The Snug Pub

Met a friend on Friday evening. My husband had a steak and said it was great. My friend and myself both had the mussels san frites, it was superb. The coconut broth had just enough spice, the bread was fresh and the mussels were plump and delicious.
It was my husband’s birthday and the brought out 2 chocolate covered strawberries on a plate with a piped Happy Birthday in chocolate, a nice touch
We returned for lunch the next day as well as a snack. The crispy California roll is the best I have ever had.
I highly recommend this restaurant as well as the pool side bar.

I was certainly a Gilligan in the midst of a lot of Thurstons and Loveys on a recent visit to this little pub. That might have chased me off right away but I was hungry-​jack hungry and was also on foot. Not too many other options nearby for a hungry, car-​less Gilligan.
My girlfriend and I were seated quickly on the deck on a lovely summer evening and treated to a nice view of the Straits and distant Cascade Mountains. We were also treated to a nearly 30 minute wait before anyone came to ask what we wanted. And it wasn’t crowded either. Grrr.
Menu here is somewhat limited but the food was quite tasty – I really liked the falafel sandwich and the excellent soup of the day (pumpkin curry), and my gf had a tasty smoked albacore sandwich (hold the bacon!). Beers were good and desserts were very good – chocolate salted caramel tart and strawberry rhubarb strudel were both yummy but I give the nod to the tart thanks to the sour cream sorbet… wow.
The loooooooooooooooong wait before we were served was the only drawback to an otherwise nice dinner.

I started going to the Snug during university in the late 80s. I lived a couple of blocks away and would frequently drop in for a pint with my girlfriend and friends. It was a great spot. I moved back to Oak Bay in 2000 and would often meet my parents there for Sunday dinner as they had also moved to Oak Bay. Shortly before it closed for the rebuilding of the hotel I took my wife there to see this ‘special’ place. They had really let it run down and she was at a loss as to how I could speak so highly of this place. We went there last summer with my wife’s grandfather to check out the new Snug and she could see why I spoke highly of it. While it has lost some of the charm that it used to have the more open space makes is preferable to me than the low ceilings and beams. We went back last weekend for our date night and had amazing cocktails, and fantastic dinner, all with a truly world class view.

Great restaurant with a stunning view inside of a gorgeous hotel.
The food is actually not very fancy, but they do a very good job on the options they offer in the menu.
I had a steak salad with bleu cheese and fries. This dish seems simple but it was very tasty. The meat was well prepared, the blue cheese on the meat was very good and there was a sauce made with garlic that was delicious with the meat and fries.
i also tried the burger and it is also a great choice.
Nice staff, delicious cocktails. I loved this place!

Tried this place for the very first time. Everything was excellent. The view was gorgeous, the staff was excellent. We would go back to this place again the food was that good.

Came to The Snug Pub on a Saturday afternoon for a drink and a bite. We were greeted and seated immediately, at a table facing the ocean as requested. The view is spectacular. Great cocktail selection; I had a Moscow Mule and it was very well made. Finished off with a glass of Prosecco, which is hard to mess up.
The waiter gave us permission to walk around the hotel with our drinks and check out some of the balconies that can’t be accessed from the pub. The hotel is immaculate, and beautiful balconies surround the hotel that showcase amazing views.
We ordered the Veggie Pizza to share– it was a great size for 2 people to snack on. Goat cheese, balsamic glaze, veggies, nice crispy crust. It was more of a flatbread shape, but delicious nonetheless.
Our server was friendly, as was the bartender who came to check on us when our server got a little slammed.
Overall, our experience was wonderful– the food, drinks, view, and service left us smiling for the rest of the day. I would go back for a full meal, or even to just sit at the bar and have a drink. The vibe of the Pub is kind of «upscale pub»…nothing pretentious, but certainly no «cheap beer and wing night» vibe. Dress code can be relatively casual, jeans are certainly acceptable, however a nicer outfit would also not be out of place.

I came here for brunch with family. I was told they have fantastic eggs Benedict. I had been there before and the architecture is beautiful. Very elegant and ornate, it’s definitely a pricey place… hence the hotel Rolls Royce out front. The view is gorgeous, overlooking the islands and the hotels pool and what looks to be a manicured area for weddings or receptions.
We had brunch at the Snug. It wasn’t in the main pub, instead we were seated to the right of the entrance which was somewhat open to the lobby. We had a reservation so we were seated promptly. Only a few tables have a direct view outside but I enjoy the view of the lobby and the grand room. The servers and wait staff were very friendly and prompt. We were seated at a lovely table with an assortment of mini jarred jams and a small jam of peanut butter, it was cute and I was tempted to take it with me. Since we had heard of the Benedict that’s exactly what we ordered. My husband and I had the traditional Benedict, my brother the smoked salmon, and my sister in law had the vegetarian. Wow. Everything was hot and delicious. I was initially impressed with then asking how we liked our eggs, which I find is mostly overlooked. The hollandaise was amazing, extremely light and rich at the same time. You could tell it was freshly whipped, very light and airy. It was beautifully flavored, the richness of the eggs with the butter, and lemon. Finished with fresh chives. The muffin was very hot and tender, with a single but meaty piece of ham. The potatoes were very hot and seasoned, very crispy small rounds. I even like the touch of a half of a small tomato with a dab of pesto and melted Parmesan cheese. All in all very delicious and worth the $ 18 price tag. Do try!!! One of the best bennies I’ve had!!!

Unfortunately I cannot give the Snug my seal of approval. Except that the view is beautiful and the beer and wine are OK. My advise to the bar manager re the wine would be to locate a nice «house wine» as the other choices are into the $ 12 range. There are many great wines available so finding a reasonable house wine with a nice smooth taste should be easy! The food: well that’s another story… I have dined there a few times with friends. My last was the «chicken dinner» apparently organic… it was tough and overcooked and tasteless. The mashed potatoes (which I was excited to have) were more like watery baby mush with barely a hint of potato… and the serving was very small. Where’s the butter and cream in mashed potatoes? Not!!! It came with one carrot the size of my little finger and a beet the size of my thumb nail… to be fair I do believe there was one asparagus under the chicken. Gravy was drizzled on top. No Flavour. Tasted like it was from a box.
Another time we dined we had the cheese plate which was nice with artisan cheeses and bread with the expensive wine because the server told us to not chance the house wine. The $ 12 wine was nice but we would like to spend less on wine.
The sushi although pretty to look at had very little flavour. Sadly I hesitate going back even though it’s in my neighbourhood and I had hoped to bring guests down for a drink and snack… I do hope that the Snug find tastier food offerings for the locals. I am not the only person who feels this way as the group I dined with were also not too pleased with their meals.

I stayed with my wife at the Oak Bay Beach Hotel and frequented the Snug Pub for dinner or drinks after dinner somewhere else. Frequented because I thoroughly enjoined the service, the flavors, and environment.
The bar was manned by a very friendly staff and served amazing drinks and wine.
The waiting staff was surprisingly quick and friendly. I was impressed by comparing other services in Victoria.
Last but not least as previously mentioned the flavors! Sushi, main dishes, desserts all amazing. Four star size portioning as expected but filled with impressive flavor.
Four star price but it’s worth it if your feeling fancy or just are.

Caitlyn was super friendly and took really good care of us! I ordered the veggie spring rolls and the snug wings. Both were delicious. The spring rolls were crispy and the wings had the best glaze ever. I ordered the Malbec with my appetizers as well and I’m glad I did.

I haven’t had the food but the beer prices are fair for the view and the atmosphere is great and tons of windows looking out to the water.
About 50¢ more per pint than other pubs buy worth it. :)
May increase to 5 stars after i’ve tried the food.

Extraordinarily good comfort food served next to a memorable ocean view. Worth the trip from downtown Victoria to out of the way but picturesque Oak Bay. A longtime Victoria favourite. Highly recommended!