Il Greco: Pizzeria & Kebab — Restaurant in Saanich

As a restaurant manager for over 10 years, Im very reasonable and understanding. Had high hopes for this place, hiiiiiiigha hopes. Looked promising as it was packed. Always a good sign. Good atmosphere. Kinda quirky. Food seemed a bit pricey though. 27$ for a basic dish, which I really don’t mind paying if the food is good.

I ordered the rib soulvaki plate and my partner ordered the ribs and baked potato. His baked potato came with fake bacon bits. Don’t get me wrong, I usually dont mind fake bacon bits, but they weren’t even the good kind of fake bacon bits. These were the little red conglomerates of salt bacon bits. They were brutal. I didn’t even know they still existed. His “seasonal veg,” that came with it was also dreadful. Beans and carrots and broccoli. The kind of veggies you were fed everyday as a kid because they were cheap and easy, though these were blander than my childhood veggie nightmares. Super disappointed. Then there was the rice. Man. The rice. It was soggy, overcooked, and cheap. To the point where it tasted like minute rice cooked in the microwave. Did I mention that was flavorless too. And lastly on the Misters plate were the ribs. The ribs were moist and tender. They were decent. His beer was on tap was also nice and cold and crisp. Came in a chilled glass too.

My ribs were much the same, except mine weren’t BBQ sauced like my partners, so they were Greek style with a dry rub and they were bland and were sans “dry rub.” No room for over seasoning in this place, or any seasoning at all really. No I don’t smoke and my taste buddies are intact. I was excited for my Greek roasted potatoes. Again, no seasoning, no lemon wedges to spritz on the side either. My side Greek salad was decent. Veggies with cheese and olive oil, they passed. Then there was the “pita bread,” if you could call it that. It was abysmal. Not severed with Tzatziki or any sauces. It was hard, like the end of a bread loaf. I had white wine, it was cold, it was what was expected. The wine prices were good.

The service was medium… they’re pretty.

We left without ordering dessert. Probably couldn’t handle anymore disappointment. I feel 2 stars is almost too generous due to the prices. The prices were unjustifiable, 27$ a plate for what you get…go to the keg. I literally could have had a better meal from OPA for a third of the price. I’m shocked at the positive rating for this place. It’s the kind of place that’s still in business because all the regulars have been coming here for years. Or the kind of place you take a date that you want no one to see.

Go Somewhere else, unless you have...

Il Greco restaurant on Gorge Road in Victoria is transitioning to a Pakistani restaurant.

The change in owners occurred in April 2025.

We used to love the pizzas and the souvlaki at Il Greco. They were very good. That was then. This is now. No longer the same quality.

Since the change in ownership, there is no pork (no ham) on the menu nor is there any alcohol served. No liquor license.

No pork, no ham on the pizzas, no alcohol. Why is this restaurant even calling itself Greek anymore?!

In the spring, the restaurant gave us a sample of the chicken biriyani, which was a nice gesture. The rice had lots of flavour and there was lots of chicken. Sadly, when we next came back to the restaurant and ordered the chicken biriyani, the dish was almost all rice. Very little chicken on it. The food seemed to have been reheated. Very disappointing.

With all the changes to the menu, it is no longer to our liking. People do not like change. People are uncomfortable with change.

Why do the new owners keep the restaurant name as " Il Greco?" Because of the loyal customer base Il Greco built up over the years?

The name "Il Greco" is really misleading. It sets customers up for a big disappoint in terms of expectations when dining at this restaurant.

Il Greco no longer has the feel of the Il Greco that we knew and loved for years. The food is no longer the same.

Change is not always a good thing. No wonder there are so few customers in the restaurant nowadays.

There seems to be only one server on duty at night. (Because the restaurant isn't very busy.)

Not only is the food no longer the way it used to be (i.e. no ham on pizzas), the parking is horrible!

With the construction of the building next door, there is no parking available by the restaurant.

We wish the new owners well, but, sadly we won't be back. We have no reason to come back.

The food is not good. The place is not the same as...

We went here once and never will again. Upon entering the restaurant, my partner and I weren't greeted by anyone so we ended up wandering through the restaurant for a couple of minutes until we asked someone to seat us. My boyfriend ordered the calamari as he often does when we go out to eat, and I ordered the pizza. We also ordered a starter which was okay (chicken strips is relatively hard to mess up).

Neither of our meals were delicious. I know my pizzas as I've eaten hundreds in my life before, and this pizza had most certainly come frozen out of a box. Perhaps they ran out of dough, but for $18 and them labelling themselves a "pizzeria" this was sad and disappointing. However, even worse than my tragic factory pizza was the calamari.

It started off that the calamari was fishy-tasting which is a bad sign altogether, although I wasn't aware of this yet. After a little while he pulled a giant black hair out of it. Mistakes happen but he still shouldn't have been expected to eat that. I told the waitress about it when she same back to check on us (he's not confrontational in any manner so doesn't like to say anything). Her response was shocking when she gave irritated body language and a scoff - as if we were the most major inconvenience. She asked us if he wanted a new one but as he was already grossed out by the dish he said he just didn't want to pay for it at all. He apologized to her roughly 3 times in that 20 seconds she was at the table for having to complain, but this is exactly what she should have been doing; the roles were completely switched(I am a waitress also and you could not pay me to have such a bad demeanor towards a customer). She never said sorry nor did she address his apology. She just said she needed the plate to show the cooks.

Very disappointed with the food and the service...