Vista 18
• 740 Burdett Avenue | Victoria, BC | V8W 1B2
Average User Rating:
7.62/10
7.62/10
Recommended by:
62%
62%
Sort Reviews by:
"I thought they were more than the view?"
Pamela
July 2011 — "Upon recommendation, my husband and I went for date night at the "restaurant with a view" Vista 18. After getting to the top of the restaurant, while we were certainly able to see some of the water, most of our view was on other buildings...I was even privy to a large gentleman in nothing but a towel...not the view I was paying for.
The service was rather slow, and without any unidentifiable reason. Our server did the bare minimum in regards to courtesy. While everyone is entitled to a bad day, he was not pleasant to deal with.
My husband order the sturgeon, and I ordered the steak, cooked medium. These were supposed to be served with vegetables and potatoes. when served, there was hardly any side dish to be seen. Also, while I understand medium to be a difficult level to cook to, my steak was overcooked. As opposed to sending it back, I just indicated to the waiter that it was wrong. He did offer to have it redone, but after the wait for the order, that was not ideal for me. My husband advised that the sturgeon was fine, but hardly worth ordering again.
When requested if we would like a dessert menu, I inquired if it might be complimentary given the steak mistake. This was arranged, and we shared the creme caramel, which was actually quite nice.
We also each had a cocktail with our dinner, given the date night setting. However, the nearly $100 tab after this meal certainly killed any buzz we may have had.
Not an experience I will be seeking to repeat."
User Rating
4.33/10
4.33/10
Ambience
••••••••••
Beverages
••••••••••
Cleanliness
••••••••••
Quality of Food
••••••••••
Staff Service
••••••••••
Value for Money
••••••••••
"Lovely Lunch and Amazing Views!"
Marion Ann
February 2011 — "Vista 18 located in the Chateau Victoria Hotel and Suites is the only roof top restaurant in Victoria. It sits on the eighteenth floor with breath taking views of both Victoria Harbor and downtown.
We were greeted by the friendly host and seated in a large booth overlooking the harbor. The décor of the dining room is modern with a hint of fine dining however with a very relaxing atmosphere. Our server was very attentive and helpful. Vista 18 promotes their simplicity healthy menu and they also have gluten free options. It’s good to make reservations.
We were having lunch on the week-end which offers a served brunch menu as my partner wanted to try the eggs Benedict that we’ve heard about. I tried the Edamame Bean falafel with the breakfast potatoes that were simply amazing, and my partner tried the Traditional Egg’s Benedict with smoke salmon and he absolutely loved it!
If you are in Victoria and looking for an elegant but relaxed dining experience, I recommend that you stop by Vista 18.
"
User Rating
9.50/10
9.50/10
Ambience
••••••••••
Beverages
••••••••••
Cleanliness
••••••••••
Quality of Food
••••••••••
Staff Service
••••••••••
Value for Money
••••••••••
"What a view!"
Allison
April 2010 — "I have to say that the view and atmosphere at Vista 18 completely outshines the food. My boyfriend and I went for my birthday dinner in hopes of a great meal with a killer view – unfortunately we only received the latter with a mediocre meal. Our server was not very personable and not very helpful in explaining the food or wine menu. We both went for the steak that was accompanied by buttered potatoes and vegetables. The food took quite some time to arrive, which was strange considering it was a Tuesday night and not terribly busy. It was also unfortunate that rather than be offered another glass of wine, I had to ask my server for one. The vegetables were fairly fresh tasting, however it tasted as though they had been cooked in way too much butter or oil which was very unappealing. The steak was cooked to my liking, however was nothing special especially for the $30 price tag it was accompanied by. Although it was a so-so meal at best, I am a sucker for a beautiful view and have to admit that I will be back….but will probably stick to appetizers and a glass of wine!"
User Rating
6.33/10
6.33/10
Ambience
••••••••••
Beverages
••••••••••
Cleanliness
••••••••••
Quality of Food
••••••••••
Staff Service
••••••••••
Value for Money
••••••••••
"Great view, boring food."John
May 2009 — "My friends and I recently stopped in at Vista 18. We were seated by a very friendly server and were quite impressed by the view, however it took quite a while for our food to arrive. When the food finally did make it to us, we found the tapas to be greasy and flavorless, and our main course was cooked more or less to our order but entirely failed to 'wow' us - especially for the prices they're asking. The menu itself is fairly bland, and the decor is less than desirable. We had heard Vista had a good reputation, but were sorely disappointed by our visit. "
User Rating
5/10
5/10
Ambience
••••••••••
Beverages
••••••••••
Cleanliness
••••••••••
Quality of Food
••••••••••
Staff Service
••••••••••
Value for Money
••••••••••
"Great View and great food, but I'm still hungry!"
Tiemen
January 2009 — "We went to Vista 18 for my wife's companies Christmas Party and I left with mixed feelings. First off, the restaurant is located on the 18th floor of Chateau Victoria, and has a great, 360 degree view of the city. If you can get a seat overlooking the harbor and parliament buildings, you've got the best seat in town. Literally. From the way our waiter described the food, and went into detail and where it was grown, I can tell that Vista 18 prides itself on being a fine dining establishment that uses locally raised and grown products. Great! We had a few drinks before ordering entrees, and were actually pretty hungry by the time our meals showed up. I ordered the lamb chops while others at our table ordered beef tenderloin, arctic char, and a Risotto. Everything looked and smelled great, and by most accounts, tasted great too...but it's fine dining right, so the portions were small. My lambchops amounted to about 2 and a half bites worth of meat. In fact, there was more lamb in the small dish of shephard's pie that accompanied the chops. Both the chops and the Shephard's Pie tasted great, as did the Honey glazed carrots they came with, but if I wouldn't have ordered desert, I would have had to make a snack stop on the way home. Speaking of desert, I ordered the Yam Cheesecake, which sounded a little weird to me...too weird NOT to try. It was absolutely delicious! For a guy that doesn't like to spend much eating out, Vista 18 would be a little rich for my blood had I been paying the bill. At $34 for the chops and another $9 for desert, we're approaching what I eat in groceries in a week. The food was good though, and the atmosphere and view were great. Vista 18 does offer a nightly, two course dinner special that is much more affordable, and have 2 for 1 tapa night on Tuesday and $5 martini Nights on Mondays. Vista 18 offers the best views in the city and great tasting food...but it looks like you pay for that great taste. I'll be back, for sure. Great place to bring visitors to town."
User Rating
9.17/10
9.17/10
Ambience
••••••••••
Beverages
••••••••••
Cleanliness
••••••••••
Quality of Food
••••••••••
Staff Service
••••••••••
Value for Money
••••••••••
"Great food and view!"mike
January 2009 — "We visited Vista 18 for a evening dinner one Saturday in January. It is located on the 18th floor of Chateau Victoria. It has beautiful views of downtown Victoria. We were seated quickly by the friendly staff. The menu selection was great. I opted to start with the wild mushroom soup which arrived in a giant bowl. It was delicious. For my entree I ordered the grilled beef tenderloin, cooked medium rare, with Mojave bean mash and grilled pear. It was cooked just as I ordered. My wife ordered the pasta malfade which consisted of bow tie pasta with sundried tomato and walnut pesto and spinach. She said it was delicious. For dessert, I tried the deconstructed tiramisu which was tasty. After several attempts to “construct” it, I decided just to eat it. My wife tried the roasted yam cheesecake which was surprisingly tasty. Our server was friendly and had a great sense of humour. He was able to keep up with all our demands quickly. It was good dinner and great service. We would definitely eat at Vista 18 again."
User Rating
8/10
8/10
Ambience
••••••••••
Beverages
••••••••••
Cleanliness
••••••••••
Quality of Food
••••••••••
Staff Service
••••••••••
Value for Money
••••••••••
"Best Views in the City!"
Sara
June 2008 — "Vista 18 is on the 18th floor on top of Chateau Victoria. They have 365 degree views of the city and if you order nothing, it's still worth checking out! The restaurant tries to use locally grown and organic food where possible and normally is considered an expensive restaurant. On this Tuesday though, they had a 2 for 1 tapa special and we ordered the vista chips (similar to yam chips), fish & chips, a lamb taco and duck pizza. The chips were very similar to one's you could find in a grocery store and came with a creamy dip. The fish & chips were served New York style (fries in a cone with the fish and coleslaw on top). The lamb taco came with a chutney sauce, which I found to be too sweet and the pizza with duck was a bit too salty. I've eaten at Vista 18 before and the food was a lot better.
For the money, it's an excellent deal as the four tapa's came to just over $20. Also, if you hit the right night, they have live local entertainment and every night you're served by an excellent waiter or waitress! "
User Rating
9.67/10
9.67/10
Ambience
••••••••••
Beverages
••••••••••
Cleanliness
••••••••••
Quality of Food
••••••••••
Staff Service
••••••••••
Value for Money
••••••••••
"Amazing View of Victoria!"Tara
October 2007 — "Wow, what a view! Vista 18 is located at the top of the Chateau Victoria Hotel and I think this would probably be the best view you can get in all of Victoria. Since I’m new to town I didn’t realize that they have a special on Tuesdays where you can get two for one tapas. It’s a great deal and the quality of the food and the amazing view makes it a very worthwhile trip. I tried the venison corn dog and the antipasto which were both very tasty. Some of the other items that came to our table was the black bean hummus, the oyster shot, the mini lamb burger (not a favourite among my friend – she didn’t like the taste at all) and the mozzarella pizza. Everyone seemed to enjoy all of their tapas (except for the lamb burger). I would definitely recommend going on a Tuesday for the two for one deal. Otherwise it’s pretty expensive, but for a special occasion I think it would be worth it too. The service was fantastic also. Our drinks were always coming and our waters always full. The view alone is worth the visit. It doesn’t matter where you sit you get an awesome view, whether it be the Olympic mountains, Inner Harbour or downtown Victoria – it’s sensational!"
User Rating
9/10
9/10
Ambience
••••••••••
Beverages
••••••••••
Cleanliness
••••••••••
Quality of Food
••••••••••
Staff Service
••••••••••
Value for Money
••••••••••
DescriptionLocation Information740 Burdett Avenue
Victoria
BC
V8W 1B2
