Upscale restaurant in a historic home with garden views, tea service & seasonal Canadian dinners.
At a glance
#5 of 6 Tourist attractions in Brentwood Bay #1 of 4 Restaurants in Brentwood BayLocalGuideWorld score: 4.70
Rating breakdown
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5 ★79%
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4 ★14%
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3 ★4%
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2 ★2%
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1 ★1%
What reviewers talk about
Share of 16 recent reviews that mention each topic.
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Service & staff50%
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Price & value31%
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View19%
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Atmosphere13%
Quick facts
- What is the rating of The Dining Room at Butchart Gardens?
- The Dining Room at Butchart Gardens is rated 4.7 out of 5 based on 1,593 reviews.
- How does The Dining Room at Butchart Gardens rank in Brentwood Bay?
- The Dining Room at Butchart Gardens is #5 of 6 Tourist attractions in Brentwood Bay by LocalGuideWorld score (rating weighted by number of reviews).
- Where is The Dining Room at Butchart Gardens located?
- 800 Benvenuto Ave, Brentwood Bay, BC V8M 1J8, Canada — 0.9 km from the center of Brentwood Bay.
- What do visitors mention most about The Dining Room at Butchart Gardens?
- Most often: service & staff, price & value, view (from 16 recent reviews).
- How can I contact The Dining Room at Butchart Gardens?
- Phone: +1 250-652-8222 · Website: butchartgardens.com
Loved my first time dining at this fancy place! It was such a lovely experience after walking the garden. We were surprised at getting such a beautiful seat by the window. It is a bit pricey but make sure you go on a Saturday night and stay for the fireworks at 8:45 pm. We didn’t have enough time for dessert as our 7:15 pm reservation just gave us 5 min to walk to the fireworks showing venue. I ordered the chicken breast and my friend ordered the coho salmon.
Don’t go for the food. Treat it for what is is: the dining room at Butchart Gardens.
And when you book specify you want a view or on the veranda and not in the back.
All our dishes were extremely salty, bland and flavourless. For example, the chicken breast was dry as dirt and over salted. We all had to drink a bucket load of water for a few hours afterwards.
Host pretty much treated us like an inconvenience and didn’t look at us. Server was very nice.
Passed on dessert as we felt it would be equally lacklustre.
There are a load more better restaurants with far better food - but they aren’t at Butchart Gardens.
And when you book specify you want a view or on the veranda and not in the back.
All our dishes were extremely salty, bland and flavourless. For example, the chicken breast was dry as dirt and over salted. We all had to drink a bucket load of water for a few hours afterwards.
Host pretty much treated us like an inconvenience and didn’t look at us. Server was very nice.
Passed on dessert as we felt it would be equally lacklustre.
There are a load more better restaurants with far better food - but they aren’t at Butchart Gardens.
Compared to tea at the Empress, tea here is much more intimate setting with a cottage garden feel. It’s the difference between having tea with a friend and tea with the King.
The scones were soft & flaky, and preserves tart. The sandwich were good with fresh bread and fillings. The desserts were rich without being overly sweet.
The loose leaf teas we tried were good, but there were relatively few selections. The tea pot didn’t allow for the tea leaves to be removed so it continued to steep.
We found this tea to be a good value for the money.
The scones were soft & flaky, and preserves tart. The sandwich were good with fresh bread and fillings. The desserts were rich without being overly sweet.
The loose leaf teas we tried were good, but there were relatively few selections. The tea pot didn’t allow for the tea leaves to be removed so it continued to steep.
We found this tea to be a good value for the money.
I’ve had good experiences with the tea service in the past however the dinner is not good. The scallops, beef tenderloin and lamb all came out extremely overcooked and tasted freezer burnt. We requested medium and everything came out well done. At this price point I would expect fresh meat, not stuff that’s been in the freezer for a year.
Fine dining experience with 100 stars for ambiance.. my husband and I dine here everytime we visit Butchart Gardens in Victoria. It was our monthly celebration and as always..a beautiful place to just enjoy nature. It was sunny and raining at the same time...just magical!
Love the place..love the food..love the people.
Love the place..love the food..love the people.
Had an absolutely lovely afternoon tea in the dining room. We had made an advanced reservation and were seated right away. The conservatory is beautiful and the service was fantastic. The server walked us through each item on the tray. The starter triffle was unexpected and delicious. The entire experience was relaxing and delicious. We are so glad we went and would definitely return.
I've never taken high tea or had a desire to, but my wife drug me along. I was pleasantly surprised; what a delightful experience. The Dining Room is the original home of the Butcharts from the early 1900s. There is an interior, solarium, and porch dining. The high-tea menu is a fixed two-course meal, and they have it down to a science. The staff was impeccable, the food was excellent, and, for someone who doesn't like tea, I drank the whole pot. Overall, you left with a sense of what it must have been like in the world of Downtown Abbey if you're into that. If you're not, it's an elegant way to take lunch and treat yourself. I'd recommend reservations, but we were able to walk in and get a table on a Saturday. I'd do it again.
My sister and I went for high tea. She has celiacs disease which needs to be very careful with cross contamination. She was pleased with her experience.
The cucumber sandwich was her fave. All the desserts were delicious. The pastry was so good she was worried it wasn’t gluten free but it was!
I had the regular high tea and was very pleased with my meal as well.
She would recommend the gf high tea and go again.
The cucumber sandwich was her fave. All the desserts were delicious. The pastry was so good she was worried it wasn’t gluten free but it was!
I had the regular high tea and was very pleased with my meal as well.
She would recommend the gf high tea and go again.
The tea selection was a bit weak, and I was surprised several of the teas had artificial flavoring in them. The food was delicious, though a couple menu items for the afternoon tea weren't were shown in the online menu. Pilar's service was amazing.
The online downside was the family with unruly young children who were seated near us. Not what I expect out of an expensive and refined dining experience.
The online downside was the family with unruly young children who were seated near us. Not what I expect out of an expensive and refined dining experience.
I ordered the well done half rack lamb the lamb was extremely tender on the inside but crunchy on the outside and the vegetables were really juicy and delicious.
As hundreds before us, we had tea in the dining room to kick off our day at the gardens. It was everything we hoped for, elegant, delicious, unpretentious. We were seated in a side room with a table celebrating a birthday and another table full of young ladies. The birthday table meowed out happy birthday and the vibe from everybody in that room was warm, caring, inclusive, and it made for a great time as we joined it. We all had a great laugh, and it was so nice to be in such a beautiful place with beautiful humans.
Our service was exceptional, every item served was delicious, it was really hard to pick a favorite, but the sausage roll, to me, was definately in the top three. It tasted like my great grandpa use to make when I was a child.
All in all, we had a wonderful time, and I highly recommend!
Our service was exceptional, every item served was delicious, it was really hard to pick a favorite, but the sausage roll, to me, was definately in the top three. It tasted like my great grandpa use to make when I was a child.
All in all, we had a wonderful time, and I highly recommend!
Was somewhat disappointed in a couple of desserts, but was a lovely experience. Our server was kind. Had a beautiful view of the gardens.
What a lovely experience. Chose the Bachelor Button tea and you can really taste all of the notes the tea had to offer. Was so relaxing and just able to decompress. The service is top notch. They made you feel quite special. Highly recommend!
Highly recommend! My gluten-free tea experience was outstanding! Happened to be dining solo. Appreciated being seated at a nice quiet table indoors (I opted for indoors) overlooking the Italian garden, and a beautiful view of the dining room. The manager even came to my table to confirm my dietary restrictions prior to the food service. A lovely and generous selection of gourmet savoury and sweet tea items. Especially enjoyed the English Breakfast tea, Rose Congou tea, Butchart Gardens’ heavenly signature scone, sausage roll, wild BC salmon sandwich, and smoked albacore tuna sandwich. You do need to reserve well in advance; and advise of the gf tea/dietary requirements 24-hrs in advance. Thank you for a fabulous afternoon tea!
Highly recommend to try the afternoon high tea if you have never done so. Great ambience, friendly staff and amazing service; the money spent is well worth it.
Pro tip: Definitely reserve a table in advance. If the website doesn't show any availability, do call them. Our hotel concierge desk assisted us with the booking just a couple of days before the visit.
Food:
For teas, we tried teaberry blend and, lemongrass and ginger. Both of them paired very well with the food. We decided to try vegan menu(shared in the image) and were not disappointed at all. Portions are generous and took some effort to finish off everything on the plate.
We enjoyed the teas so much that we ended up purchasing loose tea leaves from Seed and Gift store.
Experience:
5/5
Pro tip: Definitely reserve a table in advance. If the website doesn't show any availability, do call them. Our hotel concierge desk assisted us with the booking just a couple of days before the visit.
Food:
For teas, we tried teaberry blend and, lemongrass and ginger. Both of them paired very well with the food. We decided to try vegan menu(shared in the image) and were not disappointed at all. Portions are generous and took some effort to finish off everything on the plate.
We enjoyed the teas so much that we ended up purchasing loose tea leaves from Seed and Gift store.
Experience:
5/5
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