Victoria Gastro Pub

khodre

3.03/5  rDev -27.9%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 3 | service: 2 | selection: 4.5 | food: 2.5 | $$$

The service was slow and I had a 15 minute wait for my first beer order. The wait staff seemed distracted and not really able to answer any of the questions that I had about the beers on tap.

The duck fries were .... something I'd never eat again. The main dishes were okay but way overpriced for the quality of food. I base this off three attempts at eating here. Now, if I am going, I will eat first and just stop by for beer.

The beer list is the best thing about this place. Good list and prices are a bit high for draft; prices are waaay high for bottled imports.

04-01-2012 17:23:58 | More by khodre

thain709

Pennsylvania

4.4/5  rDev +4.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

I visited Victoria's with my cousin on the final day of Baltimore Beer Week 2011. We stopped in for brunch shortly after opening. There were a few people seated around the bar at tables, and they slowly filled as the morning went on.

Our server, who happened to be the bartender also, was very prompt throughout our meal. He was happy to talk about drinks and food. He was very busy, but never really missed a beat with us.

The beer selection here is incredible. They had a Sixpoint event the night before, so about 10 drafts were still available from Sixpoint (Diesel, 90211, Bark, Wheatball, Otis, Autumnation). Others on tap included La Chouffe, Houblon Chouffe, Duvel, Flying Dog The Fear, New Belgium Fat Tire and Kick, plus others that were top notch. They also tapped three casks that morning; Stillwater Harvest Saison, DuClaw Gingerbread Euphoria, Oskar Blues Dale's Pale Ale on French Oak and dry-hopped. I ordered a sampler which was five, six ounce pours for around $11. The Stillwater and DuClaw casks were $2 per 20 ounce pint. The Gingerbread Euphoria was awesome. All the beer, wine, and spirits are listed in a binder that was seriously 70+ pages.

Food wise, they had a nice brunch selection with breakfast foods, sandwiches, and side orders. I had the Huevos Rancheros and my cousin ordered the Rosti. Both were very good, especially the chorizo on the Huevos Rancheros. The plates were a little small though.

Both the food and the beer were fresh and tasty. The bathrooms and dining areas were neat and clean.

I could see myself stopping in again to visit. The tap list is top notch and they also do growlers as well as a beer club.

01-09-2012 22:13:09 | More by thain709

shwillivanilli

California

4.2/5  rDev 0%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$$

i think it was an old bennigan's i was told? its nice, they have added there own thing to it. nice bar area, and plenty of additional setting.

the beer selection here is crazy. they have an extensive menu of old, rare, and limited bottles. as well as a selection of great classics. and they always have a few great things on tap. they have regular beer club dinners too. went to goose island and it was awesome! the liquor menu and wine menu are impress as well. the whole drink menu is a book, literally!

people there are always super friendly. and ive never had a long wait, or bad time there. always enjoyable

the food it probably the highlight of this gem. even threw the awesome drink program. a kobe beef hamburger, with white truffle cheese?!?! amazing. fries cooked in duck fat?!?!?! lethal. and thats just what i had. they have a lobster grilled cheese, and poutine with duck confit on it!

08-31-2011 02:43:11 | More by shwillivanilli

claytri

Maryland

3.51/5  rDev -16.4%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | $$$

Finally tried this place. I found it to be a bit cold and unwelcoming. TV's on but no music, a bit to bright and quiet for my taste. The beers were interesting and in good shape. They had a nice selection, of local beers, and those out of the area. The prices were on the high side, but they are less of drive since I live in Columbia. I might be back at some time, but I'm not exactly putting this on my list of places I need to go to regularly. The service was pretty good, but the crowd was small so not a great test. I didn't eat, but the food that I saw delivered to other tables did look good.

08-05-2011 20:37:41 | More by claytri

3.93/5  rDev -6.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$$$

This place is a bit of shame. Beautiful bar with a very good beer selection and friendly service. Tap prices are within the realm of reason but the inability to keep a undated tap list online is very frustrating. Several times I been here and had I seen the tap list before hand I would have stayed home. The bottle prices are just plain outrageous example 40+ dollars for a bottle of 3 French Hens (13 dollars at Whole Foods in VA purchased the same week). Food is good but also overpriced esp market priced items. Very crowded in the evening but they are on OpenTable which is cool.

06-07-2011 18:43:33 | More by

akorsak

Pennsylvania

4.18/5  rDev -0.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

Lunch en route to DC, through the old stomping grounds.

Atmosphere: On the corner of Snowden River and Waterloo, Victoria is a nicely appointed pub and restaurant. An outdoor deck was being prepped for the summer months. Inside, I walked into the bar (straight ahead) with dining off to the left. The bar is wooden and Parisian-looking, a long bar, ornate carvings and shelves behind the bar. Two or three tap stations were spread around the bar.

Quality: Clean, well-lit but densely packed with chairs (the pub was empty just before noon). I had to scale my stool to get to the bar. Restrooms were clean and the three ring binder of beer is a nice touch.

Service: Service started a bit slow (the three people loitering behind the bar, none of them the bartender, didn't give me a passing glance). When the bartender returned, I was promptly greated and served, so things were fine.

Selection: At least 15 beers on tap and many more bottles. I was immediately intrigued with Raftman on tap, as I haven't had that been in a long, long time. Plenty to choose from.

Food: My American dip, even with onions, with rich and meaty. The duck fat fries were a luxury that I could have passed on, they didn't get me that fired up. Good sandwich though. The menu has finger food, sandwiches and entrees.

05-09-2011 18:39:52 | More by akorsak

Perrumpo

Maryland

4.75/5  rDev +13.1%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 5 | $$$

Victoria's is more posh but doesn't act like it. They have fine foods and finer selections of regular food (a la truffle popcorn and duck fat fries). They always have great beers and quite a selection in bottles. They can be pretty expensive, though, so be careful. The atmosphere is great. tables, a nice bar, and even some upholstered furniture. Never gets cramped and is of high quality.

They have a lot of cool events, some affordable, some not. The Flying Dog Breakfast is a favorite, as is Baltimore Beer Week.

02-28-2011 23:18:23 | More by Perrumpo

orangedive

Maryland

4.53/5  rDev +7.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4 | $$

This was a nice surprise. The restaurant is unassuming. Tucked away in a suburban shopping center, Victoria Gastro Pub holds its own against any metropolitan restaurant. We had lunch in the bar. The duck fat fries with lemon garlic aoili were worth the experience alone! I had the American dip and my wife had the Lobster Grilled Cheese. We ordered a beer sampler, and the waitress was very knowledgeable as the choices were overwhelming. They had tons of beer on tap from all over the world- even hard to find American brewers were on tap.

01-01-2011 13:39:30 | More by orangedive

kaseylanelle

Maryland

4.45/5  rDev +6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 3.5 | $$$

I love this place for the beer on tap only. I have visited several times and plan on returning many more. I love the 5 beer sampler but would like to order one at a time as 5 can be a lot for a small woman that enjoys high ABV. The staff is knowledgeable and if you give them examples of beers that you like, they will pick the sampler for you. I've had a friend receive the sampler that was labeled incorrectly and we had to guess by description what the beers were (which was fun in a way). I am a very picky eater and I was never really impressed with their food. Against my better judgement, I tried the duck fat fries. I really didn't get why people rave about them. I will say that my husband and friend enjoyed the food and the paprika fries were good. The atmosphere was dark but attractive. Clean bathrooms.

10-11-2010 02:43:31 | More by kaseylanelle

glocks4interns

Maryland

4.45/5  rDev +6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$$

I love Victoria. The staff is good, the food is good, and the beer is great.

Atmosphere - The interior is dark with lots of wood and subdued colors. It however is not poorly lit and I think looks quite nice. There is a long bar and plenty of tables. Contrary to the last review they do have outdoor seating. This is great as it's outdoors but not as nice being right next to the parking lot. It is still great to sit out there on a nice day.

Food - The food is great it's pub food gone upscale. I've a few recommendations.
Poutine - Whenever we go we share a plate or two of this at the table. I can't imagine something worse for your heart or better for your tongue. For those unfamiliar it is fries (fried in duck fat) cheese and duck meat with some spices&seasonings. Get some to share and you won't regret it.
Fish and Chips - These are great fish and chips probably the best I've had in this country. The batter is made with Allagash White and greats a deliciously crispy outside with a tender, flaky inside. The fries are also great. One of the best parts is the crab remoulade which goes great on the fish or chips.
Lobster Grilled Cheese - This is a great sandwich with plenty of lobster. I'm not as big a fan as some of my friends but I'll admit it's a hell of a meal. I'd say this is actually a pretty good deal based on the amount of lobster in it.
Other items on the menu are also good. The kobe beef burger is above average but not amazing. I've had one or two specials which were also fine.

Service - The staff on the whole is very good. One time we had a new waiter who didn't even know the names of the beer on tap. We had to tell him two or three times that we wanted Dogfish Head World Wide Stout and St Bernardus 12. However this was the exception and every other time the service has been great.

Beer - They usually have a great selection on tap. They have my favorite type of beer list. There are plenty of amazing bottles but there are so many good beers on tap I've never had a bottle. The list changes often and they have plenty of themed beer events. Monday nights feature one brewery while there are frequent beer dinners (have not been yet). They don't list current tap list on their website which is a downside.

Price - Entries run $10-20 and draft beers are mostly in the $8 range. A meal and a few beers here can get expensive but I've never regretted it. Also the fact that they don't jack up the price on more expensive draft beer can result in some good deals. The World Wide Stout I had here was cheaper than the bottles in a store a few miles away.

Conclusion - Victoria is a great Gastro Pub though I can't afford to go every day. I highly recommend it if you're in the area and I think it's worth a 30 minute drive for beers or dinner.

05-13-2010 02:11:50 | More by glocks4interns