flying otter grill

yesterday was the second time i've been to the flying otter, and i won't be back agian for anything but a beer. the location is fantastic with a beautiful patio, but the rest was meh. dirty cutlery i was willing to look past but the food i can't. got the halibut wrap and it was just sad. the wrap was 95% super sweet coleslaw with a few scraps of halibut in it, gross. fries were cold and over seasoned. my girlfriends salmon wrap was equally sad, waaaay over spiced and swimming in chipotle mayo. the drinks weregoodthough.

alwaysgoodfood atgoodprices at this place. service was great even though the restaurant was quite busy. great fish and chips, clam chowder, and usually fantastic burgers! a staple when in vic!

good value for money and fantastic spot on the harbour. happy hour specials are always cheap. food isgoodbut cant beat the flying beaver in richmond.

as beautiful as the setting for this restarting was, it couldn't quite make up for the cranky server we had. stopped in for a beer at happy hour- but there was nothing happy about it. all the girls seemed uncomfortable in their uniform, but ours especially was sour. still worth a visit though if you want a pretty setting and agoodmenu at agoodprice.

the location and ambiance of this place can't be beat. you are right on the water in the inner harbor. and most seating is outdoors - which we enjoyed on december 30th! they have plastic shades to break the wind and the outdoor heaters are really strong so we weren't cold at all. i love having the ability to still eat outside at the end of the year! we went for "appie hour" - 2 for 1 appetizers from 4:00 pm till 6:30 pm tuesdays to saturdays - how can you beat that? the calamari was absolutely excellent and worth trying. also hadgooddrink specials including $4.00 wine. this was an absolutely excellent experience and we will return again on our next visit.

used to come here for wings years ago and loved it. came back finally for the burger beer deal and was not impressed. calamari appy was decent but the burger was destroyed by salt. seriously, who thinks adding that much salt to anything is agoodidea? the burger was pretty much inedible as a result. waitress was pleasant but asked twice for napkins (4 people and we only got 3, eating messy burgers) and eventually i just grabbed some off the next table. won't go back, unless i suddenly turn into a deer and need my salt lick fix. what chef destroys food with that much salt? i don't get it. what a waste.

go for the location - food is so-so. the flying otter has a super location and we will definitely go back for a beer on a sunny day and watch the seaplanes, boats and other marine activity in victoria's inner harbour. we were walking by when an urge for a bite grabbed us and we thought we would try the flying otter as someplace new to us. it was really busy; a combination of a beautiful day and the busker's festival. still we got a table with a nice view and we got reallygoodservice from the wait staff. we didn't have a big meal, just a simple lettuce wrap shared between the two of us.

the lettuce wrap was an exercise in bland. okay, i admit that i am more used to a beef or pork style wrap. this was chicken or something and it was virtually tasteless. i definitely would not recommend it. the other dishes that came out of the kitchen lookedgoodand people were enjoying them. so i would consider going again but this time having something different.

fave location and great food. had the warm goat cheese salad which is almost enough for a meal. it is probably the best salad in town. then had the shroom pizza, that has plenty of mushrooms on a very thin slightly burned at the edges crust, this adds a nice flavour. the service was great even though they were very busy. ordered clam chowder to go for a friend, and all was done efficiently with a smile. definietely my favourite downtown eatery.


-----20 apr, 2011-----

more local craft beers!. loved the black and blue steak salad! this place is my absolute favourite downtown pub with decent food. i do wish they would feature more victoria craft beers. bringing out of town customers here is always a treat for them.


-----30 dec, 2010-----

good, but can be better. one of my favourite places for food & beer. it does not get better than this for a true inner harbour ambiance. the food is fromgoodto very good, the beer selection really needs work. suggest they sell only victoria beers (they could use that in their advertisements!) we have such excellent craft breweries here and it is hard to find places that serve them. otter would be the best place to meet up with the gang for a local pint.

terrible customer service. first the waitress delivered the wrong wine which my mom started drinking and then said "that wine is actually more expensive than the one you ordered so if you want to keep it you'll have to pay the extra $5"... really!!! so they ended up dumping that glass and got nothing for it! then if had the chef linguine..the noodles were very crunching, so i ate the minimal chorizo and chicken but left most of the noodles. the waitress came to clear plates and i mentioned that the noodles weren't good, she said "oh you didn't say anything part way through?" i said that the first 5 minutes i don't know how my meal is going to be and i was with a bunch of people and didn't want to wait for another meal" she talked to her manager and they decided that because i didn't say anything right away that there was nothing i could do. i said " wow customer service is not your priority here, that's fine" she came back after a while and said i'd get 20% off my bill and i said to her " i shouldn't have to argue with her to getgoodservice".
i got my bill, 20% off the one item not the bill...let's just say, no tip and won't be back.

chose to eat here for the scenic setting, and the food was absolutely delicious! hands down best calamari i've had in a while . and i've been craving the prawn wrap for agoodtwo weeks now. definitely reccomend trying this place out

we went here last night for date night. the service wasgoodand fast. my boyfriend loved his ceaser and beerceaser. the raspberry mojito was really good. the appys were 2 for 1 and we shared the crab cakes (which were okay) and the tuna tataki (delicious!). for our mains we shared the halibut wrap and spicy shrimp wrap. i wasn't impressed by either. the shrimp wrap while it tasted reallygoodonly had about 4 shrimp. the halibut wrap wasn't bad but it just wasn't for me. my boyfriend liked it. overall i think the flying otter is a great place for a casual dinner and drinks. while i didn't personally like the wraps i'd like to go back and try something else.

prettygoodactually. i was planning to finally try red fish blue fish but the lineup was really long and we were hungry and the flying otter was right there. we got a table right away and the service was quick (there were a lot of servers on) and the food didn’t take too long. also was nice being right on the water and watching the boats and seaplanes come and go.

we had a chicken clubhouse and a beef dip, both with fries. the clubhouse was decent but the beef dip was really delicious - totally impressed. the fries were also pretty good. overall, better than expected.

finally, we arrive at a fun, laid back, casual restaurant. we decide to dine outside, and to my surprise it was very delightful because a heater supplied warmth. grayish-blue saltwater floats peacefully as sail boats dance silently. just as the sun is about to set, you snap a memorable picture, realizing how beautiful the view is. food i ate: moules frites this was good. the locally caught mussels had a great sea-like taste and big mussel flavor. the broth was warm, creamy, sweet from the onions and red peppers. it went amazingly with the house cut fries. tuna tataki this wasgoodbut mainly because the  sambal-soy sauce was tasty. the tuna wasn’t that delicious – i’ve had way fresher before. if only the tuna tasted like it had been fished that day, i probably would have really enjoyed this one. wou

we stumbled upon this place by accident after having a very bad experience at a different restaurant. the location was awesome! service was spectacular. the waitress and the manager made sure they tookgoodcare of us. we had the seafood sampler which was wonderful and i thought the price was very reasonable. we will definitely go back when we revisit victoria and would highly recommend this place!

a very satisfying dining experience. i haven't been to this place for a few years, but i went again last night because i had a groupon. i'm so glad i did. it has really changed. the flying otter has excellent service and food! their chef is really good. i haven't been here for a few years, and man, has it ever improved. on mondays they have a burger and beer special after 4 pm, which is verygoodvalue at only $10. my companion and i shared a chicken burger and it was the tastiest chicken burger i've had in a long time.

we had three entrees: the shroom pizza, which is a must for anyone out there who loves mushrooms, the chicken burger with fries (the burger was so moist and flavorful, and the fries were crispy and perfect), and the chicken salad with mango dressing, which was a big surprise for me because i only ordered it as a compromise with my dining companion as an item we would share. it was fresh, creamy, sweet, and impossible to forget about once it was on the table.

we didn't have dessert because we were too full, although apparently they have a deep fried cheesecake dessert which i am now very curious about.

our server, pete, was a total pro. very courteous and efficient.

i want to go back again as soon as possible, and try other items on the menu. we sat on the heated, enclosed deck, right on the water and enjoyed the ambiance.