Lot 1 Pasta Bar — Restaurant in Saanich

Ok so I’ve ordered 3 x in 4 days because their food is so incredibly delicious , huge portions and definitely affordable for the quality and quantity of ingredients. I’ve been ordering through the Uber Eats app. Because I’m new to this place I didn’t really understand a lot of things on the menu or how it was packaged for delivery. I made a call to Lot 1 the first day and spoke to the kindest and friendliest gentleman named Evan. He explained everything to me and so I ordered dinner which consisted of the Prawn carbonara and an order of Suppli ( which is basically deep fried risotto and cheese balls that come w the yummiest Mariana sauce. ). It was literally one of the BEST MEALS I’ve had in a long time. To make it even better which I didn’t think was possible he added a piece of tiramisu on the house as it was my first order and he was just being so kind because I had to call 2x about the order to ask questions and mentioned it was my first time ordering from them. I can’t really have coffee or chocolate due to my health issues but i definitely got in quite a few bites because it was one of the tastiest desserts I’ve ever had. It wasn’t just gross coffee flavouring with lady fingers and some chocolate. No this dessert was so much more than that. It was delicate, smooth , not too sweet and just the right amount of everything. It was perfection in my opinion. I was so taken back by their incredible customer service that I ended up ordering the prawn carbonara 2 days after for lunch. Please note that there’s a price difference in lunch and dinner costs and you get a bigger portion at dinner time ( that’s what they explained as of course I called to ask why the price was different? Lol ) regardless I ordered it with extra shrimp since it was lunch time and I was delightfully surprised with how many extra shrimp I got and they wrote a cute note on the box. Again it was a 10 out of 10 in the taste department for sure. My only suggestion is that I hope they can find a way to send pasta and them a small side of pasta water for smaller eaters like myself who can’t finish it in one sitting and even just getting it delivered it ends up sitting for at least 20-30 minutes to arrive so the pasta can be a tad dry. That’s why I thought adding a small side of pasta water in say a small plastic container would be incredible. But I’m in no way complaining. I just added some butter and water and mixed it together over the stove to reheat it all and get those juices flowing and the prawns warmed. So far I’ve spoken with Evan , Amy , and the manager, Olivia as I did want to tell her about the amazing customer service and how wonderfully I was treated by the staff when I called to ask questions. Plus I wanted to mention the pasta water idea too ? Who knows how that would work but I’m still 100% super impressed with their food. Then today I ordered 2 orders of the Suppli and had to call to make sure it was packaged in 2 separate containers since one is not for me. Also I wanted to double check that the sauce came on the side so it doesn’t go soggy. I spoke with a lovely lady named Cohen who was extremely friendly and kind and said yes , she can accommodate that and that the sauce always comes on the side which is smart! Especially for people like me who don’t eat a lot at one sitting. I can just pop them in the air fryer and warm up the sauce and it’s like I’m eating right at the restaurant. The best part is that my parents had a chance to taste their food and they said they’re moving their date nights from another local restaurant to Lot 1 as their next date night dinner spot because they loved the food so much too. Huge thank you to everyone at lot 1 especially those talented chefs who make this incredible food. I’m thrilled with this place , the amazing customer service and the high quality and quantity of absolutely delicious ingredients. Bravo 👏. I’m sure I’ll order again very soon since it’s hard for me to cook with my health issues. Much...

This place is fantastic. It exceeded the high expectations I arrived with from all the glowing recommendations I heard from friends.

The atmosphere is trendy, staff are friendly and helpful, the menu is easy to comprehend, and the hours it is open are great.

Our experience: We ordered the monthly appetizer special of lemongrass and chicken wontons with a sweet chili hoisin sauce. I am not one for spice so I was stunned by this dish being the first dish with a bite to wholly compel me to eat it for how incredible it was. The balance between heat and sweet and the way the lemongrass left a delicious lingering aroma in the mouth... superb. We also tried their breadsticks - soft, savory and lovely presentation. I tried their grapefruit and basil spritzer, this was another delightful winner. The bitter and sweet blended wondrously. For the main course we tried Lot 65 and Lot 39 respectively. Both were beautiful and delicious. For my order, Lot 65, the pork was savory and warm but the cilantro atop it took that flavor and really opened it up. It was like stepping onto a country field in summer at sunset. The noodles were hearty and absorbed the flavor of the sauce very well. The dish also maintained a fresh-off-the-stove temperature the entire meal. We splurged and tried one each of this month's dessert options. In a word = stunning. Visually each was a delight and every bite from first to last was divine. Who knew chocolate chip cookies could have such class while still evoking every happy childhood memory all at once. By the time we sampled the third dessert my companion was teary with joy. What an experience!

Overall I can say that I have not experienced food of this high quality since I last dined at a 4 star restaurant. This place is that good. Yet the prices are on par with local venues like White Spot or Red Robin - I am so impressed! I left feeling proud of every dollar I spent, it was worth every bit.

When I say the employees were helpful, I mean from the moment we stepped through the door they were gracious and attentive. I was dehydrated when we arrived so they got me some water while we waited for an open table. Next they took note of my allergy to goat cheese and ensured to cook my food away from dishes being cooked with it. Also, our server had noted we were hoping to have the cheesecake after our meal so when she saw there were only two left in the back she immediately came out and double checked with us if we still wanted that order and put it in before they were gone.

Now, I mentioned an allergy so I will note that many of the menu options contain goat cheese, so please double check your order if you share that sensitivity. Another note should be made that because this place is so good, it is packed. This means it is typical to experience a wait upwards of 30 minutes and a slow pace to dining but not unreasonably slow. Consider making a reservation if you know ahead of time you would like...

Back story

Went there in the winter. My wife and I both ordered a special with a medium steak on the pasta dish it came with. We waited nearly an hour while the people who were sat after us recieved their orders. When the food came both our steaks were so underdone I was even grossed out a little (and I prefer my steak on the rare side)... we never got a first bite check so my wife sat there for another ridiculously long period. I had to stand up and grab a waiter from a different section to handle us for the remainder of the visit because our original server never came back.

I told the new server that my wife ordered the steak medium and he agreed that it was clearly underdone. He asked if we wanted them to remake it and my wife said she didn't want to wait any longer and just wanted to go home.

When the bill came the food she didn't eat was comped, I payed full price for my meal even though my steak was underdone as well and the manager came over and gave us 2 cards that say "$10 gift card" on it. It was a terrible experience and it took a long time for us to go back

Fast forward to today.

We go to Lot 1 and the server great, even though we were the only table on the patio she was very attentive. the experience as a whole is very positive, decent drinks, good pasta. We ask for the bill and put down the 2 "gift cards" from our previous experience and they don't accept them because of an expiry date on the back. I try to explain the manager that in BC legally gift cards CAN NOT expire if they have a monetary value like $X and that the reason we got them in the first place was from our very terrible experience the last time we were there. He asked us to tell him details about the server we dealt with in that first experience and when my wife described him he just said "No one like that here, talk to our head office about it"

The way our first visit was handled and the fact we had to get interrogated on our second is a really bad look for this restaurant. We will never be going back there, and we strongly recommend others to stay away.

Source for gift card expiry...