Brie & Barrel in Port Alberni

We recently visited *Brie and Barrel* for the first time since the new owners took over, and I m thrilled to say it exceeded our expectations. It had been a few years since our last visit, but with familiarity and love for Bouchra Savard s cuisine, we decided to give it a try and it did not disappoint. The *Crevette Pil Pil* was an absolute standout we practically licked the bowl clean and I hear many people consider doing the same! The *Falafel* was another highlight, vibrant and bursting with flavors that paid homage to its Moroccan roots. For the main course, the *Lemon Chicken Pasta* was rich, creamy, and downright delicious. The wine menu was lovely, with an excellent selection of BC wines. And dessert? The **chocolate mousse** was so indulgent that it was tempting to pick up the bowl and lick it clean... Did I? I ll never tell. Beyond the food, the atmosphere was welcoming Dan Savard greeted us as if we walked in the door for family dinner. And, the value was exceptional. This isn t just a place for special occasions it s a spot we ll happily return to on a regular basis. If you haven t been recently, *Brie and Barrel* deserves to be at the top of your list!

Always love my visits to Brie and Barrel! Such a great atmosphere, and fabulous food. Try the beef short rib or the scallop and mushroom risotto! Yum.

Best meal I have had in ages and a really cheerful and friendly atmosphere. Make this a must on any visit to Port Alberni

Brilliant service, atmosphere and most importantly food. Loved my time here, will remember it for a long while.

Was an awesome meal! The baked Brie was amazing!!

A gorgeous evening spent at Brie and Barrel. The food was fabulous - our party of six shared the Classic Bruschetta, 2 orders of Arancini and an order of Olives, for our Appie. All were absolutely delicious. For the Main, my fella and I shared the Moroccan Special (divine) and the Lemon Pepper Prawn Linguine (amazing). The menu does not disappoint. A flight of Rose, the most delicious chocolate mousse to share and a Decaf. coffee, rounded out our dinner. Staff were friendly, attentive and knowledgeable. Thank you for an amazing evening, Dan and Bouchra. We ll be back.

Waited over a hour and 15 for a meal poor service, very small portions and a big bill at the end will never be going back

Awesome dinner, perfect setting, great staff, loved everything about it!

Enjoyed the food and the kind staff. Had the Chicken Cordon Brie. Perfect balance of favor and not too rich.

Great little place. Lots of charm and the food was very good.

Awesome little place for a good meal in Port Alberni, very clean and great food

Extremely disappointed in there open and closing hours they listed...Went there planning to celebrate a birthday with family and showed up to see they were closed when online they showed open. It was a Tuesday. Not impressed. Get your hours right or at least post on your socials that you are closed on days you post you are open.

Brie & Barrel is truly one of Port Albernis highlights & a must-do if you re there! Food is excellent and the service is great, I can t wait for my next visit!

The Brie & Barrel has one of the best chefs on Vancouver Island. The food is amazing. If you are there on Tuesday night you can enjoy music on the patio starting April 30th with Dennis Olsen and Guy Langlois. Performing Jazz, Classical and Pop songs. See you there.

We love Brie and Barrel for a date night. Port Albernis best restaurant, hands down.

I love the Arancini, and the blueberry brie so so much! The restaurant is amazing for any occasion at all and I find it absolutely incredible.

I would like to preface my review by saying that I did reach out to the owner of the restaurant to let her know how we felt about our experience. We were at the restaurant on November 25th, I emailed them my concerns on November 30th to which they replied on November 30th, please leave this email with us for a day to allow us to review it and we will get back to you with a resolution. As I hadnt heard back I sent a follow up email on December 11th that has never been acknowledged. The room that was supplied was not adequate for the number of people in our party. On your information sheet you indicate that there is dancing available. Where did you expect us to dance? We were packed in there like sardines. In reality I wish you had of refused our booking. Both rooms were uncomfortably cold. Our staff gets together once per year for a celebration and many of us like to dress up. I was unable to remove my heavy wool jacket the entire night, and my feet didnt warm up until the next day. When booking I specifically asked that no shots or doubles be poured. Looking over the bill I can clearly see there were many shots. It also appears to me that the Martinis and special cocktails were also a 2 oz pour. If the oz was adjust, it looks to me like the price wasnt adjusted. Cocktail HOUR was set for 5:30. We arrived at the restaurant shortly after 5:30 and your staff was not ready for us. We expected that you would have been ready to receive us and that appetizers would start flowing shortly after our arrival. As per your information sheet, it indicates that appetizers would be passed and their would also be stations around the floor. There were no appetizer stations that I could see anywhere in the restaurant. Personally I had to chase down a server to get an appetizer. Also when the appetizers were being served there was no side plates on the tables. If cocktail HOUR was at 5:30, I would have expected dinner to be served between 6:30 and 7:00. Dinner was not presented until 8:30. This was way to big of a gap for people to go with little food. Dinner was a complete disappointment, there were people in our party who didnt even get any dinner at all. I also do not think what you represent on your information sheet even comes close to what we received. Looking at your online take out menu, if I was to buy your most expensive appetizer at $22.00, your most expensive main at $42.00 and a dessert for $8.00 the total bill per person would have been $72.00, much less than the $150.00 per person you have charged us. The veggies on the buffet were cold (and I was one of the first ones in line) plus the yams in the tray were not even cooked, the first tray of scalloped potatoes were okay but the second tray was like soup and extremely salty, there wasnt even a chicken leg per person and this dish did not get refreshed, the short rib was okay. Some of the gentlemen in our party wished to go up for seconds but that wasnt an option for them. In total there was four chaffing dishes on the buffet for 42 people and only the potato and short rib dishes were replenished. In the fifteen years that I have been organizing our staff Christmas dinner, my boss has never questioned the cost, with this event he did question why we paid what we did for what we received. Although your staff were friendly, they clearly were overwhelmed with our group. Service was disorganized and extremely slow.

Sensational experience. Fresh, local ingredients and flavor bursts with every bite. The house-made pasta, chocolate mousse and edible cocktail garnish were my highlights. Staff are passionate and clearly dedicated to their craft. Ask the bartender about his latest creations...wow!

Easily the best restaurant in town, and arguably on the island as well. The service was great. Not only were the servers and bartender friendly, but they went above and beyond. Ridiculously large selection of wines. I got a flight of red wines and I loved them all. Got some baked brie to start which blew me away. Beef ribs were so tender and prawn linguine was fantastic as well. Overall one of the best restaurants Ive dined at in a long time and the service just brings it up to another level. Will be coming here often.

Phenomenal food and service. Pricey but worth it for a special occasion. One of the few quality spots in Port Alberni, and arguably the best. I was a little upset when I was there last, treating a friend to a special night out for which we planned a full evening of food and drinks, wine, cheese boards and dessert...immediately upon arrival we were notified we were on a time limit, our server announced before we even had menus that the table was booked in an hour and a half. It started our evening off on a disappointing tone, given that we arrived expecting to spend several hundred dollars just on our table for two. I would hope that would buy us a relaxing and enjoyable dinner.

Still my favorite Port Alberni restaurant.

We had a phenomenal time at Brie and Barrel last night. Everything from the moment we arrived until we departed was perfect. The drinks are absolutely amazing and Matt the bartender even gave us a mini cocktail lesson and shared so much information about the drinks! Anya our waitress was so attentive and personable, she gave great recommendation as well. The food was very fresh, interesting ingredients, nice variety and so much attention to detail. We were so please with the whole experience and have definitely found our favourite spot in Port Alberni.

Best restaurant in Port Alberni by 50 miles! (80.47 km.) Chef Brad and team consistently make high level delicious food. A nearly impossible task delivered daily.

AmaIng food, amazing staff and amazing drinks! I want the risotto every day! Anya was super friendly,helpful and knowledgeable...our favorite place to dine.

On our last day of our holiday in Tofino we were deciding if we should eat in Tofino, Port Alberni or Nanaimo. With a little research, we came across The Brie & Barrels website. We could not find a page with the menu but the site had several amazing photos of delicious looking food on it. One of those photos jumped off the page and I knew thats what I was going to order. Sadly when we arrived we quickly realized that the pictures on the website were not of food offered on their menu. The waitress apologized and explained they had a professional photographer take those photos but.unfortunately they are not of food offered on the menu. She was kind and we knew it was not her fault so we at a crossroad. None of the amazing-looking dishes we wanted to order were on the menu and nothing on the menu appealed to us. While we discussed what to do the Manager came by and asked us if we had decided on what to order and we explained our grievance and she was not understanding at all. She rudely explained that we could write a letter to the owner but it wouldnt do any good because the owner was the Mayor! The food is probably good but just on principal alone we might have left but the rude manager confirmed our decision. I dont think I can support the town of Port Alberni when the Mayor practices false advertising for a profit.

The service was great. We felt well taken care of. There was a personal touch to the experience. The food was good, I do wish there was a little more sauce, but thats only because it was good, and I wanted to dip my gnocchi, but it ran out. I will say the drinks are delicious, and the wine flights that I didnt get this time are always a safe bet.

Amazing. Absolutely fantastic food and great atmosphere. Strongly recommend checking out this hidden gem in the region.

Delicious food and excellent service !

We visited this restaurant for supper at 6 pm. They were 4 adults in our party and we had advance reservations. The space has a small main inside seating area and an outdoor patio which had the clear vinyl walls up as it was too cold otherwise. I was glad we were seated indoors as each time the door to the patio opened we felt a cool draft. The indoor space is small and intimate, nice decor. The staff were excellent. I had the Lobster and prawn risotto which was excellent ( not a lot of lobster noted though) but VERY tasty, my husband had the Chorizo linguine in a rose sauce which he rated at 9.5/10. The others in the group said their s was excellent also. They might add a couple items to their menu as if there happens to be something not available ( which there was when we went), it starts to become a little limited. But you could easily make a meal of a starter and salad. They have very unique dishes, fusion I would say. Very creative. The wine list, although a little limited, had a nice selection of Canadian wines and each one of us had something we were quite happy with. They even have wine flights! Would highly recommend! Most meals in the $20-30 range.

the food is delicious as usual but the service really could use improvement. I emailed the restaurant s email with feedback about our experience this evening and the long wait times (nearly one hour wait to get an appetizer)

Sorry! No photos as I immediately dug in to the meal. Super full flavoured and rich braised short rib and gnocchi. Each item on this plate was sitting separately and I curated each bite with veg and sauce or flavoured butter with the perfectly cooked meat and a baked gnocchi. Big portion. Did not end with desert as we were quite full.

Port Albernis #1 restaurant for a reason! Try to the short rib!! So amazing. Also love the arancini. And how fun are wine flights?! Cant get enough of this place Vegetarian options: Yes vegetarian and mushroom risotto can be made vegan and gluten free. Dietary restrictions: Very accommodating!

We reserve a table three weeks prior for our anniversary dinner. After cabbing to the restaurant, we found it closed. Although the reason was out of their control no effort was made to notify guests on the reservation list, even after they confirmed the reservation the day before. Disappointed as we ve enjoyed Brie and Barrel before.

Nice spot! Good food

What a fabulous meal! This restaurant is officially my favorite!! I cant say enough good things.

Excellent dishes, great service and pleasant atmosphere

Brie & Barrel is a solid dining destination in Port Alberni * We were greeted warmly when we entered * Staff throughout the meal were very pleasant and helpful * We had five people at the table and everyone enjoyed their meals * The preparations were flavourful & well presented * I thoroughly enjoyed my scallop & mushroom risotto * The BC Gruner wine we selected was much better than expected * I requested just a couple pieces of brie & they kindly provided it * I dont think you will be disappointed dining here...

Delicious food, and a nice variety of wines to choose from. Patio was beautiful, and the space had a lovely atmosphere. Nothing with their level of food or vibe in Port Alberni.

Fabulous meal. Best meal in Port Alberni.

Was an amazing, relaxing experience with exquisite food. We left very pleased

It s a nice quiet spot, the music isn t so loud you can t have a conversation, the lights aren t so low you can t see each other. The service was friendly and attentive without being overly so, no one showed up when we had just taken our first bite to ask how it was. The food was excellent and really exceeded expectations.

To start: we did the 8 course -No still bottled water -servers handed us every plate for us to put down -cutlery was not changed once during all eight courses. -the salad was left wet after rinsing so you couldn t taste the salad dressing The servers reply each time we gave feedback was addressed with an awe -the seared tuna overdone - they served us the last course on glass spoons which were placed directly on the table - we sat at a table close to the bar, this is where the servers congregated and it took away from the atmosphere -we never saw a manager and the server said she would relay our feedback -5 star????? -we ve dined here previously and enjoyed it after this visit we were very disappointed how everything went and was handled.

My favourite people came to Port to take me out for a nice meal for my Birthday. The restaurant was nicely decorated and the staff was friendly. The waitress we had needs to be educated on how to take criticism towards the food though. As in a smile and awe, so sorry does not go over well, especially after receiving more complaints during the 8 course meal. Like, where is the manager?? The two dessert dishes were not impressive either, one was served on a dirty plate, while the other was served on just a spoon. meanwhile she took the cutlery away when the spoon dessert was handed to us. So you put the spoon in your mouth after it has been rested here and there before making it to our table, yuck. It was disappointing for us all. More then $350 all done, just didn t sit well with us. Too many issues during the meal that were not addressed, clearly because no one came to our table to try to make it better. My friend was very nice and polite while passing on how things were going. But, it clearly was in one ear, out the other when he spoke up.

Expensive ! Ceaser drinks was 14$ the ice cubes were massive and filled up my whole cup leaving no room for the drink. Wont be going back!

Consistently one of Port Alberni s absolute best dining experiences! The service is friendly and professional (and goes out of their way to accommodate dietary limitations), the ambience feels both cozy and classy, the food is a perfect balance of classic and creative and everything we have tasted has been exceptional. Highly recommend!

What a wonderful find on our way to tofino! Seriously fantastic little place. Yummy food and great service.

Unbelievable food

Accidentally found this place on the way to Tofino and it was a GEM. Such delicious food all around. If I could rate it 10 stars I would!

The Brie and Barrel is one of Port Alberni s best places to eat. The food is consistently amazing. The atmosphere is cozy and inviting while maintaining a contemporary vibe. The drinks are by far the best in town and always evolving and changing with the season ( which keeps you coming back to sample the newest additions). The service is great and always friendly and happy to help you with your decisions. Jordie has been a great addition to the staff there and was so awesome to us when we were there most recently. His service was prompt, friendly and exceptional. He made our dining experience fun, easy and enjoyable. We ll be sure to be back again soon! It s definitely our first stop when we re lucky enough to get a babysitter and head out for a night!

Staff: excellent Food: amazing, try the specials Wine: we took our waiters recommendation and were very happy If you are in Port Alberni, come eat here. You will be happy you did.

Brie & Barrel was sooo good, they had amazing employees, they were so nice. We were on the deck outside. I loved the heat, but my legs were cold, but that didnt ruin the night, it was a joyous time with my family. Amazing

Very delicious.

Wonderful ambiance excellent food makes for an exceptional night out. Smiles and service above and beyond.

The price is well worth it for the delicious food. The friendly service and cute atmosphere were just additional perks to a scrumptious meal.

Best fine dining establishment in town! Food and drink are always amazing and service is second to none.

Hands down best food, service, atmosphere weve had. The Brie appi was fabulous. The children cordon brie was a big hit and the homemade pasta dish that was on special was probably the bests Ive ever had. We look forward to returning and enjoying your wonder establishment soon.

We loved this place. The environment and atmosphere was lovely, the service was excellent and the food was incredible. All in all a great experience. We will absolutely go back.

Great service and amazing food, highly recommend going here.

Perfect service and delicious food. My partner and I are vegan and felt very accommodated.

Was in town for a hockey game and found this hidden gem. Food was great so was the service and the atmosphere. Would highly recommend and will definitely go back when in town.

Menu is small which makes the choice easier but if you can t have dairy or don t like certain things u will have a harder time. We tried the bruschetta, aranchini, autumn salad and chicken cordon brie. I wasn t too happy with the salad but it s prob personal tastes - salad had too much vinegary dressing, beets were pickled, goat cheese ball was very strong (candied walnuts were great!) and we didn t realize the bruschetta would have balsamic on it which I liked but hubs didn t.

Top notch across the board.

Excellent SERVICE Appetizers were delicious and my steak was cooked a perfect medium rare. Best dining experience in Port Alberni by far. Keep up the great work. Top marks

The food is always exceptional. They have a great selection of wine and their Staff is always welcoming. Thank you for your amazing service.

Best meal at a restaurant that I can remember having over the last few years

Absolutly, the best restaurant in Port Alberni.

High price for tasteless food. Not impressed.

Excellent food and service, they comped items after making an error and were very gracious about it.

I really want to like this restaurant. I come up a few times a year to visit my in-laws and both experiences at this restaurant haven t been great. I will say the atmosphere is beautiful, the marketing enticed me to check it out and the menu does look great. However, both times we ve been here for a visit we ve been disappointed. The first time we dined here we were seated on the patio at the only table without a fire pit (not a huge deal but didn t make for a great experience) and only a couple of us really enjoyed our meals. The second time we went to celebrate my birthday and sat inside. The service was less than up to standard. We ordered our drinks which were ok, it took about 20 minutes after ordering our drinks to order our food, and we had to wave down our waitress who rarely stopped by our table to order more drinks. The wait for food was about 40 minutes, when we did receive our meals we were extremely unimpressed with the quality. The sushi on the vegan menu isn t served with chopsticks, two out of four of us we re missing an ingredient from our dish and when we brought this concern forward to the waitress, she offered to send us home with a box of broccolini on it s own which felt kind of disrespectful in its delivery. The vegan menu isn t great, two of us ordered one of the linguines and it essentially tasted like bland noodles with a small amount of garlic seasoning, not worth the $18. My partner had the steak and prawns and genuinely enjoyed his dish which makes 1 out of 4 who enjoyed their food alone. Over all, due to port alberni s limited dining options I had high expectations for my experiences here and they ve been mediocre at best.

Went there for some food and drinks with some old friends recently and it was amazing! All of our food was excellent and the drinks and drink menu were awesome! I also cannot say enough about our server Jordie. He was very attentive and social, and provided us with a perfect dining experience, making us feel right at home. Will definitely be coming back :)

Found this place online and tried it out and what a find! Great staff, great atmosphere, and great food! Our large family was well taken care of, and our servers were super attentive and catered to our needs. We ordered: Baked Brie Board, Arancini, Linguine Primavera, Lemon Pepper Prawn Linguine, Steak and Prawn Tagliatelle, and the Steak Frites. All were great! Would come back again !

This place never disappoints! Our go-to whenever we have a special occasion to celebrate or just because. Everything that we ordered was full of flavor. The cocktails/wines perfectly complement the meal. We will come back for sure! Thank you for a great night!

Quite the surprise. Fantastic food and lovely ambiance. I would highly recommend it. Service was great. The menu offers such a selection, it was hard to choose. But Im guessing I couldnt go wrong. I will definitely return.

Great atmosphere and amazing food, I highly recommend the establishment

The food was first-class, and we had the most friendly and helpful host. Will visit again

Our go-to Date night! Delicious locally sourced food, seasonally changing menu, and friendly attentive Staff. There s a nice variety of seating inside and outside, and the cocktails are incredible!

Wow! Incredible experience. We ordered the feature appetizer which was a braised short rib arancini...very impressed. Our server recommended the Moroccan glazed pork which was perfectly cooked. It was served with a side of homemade pasta that was excellent. My girlfriend got a lemon seafood pasta which tasted light and fresh. We enjoyed a chocolate mousse for dessert; we wanted to lick the cup, it was so good. Everything we ordered was spot on and insanely flavourful. We also cant speak highly enough of our server. She was very welcoming and was the highlight of our night, especially since we lost our hotel accommodation immediately prior. 11/10 recommend. You wont be disappointed.

The Best Food and Service in Port Alberni! This place has quality food and professional service. We loved our meals and will definitely be back again. It really makes a difference when you have great server that takes the time to talk about the decadent food and variety of drinks on their menu. Food was mouth watering and highly recommend the steak !

Great food! Good service.

Nice place, good service

Restaurant trying to provide good service while running short staffed.. The food after it arrived was excellent

Wonderful anniversary dinner. Great cocktail made with fresh fruit. Irresistible baked brie. Perfectly cooked scallops, steak and prawns. Lovely presentation for all dishes. Very pleasant patio. Garden area also looked inviting. Make sure to reserve in the location you prefer, wether indoors, patio or garden. Service was friendly, attentive and courteous. Reasonably priced for Vancouver island and overall quality. Would definitely recommend.

It is a lovely atmosphere with some of the best food weve ever eaten - the scallops in the risotto were cooked to perfection, the short rib was tender and flavourful. Our server was friendly, and it would have easily been 5 stars. Unfortunately they seemed quite understaffed as our server did 0 quality checks on us. We ordered a steak frites medium rare and it came out well done. We put it aside and was going to ask for a replacement but our server didnt come by until we finished the entirety of our two entrees. By that time we had been there so long, we didnt want to wait for our new steak to come out. She did get the steak portion taken off the bill, but we found it interesting that the fries on the appetizers came to $9, but the ones with the steak came to $15. Due to the wait and the lack of service during our meal it was a disappointing resolution. Strong start, weak finish, excellent food all the way through.

I am late to the party with this place. I went in tonight with my wife and I can truly say that this place is special. The food was impeccable, instead of rehashing the same tired Port Alberni menu, Chef Wutke and his crew have brought some much needed life, and most importantly flavor to my life and this town. The wait staff was the type of enthusiastic that you cant fake either, these are the type of people that make me want to return. My only regret is all the delicious Arranci that Ive missed.

Absolutely amazing food and service! My first time here and they made my birthday very special! Had the baked Brie, the Short Rib and Gnocchi and a chocolate mousse and it was all excellent! Jordie took very good care of us tonight! Will definitely be back!

We stumbled upon this restaurant by chance and what a treat it was. First off, the service was impeccable! Our servers were extremely attentive and genuinely nice. The food was well portioned and worked wonders on our taste buds. And the Ambiance was warm, welcoming and classy! I highly recommend this restaurant if you are passing through port Alberni! They also open late which is great!

Delicious food and friendly staff :)

Great food

Super nice location, excellent food, very polite service. Cant recommend it enough

Service and food were both amazing! I would highly recommend

Fantastic place!

Food, atmosphere, & staff exceeded my expectations. I will 100% be back whenever I m in this area again.

Great service, great food...and save room for desert! Wheelchair accessibility: Ramp at the entrance

Excellent service and a fantastic menu! Top quality dishes with many local ingredients.

I would not return good was over cooked and small portions over priced

Modern young high quality restaurant. Parking: No dedicated parking spaces, but enough space on the street.

It was an amazing evening. A jem find in Port Alberni. Pleasantly surprised by the watermelon ceviche.

Great atmosphere, fantastic customer service and amazing food!

Brie and Barrel hosted our wedding dinner and allowed a beautiful space on the patio for our reception including dancing, music and speeches. It was such a romantic space and the staff were all so kind to us with planning lead up and on the night of. The food was incredible and so fresh given lots of options to our guests. We would 100% recommend for any service they offer and appreciate them so much!

Delicious food, accommodating and friendly staff and a cute atmosphere :)

The food is excellent the staff is very friendly and we had a wonderful time and experience!!!

Oh this lovely place! The flavours that makes your mouth turn in to a galaxy of emotions! Hands down, the best food I ever had!

Great staff ! Great wine

The Brie&Barrel is one of the best restaurants Port Alberni has to offer. The atmosphere, staff and menu is superior. Highly recommend this beautiful restaurant.

Amazing! We had pasta, gnocchi, short ribs, pork tenderloin, chocolate mousse and panna cotta. All epic.

A beautiful venue with a magical little inner courtyard. Their menu is diverse and exciting and every single item was delicious. Wine list is so well thought out, this is a gem in Port.

Food was great and so was the service

I wish I could leave 10 stars! We have been to Brie & Barrel many times and have loved the food and warm staff every single time. I highly recommend this little gem!!

Unfriendly service although attentive. Bartender refused to make anything but the few cocktails on the menu. The prices are therefore way off.

This restaurant is owned by the mayor!

Great atmosphere. Great wine. Great rack of lamb. Great service. Definitely 5 great stars. So glad your open again neighbors

Amazing food and amazing service.

Great spot to go for a date fune dining

Nothing wrong here! Food the best in town. Service is super as well. Do yourself a favour and have dinner here if your trying to decide where to go

Awesome food, friendly staff and hip decor.

Everything was just delicious!

I love going here to treat myself whether for my birthday or with friends or on a date. I always enjoy myself Their new addition in the back patio is like its own get away. Im in love with their mushroom calamari!!!!

The new patio is lovely.

Love the food

Amazing food, great service. Great atmosphere.

I loved my time in this restaurant! I was impressed with the upscale feeling of the place and even more impressed with the surprisingly large food portions! I was expecting tiny plates of food, since most upscale places will have smaller portions in my experience. But not here! Seriously, I had to take half the food home with me because I over ordered expecting to not be filled up. The quality of the food was exceptional and the service was top notch. The mixologist was very knowledgeable about local craft breweries and was exactly the right amount of friendly without being intrusive. She was actually the reason I was there at all, since I knew her from outside the restaurant. I felt like a Queen while I was there. I will be putting this place in the top three favorite local restaurants for sure! Try the tuna ceviche!

We had a great dinner! The atmosphere is really cozy and the servers were all kind. We ordered a delicious crostini, a board, the braised short rib (deliciously tender) with gnocchi, and a crazy good chocolate cheesecake. I give 4 stars because the cheeses on the board were really salty, and the plate where the short rib was, wasnt really comfortable to cut the meat since it was a soup plate. Other than that, all perfect.

Took the wife here on date night and we both thought it was very good food and the place was very clean and friendly will come again soon

Good food :) Try the mushroom calamari wow!

Lovely outdoor dining. Food was tasty but skimpy with 3 small scallops in risotto meal. Loved the fun cocktail selection.

We were so looking forward to having a dinner at Brie & Barrel after reading such great reviews and all that excitement turned into a rather huge disappointment for me and my family. I have had many discriminatory experiences in this country, however this experience tops it all. We booked a reservation for 8 pm and arrived 10 min early. One of the waitresses said it would take 5 minutes to set up our table, once done to our disappointment it was a table right beside the washroom. My wife wanted to sit in the patio where individual tables had nice fires and the whole experience looked exciting. I decided to request a table change, that request set in motion a series of events that made our dinner rather dull. Our request was accepted and we were seated on the patio at a table with 6 chairs, I told the server there is an empty table for four and we could take that table as this table could be better served for larger groups. She refused too accept my request. Once seated we wanted to get the fire going and I noticed there as no propane tank connected to the table like other tables on the patio. I asked the server (Freya) if we could get a propane tank connected and then she threw the rule book at me stating, for the propane tank on these tables a concrete floor is needed. I again asked to seated at a vacant table with a propane tank and my request was turned down saying the tank was empty. She very coyly said, we can seat you inside if you are feeling cold. By then we understood that discriminatory (or racism) was being doled out. Next comes the food, what was a really long wait. The sever (Freya) brought us a dish of Barell Fries that we did not order. When I checked our order and said we did not order this, she was rather magnanimous and said, its on me. Well, we finished our dinner and I insisted that the Fries be added to my tab, and I also tipped her 20% for her discriminatory behavior because I respect the servers. Fellow East Indians travelling to Port Alberni, please thinks twice before eating at Brie and Barrel, you never know what discrimination you may have to face. @ Owners: Please train your staff to be more tolerant to different cultures. The last thing I want when having a premium dinner is be treated with this kind of calculated discrimination. Updated comment on 07/20/2021 in response to the owners comment: 1. The fries were not complimentary, it was wrongly ordered. 2. You should ask your staff to watch and learn from Laura at the the Pescadores Bistro in Port Alberni, she is world class. On hindsight I should have had my dinner there too.

The food is amazing! We had a table of 8 with 2 kids. The service was good and the drinks were all very good. The 4 instead of 5 stars is only because the portions were very skimpy. Only three tiny little crackers for a bruschetta appetizer. And everyone left feeling they wanted to eat more after the meal was done. I would definitely consider the food fairly priced if the portions were bigger, but as they are, its over priced. I will definitely be going back!

Having recently moved to Port Alberni, we were really looking forward to dining here. Sadly, we came away disappointed. This restaurant has so much potential ! Firstly, the staff would benefit from some management, on site, to make sure details are taken care of. If the wait staff cant remember what guests have ordered, write it down ! ( I had to wait extra time for my flyte of bubbly) Bruschetta and smoked salmon crostini was amazing. However, both the Linguini ( which wasnt linguini) Putanesca, and the Scallop Risotto were heavily salted and they didnt need any salt. It spoiled the dishes ! A pepper grinder would be nice ! ( Covid restrictions have been eased, and other restaurants offer this.) Putting fresh ground pepper in a little dish is hopeless ! Also, a spoon to eat pasta and risotto should be standard ! Also, a small basket of sliced baguette, courtesy of the restaurant, would go a long way to please patrons., who can then mop up the yummy sauces ! Our waitress seemed nervous, which resulted in her seeming to be unfriendly and uncaring. She didnt ask us how our food was, after we had finished our meal, and were paying, she didnt ask us if wed enjoyed our experience, say thank you , or Hope to see you again! . This goes a long way and the restaurant wasnt busy ! Lastly, the restaurant owner needs to do some tidy up! The end cuts of all the renovations can be seen, lying on the ground below the deck, and this could be remedied with five minutes work !

Brie and Barrel service and menu were fantastic. Our family ordered the ceviche, flat iron steak, linguine, risotto and spring rolls. The only critique we have was that most items seemed to have a lot of truffle oil - we asked for plain fries in place of truffle fries and they brought out a huge bowl of them which were delicious. We will definitely be back

Great food ..awesome service. Love the new patio...cant wait to go back

Stopped by while on vacation and had a delicious late dinner. Portions were very reasonable, service was great, atmosphere cozy and food exceeded expectations. Specifically I would recommend the dishes we had: mushroom calamari, lemon pepper linguini and baked brie.

Excellent food! The mushroom calamari was to die for.

Food is okay; but over priced The service is HORRIBLE We waited for our table more than 15 mins because the Server just doesn t clean a lot of empty tables!! She put sanitizing stuff on the table and just walks around the restaurant and chatting with other staffs, NO CLEAN THE TABLE. Also took us more than 20 mins just to order because the server never cared of our table!! She never looked at out table even though we waved our hands, she tried to avoid our call for service!! I REALLY DO NOT WANT TO TIP HER However just don t wanna ruin my boy s bday; such a waste of my money, I rather doing donation with the amount. I am super sorry to my boy for having BAD BDAY DINNER. I know Port Alberni is very small city with not many choices for your meals, I highly recommend going just local brewing company or pub; that would be a better choice.

A beautiful charming set up. Love the food...our server was delightful . Great night had by all !

Arrived at 845pm and told was closing soon and could not be accomodated. Given this was the only place in town open that we could find on Google, it was bad service to turn us away. We did find excellent service next door even though they were closing and they were more than happy to help us out.

One of the best places in port alberni, the closest you will get to fine dining here. The food is always cooked perfectly and service is great! It is a small place so reservations are a good idea.

The food was fantastic, I ordered the scallops and risotto. The only disappointment was there were only 4 scallops and tiny ones at that (No larger than a nickel - I guess I watch too much Hells Kitchen ); however the generous portion of mushrooms made up for it. The staff were amazing, very attentive and professional. I hope to visit again and try another dish, perhaps the lamb, unfortunately that wont likely happen as the prices are more than what I can generally afford.

Didnt feel welcome at all, none of the staff were friendly, which was disappointing.

On our brief travels through Vacouver Island, I stumbled upon this quaint Port Alberni restaurant and it is delightful. Dont miss this delicious, friendly, awesome hidden gem of a dinery

Can t say enough great things about this place! We arrived into town late and were so happy to get a table here. Amazing menu, amazing execution, beautiful ingredients and fabulous service. Best experience on the island for sure! Loved it!

Food was fantastic, service was wonderful. It was a cold and rainy night and it felt a little chilly inside. It would be nice to have some heaters pointed at the front booths, especially the ones by the door. It was a rather cold night. Loved the place and would go back

Great restaurant! The food is amazing and the kitchen is very accommodating.

Terrific apps

Went to Brie and Barrel this evening with a life long friend from the area. We had a great evening from start to finish. The wine flights were spectacular and the appetizers were on point!!! Our mains were spectacular!! We had the braised short rib and gnocchi dinner....omg so damn good!!! The atmosphere and staff were top notch! This will most likely be my go to spot now that I live in Port Alberni!!! Thanks for having a great spot for wine and food lovers!!

I have never seen a cut up 3 oz sirloin grade steak as a dinner. I would hope this gets changed to an actual steak at least 6oz in size and a NY or rib eye grade to go with the fries and lettuce for the price

Shared takeout with two others, we shared: 4 Arancinis (heavenly), Steak Frites (superb), Barrel Fries (really tasty! Some with the steak too. Loved the aioli), Smoked Salmon Crostinis (we should have ordered more, yum!!!), A Nanaimo bar cheesecake (my favorite!), and we ordered a Goat cheese croquette salad that unfortunately wasnt included, but honestly it kind of worked out because we were stuffed!! The staff was super sweet!! They were very kind when I phoned and let them know about the salad, everything else though was incredibly fresh, and high quality. Will be going again, but in person!

Food and service were unreal. Our waiter was very informative and helpful. Food was prepared quickly and made extremely well. Will go back forsure.

Way classier than the pub across the street.

I love B&B. Best food in all of Port. Best place for date night.

Wouldnt accept my vaccine card

Wonderful food, and the staff treated my group like we were friends.

Good food, but was cold

Best food around PA.

There for Valentines dinner three course Scallop dinner was excellent drink flights are worth trying ,all staff was excellent . I suggested that on special occasions they have a dress code .

Great food and atmosphere! We had dinner in the garden and it was just an overall great experience. The staff are friendly and the food is delicious! Savoury Brie was a winner at our table. Highly recommend if youre in Port Alberni!

Absolutely amazing food and service!

Perfect combination of reasonable price, delicious food and excellent service! I definitely recommend this place.

Good food, good service, nice venue. A nice addition to Port Alberni.

Lovely back patio! Really enjoyed and wine and cheesecake flights! Servers were great! Highly recommend!!

By far the best place in PA! Amazing food! Love that they change it up all the time but keep the classics. Good portions and the staff is incredible!

Excellent food. Nice wine pairings. Great ambience. Friendly staff. Looking forward to our next visit

Great new Covid friendly layout with the booths! Great service, great food!

The mushroom risotto is amazing. The steak is perfect. Arancini is fabulous. Every dish is pretty stellar. The atmosphere is intimate and relaxing. The wines are decent. Great place to treat yourself or treat a date. Sarah was my server and she was excellent. Knowledgable and on it with the service. Happy that Port Alberni has this spot. Need more like it. I was impressed and went to bed content and dreaming of food.

Delicious food and amazing service! Its probably good I dont live in Port Alberni or else Id probably eat here every day. Amazing!

First time visit here and it was worth the drive in from Nanaimo. Definitely try the Mushroom Risotto and the Brie. So good!!

Excellent food and service..with a very pleasant atmosphere..and super accommodating and pleasant staff. A very talented chef!

Love this place. The new booths are great, food is superb.

Friendly service, substantial daily chalk board menu to compliment set menu. Primarily Italian menu, lacking in seafood options. Everything we tried was excellent. Wine flights are a great option with your appy, dinner and dessert.

So delish, excellent atmosphere and amazingly cheffed creations. They have several vegan options as well! Best date night restaurant in Port Alberni for sure.

Good food and nice menu. One critique: Dont run out of Pinot Grigio and Dark Matter on a Saturday night?

Very enjoyable evening. Quality food and good wines.

Really enjoyed the charcuterie platter, the special pasta of the day was to die for and loved the wine flights. Friendly and attentive service and great ambiance.

The Chardonnay had surprise viogner, they were out of the dish I came in for, the pasta was delicious but under seasoned. This has the makings of a gem, but you can see the infancy. Ill be back - in 2 years.

Great food, great service. What more could you want?

Great wines, delicious food. Excellent atmosphere and presentation. What a great place to go to in the Alberni Valley

Fantastic pasta and wine! Very attentive service too. Places like this are driving the downtown Port Alberni revival.

Great spot, port is lucky to have it. Look forward to our next visit.

Thoroughly enjoyed a cheese board and was joined by a friend and colleague Diane. Great and friendly service.

Food is amazing

Loved the Great wine flights, amazing food, great atmosphere! The Owner and Manager are fantastic. Kudos to the Chef and Baker! First class all the way! We will return and we highly recommend this epicurean gem!! Wishing you all continued success!

Its okay! The flights of wine are great. The potato fries appetizer is delicious! But the last time I was in, I ordered the steak frites and asked for it medium rare and it came out blue - to the point of being cold. The risotto is good, just a smaller portion than what I was expecting. If your coming here on the weekend, make a reservation. What I do like about this place is they keep you updated on facebook about specials and reservations and more. Id try this place for a third time and hope its better than the first visits.

Great food compliment by a great atmosphere

A fleet of wine...say no more

Best bistro/fine dining in PA. Great selection of wine, food and spirits. A must eat place when in town :)

DELICIOUS! Great atmosphere, reasonably priced food & wine flights. Excellent selection of beverages. Have LOVED every food item Ive tried! Vegan options available too.

This is a great restaurant making incredible strides to raise the bar for food and dining in Port Alberni. The Chef and Kitchen team are talented. The food is meticulously thought out. Service and interactions feel genuine. Going out for a meal where high-quality fresh ingredients are showcased and prepared by staff that know what they re doing is a real treat. Sadly, this style of dining can go under-appreciated in a small town where folks are accustomed to being served insane amounts of mediocre food. I hope Brie & Barrel makes these individuals expect more from the other restaurants they choose to dine at. Managed to make it in for their special holiday brunch hours and had the Prawn & Prosciutto Benny. The fresh butter-poached prawns and fresh hollandaise were nothing short of stellar. Wife had the Fontina Frittata and the arugula and preserved lemon on top took it to the next level. Thanks for the great experience!

If you want to try something totally new and off the wall this is where you want to #Eatout. And ask for no arugula. Every thing else looks good. And if you dont know what it is just ask. Very good service here. Was nice first visit.