Red Fish Blue Fish — Restaurant in Victoria

Red Fish Blue Fish’s aesthetic is everything you would want out of a seafood based restaurant on the ocean. It’s essentially a large shack, with a storage compartment in the back, right on the ocean. There are places to sit, but it is all outdoor seat and while there are some seats with umbrellas, it won’t do much to save you from heavy rainy or windy day. However, even though it did rain when I went, it didn’t take away from the experience at all. I enjoyed it. Smelling the ocean while ordering and eating my food only made it that much more authentic and as an avid foodie I will go through anything for a worthy bite. The service, while it took quite a long time, was good. They were nice and listened well. I think they could afford to pay more people to make things go quicker, but it is a small space, so that could be hard. Perhaps, expand just a bit? The wait time for us wasn’t bad. We waited about 15 minutes in line and then about 20-25 for our food. The problem with a place like this, that is set up as if its fast food, is it wears on people’s patience when it’s not actually fast. I understand they are busy and they have a lot of orders, and I get that they can make people wait because they are so popular and no one will walk away, but I don’t understand why it does take so long to get the food out. It’s a pretty simple menu or chips (fries), 3-4 different kinds of fried fish, soup (which they make a huge batch in the morning), and perhaps a few other small things. The wait to order is bearable, but taking so long to get your food is something they need to work on. The pricing is not bad at all. Its average. The food itself is great. Is it the best fish-n-chips I have ever had? No, but it was up there for sure. (Somehow, the best fish-n-chips I’ve ever had were in Ohio.) The halibut was definitely better than the cod. The chips were tasty and the sauces were also great. The batter was nice and light, but a bit too much and too crispy for me. I like my fried food to almost melt in my mouth, but that’s just a personal preference. The overall dish was great and I would definitely eat it again without complaints. The star for me was actually their chowder. It isn’t the standard chowder. It has a creole influence to it and it is wonderful. I would urge everyone to get that because that IS in my top two chowders ever. The place isn’t perfect, but its still delicious, good service and right on the water, so you’ve got a trifecta of...

This is a popular spot for seafood lovers, but in my honest opinion, it is not worth the hype.

Firstly, the wait time at this establishment is quite long. Even on a regular day, you can expect to wait for at least 30 minutes or more to place your order. This could be due to the limited seating available and the high demand for their food. However, the long wait is definitely a drawback, especially for those who are looking for a quick and casual meal.

Moving on to the food itself, while they offer a variety of seafood dishes, I found the quality to be underwhelming. The fish and chips, which is their signature dish, lacked flavor and were quite greasy. The batter was not crispy, and the fish itself was quite bland. The chowder was not worth it and I didn't even finish it because it was that bad. Considering that seafood is their specialty, I expected more in terms of taste and freshness.

Furthermore, the portion sizes were quite small for the price. The lack of value for money is definitely a downside, especially when there are other seafood options in the area that offer better quality and larger portions for a similar price.

Another issue I encountered was the limited seating options. The restaurant primarily consists of outdoor seating, which can be uncomfortable during colder months or when it rains. The lack of indoor seating makes it difficult to enjoy your meal in a comfortable environment.

On a positive note, the staff at Red Fish Blue Fish were friendly and accommodating. They were knowledgeable about their menu and provided decent customer service. However, this alone does not make up for the overall disappointment I experienced with the food and wait times.

Overall, Red Fish Blue Fish did not meet my expectations. While the concept of a seafood-focused eatery is appealing, the long wait times, underwhelming food quality, small portion sizes, and limited seating options make it a less than enjoyable dining experience. I would recommend exploring other seafood restaurants in the area for a better...

Like a number of other people (I’d say at least about 30 or so that were ahead of me in line), I was lured to this fish kiosk by its very high rating (about 0.5 stars higher than most other places around) and stellar reviews. After having stood in line for 30+ minutes and eaten the chowder, which was nice, but not life changing, and grilled salmon, which was fresh but severely lacking in flavor, I think this place is a classic case of effort justification. That is, I believe that people consistently rate this place higher BECAUSE they spent 30 minutes or even more of their life standing scrolling on their phones and waiting for the same kind of food that you can get in a thousand different places in this city. After you spent this much time in an unpleasant state of waiting around and have gotten even hungrier, you naturally tell yourself that you’re his must have been worth it - ergo the many 5 star reviews. I also think that the restaurant is aware of this phenomenon and is actively trying to always have a line in order to create a hype. E.g. the lady taking the orders (and of course, there’s only one person doing that) attempts to engage in some sort of small talk with literally every single person. That would be nice, if there wasn’t a huge line of people impatiently counting every moment. She also happens to be the person pouring the chowder, which further slows down the ordering process whenever anyone orders a cup. She also inquires everyone whether they want water, and if so, hands them a cup. Why not just place the cups by the water/soda machine if they’re being given to everyone anyways? Because that would make the line go faster! There’s a bunch of ways how the establishment could significantly reduce the wait time, but I think if people spent 10 instead of 30 or 40 minutes waiting for the food, they’d rate it a solid four more often than five. Food wise, this was a four star experience for me due to flavorless salmon, but the lines knocked down another star for me. I wouldn’t...