Victoria Gastro Pub

Reviews 4

SA

Samantha Benya

Ive eaten at Victorias a number of times and I would love to give it five stars - but theres been a number of problems when Ive gone. Ill list a few visits I have had and the issues I have had, but then Ill end on a good note - everything I love about Victorias. I went once with my mother and was seated in a side room by ourselves, during lunchtime. The restaurant was not busy, but because we were seated off to the side, apparently our waitress did not know we were there. We waited for a bit, then I got a hostess to find the waitress for us. When she did find the waitress, we still had a pretty long time between being seen, getting drinks, etc. Service was just overall slow. I went during lunch one day and sat in the bar. Service was fine, for the most part - because it was a bar, I expect less than great service and thats what I got. It was okay, though, I just wanted to have lunch. I had a craving for the cobb salad and when I got it, it tasted strange, maybe like soap? I had eaten maybe half of it, trying different parts of it (the croutons, the lettuce, the bacon) to find out what tasted strange. Finally, I narrowed it down to the bleu cheese. I stopped eating the salad because it just tasted so strange and I typically love the salad here. I asked the waitress about it and she took the salad (again, a bit less than half eaten) and told me that sometimes when the chefs get new cheese, they try it and use the leftovers on the salads. Did you just tell me that the chefs used cheese on my salad randomly from a vendor and not what you typically serve? I was also charged full price for the salad, which I complained about and hardly ate. I went another time with a large party - we called in advance to say we were coming and they said they dont take call ins, so okay, thats fine. We arrived, gave our name, and they said it would be about half an hour to forty five minutes. We waited and about half an hour later, one of the hostesses told me that a large party was leaving and we were getting their table and they were just cleaning it up now. Sounds great, right? Half an hour after that (after we saw that large party leave and other tables being sat), still nothing. So I went up to a hostess (different from the first), and she said theyre still cleaning it - without looking and without going to check on the table. Really? You just knew they were cleaning it half an hour later? I would expect you to at least go take a look, even if you were just pretending. Clearly they gave our table to some others and we had to wait for another, but either be honest or pretend to care a little, rather than disregard a customer. So Ive had some pretty poor customer service experiences and one unfortunate food experience. On the plus side, I love the duck fat fries, the poutine. It is amazing. I could probably eat a large one by myself. It is worth coming to Victorias for the poutine alone. The cobb salad (without random cheese) is fantastic, as it comes with avocado, thick chunks of bacon, and awesome bleu cheese crumbles. The burgers are amazing (assuming it is cooked to the right degree of doneness, which Victorias typically does) and finding a place that legitimately serves a great medium rare burger can be difficult. The atmosphere is fun, as a pub. It is busy, but understandable as it is popular. Not taking orders over the phone to carry out is a little less than stellar, but okay. TL;DR rating: Food is great, service is lukewarm. Go for the food, not the show.

AL

Allison Swift

We dined this time for brunch, starting with either bloody marys or sparkling wine. It was a little disappointing that there was only one sparkling wine on their menu considering the wide selection that they have of everything else, but at least the one on the menu, Coppolas "Sofia" is a good option. Dont be fooled by the can, it is a terrific choice. The bloody marys that we ordered were the standard and not the spicy, and had a great blend of herbs and the right balance of the amount of vodka to mixer. I had the American dip (for the second time) with the duck fat fries. A tender yummy sandwich with rib eye, cheddar, caramelized onions, aioli and au jus. My husband had the burger with paprika fries, and my friend had the crab cake sandwich. It was a little disappointing that the crab cake entree was not available during brunch hours as I think it is a much better preparation but my friend was perfectly happy with the sandwich. She had it served with the healthier option for side, spinach salad. Everything came as ordered. We decided to share a new addition to the dessert menu: pineapple upside down cake. The cake was moist and not too sweet. Presentation was quite nice. The service was quick and friendly, though the server was admittedly new and hadnt quite learned the menu. Others have said the portions of small but I honestly cant agree unless you were asking me to compare to Ruby Tuesday, which is certainly not the same class of food or restaurant. The ambiance is nice and the tables are decent size and the chairs are comfortable. We have also dined at the bar, for lunch, and for dinner and will most certainly return again.

A

A Private User

We recently moved to the area and a friend mentioned that this place had a fantastic Lobster Grilled Cheese. Never heard of such a dish, but my mouth started to water imagining what it would taste like. But let me mention a couple presumptions before sharing my first experience at Victorias Gastro Pub. First, the name threw me off. Having driven by this restaurant many times, I was impressed by the beautiful bronze decor of the building, but at the same time, assumed that the interior would look like something like Beeraholic Central (something to do with the word Pub I guess) Not good, because my wife is allergic to alcohol and my in-laws dont drink. Second, if indeed this place was mainly a Pub, I assumed that this place wasnt too serious about food. Not good, because we really enjoy eating. Curious to confirm or dispel those presumptions (and being bored of the usual fare around town), I decided to try this place out for my birthday dinner. A risk worth taking I thought, since birthday immunity nullifies any blame for a poor restaurant selection. We walked in on a Sunday night and were promptly seated for a party of five. Low lighting, chocolate-brown wood furniture, classy artwork on the walls, clean floors, tables, and chairs - I was so relieved! Dinner prices were very reasonable, about $15 per entree on average. Menu Ordered: Fish and Chips Mushroom and Swiss Burger Ribeye Steak Lobster Grilled Cheese American Dip

FE

Fellini fan

SAVE YOUR MONEY!!! With so many better establishments around within a 20-30 mile radius, there is absolutely no reason why you should waste your time, money and taste-buds on this Gastro Pub. If you are looking for someplace to dress up and be seen sipping cocktails in a noisy bar scene (like an over 21 prom night) -- this is your place. Nestled on the outskirts of Columbia just near RT 100, this was formerly a Bennigans. Its almost as if they kept the general idea of offering fried bar food with a massive selection of beer yet they took down the Irish-themed decor, dimmed the lights low and raised the prices high! If you want something your mouth and wallet will appreciate more, drive the extra mile and go to Brian Boru Pub in Severna Park or for something a little more fancy yet twice as intimate as Victoria, the secluded Killarney House in Davidsonville where you can sample REAL Irish and English cuisine. Annapolis has its share of pubs as well. For all its inventive variations on simple dishes, the food at Victoria seemed greasy. The strawberry shortcake consisted of a bowl of two biscuits (the Hungry Jack kind) topped with whipped cream and some strawberries scattered around it -- IT HAD NO TASTE!!! Skip the pretentious bar food (Duck Fat Fries which are inferior to Boardwalk Fries), pass on the over-priced entrees (Lobster Grilled Cheese is unique but forgettable) and make your reservations someplace else. Victoria is all HYPE.