The Keg Steakhouse + Bar - Saanich — Restaurant in Saanich

Owner owns both franchises and with a 5% tip out and freely comp'd meals due to poorly trained Back of House staff, the Front End servers end up paying to work. I am 26 years in the Food & Beverage industry and was very much looking forward to a franchised consistent and predictable meal. 100% DO NOT GIVE THIS FRANCHISE YOUR HARD EARNED MONEY! GM was apologetic after we made our way through 9 items on the menu. ALL 9 ITEMS WERE NOT EDIBLE!

Our experience started with no table set up and when I asked for cutlery the Server grabbed the unused set from the table next to us that she was clearing off the dirty dishes! Corp. Standards: do not reuse unused rollups once placed on a patrons table - especially if the unused roll up is placed under dirty dishes!!! I asked for a clean set from the back and was replied with an eye roll so I had to take the time to explain the Policy and the fact that the guy sneezed on this unused roll up prior to paying his bill!! 🤢 2 people - U STILL PAID TGE $200 BILL AND LEFT A 20% TIP (simply out of spite) Sorry, Adrian GM), you were great in reactive mode but the goal here is to be proactive. Hopefully my review will help to bring eyes and improvement for all. We all want to eat and work in a clean, consistent and happy place.

Calamari- was served in a 1/4" of grease, unseasoned and served with slimy tzatziki - thrown away. Mushrooms Neptune- Not cooked through, but the top of the Neptune was burnt! Cold crab mix which separated from the cold mushroom cap and the serving bowl was hot on top, cold on bottom Bread and whipped but was on par, served warm. CRAB CAKES ARE BACK! I was so excited for them! 🤬🤬🤬 They were left for dead in the window and not cooked. Served with the flour still on my palate from the first bite! The heirloom tomato salad accompaniment had 2 huge unripened tomatoe wedges that did not did not belong on my plate and the burnt microscopic asparagus spears which I had to undrown from the unknown slimy and sticky cheese sauce needed the woody ends trimmed, chipped tooth thanks 🙄 My daughter said we should leave but NO....I HAD FAITH in this long time steak franchise so we proceeded to the main course...

1. Steak Oscar(medium rare), loaded baked potato - potato was raw and over stuffed with sour cream - did not touch it once I tasted it STEAK was blue rare with smaller cocktail size shrimp killed by the cook and rubber as were the out if a can scallops. The entire meal was a throw away at $45
2. Bacon wrapped Filet w/garlic mashed potatoes - baseball style steak the Keg is famous for was served blue rare and wrapped in grey colored bacon, garlic mashed was cold to the first touch.

After my 26 years touring and eating my way around the world and now residing in one of the FOODIE Capitals of Canada, this Franchise Owner needs to come out of his bar, or at least away from his table (he was onsite but didnt bother addressing the 9 disgusting menu items we were served) AND face his paying customers and give his employees a reason to come to work. Our servers were in tears when I hugged them with empathy for the bs they have to deal with on a daily basis. I have already put a call in to Corporate.

My well qualified review of the Keg is to go enjoy the Victoria Foodie scene elsewhere until Corporate comes and brings these 2 Kegs and their Franchise Owner back into line with the Corporate standards of service...

Okay, so the Keg is a place I would really never go to, because I say to myself I've got a palate that can't tell the difference between different cuts of steak.

So with Dine around Victoria happening for the past week in full swing, hubs and I decided to try the Keg on Quadra Street, before the snow even melted. We reserved a table via Open Table, which they received with no issues.

The service was great (as expected for a pricier establishment), we got greeted promptly, conversed with a welcoming waiter, our drinks kindly poured for us, and Plates were cleared quickly.

I got the 10oz prime rib as the main, with lobster bisque as the appetizer, and the Billy miner pie as dessert.

I'm no stranger to the Billy miner pie, it was good as always- highly recommend it for those that like ice cream cakes. They also give you a lovely pile of almonds to garnish your every bite. For the lobster bisque, it definitely met my expectations- I've had a few bisques, and this one is certainly flavourful. The bread garnish added an interesting flavour contrast every now and then. As my husband said (about the bisque, he took a sip), it tasted very "ocean-y", in a good way. Now for the prime rib- I know I should have gotten the steak, but my greedy self wanted the 10oz instead of a 7oz filet mignon. I have NO regrets. The prime rib was served medium rare perfectly, with some jus, a choice of accompaniment (fries, garlic Mashed potatoes, etc), and horseradish. The garlic mashed potatoes were dreamy for me (I love potatoes anyway), and the fried shoestring onions added a nice crispy variety. Thankfully the waiter warned me about the horseradish before I tasted a large dollop. That thing was SPICY. I touched my fork a few times, got a bit more than I wanted, and almost lost my breath because I made a bad decision at that moment.

But yes, beware of the spicy horseradish!

The hubs got the Billy miner pie for dessert as well, with a wedge salad as the appy, and the filet mignon as the main (with fries). Now he had a great meal; he enjoyed the filet (tender, tasty, cooked exactly as he wanted), had no regrets about choosing the Billy miner pie instead of the coffee dessert, and the wedge salad he considered a success because they didn't skimp on the blue cheese. I did have a taste of the wedge salad and concur that the blue cheese went well with the iceberg lettuce (usually I'm not a fan of iceberg).

Overall, the food was great. The cost was painful, but with the food was solid. No complaints. Even the sourdough bread with the cheese bread was yummy- served warm, so soft and tender. Hubs reckoned they baked it fresh earlier that day.

The ambience was dark, cozy, definitely can easily cater to date nights, fancier birthday dinners, and other special occasions.

Highlights: Flavourful food Good service Accessibility Able to book reservations online

Lows: Parking - recommended the gravel lot across the street next time Cost

I definitely would like to come back, if not to try a steak with some shrimp, or even a crab cake. But probably on a special occasion...

If I am to be honest, I have always had a bit of a negative attitude towards the Keg that goes back to my early 20's when I worked in the restaurant business. I have always just found that the whole experience was a little overpriced and overrated.

The only reason I ended up going there was because of the gift certificate that I was given for my birthday. Also, the only reason I selected the exact Keg we ended up at was because it was the closest to my house.

The last time I had been to The Keg was probably 7 years ago in South Surrey and I don't know if it was just the time I was there or if it was just that particular restaurant, but I didn't see a better cut of meat than thier baseball sirloin. This seemed odd to me for a franchise that hangs its hat on being a Steakhouse.

But I am not reviewing that Keg, I am reviewing this one. The entire experience was quite wonderful, actually. With fairly limited notice, I was able to reserve a table for three for 5:30 so just before the big dinner rush hit. The restaurant appeared full, but not "crazy busy" which helped with the atmosphere. I believe our server's name was Patrick and he was quite attentive and definitely very professional. I was very pleased to find a fairly well rounded menu offering items that would appeal to a wide variety of people. Although pricing is a touch on the higher side, it is not shocking when you consider the price of everything in 2022.

The wine menu also offered a reasonable selection, which included a decent selection available by the glass. All 3 of us ended up ordering beef, and none of us were the least bit disappointed by our choices. Each one of us selected a different cut of meat and all 3 were served at the temperature we had ordered. Personally, I had the Prime rib, and it was delicious, and as just stated, served the medium rare that I ordered.

I rated the service as a 4, but I am not sure that is a reflection on Patrick's ability, but more so, just the pace the kitchen was moving. Patrick was consistently attentive and personable, but it just took a bit for drinks to come from the bar and food to come from the kitchen.

To wrap it all up, I was very pleasantly surprised with the entire experience and have no trouble recommending this Keg restaurant to anyone. I hope this is...