Smith's Pub
• 777 Courtney Street | Victoria , BC | V8W 1C3
Average User Rating:
7.17/10
7.17/10
Recommended by:
75%
75%
Sort Reviews by:
"Smith's-itude"
Thomas
December 2009 — "I want to like Smith's, I really do, but when it comes down to it, I think that the only reason I keep returning there is the lack of alternatives in the area. It's surprisingly tricky finding a low-key and yet cool pub in this city. The atmosphere at Smith's comes close, but unfortunately the service and vibe in the place continually fall short in my opinion. That's not to say it's a horrible place. The food is good, they make a mean burger, and me and my friends generally have a good time there. However, it is to say that Smith's could be a lot cooler than it is. Knowing that it's a calculated effort on the management's part to attract a certain clientele, I can't help but wonder how a slight tweek in music, atmosphere, and service could turn this place from an okay but pretentious place into a really cool hang out at the edge of downtown."
User Rating
5.50/10
5.50/10
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"Good British Vibe"
Gary
July 2009 — "I had heard this pub mentioned a few times in conversation so I was intrigued plus I wanted to like it because it sounded like a cool place to hang out in. It is located on Courtney Street and is a little off from the the tourist hangouts even though it is situated below a hotel. I was impressed with the décor and furnishings of the pub and it definitely reminded me of a British pub, so if they were aiming for a British ambiance, it worked. The one thing that does not work is the service, it is not very good. In the Britain it is customary to order drinks and food from the bar in some establishments but we had to do that here even though there are servers. We were pointed out to a seat when we arrived and told our server would be with us shortly. After over five minutes of sitting and waiting in a pub with only three other tables occupied and no server, we went and ordered from the barman. The pints were on the expensive side so we went with a local brew. Our server, who was the same person who pointed out a seat to us, then arrived to take our order and we had to tell her that barmen had just finished pouring our drinks. We did order food and it was good. I had the one-piece fish and chips and it cost $11 and was good. The pubs slogan is honest food, honest service and upfront music. I agree with the food comment, the background music was great although a DJ does play in the evenings and we left before the DJ started. The service; not so honest. My comment on leaving was that pub is great, I would love to own a pub like this but the first thing I would have to do is change the current staff and bring in some new faces."
User Rating
8.17/10
8.17/10
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"Great Atmosphere, Bad Service"Tara
November 2007 — "We had some friends in town one Friday night and had heard that Smith’s pub has great food, so that’s where we ended up. The atmosphere was classier than most pubs and had a great feel to it. Our waitress was a bit strange and ended up touching each and every one of us at some point during the course of our visit. It also turns out she’s not very good at her job. There were five of us and she ended up messing up three of the five orders. My friend is a vegetarian and he made her promise that his meal didn’t contain any meat products. She promised and when another server brought the food out he told us it actually did contain meat products. Not cool. I ordered a regular burger and salad (although she messed up and it came with fries, so I got salad and fries). The burger was very standard and had nothing too special about it, but the gravy for the fries was delicious. It was curry flavoured, which was very different. Because they messed up and brought fries instead of a salad, they brought me out a huge plate of salad which was a nice gesture and it tasted good too. Everyone else at my table seemed to enjoy their food and we talked about that nutty waitress all night. She came to our table right before we left and apologized for messing up so much and said she was having an off night. Not sure about that, but whatever the case I would definitely go back. Hopefully next time we get a better waitress!"
User Rating
7.33/10
7.33/10
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"Meat is Murder...OK, I'll get the Lamb Burger."
Tiemen
November 2007 — "The guys from one of my old bands in Calgary were in town so that we could play a Friday night show, and we were all hungry. My wife an I decided to take the boys down to Smith’s Pub, because we heard the food was good, and we knew they played music load enough to drown out our loud conversation.
Smith’s is an Irish styled pub in the basement of the Quality Inn downtown. They’ve done it up right though, and it has a very pleasant atmosphere…you’d never know you were enjoying a night out at the Quality Inn. The place caters to hipsters of all sorts. And you can expect to be assaulted by DJ’s spinning an assortment of indie-rock, neo-mod, 60’s ska/reggae or northern soul, on any given night. The atmosphere is perfect for grabbing some food and a few drinks before heading out to see a band, or for grabbing a few more drinks and spending the whole night.
Our waitress this evening was pleasant, but felt the need to touch each member of our party (5 in all) at some time while she took our orders. It seems that touching people and acting really friendly was all that she was good at. She forgot parts of the order and when asked straight out if the gravy was vegetarian, she said it was. A few minutes later when the the pub manager was running around to her tables doing damage control, he stopped to apologize for anything she missed, and informed us that the gravy was not vegetarian. OK, so the server gets a big thumbs down, but the manager smoothed things over by stopping by to apologize and toss a couple freebees our way.
The food arrived, and by all accounts, everything tasted great. We mostly ordered standard pub fare, burgers, wings, beef dips, etc. Portions were ample, and the food was hot. The manager made sure we each had a bowl of their signature (non veggie) gravy, and while I appreciate their attempt to jazz it up by adding a hint of curry, I’ve decided that gravy and curry aren’t the best match. The wings also had a curry sauce, and I think it worked there a lot better.
I ordered the Glasgow Kiss Lamb Burger for $12. If there is a Lamb Burger on the menu, and I’m in the mood for a burger, that’s what I’m going to order. Smith’s Lamb burger was very good…tasty, with a fresh focacia bun and tasty sauce. I would have said that it was one of the best Lamb Burgers I’ve tasted in town, if not for the fact that the meat was a little over flavored with garlic. It tasted great at the time, but I was plagued with horrendous garlic breath all night. I always have to wonder about the quality of a meat patty when they use so much garlic. I had fries as a side, instead of Salad, and used them to mop up that curry gravy. I washed that all down with a couple pints of Guiness, and was all fueled up to play a show.
Besides the obviously lacking service, everyone was happy with the experience at Smith’s. It’s inventive pub food in a modern, pub setting. Prices are slightly above average, and you can watch the hipsters show up and be seen. I’d definitely hit Smith’s for eats or drinks again…and they have mini burgers on the weekend!!!"
User Rating
7.67/10
7.67/10
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DescriptionLocated in the Quality Inn Victoria Downtown, Smith's Pub is an English-style pub that offers a menu filled with traditional favourites like fish and chips, steak sandwich, Lizzie's chips and curry sauce and quesadillas. Plenty of beverages are also available including imported draft and bottled beer, spirits and wines.
Location Information777 Courtney Street
Victoria
BC
V8W 1C3
Quality Inn Downtown Victoria
A full-service hotel located 2 blocks from the Inner Harbour and main attractions!
