The Palms Restaurant & Lounge

Great atmosphere. Food was delicious. Staff very friendly. Sat in the sports bar which was an amazing fun place, classy yet cosy. See you soon. We will definitely be back.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Salmon Tacos, Hamburger and Frites

Best restaurant we have found in Victoria.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The items we went for were no longer offered. We were told the menu is being changed because of a new cook, but they couldn’t suggest any new items, only told us what we couldn’t have. The pork chop that came out had different sides than described. I would have given 4 stars if the seafood wasn’t raw in the middle because what we had was still tasty. Service was good though.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 4

A Delightful Dining Experience at The Palm

I recently had the pleasure of dining at The Palm, and it was truly a lovely experience from start to finish. The service was both fast and efficient, with an incredibly attentive staff that ensured every detail contributed to an exceptional visit.

I indulged in the chicken pappardelle, which was perfectly prepared and flavorful, followed by a crème brûlée that offered a delightful contrast – creamy with a touch of sesame elegance.

Lastly, a special note to one of the team members pursuing an art degree: I wish you the best of luck! Whatever path you choose, I have no doubt it will lead to success.

The Palm effortlessly combines quality cuisine with outstanding hospitality – a spot I would gladly recommend to anyone seeking a memorable dining experience.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Shaft Creme Brule

We spent a week in Canada! 🇨🇦 Knew we wanted to go somewhere nice while we were there!😊Food was absolutely delicious. We ordered the duck appetizer and I have to say it was the best duck I've ever had and the Cosmopolitan was perfect! 🍸

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Smoke Kissed Duck Breast, Prawn Salad

Had our christmas party here and everything was great. Was treated extremely well, and the food was too notch.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Caribbean Duck Wings

We were in town for a volleyball tournament and picked this place for dinner because it had good reviews. We were looking forward to a nice meal after a long day…
I ordered a drink that was on the menu but I was told that they no longer serve it. Then I asked for Monkey 47 gin and tonic but they couldn’t serve it to me because they only had a half of ounce of gin left. I asked for a different brand of gin but they didn’t have tonic.
We ordered lobster lasagna that was on the menu but we were told that they no longer serve it because the new chef doesn’t know how to make it. We decided to go for a couple of appetizers instead. The duck wings turned out to be duck legs and they were dry, overcooked, greasy with no taste. The beef tartar had no taste and did not look fresh. We had a bite of each and end up not eating the rest of the food. The taste, quality and freshness were unacceptable. We returned to the hotel and my husband was very sick after eating at this restaurant!.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 4

I have only been for cocktails, but the service and drinks have been absolutely fantastic every time I've been in.

Kid-friendliness: Not

Atmosphere: 5

Service: 5

Loved our evening at the Palms. It’s a beautiful space with great atmosphere and service. And the food was Amazing. We’ll be back very soon!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Heard from friends that this restaurant was amazing. Went there Friday night and it did not disappoint. The food and service was a 20 out of 10.
The atmosphere was beautiful. The steak melted in your mouth. The Palms will definitely see us again and again and …

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I feel like this is a bit of a hidden gem in downtown Victoria! Been coming for years and the service and atmosphere are always great. I normally just get drinks but we had food tonight as well which was great and all affordably priced (for 2024). One of my favourite places here!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Excellent! We sat in the bar and had appetizers and drinks. The owners were delightful, and the service was excellent. They also have a sports lounge and a dining room. We will definitely be back!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I’m truly surprised that this place has such good reviews, as this was one of the worst meals I’ve ever had. The beef tartar was under-seasoned, and it seems like all the seasoning that should have gone there was piled onto my tenderloin, which was so salty that I was shocked. Truly a disappointing way to spend a birthday celebration. The only thing nice about this restaurant was the service. The staff were very nice and quick.

Okay, a lot of stuff to unpack here. Service was very friendly and outgoing. I'd even say top tier in terms of friendliness. That being said, kinda felt like the staff was awkward and not quite set into their roles. The manager took my drink order and brought me water. It was a nice gesture, but I immediately could tell something was off because he raised the pitch of his voice when I asked for one of the craft cocktails.

Well, I realized why because it took a really long time to get my drink, and the bartender had to consult the bar bible. Honestly, that's not a huge deal to me either. The problem is that the bartender was also serving the entire floor, with multiple high maintenance tables. You can't execute a swift cocktail bar while also having table service at this level. How do I know this? Because I used to run a ten seat bar with 35 cocktails and ten tables all by myself, and we would fill up regularly. I would say sorry, the customers would also say sorry because they'd realized I was shafted with unreasonable expectations, and then we'd joke about it.

The food took forever. I don't think I ordered anything complicated, and if I did, the restaurant was empty, so whatever.

So, how do they fix it? The manager needs to do more. Sorry, manager. I know your job sucks, and you already have a huge workload. Too bad. It's you and one other person on the floor, and even though you were trying to help, you were going at like 10% of the pace of the bartender. Your presence on the floor could go a lot further to up the level of service. I tried to keep an eye on what was happening with all the other tables and bar patrons while I was there, and it was friendly but slow service from what I could see.

So yeah, timelinewise first drink took about twenty minutes, placed my food order at about thirty minutes. Finished my drink and started the stopwatch (21:04.23 minutes). lol, I hate being this petty, but I'm so sick of fake service in BC — just do what you're capable of executing! You will make more money if you can execute stuff quickly! Simplify! The bottom line is that it took over twenty minutes between finishing my first drink and ordering my second drink — half an hour without anything in front of me. Sadly the food came later! (Even though I just ordered a salad)

They nailed the salad, but the tofu add-on was lackluster. The food quality was really good otherwise, but I have a hard time getting overwhelmed tofu add-on

I think of all the places I've left a bad review. This is the one that hurts the most because the staff were genuinely nice. The atmosphere was awesome in terms of interior design, but the elderly clientele and otherwise empty bar was a buzzkill.

If I could sum up the experience in one would be sterile. Nevertheless, I will be back, because I want to believe this review will help, and I do see the makings or potential. Please take into account my critiques. This is the kind of spot I want to bring my friends, but at least from my experience it felt more like the local shuffleboard club was checking in. Please don't fail me! I need places to spend money! I will be back in two weeks. There's a reason the Palms is slow — the vibe is awesome, everything else is off.

Edit: I snuck in a couple of weeks later. And it was even more dreadful. Didn't get the opportunity to even order food... not even sure if food was available — whatever, it is what it is.

Service was awful, kind of felt off. I feel like a lot of awkwardness could be solved with an explanation of food availability. Not even sure if food was available, but I was starving, so if it was, oopsies! Would have spent way more. Welcome to Victoria I guess.

The manager who was there last time was now wearing all black and pretending to be a server. Again did not help and ended up clocking out and drinking a

Food: 1

Service: 1

Super staff and service. Very accomodating. Excellent food and cocktails!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5