Vista 18 Restaurant + Lounge — Restaurant in Victoria

Where to begin with this restaurant.. Well this was the first time myself and family had come to this restaurant and were very excited as the views from where you dine are absolutely amazing !! Unfortunately the views are where the amazing stopped and everything else was beyond horrible

We had a server who once we placed our order never came around never came to fill up our water glasses, coffee cups or offer more hot water for teas . After waiting almost 30 minutes just in hopes for her to come back to our table as we could see her at other tables now and then I physically had to get up and go to the front and ask the host if someone would be able to attend our table for refills while we waited for our meals After about another 10 min our waitress finally comes for refills and when we asked her if she knew how much longer our food was going to be as we also had a child in our party of 6 people . She didn't offer an apology or nothing just "it should be in the window" . Now anyone who is familiar with the industry knows if it's in the window that should mean it's ready to be grabbed and served . Another 15 min went by before our food was delivered to our table , well almost all our food .. from there my brother-in-laws meal was still missing (their feature French toast) and again we were told oh it's coming right up it's in the window , this was not the case he was left without his meal for another 15 min before it came and the quality was deplorable. All 6 meals were part of their breakfast menu none of them were more complicated meal items just basic breakfast like eggs waffles French toast. So it is unclear why it took so long to receive them. All items were cold to the touch and the French toast if you even want to call it that wasn't even French toast it was just regular toasted bread from a toaster ! We were shocked to say the least . Finally a supervisor came who offered us a free dessert which we declined for everything being poorly made and cold and only partly eaten out of pure hunger. We asked for a manager and when the manager came it still continued to be a poor experience.

The manager felt waiting an hour for food was normal (note the restaurant was not busy as we did walk the entire restaurant to see that in advance of why things were taking so long) when mentioning the poor customer service from the server and how she could at the very least have checked in with us to say something like " sorry " or anything the manager told me that was unrealistic expectation and that even Floyd's doesn't do that. I wasn't sure what Floyd's had to do with the convo but I do know Floyd's isn't aiming to try be a more upscale dining experience like Vista is and there should be some higher standards and basic customer service skills should be used in any serving atmosphere. By this point I was very upset as this was to have been a family meal celebrating a birthday as well and it turned out to be a nightmare with poor service, poor food and poor management. I told the manager we would not be paying for the poor quality meals and I offered to pay for the coffees and teas . Reluctantly the manager agreed which i appreciate but it shouldn't have taken being so upset for that resolution to have come to .

Based on others reviews it seems that we aren't the only ones who had this experience either .

Wouldn't recommend to anyone unless you like cold food and ridiculously long wait times to get your cold food .

Very...

Vista 18 is an interesting establishment with an above-average location and views. The atmosphere is upscale and modern, but the wait/cook staff haven't quite caught up to the standard it tries, and somewhat fails, to set for itself. There is tremendous culinary potential that juxtaposes the stark reality, that Vista 18 seems more intent on being a cocktail bar that simply coincidentally sells food as well.

Making reservations was easy, but finding the restaurant was difficult, and hotel staff seemed unwelcoming to diners who aren't guests renting rooms. Further perpetuating the principal issue that Vista 18 does not hold itself to a fine dining standard; first and foremost. Moreover, it carries itself as just another bar or restaurant burdened by its relation to the Chateau Victoria hotel.

From the time of ordering to the time of receiving food, approximately 45 minutes had passed and my date and I saw our waiter no more than twice. He was quite nice in the few interactions we had, but sadly the establishment gave off an air of 'understaffed'. If you aren't getting alcoholic beverages, options are quite limited. But if you're in a mood to be inebriated, if nothing else, your cocktails will be made promptly and delivered just as quickly. If you can get service, it's phenomenal otherwise, you may be waiting all night.

As far as the food is concerned, the ingredients were indeed fresh and delicious, but the plating lacked concise vision. The Roasted chicken and Prawns was a messy and unrefined dish. Perfectly cooked, simply needing more time and thought to be exemplary, in my opinion. My date, suffered through the 10 Oz Angus Steak which she ordered as 'Medium' but came to us quite tough as 'Medium-Well' to 'Well-done' at best. The lime butter and vegetables were excellent additions though. Prices are higher than average for average-quality dishes and cocktails.

The drink menu is about twice the size of the food menu, you'd be forgiven for confusing the two. Cocktails are creative and quite delicious, the wine selection also being extensive. Gluten Free/Vegan options are clearly labeled and easily distinguished, giving it points for accessibility. The food menu could benefit from an overhaul, if it got half the attention the drink menu receives, I wouldn't have felt prompted to write a review.

One caveat, that I'd be remiss to not mention, the servers gave us a free desert for my birthday. Which was a very nice gesture. However, the desert menu lacks diversity and creativity. Even without cost to us, the Peach Brule lacked cohesion, distinguished flavor, flair, and jenaisequois.

Anyone who frequents Michelin-Starred restaurants may not be impressed by Vista 18. An interesting gimmick, a nice view, sub-par service and food for the price. The casual diner might find better culinary experiences elsewhere in Victoria. If you're a hotel guest I implore you to try the bar.

TLDR; Worth a try, perhaps not...

My parents were visiting from out of town and were recommended Vista 18 with high regard so we decided to go. I have never been myself and I'm a local so I thought it was time. I've heard mixed reviews but always want to try something for myself. The mixed reviews were correct, especially the poor reviews.

All 4 of us ordered the steak and eggs off the brunch menu. 3 of us ordered our steaks medium-rare. All 3 of us received medium to medium-well steaks. I sent mine back. Once again it came back not cooked properly, this time it was medium. I ate it anyways. The server did not apologize on behalf of the kitchen. This meal also comes with toast, slices of potato, eggs and a portobello mushroom. The eggs were not seasoned. The toast was stale. The potatoes were burnt and under-seasoned. This was the same for all 4 of our meals except that one of my eggs came out hard-poached when I ordered soft-poached. They also make homemade jam and marmalade which were below average in taste. The best part of the meal was the ketchup, which is prepared by Heinz.

When we requested the bill my mom wanted to tell the server that, first of all, it's not his fault, but that the restaurant came highly recommended and that she, and all of us were very underwhelmed with the quality of the food. The server just shrugged and smugly replied with "sorry". My mom went on to say that she was not trying to be rude but she wants management to know so they can improve. Management did not even come over to apologize and ask if there was anything they could do to salvage our experience. He would look over at our table then immediately shy away as soon as one of us made eye contact. We were not charged for 1 of the meals, but that's missing the point entirely. I've had better service and quality from a food truck.

We are all very disappointed with this place and now I understand why none of my friends have ever suggested eating here. We will not be back, nor will we ever suggest anyone eat here. If the name comes up in conversation, I will share this experience. Victoria has an amazing food scene and there are far better places deserving of our patronage. Handing out free meals when the meals are poor to begin with is not the way to win over customers. Give your heads a...