Reviews of stage. (Winery)

John Melville

Sat at the bar with my daughter last night for a bite and a beverage. We were welcomed right in with no reservation. The bartender knows his stuff and was efficient and pleasant. Watching drinks being made and asking about specialties makes for a fun visit with the right bartender. Had the Mezcal cocktail which had a good balance. Followed up with the house rose vermouth. Not something I would normally have but very nice. We didn’t know what to get so we allowed ourselves to be guided into the great blue cheese with homemade bread (simple and delicious )and some pickles. We added some fries which in retrospect we should have skipped as we really filled up. The cassoulet was brilliant. Duck confit that was intact but tender and fell apart with a spoon or fork into the white bean stew. The right amount of seasoning. We will be back! Great service and perfect for a light evening out. Thanks!

Rob Black

I come here for special meals. It's perfect for romance or anyone you want to have a conversation with. Also ideal to eat solo at the bar, romance yourself.

Daniela O'Fee

I remember years ago while I was flying from Toronto to Victoria, I picked up the airlines magazine and the topic was best new restaurants in Canada. I skimmed through the list as most of them were restaurants back east, but I stopped skimming when I came across a restaurant in Victoria. Plus, I was surprised it was a 15 min walk from my house. I had to check out Stage Wine Bar because I wanted to see why it was rated among the top in Canada. Let’s just say that the magazine was right. The restaurant is primarily a tapas bar where most of the plates are share size, and not entree size. The food menu is limited to one page with around 30 different items on the list, but that’s a good thing because you know that they will deliver each plate to perfection. The restaurant has a neighbourhood feel to it, as everyone remembers returning guests, and you feel genuinely welcomed. As for the food, I would suggest trying the Brussel sprouts, the langos bread, and any meat dish. The menu changes from time to time to keep things fresh, and it makes you coming back for more. Also, the wine selection is fantastic where you can have a small glass or big glass depending on if you want to try a variety of their wide selection or simply sip on your favourite wine for the night. Oh, for desert you need to try the peanut butter bar, it’s fantastic.

Daniel Stein

New favorite restaurant! I’m in love. Best boulevardier in the city and I’ve tried em all. Sexiest risotto. Lovely service. Gorgeous romantic room that is great with friends, a date or solo. Unique and always changing tasty plates. Did I mention the risotto?!

Justin Curran (Vicengineer)

Good, but nothing like the Stage of old. Before, I would have visited Victoria just to eat here. Now, it's good but not spectacular. Wine selection is still great. Food is fresh but a bunch of the menu items are just nice off-the-shelf imports. Service was friendly and attentive and food arrived promptly, which is a rarity these days where everyone is short staffed.

Graham Smith

Meal type

Devin Tepleski

Sunday night $35 three course but actually seven item family style dinner. Everything is stuff you wish your mother could cook but done to professional and loving standards. You cannot find a better 3 course dinner in town for this price. The Mandarin Orange flan made me contemplate life; it nearly made a grown man cry. I am in a fragile state if ever I have been; however, sweet desserts have never made a broken man of me. Three cheers for food that makes you forget you have ever had anything else.

Angela Hazelton

I was so excited to visit stage recently as my partner and i have heard such great things and love to eat out and try new foods, drinks and restaurants around town. Unfortunately our server was pretty rude. We were sat quickly which was great but when our server came around to ask for drinks we werent sure what to get because theres no drink menu (fair enough) so we asked for some suggestions - maybe what the bartender enjoys making or something? - our server said "just pick something" and seemed incredibly annoyed that we would even ask for a suggestion? It was weird so we just got whiskey sours. We felt a bit awkward/unwelcome but still wanted to try some food so I just ordered the cheese and bread and when he brought it to the table he just kind of dropped it down said "heres your cheese and bread" and quickly walked away without any description or seeing if we wanted another drink? We felt as if we were an inconvenience and that we shouldnt be there so we got our bill and left. It wasnt busy at all, there was 1 guy at the bar and one table outside so im not sure why we were treated this way. Ive never felt so unwelcome somewhere before. Its unfortunate because we would of loved to try more of the food and im sure its great but we wont be returning because of this.

Candice Peterson

I can only give this place 3 stars after two visits in the last 6 months. There is a lot of hype about this quant small plates tapas spot in Victoria, but I think it's a little over-rated. The wine list and service is very good and can't …

Amy Cox

Solid dining experience. Some really great items, though I found the drink list surprisingly limited. The way they have presented the menu requires a lot of servers - they basically are forced to explain the whole fresh sheet (which changes daily).

Rob Taggart

Liked the atmosphere. Food tastes good. Menu is not good and overpriced for what you get. Portions are small amounts for sharing and no prices shown for wines by the glass. They need more choices for dinner options than just a ribeye steak. The atmosphere and service are what got me to go as high as 3 stars. This place used to be better.

Jody Morrison

Tasty food and excellent wait staff. The mussels and arugula were my faves. I found the music and noise a little loud.

Reena Stackaruk

Gorgeous little place with delicious small plates and good wine! All the staff was so friendly and nice, food was speedy, overall incredible experience would 10/10 recommend for date night or just goin’ out and feeling a lil fancy.

Carson Mack

Cozy but funky atmosphere, this tiny hotspot is so yum! The service is fantastic, the wine selection is awesome (as you might expect from a wine bar) and the food is insanely good and worth every penny. They’re really great if you need gluten free and they’ve got great vegetarian options. I also love that you can reserve on open table because getting in here is not always easy. Totally worth the wait if need be!!!

Famili ar Wild (FamiliarWild)

I’m so glad I live within walking distance of this place. Seriously one of Victoria’s best. Great wine selection too (natural wines. Yay!) and knowledgeable staff that can help you make a wine decision to go with your incredibly tasty meal. And actually open past 10pm!! (Thank you, restaurant gods!)

Eric Hansen

I knew this restaurant was there, but had never ventured in. Who knew that this little gem was tucked away in our neighbourhood? Felt very comfortable from the moment we walked in the door! We were greeted by two amazing staff, seated immediately and served beverages very quickly, while we checked out the menu. This place has a really nice ambience! Great tunes in the background, but not so ridiculously loud that you can't have a conversation! We ordered the charcutrie platter. The meat and cheeses were lovely, but the pickles were flat out awesome! We also ordered the crispy pork ribs (Too die for!) and the Langos with chipotle hummus dip. It was all so delicious! Great selection of beer and wine too! I have no doubt that this is going to be a favourite restuarant for us!

Martin Leroux

Neighborhood bistro in part of town you need to cab to and from if you're based downtown. Like a lot of places like this, if you're not a regular it might not feel very friendly at first, but we were seated at the bar and eventually won …

Kaylea Knox

Great place to share small plates. The service was top notch and the food outstanding. I recommend getting reservations as the restaurant was packed by 6 PM. Although we loved everything we ordered, we recommend the crispy chicken and bison. They also have a good assortment of cocktails, wines, and whisky's.

Eugene Cheng

Wine selection delightful. Friendly staff, cozy atmosphere and great food. Always a nice feeling to leave a restaurant excited for another visit..

Patrice Caron

Not what it once was. I say; skip it. Just a noisy bar. The food is now unremarkable. Too loud for a table conversation. Hope they return to what they were.

Rhonda Gariepy

Delicious and beautiful. Went here for an anniversary and it was amazing. There were some really loud guests with a loud young child with them that disturbed the room (as it is small). However, I recommend this place X100 to anyone. Perfect date spot, rustic interior and positive staff.

Luke Shore

Très belle ambiance and very friendly staff. Thanks for the good time and great wine!

Helena Fleming

Amazing food, marvellous and knowledgeable service and playful and elegant ambience! Our wonderful waiter was always right there when we needed him and never interrupted when we didn't. His wine pairing suggestions were spot on. Created an exceptional experience. Best restaurant in Victoria.

Niamh McGuinness

The minimalism of the wording in the menu masks how underwhelming the food is. Bread: A slice of bread. Greens: 9 leaves of dressed lettuce. Potato: Thin slices of potato which taste overwhelmingly of smoked herring, served cold. Sausage: three pieces of what tasted like cat food, on a bed of lentils and creamed potato, also cold. Artichoke: Decent, but clearly canned and not worth $15. The wine list does seem very strong and past menus likely surpassed this one, which must be why the reviews have not been worse.

Jessi Carr

What other restaurants dream to be but then they wake up and face reality. Go dine, eat, merrymake at stage.

Liam McKay

Matthew (especially) and West are what make my world go round' this place rules, its a home away from home. I feel welcomed, and at ease here. From food, wine/drinks/mocktails to service and atmosphere (the music) this place exudes Victoria hospitality. Ill be back, every week, and spend my meager wage here.

Joelle Jo

We visited Stage last night for our anniversary dinner. Not knowing the menu felt both exciting and scary, but we decided to go for it because reviews were good and a friend of mind recommended. Our server was very knowledgeable and kind. He served me a glass of wine which I loved and all I said was I need something easy to drink, I trust you. We ordered 4 dishes(I won't bother explaining because it always changes), all very delicious. It is difficult to define their style- Not really tapas and yet menus are meant to be shared...Dessert was vanilla custard and it was the best custard I ever tasted. Overall, I would say foods were very rich; that being said, you may not want to bring a vegan friend there). Definitely will go back later to try again.

Will Reiher

- Pinnacle of Salinity - I had been recommended of this wine bar by quite a few people, and that is probably why I was fairly disappointed of it—it serves the saltiest dishes I have ever had. No. 1 must be the cheese. It looked quite innocent, but when I ate it, I felt like biting a large chunk of salt mineral. This was definitely the saltiest thing I have ever eaten. I dared not touch it anymore. I wonder if they make the cheese themselves. I have had many different kinds of cheese when I lived in Europe, but nothing like that. The extreme high level of salinity left a bitter aftertaste that still lingers in my mouth while I am writing this review. Then comes the escarole. This was supposed to be a healthy green vegetable dish, but it turned out to be a concentration of sodium. The white sauce must have got its colour from salt, otherwise how could it overwhelm the lardons? Surprisingly, the potato chips were of normal salinity. Bravo! Very probably because the cheese was abnormally salty. The whole experience reminds me of a previous one of the “pinnacle of sweetness”—the only time when I found cream to be refreshing, because the infamous Chocolat L’Africain served at the renowned Angelina on Rue Rivoli was so heavily sweetened that la crème accompanied with it tasted like spring water. Apart of the unbearable level of salinity, I do find the wine selection here quite interesting. They have many hard-to-find bottles. However, I just cannot imagine the food pairing.

Heng Wang (Lawrence)

The taste is excellent and yummy. I loved the delicious food, design, and atmosphere of the restaurant. Wonderful selection of wines and cocktails.

Imran Ahmad

What a unique and wonderful night. stage was an experience and a great one. Love the design and atmosphere, enjoyed the mysterious nature of the menu (staff are more than happy to help explain what items are). We had one of everything on the menu and zero regrets. Excellent time spent in a very cute neighborhood. Highly recommend.

Erik Fuller

We went to Stage last Saturday night for dinner and it was wonderful! Each dish was delicious - we sampled their entire menu. The wine suggestions were perfect and the service was excellent. I love how the menu is ever-changing, so we can always try something new. My advice is to trust them, these gentlemen know what they’re doing. I can’t wait for the next visit, I can just sit back, relax and let them cook for us. I highly recommend everyone do the same!

Margo Sheridan

Decided to walk over last night with my family. The small plates were amazing and we even ordered a second dessert. Food and service was great and the wine was perfect as well. Would really recommend to anyone looking for a new place to try out. Nice and cozy french tapas restaurant with great vibe and amazing food.

Gavin Molloy

Small plate style. If you go here for a full dinner, it will be a little more expensive than other places but the atmosphere is awesome, the staff are great and the food is amazing. We love to sit at the bar. One of our favourite fine dining places in town.

Trent Peek

Outside of downtown this is well worth the trip. Smaller dishes, tapas really, extensive wine selection. Everything comes out as it's ready, hot and absolutely delicious. We started with bacon covered dates with blue cheese, great flavors. Our favorite was the cauliflower which was deep fried and stunning. (And I don't like cauliflower-thanks to Peter for encouraging us) the pork ribs literally fell off the bone. Absolutely delicious.

Jacob McCurdy

Service and ambiance were excellent, which made our time there enjoyable. Great staff! However quite disappointed with the new menu. We ordered around 75% of the available dishes including the special and found ourselves confused by the food itself. There were some plates where the food was served cold when you wouldn't expect it to be which was off putting, and the choice of flavours were not appetizing. Also for being a wine bar we didn't find that the menu items would even pair well with wine and there was no recommendations on the menu for pairings. We were just told to look up at a chalk board to see what was available which was hard to see so we ended up not even having wine. We loved the old menu, hope you will bring it back!

Xueyi Su

I made reservations to celebrate an anniversary here, the food and service were incredible. We had the VIP dining experience which was fantastic. The owner had to switch the date of our reservation around and I really appreciate how above and beyond he went to remediate any inconvenience. We will definitely be back, I can not recommend this place enough!

Doug Lewis

Nice daily menu special, great cocktails in addition to a comprehensive wine list. Highly recommended the bone marrow or the banadet

Calen Macdonald

My husband and I came here our first night in Victoria. Very cool atmosphere, delicious drink selection (it is a wine bar, after all!), and very tasty food! We enjoyed the sharing-small-plates style of food service, it was fun to try a few different things and not be overly full by the end of the night.

Nolan Rainaldi

It slap, would recommend (Sarah). We love it here (Sophia). Constantly blown away by perfect execution of simple ingredients, i.e. tomatoes, artichoke, duck hearts; the world is your oyster (Liam)

No MSG No Garlic Foodie

They are very busy. We were lucky to get a seat only because we went there at opening time. It was a comfortable space. We expected to see a ceiling height wooden wine shelf stocked with wine. They had two kitchen metal shelves with wine. We asked for Rioja sine we did not see it on the wine list. What they served was delicious – well chosen. We ordered bread, cheese, sardines, tomato, and pork with beans. Actually, that was too much food, and I had to finish the pork myself. The pork and beans was super tender, slow cooked, just the right seasoning. The tomato was very aggressive, cooked with some hot Italian cold cut. The bread was awesome, THICK sliced and grilled. Perfect. Our table was required for the next seating, so we spent 1.5 hours there – very enjoyable dinner. Not sure if we would repeat this though, we kind of missed a decent charcuterie plate.

Sharlene Stushnov-Lee

Awesome service and delicious food! We (my girl friend and I) had a great time and enjoyed every bite. Definitely would eat here again.

Jean Medland - Victoria BC

Dine in

Fernando Lievano

First time at Stage and I must say I was blown away by everything. Jordy I believe his name was our server, was extremely intelligent about his wine and picked one out for us that we adored. Apparently it had only been his 5th shift? and it is like he has worked there for years ! Thank you for having us !

Trevor Mc

Food was fantastic, service was polarizing. We shared lots of plates and they were all delicious. Our server was great, friendly and bubbly. She was new, but knew when to get help and made it a good experience. The maitre d' was kind of smarmy and, being a wine bar, they should have someone there who can properly open a bottle of bubbles. So overall our food and or server were wonderful, but her support staff let her down.

Adin W

Perfect night out. One star! Everything was perfect about this evening at stage... We reserved for 7:15 and were seated promptly. The place was buzzing and the atmosphere was great. We asked for a light, low intervention, red wine and the server actually knew what we were talking about and didn’t try to give us a Sonoma county Cab Sauv aged with oak chips…disaster averted! Then, the food. Best cassoulet I’ve ever had. And I just moved from Montreal. Home of the poutine and of people who say they just moved from Montreal in order to make themselves somehow feel more cultured. But I digress. The server was next level. Very personable, very knowledgeable, and never tried to give us the bill prematurely like a 17-year-old-girl-next-door server at the cactus club hoping tips will somehow get her through her $40,000 education on History of Byzantine era weavers of fruit fly dyed virgin wool at UVic. The night was perfect…except… We asked for a mezcal old fashioned. And. They. Have. No. Mezcal. Reason? It’s not French. Not a good reason! One star!!!!….!!!!!! Otherwise, the night was perfect… …Oh and they make a killer boulevardier too. With bourbon. Which is apparently French… But despite the (almost) perfection of this night at Stage, I reserve 5 star reviews for fully stocked bars only. Ok stage. Your move. I’ll wait. ( this review should hit 5 stars soon )

Angela Fraser

Nice wine bar. Ambiance is relaxing. Service good. Food good. Great every time I go!

Justin Paquin

Was once one of my favourite restaurants, but not so great on our last visit. We hadn't been in a while and were looking forward to the treat. The food was really just ok at best, which considering the price is not good. Not that I could have given that feedback to the serving staff who couldn't have heard us over the music anyway. A very meh experience and we won't be returning soon. Disappointing.

Karen O'Rourke

By far my favorite cocktail spot in Victoria, such great prices for small bites and just the warmest people. This will always be my go to.

V V

Service + Food = Amazing! Yes come here. Let the people that know wine pairings better than you...guide you through the most pleasurable foodie experience. Subsequent Visit: Had a bit of a seating issue tonight (Mar31st). Hoping next time is better????.

Amy Sloma

Always a great time. The food is incredible. Servers are amazing. Ambiance is impeccable. By far the best restaurant in Victoria

Shannon Bowles

Dinner

Jeremy Wekell

Trendy, mostly traditional french cuisine. The place to be. Do the feast.

Saidnobody Ever

Cute wine bar. Menu changes every now and then.

Joelle Greet

Hands down our favourite restaurant in town. Menu changes up occasionally, but the Brussels sprouts are epic, gnocchi and scallops are incredibly, and the peanut butter chocolate bar is arguably the best dessert in town. We're not drinkers, but that they've won awards for some of their cocktails is telling.

Liam Ragan

Good selection of wines. Can't accommodate a simple gluten dietary restriction or explain their own menu without a negative attitude. The host seemed apologetic yet not flexible.

Patrick Mazzuca

I purchased tomato sauce and marinated artichoke hearts and was MIND BLOWN! The tomato sauce needed no sprucing up with salt, balsamic vinegar, or fresh herbs - it was a culinary marvel to behold. The marinated artichokes were the finest I have tasted to date, helped inspire an impromptu pasta. Don't shy away from the price of the preserves, well worth it for these handcrafted delicatessens.

Jesse Mark

Main problem here is consistency…first time I ate here everything I ordered was delicious. Next time (since the menu changes regularly) I felt completely ripped off. Half the dishes were obviously straight out of a can and flavourless, and paid premium for it! Avoid!

Benjamin Bolliger

Exceptional! A MUST visit when dining out in Victoria. We chose the Tasters Menu with wine pairings - we highly recommend this! Delicious flavours and excellent BC wine. Thanks to the staff for making it a memorable evening. We will be back....

Kelly Knights

Small but charming place. Exceedingly noisy because of the small space and full restaurant. Food was fantastic but very, very expensive for portion size. I understand it's Tapas style but $14.00 for a single duck sausage is outrageous and a $3.50 basket of bread with about 5 small slices was not accompanied with dipping oil/balsalmic (that's extra) or butter. No offer to refill our non-alcoholic beverages. I ate before going and still left hungry. Bill for 3 people without alcohol (6 Tapas and 3 desserts) was $125. Generally slow service.

Kristina Watson

Great wine list. Trendy I get it but the atmosphere came across very pretentious. Food...meh, really underwhelming and frankly didn't taste good. Server came by and asked how was everything, we said okay and the server said the Chef seems to think we're having a hard time with it. We were being watched...LOL anyway. Won't be back. ..... FYI they do not accommodate dietary restrictions AT ALL.

Ban Piao

Delicious I would come here every minute of my life if I could

Thomas Wade

I have been a number of times before and had a good time, if a bit poor value given other great restaurants in town that compete in the price range. Last visit will probably be my last. Customer service was terrible. We were rushed. All 9 plates we order came out at the same time. They explicitly said they were trying to get us out the door for a reservation. The food was mediocre and about half the dishes were extremely oversalted. On the way out the door we saw a server or hostess being rude to a family trying to get an eta on seating. We immediately went out for another small meal elsewhere after having dropped about 160 dollars at their restaurant.

Abhinav Rai

Oh. My. Gosh. Oh my gosh. Stop. Stoooooop. It’s too much. It’s seriously too much. I can’t believe how good it is here. The food? The drinks? The atmosphere? The music. THE SERVICE?!?!? It makes me reach a point of complete and utter perfection. Victoria NEEDS the stage. <3 :D

Cindy Tang

Great place food is delicious Wonderful selection of wines and cocktails Must come

Addie Whitcomb

I wanted to like Stage, I really did. I am admittedly, a fan of the old Stage (your Chicken Liver Parfait will forever live in my memory fondly :) , or the gnocchi, or the brussel sprouts ) , but was looking forward to seeing what the new owners and Chef had done to maintain the quality and reputation of what for me, was the best place in town. Overall the best description I can give is that the focus has moved from a dining adventure to "watering hole" . Specials written in crayon on the window to the servers not telling you what you are getting when they drop off the food, and the bar is full before the tables are, has shifted this dining pilgrimage to at best, another lackluster note in Victoria's vibrant and ever changing food scene. The food overall was "ok", but unremarkable. For me, when I taste something fantastic I want my dining partner to taste it and to share that little piece of gastronomic delight, but over the courses of we had, nothing made me want to share what I just had tasted. For the money spent, there are many many other choices in town that are better bang for buck, so unless you are going to the Theater and there's no room at the pub, perhaps elsewhere would be a better evening spent looking for that "ah ha" food moment.

Danny Macintosh

I completely agree with Rexxus, Sheldon and Harris et al. The Stage lacks art: It is a charmless, unimpressive place. The food is nondescript but the prices are steep. And for no good reason. Like the food, the place is tasteless. But pretentious. It dazzles like a gold filling... There is no intimacy, no style: The decor is hardly better than a cafeteria. It is noisy. Impossible to have a quiet conversation. The bearded owner impressed me as a vain person with nothing to be vain about... The Stage is not worth it. It is not a class act. Save your money. Do not go there!

Melissa Frattura

We were really looking forward to our night out at Stage after hearing such good things about it over the years. Unfortunately, it was a huge disappointment. It didn’t start off well with no drinks menu or even suggestions from the server who seemed completely uninterested. The menu was pretty basic with choices like olives, bread and cheese as separate choices. Thankfully we chose the bread or else eating the foi gras (average) would have been difficult. The bavette was raw with a light sear making it incredibly chewy and tasteless/not edible. Pass. Bone marrow was meh. The saving grace was the “cabbage” which was actually flavourful ham and cabbage which was well cooked. We wish we would have ordered only multiples of this dish and avoided the rest of the menu. We left disappointed and hungry. We won’t be back.

Jennifer Dempsey

Very intimate wine bar & restaurant located in Fernwood area. Menu consists of small plates dishes, with options available for vegetarian & gluten sensitive. Local beer and BC Wine. Popular with after-theatre crowd.

Bob Bob

This place is hidden well. It should stay hidden. The food proportions are obnoxiously small for the price. The pork was grey on one side and uncooked on the other. The bread was borderline burnt and the sauce that came with the bread was good but way too salty. The water was the best part of the meal. The chips were okay too. Big guy never coming again. Big guy signing off.

M

I absolutely love this place! The food, atmosphere and service is superb. Everything I ate was beyond amazing. Even the simple greens was perfection! This is somewhere I would recommend everyone to go to, you don't want to miss out on this place!

Pat Hannah

Service

Tyler Johnson

Pretty gin citrus cocktail and yes, I do like my sardines in a tin with bread.

Dunia A.M

Had been wanting to try this place for ages and was so disappointed! Upon being sat at the bar I discovered they did last call for food 3 hours before close, without having any of that info online or on instagram. I opted to just get wine, yet the bartender seemed to not care at all that I was there and brushed me off the whole time. I tried to get a Cab Sauve, or zinfandel, or anything good really but was told by the very curt bartender that he had nothing of the sort and the best he could do for me was the bottom of the bottle of some organic red. It wasn't even a full glass. The bartender proceeded to ignore me while lost in conversation with a couple, pulling out his phone and showing them pictures of his trip. I sat there for over an hour and all I had was that one bottom of the bottle glass the bartender hastily poured for me. The only reason he noticed me at the end was because his fellow server told him to check on me. By then I just wanted my bill. I've never had worse service, wine, or food (or lack thereof). Utterly horrified at how unwelcome they allow guests to feel. You're better off trying somewhere like The Collective for good wine, food, and service.

C White

Amazing everytime! Food is amazing with menu that changes daily!

Joanna Britton

Absolutely fantastic experience. Our server Jordy was the perfect guide; his wine recommendation was bang on, his insight on the menu was so helpful, and his kind attentive demeanour really made our night. The food was out of this world, eat dish full of flavour and with purpose. And the icing on the cake- a fantastic negroni. Don’t miss Stage.

Ro tro

Cute intimate space. Great bar and wine selection. Rotating menu with friendly staff.

Brian Van Der Haegen

All I have to say is - unbelievable. From the moment you walk in, to your last bite, your senses will be treated well. A very trendy place with great music and ambiance, it is much more than a wine bar... The tapas menu is just the right size and the food has been perfected, with flavours that will surprise and keep you wondering what the other things you missed that visit taste like. Staff are incredible and attentive, making jokes with you and knowing their menu and wine list. Your first time there will not be your last.

tom ford

Very good selection of reasonably priced wine and inventive cocktails in a loud, crowded, hot room. The place was so warm even the bottle of Pinot noir was noticeably warm, when it should have a bit of a chill. Tapas-style plates are clunky, and generally expensive compared to other tapas/shared plates in town. The flavours tend toward salty, missing the freshness of the local ingredients. Beautiful Humboldt squid was cooked to perfection, but drowned in a spicy peanut sauce, for example. Service is excellent

alan deaton

First of all, how dare they? I wont be able to enjoy anything else i eat for weeks in comparison to how perfect everything tasted here. and i consider myself a good cook. My 3 friends and i ordered one of everything, and then ordered more. there are no gimmicks here, just high quality ingredients used in smart ways that make every dish memorable and special. Desert felt truly homemade and comforting - not overly decadent or sickly sweet - just a perfect piece of apple cake. Amazing service, and great cocktails. Can't wait to try something from their wine list the next time i'm in. Victoria is so lucky to have this place.

DD DD

I have been to Stage many times over the years but this last time may be my last. The wait staff was very slow bringing drinks, to the point that we were done a course before having to remind them that we ordered wine. I understand sometimes you get backed up but it wasn’t that busy. The small plates have gotten a bit too small and over priced. It was $12 for a half dozen burnt carrots, they were tasty but seriously. The misses were really tasty too but again overpriced for what you get. The other plates we shared were tasty as well but again too small for the price. We spent a fair chunk of cash and came home a little peckish. It will be a while before I come back with Victoria having so many good dining options with equal quality and more reasonable prices.

David and Rosemary Bayliffe

For a wine bar, they really did not have that impressive selection of wine. It would be great if the servers could recommend wine selections and know a bit more about the wine options. Beer on tap selection was slim as well. However, the food was quality, but emphasis on small plates.

Tavia Bamford

Always a favourite that we don't visit enough. We decided to stop after a wonderful dinner at Sherwood Restaurant for dessert and a beverage. I called to inquire about dessert and when we arrived the person who greeted us said 'I believe you were the one I just talked to on the phone'. We were seated at a lovely table inside and he saidI will bring out your dessert now. The next person took our beverage orders and when I asked what i should drink with that he said 'I know the perfect light red wine'. It was a perfect pairing and i bought a bottle to bring home to enjoy on another occasion. Stages is always consistently 'perfect' and a wonderful neighborhood Gem!

Sheldon Foisy

Everything was delicious, tried half of the items on the menu! Great portion sizes and a great atmosphere.

Stacey L

Wow! I just had the best dine around experience ever tonight at stage wine bar . We had the mussels to start which were so good , and lots ! Then the sole that was perfectly cooked , crispy skin which I don’t normally eat , but it was so yummy , in a brown buttery sauce. And for dessert an apple cake that was perfectly light , and delicious ! The server was lovely and so friendly . I love this restaurant right in our neighbourhood ????we are so lucky❤️ Thank you for a wonderful culinary experience to wrap up a very busy week . We will be back again soon!

Trena Shalene

Fairly cheap for a high quality tapas bar. Service very friendly, dressed for the part. Food is food-network quality and dishes fairly creative. Great value for the price tag. Great place for a lovely night out with a date or fun evening with friends. Reservation recommended.

Brianna C

I would not go back here. The food was not worth the value. We tried over half the menu and most dishes were extremely simple, I could have made it at home for a fraction of the cost. At a place like this the food should speak for itself, and it simply did not deliver anything special or even remotely remarkable. The charcuterie was one block cheese and it wasn't even french... it tasted like laughing cow. I could have gotten 2 good meals and a drink at il terrazzo for this price. Good things to note: atmosphere was lovely, staff was extremely helpful and knowledgeable, the sweetbread was worth the money,

Dom C

Good food. Made a reservations and were booted out after 1.5hrs. The food didn't come that quickly so I felt pretty rushed to eat and drink the expensive bottle of wine. Glad I tried it but a 3$ slice of bread and questionable service means I won't be back. I was willing to over look the other issues but being asked to leave on my birthday dinner was ridiculous.

Garet Kay

Great little tapas bar. The food was really fantastic, lots of choices! We had a hard time trying everything we wanted to as we started to fill up with each dish. Of everything we tried the mussels were our favourite and the cheeses that we tried from the charcuterie menu was a great way to end the meal. Really liked the vibe - great music & great lighting. Overall a very nice way to spend date night.

Amanda Robins

Blockbuster three-ish-plus set menu dinners are currently happening. Stage knocked it out of the park last night. General store in the front with a few socially distanced tables in the back for a safe extremely satisfying dinner experience. Our meal was paced perfectly with food and wine and time to socialize all blending together to make for a memorable first-meal-out-in-a-while.

Jessica Kirkwood

We went to Stage Wine Bar for hubby’s birthday. They were very accommodating to my dietary needs of vegetarian & wheat free and the service was good. The cheese plate which was supposed to come first was actually really good but they mixed up the timing and we basically got all our food at once. The tables are not meant to hold more than one or two dishes at a time. But all the dishes were good. The cheeses were great but the sides were amazing. That smoke tomato ragu was lick the bowl good. Need better crackers though. Hubby very much liked the wines he had. Great selection. It is a small pates restaurant and small they were ... those 6 carrots on hummus were fantastic but at $12 we won’t be going there too often. We also had the mushrooms and hubby had the gnocchi. He said it was a good combination of different textures between the tender yet crispy on the outside gnocchi, peas and almonds it made for an enjoyable dish. I absolutely recommend this as a special night out. It is quite dark and loud in the restaurant. The table beside us even requested the music be turned down.