample more of the variety they offer. -
Review from Dustin D.
Victoria, BC
2/7/2010
Thank you Victoria yelpers for bringing this one to my attention, or I'd probably never have found it. My fiancee and I decided to avoid the insanity and do our valentines night out a week early. We spent a portion of the morning reading yelp reviews, trying to find somewhere delicious in a location that felt comfortable with exciting food. Well thanks to all the previous reviewers, we did.
We arrived in prime dinner time and were lucky enough to be seated immediately, it seemed that nobody wanted the seat right beside the front door due to the draft it produced. To me it was a godsend. I frequently get too warm in busy restaurants. We got seated quickly and to have a breeze blow over me every few minutes was just perfect.
The decor was fairly stripped down and simple, most of the action here happens in the kitchen and on your plate, not on the walls. It felt appropriately decorated, not detracting from the ambiance and the food. We walked in dressed semi casual and felt comfortable the entire time.
We started with some cocktails, from previous recommendation here I chose the acai burn martinini (margarita/acai/tequila based), it tasted lively and fresh and really woke my palette up, good way to start. My fiancee enjoyed the rose special wine. We began our meal with the langos potatoe bread which was quite nice, the raw garlic was potent but not overpowering.
We followed with 4 tapas, the cortez (sp?) mussels, cheeks & frites, duck confit and crispy pork belly with maple beans. We were quite happy with all the selections.
The cheeks and frites (beef cheeks and fancy fries) stood out especially. We began sampling everything on the plate individually and it was quite nice, but once we got a couple frites, a nibble of cheeks and some aioli all at the same time, it was just heaven. honest to god eyes rolling back heaven.
My fiancee strongly shies away from seafood but she actually had faith in the restaurant and ordered the mussels and we both thoroughly enjoyed them. We sopped up left over broth with out langos bread yumm.
I'd never had pork belly before so that was a bit of an adventure for us, it was crispy topside and delicious melty fatty on the underside and was complimented nicely by the maple beans.
The duck confit was nice, the caramelized cabbage underneath gave a very interesting and enjoyable flavour finish to the dish. While by no means a bad dish, it was probably my least favourite out of the night (my fiancee may disagree, she loved nibbling on the crispy skin).
We finished with a bubbly blackberry port and a "French 75" to go with our desserts (I always go chocolate, my fiancee always goes fruit, it kind of sums us up as a couple); chocolate pate with a raspberry coulis i believe and creme fresh and then a goat cheese cake with lemon curd sauce. The goat cheese cake was just amazing, very light and citrusy, fresh and refreshing. The pate was dense and rich and decadent with an interesting texture (being a pate).
The service was polite, helpful, attentive enough without an overbearing presence. Our waiter seemed fairly in tune with how to handle each table he served and managed his tables very well despite the restaurant being completely full the entire time. We quite enjoyed our evening and never felt rushed or uncomfortable. This will definitely be going on my list of restaurants to return to. -
Review from Keenan B.
Vancouver, BC
4/25/2010
My family and I just enjoyed my celebratory dinner in honor of overcoming the fabled sophomore slump.
Marlisa (sp?) was our server, and despite the overwhelming crowds on such a small Stage, she managed to outperform most.
For dinner, my parents and I enjoyed the steamed mussels, the chicken sausage w/ squash, the wild mushrooms, the panko octopus, and their take on tomato bocconcini; the final act being a creme brulee and chocolate pate dessert duo.
Everything was delicious, although ever-so-slightly too small. A few dishes felt naked, or at least underdressed for the occasion. Some greens or crunchy bits on the starker dishes would help garnish Stage a 5 star review.
Bonus: in-house espresso machine with a boldly uncommon ground.
As Stage certainly fills the niche for an upscale tapas restaurant in Victoria, I am certainly drawn to revisit for an encore.
In summary, Stage is a great semi-formal locale perfect for drinks, a light dinner, or dessert. The dining area itself is quite small and conflicts with the big name Stage seems to be making for itself. As they do not take reservations for groups smaller than eight, the wait was about 45minutes for 3 people on a Saturday evening. The food was quite good, although some minor improvements to the menu would be welcome changes.
Stage trumps the Tapa Bar if you're torn between the two, and is a new favourite of mine. -
Review from Sara W.
Victoria, BC
12/12/2009
This is my favourite restaurant in Victoria, hands down. As soon as I walked through their door the first time, I knew I was going to love Stage. I've been there numerous times since then, and I haven't been let down yet. So what's to love? Well, the short and easy answer is: Everything. But to be more specific...
The atmosphere in Stage is perfect. The space isn't huge, but it never feels cramped whether you're sitting at the bar (which, by the way, is made out of wood salvaged from the Mayfair Lanes bowling alley) or at an intimate little table for two in the back. I love how this is the kind of place where I can show up wearing pretty much anything and never feel out of place -- I've walked in wearing basic jeans and a T-shirt for a quick meal with a friend, and I've also shown up wearing something pretty dressy for a big group dinner. Either way, I feel right at home. The service is always excellent -- prompt, attentive, and friendly -- and I can always count on them to recommend just the right wine to pair with the food I've ordered.
And oh, the food. After all, this is the number one reason why I love Stage. I don't think there's one bad thing on the menu, and I've tried almost everything at this point. My personal favourites are the duck confit (I've had it done two ways there -- once with a cherry wine sauce, and a couple of other times it was served on some kind of caramelized cabbage that can only be described as amazing), the trout with pancetta and green beans, the octopus (yes, octopus -- if you like calamari, you'll LOVE this), and the heavenly, garlicky mushrooms. And don't forget about the desserts: The list isn't extensive, but everything on it will leave you swooning. Especially the langos bites...
I could go on, but I'll just leave it at this: Go to Stage. You'll be glad you did. -
Review from christine c.
Victoria, BC
Updated - 12/15/2009
So last night I did one of my favourite things to do.
I went to Stage for dinner with my boy :D
Can I just reiterate how obsessed I am with their cortes mussels? And that their incredibly flavourful forest mushrooms are my favourite item on their menu. Or that the grilled haloumi salad with a vinaigrette dressing is so very rich and divine. And by this point I was getting pretty full, but not too full to enjoy just a few melt in my mouth bites of the beef cheeks.
I tried very hard to save room for the langos bites with caramel and creme fraiche, but it wasn't in the cards. I just couldn't eat another succulent bite after four shared tapas.
And I excitedly downed one of my all time favourite drinks the acai burn tequila martini.
AND our server was so attentive and so lovely and noticed I had gotten my hair done even though it was a week ago and she doesn't even know me.
AND the place is so beautiful and there is nothing quite like it in Victoria.
I love it here so very much and I'll probably spend yet another birthday here come January.
Stage is a really special place.Listed in: Best Evaaaaaaa!!!! In VicCity
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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9/13/2009 First to Review
First off I would like to crown Stage as my number one favourite restaurant in Victoria. They have… Read more »
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Review from Paul H.
Victoria, BC
1/19/2010
Awesome. The wine is good, but you would expect that from a place called a wine bar. But the martini's are perfect! The octopus is ridiculously good.
The food is fantastic, great atmosphere. One of my top 5 for sure. -
Review from Ashley W.
Victoria, BC
2/20/2011
A cozy but loud place to visit for small plates, Stage is one of my favorite local night spots. Mussels in curry sauce were the best I've had, and the mushrooms are to die for. Pork shoulder could have used a little something, by overall a great place to dine.
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Review from Ryan B.
10/15/2010
Great food..great wine..great service! We loved this place. I'm a foodie and this place was impressive.
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Review from Antonia W.
Toronto, ON
6/27/2010
Finally got a chance to try out this place that I heard so much about. It's away from the downtown core, but definitely worth the trip out to Fernwood. The best way to enjoy the food here is to order lots of different things to share with everybody. I went at 10pm for a late night drink with friends so only tried a few things... the langos and the house sausages, but they were excellent. We ordered some martinis and wines.. it was fun sitting at the bar :) I need to come back with an emptier stomach and try out more dishes.
