Sedona Restaurant & Lounge — Restaurant in Oak Bay

I'd like to share a recent experience my partner had at Sedona. I have been to Sedona at least 10 times since moving into the building as I enjoy supporting local and have throughly enjoyed the food and drinks with friends and family.

Despite the delicious food and drinks, my partner and I have continually experienced very poor customer service from one of the owners, Yvonne. Unfortunately, she comes across as very rude and standoffish. From a very recent experience, Yvonne was very confrontational to my partner's out-of-town guest who arrived first to the restaurant and was coming across as very angry that we wanted to enjoy a coffee/tea at 4:30pm (made a reso).

Her message was clear from the beginning yet she proceeded to continually explain and raise her tone as to why we should not have made a reservation. While I understand and respect the owner's decision after having her explain it to us the first time, there was no need to repeatedly confront and raise her voice at us, especially while the restaurant was empty at the time except for two people who were sitting at the bar.

Our plan was to enjoy a tea and a coffee and depart the restaurant before it got busy to ensure that guests who were planning to dine at the restaurant could do so. In fact, we gave up our reservation and sat at the next empty table.

Unfortunately due to this confrontational experience with Yvonne, I do not plan to return with my friends and family anytime soon for a meal. It's unfortunate as I do enjoy the food and their bartender makes...

I wish I could give this restaurant at least 10 stars.

The restaurant is quaintly located on the corner of a lovely neighbourhood. Floor to ceiling windows provides the perfect amount of lighting to highlight the modern yet comforting dining space. Everything is very chic and tasteful.

Absolutely everything is impeccable. We were very warmly greeted at the door and kindly led to our table. Our hostess that evening was also our server and one of cooks! Yvonne was courteous, witty, efficient and a most wonderful human being.

The food. It is to die for. It is a small and very well thought out menu. Everything is so well prepared. We started with the Caesar salad, and everyone should start with the Caesar salad. My father-in-law was spooning up the last bits of dressing. Best Caesar salad I have ever had. I had the Wednesday feature of ribs, my husband had the steak and my father-in-law had the gnocchi. It was all so mouthwateringly delicious. We were just short of licking our plates. We then finished off with the sticky toffee pudding…I am slightly drooling thinking about it.

I would add this restaurant to the top of your list of places to eat in Victoria. If you’re celebrating an occasion, having a good day, having a bad day…just go! My father-in-law has lived on the island for 10 years and proudly stated this is the best meal he’s ever had here. I agree.

Also, I cannot wait to go in the warm weather…their patio is...

There is something to be said for the lack of ambiance in this place but let’s first give credit where credits are due: the food was delicious. Steak and lamb were cooked to perfection, and sides were succulent and very flavourful. The toffee desert was particularly memorable. When it comes to serving good food, Sedona does exactly what one expects from a high-end restaurant. Where it falls short, however, is in the overall fine dining experience. While the modern decor is nice and the background music is enjoyable, there is little here in terms of passion, vibe and atmosphere. This was felt almost instantly. From the noticeable sigh heard over the phone when asking for a table for 7:30 pm and being asked to come instead for 7:15 pm (this, despite the fact that the restaurant was three-quarters empty on a Friday night), to the sous-chef looking at his phone when not meal prepping, to the suspicious and almost accusatory tone used by the restaurant owner regarding our gift certificate, the overall experience was unfortunately soured and no amount of good flavours would bring us back to Sedona (and that also goes for a group of friends who had a similar experience). When driving by the restaurant just past 9 pm that same night, the lights were already dimmed and the staff had gone home, probably not a second too soon for...