Chorizo and shrimp hash
Steamship Grill and Taphouse is located in what used to be the Wax Museum in Victoria’s Inner Harbour. I predict that this is going to be Victoria’s new ‘go to’ restaurant this summer. I was surprised to see that reviews on this place haven’t been so great when I have only had good experiences here.
Steamship is a large restaurant serving Brunch, Lunch, and Dinner. Despite the fact that they are located on the inner harbour they don’t have much of a water view from the inside of the restaurant, however they are building a huge patio just in time for summer! English style pubs are a dime-a-dozen here in Victoria and so are pubs that have what I call an identity crisis, where they serve everything from pad thai, to spring rolls, to poutine, to nachos. So I’m really glad to see a gastropub/restaurant open in Victoria that not only has great food, great cocktails, but they have a focus and they’re sticking to it. The focus of Steamship is west coast and seafood with dishes like crab cake eggs benny, fish and chips, and mussels to name a few. If you’re not a seafood fan they have burgers, sandwiches, and steaks too.
The first time I came was for lunch, the place was quite empty. I ordered the Dungeness Cesar ($18.95) which was huge, I couldn’t finish it. Admittedly the delicate flavour of the crab got a little lost in the salad, but it was a good salad none-the-less. Everyone else at my table enjoyed their food thoroughly. I went again this past weekend for brunch. There were 9 of us in our party and I knew that getting in anywhere for brunch in Victoria on a Sunday morning with 9 people was going to be near impossible, so we chose Steamship. Once again Steamship wasn’t full and they were able to seat us right away in their semi-private dining room. We had Caesars all around, they were okay, but not the best Caesar I’ve ever had. I then ordered the Beer Braised Short Rib Dip Sandwich ($15.95) which was so tender and delicious and the fries were perfectly cooked. Everyone else in our party enjoyed their food as well as the service.
Short Rib Dip
I agree that this place is a little pricier than some restaurants in Victoria but the serving sizes are large and the food quality is great. It probably won’t be the best restaurant in Victoria any time soon but for me this place is a safe bet for great west coast cuisine in a casual setting. Can’t wait till they open their patio!
