Pagliacci’s

I would say 4.5 stars — 1.5 stars was for live music. This place is so overcrowded at night. The pasta is decent not too much flavor. I expected more from bread from other reviews thought it was OK. They do pack you in like sardines which is not so fun.

Yummy! Recommended by nearby shopkeeper. Great pasta, can get a small size that’s more than enough. In port from cruise. Cool place.

We were looking for a late dinner and Pagliacci’s was highly recommended by a friend who visited from the Big Island of Hawaii. We were not let down. The service was outstanding, the food was outstanding and the live band as well. We shared a Frank’s pasta and Spinach salad with Parmesan dressing. All we can say is WOW! Tons of flavor. The best part was the service, our server Roxie was on the spot with a great attitude very attentive and gave us great recommendations.
We spoke with the on duty manager Jane regarding the great job Roxie did and Jane was very receptive and had a great attitude as well. We can not say enough good things about our experience. A well run establishment is a direct reflection of the manager and the staff who operate it. Well done! We are staying in Victoria for a few days longer and for sure will be going back.

One of my favorite places to eat in Victoria. Great atmosphere and food. There is usually a line but it’s worth it.

Seafood was well prepared for my pasta dish, but it was swimming in the cream sauce (the dish is called «The Sophia»), which spoiled it for me. Have some of the bread — it was surprisingly good!

Perfect for couples on a weekend night! Looking for a seat for two, we passed the long line of groups and were seated right away.
Food was delicious. The bread was the best I’ve had, crisp, buttery garlic outside, soft inside.
Tried the Sophia (half) which was perfect for those who like seafood combined with a white creamy based sauce. Favorite part was the sockeye salmon on top, and the fact that you can taste the different shellfish in the dish! Bf and I agree that it was the better of the two dishes we tried.
The bf got The Shell Game (full) which was packed with so much flavor. Definitely a lighter dish, not as heavy as the Sophia, but the flavor profiles of the spinach, scallops, and prosciutto were spot on!

I recommend the Sophia pasta. The sauce is very rich and the crab and salmon add on to the taste. Their bread is nice as well, if not a little too oily. My friend told me the marble cheesecake is delicious but I did not have a chance to try it. I would definitely come back.

One of the best Italian places I’ve ever eaten. My family 5 all chose different things: Salmon Special was nice (fish not over cooked), Killer Seafood Lasagna (family favorite), Tortellini in cream sauce was so rich we wanted to like like the bowl!

Waited forever to get in, very long line. The restaurant itself is tiny and overcrowded. Our waiter was very inattentive, he literally checked on us zero times after the food was brought to us.
This place is trendy and over hyped. I would definitely save the $ 60 and eat elsewhere.

Arriving at 5:45 on a Tuesday night my daughter and I were told of a 45 min wait. As others have stated the place is super small and the waiting room is smaller than most bathrooms so be prepared to stand on the sidewalk as there are no outside seats either. Or, if you want to shop while you wait beware that the Bay Centre mall nearby closes at 6! Luckily Hudsons is open til 7 if you need to get in before they close the mall entrance at 6. But on to the food! The standard martini was a great value for the $ and the breadsticks helps sustain you while you wait on the food. The sundried tomatoe basil pasta was good but the mushroom ravioli was great! And the vegan blueberry ice cream outstanding! I would def recommend but either go before 5:30 or after 7 for the shortest wait.

5 minute walk from the Hilton Doubletree…
Busy restaurant… friendly, responsive and attentive servers
Bill Murrays Meatballs $ 9 CAD for appetizer… there is 3 meatballs, tastes like meatloaf, dry…3 stars
I ordered the Sophia $ 20 CAD — Canadian Dungeness & rock crab, baby shrimp, pine nuts in white wine cream sauce topped with smoked salmon on egg fettuccine… the fettuccine was perfectly cooked…4 stars
My husband ordered The Big Easy for $ 18 CAD — jumbo prawns, chicken, Italian sausage, bell peppers, mushrooms in a spicy Cajun marinara sauce on penne with Parmesan… my husband said marina was too thick and too meaty and Italian sausage was very greasy…3 stars
Final bill had mystery additional charge for house red wine which we did not order… server promptly apologized and removed from bill
(written by my husband)

Such a great date spot! It’s small and cozy with low lighting.
It’s usually always busy but if you are a party of 2, it’s not a long wait.
The breadsticks are ahhhhmazing!!! No butter needed. We shamefully ate two baskets of them. The waitress brought a third, but we painfully resisted.
I ordered ‘the thin man’ (wasn’t feeling too thin or hungry after all the bread). It was chicken and mushrooms in a Marsala sauce with a small but perfect amount of fettuccini Alfredo and vegetables. It was so flavourful and delicious.
My boyfriend got ‘Hemingway’s short story’ which was tortellini filled with beef and cheeses in a bacon cream sauce, also scrumptious. Great portion sizes!
Dessert — one giant piece of triple layered carrot cake with a generous amount of frosting. I didn’t eat it, but my boyfriend assured me it was wonderful.
Worth the wait!

A hidden gem! The line was busting out the door, but we got a table in no time. My boyfriend and I are staying the weekend in Victoria. The staff is so friendly and warm. I felt like I’ve known them my whole life. The manager was on the floor serving and he was so charming!!! I overhead the couple next to us tell him that the food here hasn’t changed in the past 10 years! The pasta servings are ginormous and the bread is to die for. Definitely coming back next time I’m in town! Love!!!

This small restaurant on Broad Street is a must visit if you are in Victoria, BC. The whole atmosphere is great. A huge front window provides beautiful daylight to the restaurant and the place offers pretty good and affordable deals on lunch specials. Try any daily bottomless soups for lunch and they’ll keep bringing you bread and soup until you tell them to stop. Dinner can be a little more expensive, especially if you’re having some wine, but there’s usually a jazz band by the window setting the best night you can ever have. It can get pretty busy on weekend evenings and you may have to wait for some minutes, but no more than 20 minutes. Good for groups, date nights or even eating by yourself, Pagliacci’s will offer great service and food. I’ve been there a few times and I’m not planning on stop visiting it.

We came to Victoria on a cruise for a mere 5hrs. Our friends from Alberta were meeting us so I picked this place for dinner. I was so sick of the cruise food… Anyway, we all enjoyed our dinner. My wife had lasagna, I had chicken marsala, our friends had a seafood pasta and something else. I can barely remember, it was back in September. The food and service were really awesome though!

I was not impressed with the food. Not sure what all the rave is about because it’s basically like another Olive Garden. Tight spaces with not much seating and prices above average for below average food.
Luckily we went right before the big dinner rush so we were seated quickly. Service was pretty good and attentive. Nice historic artwork and decorations around the restaurant.
As you can tell by the pictures the food did not look appetizing. The crab cakes were a big disappointment, almost like those frozen ones you can buy at a store. The breading was hard like a rock because you can pick it up and drop it and hear a «thunk». It has that texture when you put it in your mouth and scratches the roof of your mouth. All of this on top of a sad leafy green.
The seafood scallop linguine was a little better but for that price it wasn’t all that good. The scallops were seared nicely as you can see but the other meat was salty. Noodles were al dente and sauce was alright. You can also see that the plate it was served on was used up and has those scratch marks around the edge making the plate look old.
It was worth a try as I toured Canada to see what this place was all about. I was hoping to like this Italian joint but was disappointed in the food, but hopefully you can have a better experience than did.

Since it was the Labor Day weekend I was not particularly surprised by the hour wait in line. Recommend watching a movie or talking to your companion and not be wearing high heels in the meantime. Upon entering the establishment it surprised me the interior was much smaller than anticipated. Ambience was quite laid back and warm for Italian restaurant, which I liked.
It did not take long for basket of warm chewy bread arrived, and we finished two baskets. If you wish to take a batch home it’s $ 5 charge, so worth it for late night snacking. For pasta I enjoy white wine sauce with salmon, crab, and shrimp combination. Pasta wasn’t as firm as I like, but cream did not overpower the seafood or come off too heavy, so it was right consistency for me.
We were too full for desert so ordered New York Cheesecake to go, to pair with wine back on the hotel the next day. It was amazing — not as rich like typical American cheesecake, nor light and fluffy as Japanese one. It was right in the middle — and melted in your mouth! Should have ordered two ;)
Waitress refilled water many times despite the long line outside and was well poised and smiling the whole time. I did find few crab shells which was annoying to find and take out, but overall it was pleasant experience. Good location for a date.

I’ve been going to Pagliacci’s since I was a teenager, so a very long time, and I am always grateful that this delightful landmark is still operating.
One lunch favourite is their salad «Sid Caesar» & pasta «Manhattan Transfer» with a glass of Sauvignon blanc. It was all excellent.
Everything –atmosphere, food, wine, music — was perfect, as always.

OMG. Pagliacci’s is THE place for good Italian. It’s not a fancy place, but the food is GOOD. No, GREAT. They have delicious homemade focaccia bread that you can dip in a dip sampler (pesto, sundried tomato, garlic). They also have gluten free pasta available! Their pesto is homemade as well and nice and thick.
Inside it’s not huge, and tables are very close together– so you may not be sitting far away from your neighbor.
Also interesting– they don’t take names or reservations– so when you get there, you just wait in a line until a table is ready. They seat you as tables become available.
Prices are VERY reasonable, both for food and wine.
I highly recommend Pagliaccis!

Solid. I love these little Italian places tucked into various cities I visit. Usually a local guy knows about them and I just follow suit.
When near an ocean, I tend go for fish. When on a fricken island IN the ocean? Unless it swims get it off my plate, I ain’t got no time for meat.
They had a wonderful fresh catch entrée that was excellent from the fish to the sides. I recall the names on the menu were a bit odd but no regrets on what I ordered. And given as I had just gotten into Victoria after a long day of travel I was keen to try some local beers, which they had on draft. No macro beer for me, thank you.

Super italienisches Restaurant. Eigentlich sind alle Gerichte zu empfehlen. Restaurant ist etwas laut aber das soll wohl den NY style rüberbringen. Unbedingt den cheesecake probieren!