5th St. Bar & Grill — Restaurant in Victoria

5th St Bar is a local establishment that is close to us that serves many of the expected comfort foods such as nachos, burgers and rotating specials. I have been there twice for food and once for drinks. The atmosphere is warm and cozy on the pub side and the enclosed patio has a lovely fireplace. Aesthetically it is as you expect.

Food-wise it's mediocre unfortunately in several aspects. I am plant-based and acknowledge and understand that I am in the minority when it comes to eating out. I have no expectations and take on the responsibility of looking up restaurants and seeing what is available. At the time, I was new to Victoria, we had just moved in around the corner and were hungry.

When I checked out the menu, there was seemingly one option at the time, which was the burger that could meet my diet, as well as another dish that was topped with something fish-related. The server said they could remove it and give me the bowl plain and that that would be plant-based. I ask, if possible, for protein if they could put the veg burger on top as a sub, which didn't feel like a big change and also noted to the waiter if it doesn't work, it doesn't work.

The waiter returned, and I will not forget this, said to me that the chef actually laughed at my request. I found that extremely inappropriate and was shocked at that response. I didn't say "YOU HAVE TO DO THIS" nor was there any expectation. The food was decent, but again, it lacked protein or flavor due to the missing component.

The second time we went in, there were just no other options available at the time. I told my partner I would make an exception due to circumstances. My partner had the buffalo lasagna and I had the TMW burger. My burger was good, with a nice jam on it. The fries portion was quite puny, to be honest. I feel like when fries show up in a cup it isn't purely a visual thing, but more of an illusion that, bunched together in a tiny space, their appear to be more.

The real disappointing part which, to me, speaks to the quality of product that is going into the food was the seasonal desserts, the carrot cake and the s'mores. Since I was already making an exception and there were no plant-based options, these were my options. Being both amateur bakers and chefs ourselves, we could automatically tell that both dishes were using an oil-base and not butter. This influenced all the other flavors making both similar in that overarching cheap oil taste sort of way.

This place presents itself as a step up from a diner, in their prices, their plating and some of their specials. Yet the combined fact of being laughed at by the chef, the smaller portions and the taste of the deserts, made me feel like this review is necessary, particularly when the kitchen finds it okay to ridicule the people who are coming into your...

Okay, so it's COVID times, and we're all a bit cautious, this restaurant is no exception to the rule. No fraternization with others not at your table!!

I would have rated this higher, but for a couple of things.

I ordered the Pork & WonTon Soup...which took FOREVER to arrive. Then, as I'm eating it, I noticed some discrepancies between what I got and the menu description. First, it was made with beef stock, odd. Second, the pork was as boring as can be...very little flavour. Third, there were NO wontons in the soup!!

So, when the lovely bartender asked me how I was enjoying it, I told her the unvarnished truth!! I hated it!!

She went and spoke with her Manager, a wonderful lady who comped me anything on the menu I wanted. I chose a peroegi pizza. She also gave me the soup for free, which I appreciated since it was awful.

I had somewhat in-depth convos with both the Manager and the bartender...I'm a very outgoing, gregarious sort...and I enjoy people. So I was quite disappointed afterwards when I never heard from the bartender again, despite giving her my contact information AND more importantly, her saying to me, "I'll text you and we'll get together." To my mind, we really hit it off talking about photography (I was a published professional photographer by the time I was 21 years old) and as a genuine person I BELIEVE everyone else I connect with at that level to be as well. So I was sad when that didn't happen. When you've worked at home since 2013, as I have, the external connections made become SUPER important, more so when you're an extrovert, as I am. Also, I subscribe to the adage of NEVER saying things I don't mean. I mean what I say. So if I TELL someone I'm going to do something, I bloody well DO it!! Otherwise you're letting people down and it's about your personal integrity. For the love of God, PLEASE don't say things you don't mean, just to be 'polite' because it really isn't!!!

Back to the food. I took everything to go, and tried my first bite of pizza at the bus stop. It was HEAVENLY!! Truly DELICIOUS!! Hence the 3 stars, or I'd have given it a 1, for my experience and disappointment factors.

I can seriously recommend their pizza; don't believe me?? Go try it yourself. I was surprised because my go-to pizza joints are Prima Strada in Cook St Village and Formosa at the bottom of Johnson Street in Victoria.

In case you're wondering, I'm a total foodie. I've been cooking for reals since I was 10 years old. I started out baking all the baked goods in a logging camp by hand from 10 to 16 yrs of age cause I LIVED in the camp. Then, as an adult I went to cooking school, married a restaurateur and I also did dinner catering on my OWN for 40-45 people for the Oak Bay Kiwanis Club. So I actually DO know a thing or two about food, cooking, and running...

While visiting Victoria, our car broke down, so we were stuck to find a place to eat that wasn’t too far away. Even so, I wanted to eat somewhere truly local rather than a franchise. I hopped onto foursquare and saw that a friend had eaten at this restaurant. It wasn’t far, so we walked a few blocks and easily found the restaurant. Being dinner time on a Friday night, the place was full (usually a good sign!). We were quickly seated (