710 Pandora Ave, Victoria, BC V8W 0E4, Canada
Rudi grew up on the west coast. They have tasted the fruits of far off lands. Scents, sounds, images and the energy of the World’s most magnificent cities. Cities with a history. A culture. With roots. With experience. They bring this experience home with a sense of wonder and curiosity. Of longing and searching for their own identity. One they are committed to discover through craft and experimentation. To understand and discover their own identity. Their own version of their lineage. The medium for this exploration is food. Not to replicate their great grandmother’s Rouladen, but to create something new, that would make her proud.
Fantastic food, service, and atmosphere. Best risotto we've ever had. Our party shared six dishes and two desserts and every one was phenomenal. The server was very personable and the did came at a great cadence. The ambience was exactly what you want on a Saturday evening - tons of fun in elegant surroundings. Great cocktails too!
The focaccia bread was AMAZING and it comes with fig jam and caramelized whipped butter and it was divine The meatballs were also pretty darn good
This is an amazing spot for shared plates! It has a very elegant and trendy ambiance and fantastic customer service. Its not very big but perfect for a little date night or a girls night dinner.
Our experience at Rudi was 12/10! The restaurant is beautiful, service was great (friendly but not overbearing), and the food was fantastic. We had the focaccia and olives to start. You must get the focaccia!!!! It is served in a small cast iron skillet and is absolutely delicious even on its own. We then had the broccolini, duck and risotto. All were delicious. Highly recommend, looking forward to going back next time we’re in town.
Allergy accommodation was a great benefit here. The food was delicious and portions were appropriate. Only complaint is that the first set of wineglasses were not clean.
Beautiful restaurant, really enjoyed our food. The share plate concept is really nice. Broccolini, cheeseboard, risotto and bread were some favourites!
We were really excited to try Rudi, having read reviews and the menu beforehand. Their ginger beer was fantastic, incredibly refreshing, although the root beer was a tad too sweet for us though. We ordered spaghetti, risotto, and chicken. They had a quite interesting serving style. Spaghetti came out first. When my friend finished his spaghetti, risotto came out, and when I finished my risotto, chicken came out for my husband. We just took a turn to eat, and watching other eating. Unfortunately, the spaghetti was merely okay, with a simple tomato sauce. The risotto failed to live up to expectations; the braised beef lacked depth of flavor, almost as if it had been cooked separately and the sauce added later. And to top it off, the chicken was excessively salty. All in all, it seems that's where our journey with Rudi ends.
Firstly - GET THE RISOTTO! It was to die for. It was my first time here and I had an overall great time. Everyone enjoyed their food and the atmosphere was warm. Lost a star because we made a reservation but still had to wait 15 min for our table and the service could have been better. But the food made up for it in my opinion. Will be back!
Perfect lunch! Food and service where outstanding
Amazing staff, food, and atmosphere!
Menu is more interesting than average, suggesting an ambitious chef. Execution doesnt meet the ambition and lacks excitement. Beer was excellent, service average.
Great spot! Amazing service and everything they served was delicious (especially loved the focaccia and cheese/onion jam). Will absolutely come back!!
Beautiful night out. Love the excellent dishes for sharing. Shout out to Brandon for superb attentiveness and advice!
Loved the bread and meatballs, nice drink menu and atmosphere
The first time we came here we sat on the patio for 10 min with no one taking our drink order or even saying hi (they acknowledged we were on patio). Today I tried again, we were sat inside with not the greatest service. I felt like I was a burden and didn t belong there. Just overall not the best impression considering I love love love wind cries Mary.
We were met and welcomed by lovely and accommodating hosts and servers. The celebration board to start was a delicious mix of charcuterie and perfect to share with 4. We ordered the Brussel sprouts, tuna, halloumi and caci e Pepe pasta to share for dinner. It was more than enough food. Finally, the bubbly wine bottle we chose was also crisp, and complemented the meal well throughout. Thanks for the extra special time taken to discuss a food allergy with one of our party. Food was tasty! Would recommend!
A solid higher end dining option that Victoria needs. The tasting menu was overall solid, although one might say it had a lack of colour. Ending with potato rosti is interesting. The ambiance is great, and a well designed interior. Good and attentive service.
The food was very good but the service was lacking. Took 20 mins to get two drinks. Server never asked us how our food was and it took ages to pay the bill. It wasn t busy at all but we did not get service reflective of that.
Server kept reminding us about our time limit maybe 3 times. It was getting annoying. Dont get the sticky toffee pudding. It was dry. Yes they toasted and warmed it but i could tell it was stale.
A perfect dinner, in every part. Selection of natural wines not large but very interesting.
Great appetizers and meat and cheese boards, very friendly staff and nice atmosphere.
I ve tried both their dinner service and lunch express, and unfortunately, both were mediocre considering the price. The location is beautiful, but the food didn t leave a lasting impression.
I was third in line on arrival (about 10am). Spent 20 minutes waiting to buy a premade muffin. One sort-of-friendly fellow made coffees super slowly, while a colleague wandered around doing not much. A line of 15 or so others formed behind me while I was there. If the owner reads these reviews: it s not a good look to have two people working an empty place with a big takeout lineup, where one of the people doesn t appear to be doing anything, and it takes ~10 mins per coffee order to get through the queue. I hope you succeed in this location and avoid what s happening to other restaurants in downtown Victoria, but please review your cafe service model.
Ive been to Rudi twice now, and both experiences were great. Between the two dinners, I sampled about 9 of the plates, and all were excellent. My favorite is surprisingly the potato rosti! The dishes all seemed elevated, and some definitely fit a fine dining esthetic. Service was great. Get a reservation if going during any busy times. Its family style, so dont expect food to come out all at once. The cocktail was a bit overpriced for the size. Both I ordered, were extremely small for ~$17. I would probably overall give this restaurant a 4.5/5 considering that.
Small portion of food, some with surprising taste. Menu was simple and innovative. Service was okay, not too impressed - bday cake cutting $30 was a bit expensive compared to other restaurants. Nice place for a late dinner with some drinks, 10pm is too early for closing time lol
Really lovely spot among what is a growing foodie area. I sat outside backing a fountain which as amazingly cool on a hot summer day. The service was fantastic; I didn t order a ton but the server went through a wine flight I had and seemed genuinely passionate. I had the squid and the endive, both were generously portioned and delicious. They have a 3-course lunch menu for $42 which is my next stop.
This was a great place to sit out on the patio and watch the world go by, the garibaldi was a delicious cocktail to sip in the sun. Service was great, attentive and they gave some fantastic recommendations on other places to check out on our night out. Food
Wont go back there again. Why? Well, we went for lunch today, 2 people. Got our table at 12:02, we ordered an onion soup, a duck rillette, and a turkey sandwich. It took 50 minutes to get the food while other tables that arrived after us were served before us. Did we get any apologies for the wait? Of course not. A simple : Im sorry for the wait goes a long way... Food was overwhelming, sweet, yes, sweet. For example, the duck rillette is covered with jam, not on the side, nope, on top of it, making it impossible to not have it mixed with the duck rillette. The place is nice and tidy. However, i would not recommend it.
Excellent food. Service was great. Would highly recommend
I really wanted to love my first Rudi experience, but the food was meh. Most dishes came out luke warm yet overcooked, were too salty with no option to add pepper, and all came out so quickly we felt totally rushed. I would have ordered a second drink, (so good!) but we were completely stuffed by the time I finished my first cocktail. Server was very attentive but I wish he would have paced our order out so we weren t constantly shovelling food in our faces to keep up with the kitchen s pace. Really great atmosphere and gorgeous room, but the fun concept was let down by the execution of the food.
A very nice gastro pub with great staff. The food was so good that I forgot to take pictures. We had the cabbage rolls and the mushrooms shared appetizers. We loved the family style dinning. Cam was very knowledgeable and offered good suggestions.
I dined here on July 4th while visiting Victoria on vacation. From start to finish, this was one of my favorite meals Ive ever had. The service went above and beyond and handled every member of my partys requests with grace and kindness. Throughout the meal, our table was touched by multiple members of the staff, who equally went above and beyond for us. I have tricky food allergies and they took excellent care to make sure I felt safe. The food was excellent. The chefs were able to take something as simple as green bean almondine and make it feel new and inventive, while transporting me to memories of childhood and prepping fresh green beans during the summer. The potato entree was made for me. Again, I was transported home, to my PA Dutch roots. It was truly special. The pasta was loved by the whole table. Thank you for the wonderful meal Rudi.
Had a bad headache after eating their pasta.
Lively restaurant and bar. The food we received was very good. Sadly, we had to leave before out third dish arrived. We informed the wait staff that we had a timeline, they said fine, but failed to inform is that a dish we ordered took some time to prepare. After an hour, we had to leave. Great food. Service failed.
cocktails were good, but the service was bad. the name works with how rude they were.
Delicious coffee
Sat at the bar my first time. Had and appetizer and two drinks. They were OK. Service from Cameroon was excellent. Very pleasant, curtious and I am here to serve you feel without being intrusive. Even though he is very new. Some of the other staff were kind of disinterested maybe because rush hadnt started yet. Would go back for sure.
Popped in without a reservation on a Sunday night and they were so nice. Cute bar seating. Small menu selection but everything was delicious - dont miss the meatballs!
Not accommodating for food allergies
Loved everything here.. The bread is next level. Asparagus was delicious. Ribeye was amazing. Absolutely will return.
Old Fashioned was one of the best I ve ever enjoyed. The food was delicious and great for sharing. The atmosphere was great as it allowed for easy conversation. If the chance comes again, I would definitely dine here again.
Great food, great staff, will definitely be coming back!
Very similar to its sister restaurant, Wind Cries Mary. Ive made the mistake of ordering the family menu at each and was equally disappointed. The food was meh, I cant say I really enjoyed anything. It was often way over or under salted. The rib eye and accoutrements was very bland. The service was also a big miss. The waiter was friendly, but timing was all off with long, long waits between courses, then multiple courses arriving at once where one is cooled from sitting. We sat through one course without cutlery and couldnt get attention to get any. It was near the end and wed been there forever so we just abandoned it. Drinks were flat and watery. At that price point you expect a bit more refinement and cutlery.
Duck , beef dishes were braised and they both were so salty. We had to asked to change it to a very traditional carb dish. Definitely not come back again which is very unfortunate.
Mara was so amazing for our whole group. Not only was she attentive, but she went above and beyond to make sure we were well taken care of for food and drinks. I was not too hungry and she recommended duck rillettes and it was the perfect portion and amazing taste. Thank you from our whole group Mara!!!
Such a lovely time here! The burrata and duck rillette were delicious and special thanks to Mara and West for being gems :)
Great place! Fantastic service, drinks were good and the food was delicious. Our server explained that the food was meant to be shared and would be coming out of the kitchen when it was ready. This made for a fun and relaxed experience. I need to return to sample some other menu items, was far too full the first time!
This is the best dining experience I ve EVER had. From food, to service, to atmosphere. Everything was 5/5. I have never had this kind dining experience in 15 years. Food : 5/5
We were a bit disappointed with this restaurant. The food is not bad, but it is also not great. The risotto was too salty and would benefit from having more rice in it (it actually felt like a stew instead). The tartare had no soul nor flavor. Drinks were pretty good. Service was exceptional. Prices were decent for these times
Visited on January 13th with a group looking forward to a great time before our Cirque show that evening and was met with a very poor experience overall from beginning to end. Reached out to them directly the next day to elaborate and resolve privately vs publicly. The manager I spoke to at the time was very understanding and took ownership of the experience, however, was leaving the establishment so I was asked to email them and it would be forwarded to the ownership for them or the new manager to address. That same manager has great communication and updated me as to where he left it. Ive followed up 6 times since then in the last two months via email and phone and not one email or message has been responded to by the intended recipient and its now more then two months later. Extremely disappointed overall considering how great Wind Cries Mary is..
Loved the food and drinks, but will only give them 4 stars as our dishes werent served at the same time. The first one arrived a good 15 - 20 minutes before the rest. No one checked in and gave us the update on when the other dishes will arrive. But having said that, the food is 5 stars. We had the gnocchi, risotto, and tagliatelle. Not a lot of vegetarian options.
Great service and great food!
Went with great expectations and we were pretty disappointed. The service was awful; slow, inattentive, uninformed. The server had no idea of Amaros they carried and they were out of first wine we ordered and then the second one was out of stock as well. The food was just average; the pasta was overcooked and the broccolini and the cauliflower both almost raw....All in all a mediocre experience. We will give them one more shot for an off night.
we had a great night at Rudi. We had 8 dishes amongst us and every one was a winner. Nice flavors, some unique presentation. I feel like my German grandma would love this place as would my 20 year old foodie niece. The service was friendly and the room warm. We will be back!
Get the bread. Get the mushrooms. Get the house made root beer with absinthe. Dont forget about that bread. I would make a house out of that bread and my pool would be filled with the herbed butter and balsamic with olive oil.
I was unfortunately disappointed by our visit at Rudi. The food was tasty but nothing I would go back for. Some meals we just did not like. The bread and butter was by far the best thing we ordered. The cocktails are good and the decor/ambiance great so I would go back for a drink and that s it.
Just tried the macchiato at this spot in Victoria downtown. It was good, not mind-blowing. The staff were super friendly, and the recently renovated ambiance adds a nice touch to the visit.
Passing by, and looking at the reviews and the Instagram bio, not exactly sure what kind of restaurant this is. 5 stars for atmosphere and a good review of their machiatto.
We are fans of Wind Cries Mary and knew we had to try this location. Excellent service, a lovely server even ran our takeout box outside when we forgot it The house made root beer was excellent. The potato and mushroom dishes were our favourite. Lovely atmosphere and decor. We already know what well be trying next time Only suggestion would be to add ice cream to the cookies for dessert.
Ordered the scallops, tartare and risotto. Scallops were a little overcooked, tartare and risotto were good, and portions were wonderful on both. The only thing I would suggest is that the chips for the tartare should not be salt and vinegar. Vinegar was very overwhelming and it didnt work very well with the tartare. I understand that the chips were meant to cut down the salt in the tartare itself, but I think its best to marinate the tartare with some sort of a citrus based instead. I also wish theyll add more mocktails on their menu, but I will come back and try other food though and recommend it to people to try.
I visited Rubi on Sunday for their dinner service. Food was well-seasoned, savory, and rich. Service was friendly and attentive. For a group of 4 people, 3 main and 2 smaller dishes were perfect amount of food to share.
The food was great but the acoustic in the space was very poor. You could hear loud conversations, the quality of the sound of the music was poor and loud. Hope they can do something about it.
West is the best
Rudi opened 1 week ago and is the sister restaurant to Wind Cries Mary. The food is exquisite and the service was excellent.
Rudi could be easily considered as one of the best dining spots in Victoria. Beyond the beautiful and cozy interior, Rudi delivered an undeniably delicious menu. Their family style approach allows everyone at the table to taste a variety of dishes. Definitely worth a visit.
Great food, pleasant staff and a cozy room with a fun vibe. I will return.
What a great spot! Grabbed a spot at the bar; even during prime time there were a couple spots open. Though it does seem that the word is out - the place was bumping! I just had a cocktail (Pimms Cup), endive salad and duck rillettes, all of which were superb! The servings I thought were quite large, even for the entrees coming out, so plan to split accordingly. Super cute space, great bar program and staff. I wish I lived closer to visit more often! Update! I went back a second time to have the cabbage rolls. Holy cow! These were the absolute best Ive ever had. Run, do not walk!
Sat at the bar during the first week they were open. Rudi is a perfect example of how the food scene in Victoria is changing for the better.
$7 for an almond milk latte and they use store bought Almond Breeze for milk! Terrible value.
Happy to have this restaurant in the neighborhood! Super yummy and glad they have coffee options in the day!
Fun vibe, beautiful details in the decor, delicious food and cocktails! Perfect for a date or night out with friends. you must order the rosti potatoes
Nom nom nom!!! Good bites, good drinks, great people!
Rudi successfully delivers European charm and sophisticated food. We had the family style sharing menu, as well as the cabbage rolls and endive salad. All the dishes were incredible, the highlights being the potato rosti and cabbage rolls. The service and atmosphere were incredible. Cant wait to come back.
I was really looking forward to checking this place out since I m a fan of their sister restaurant. What followed was one of the most disappointing meals I ve had in the city. The gnocchi was super gummy and literally sticking to the roof of my mouth like a paste, there was a good portion of lamb in it but the flavour was very dull sadly. The rosti was good in its single components but just seemed very unbalanced, and flat which was really disappointing. And sadly I had their fresh baked cookies for dessert, and they were so eggy it was hard to finish them. I really hope they can iron out these issues, it s such a nice space, and seems to be a very nice staff, I just really wish the food was as tasty as it looked!
solid food and drinks in a beautiful dining room.
Great new restaurant in Victoria. Sharing style but decent portions and a very well thought out menu. Atmosphere is great and the redesign of the space is beautiful. Amazing service from everyone we interacted with. Would highly recommend and I ll definitely be back!
This place was delightful. Excellent food. professional staff. Overall a treat to be there.
Amazing! Excited to come back. Every aspect was top-notch!
Actual excerpt of a text to my friend after eating at Rudi: next time you re in victoria go eat at rudi it s a new resto opened by wind cries mary everything that group touches turns to solid gold. i would give away my life savings to keep them in business if they went broke
Was treated by my daughters on my birthday, opening week! Every dish was so full of flavour - meat falling off the bone, pasta perfection, and I loved how the dishes were shareable and just kept coming, one after another. And our server s smile absolutely lit up the night! I wish I could shout her out by name, but the bill just says Server:AA. Just one tiny downside - it was LOUD!! We were pleasantly surprised at how affordable it was, with Prosecco and 10 courses split 5 ways, only $68!! Amazing. We ll be back!
Dinner for two 17 Jan 2024, 7 pm She had the spaghetti I had the rigatoni....delicious and large portions, plus wine..walked out in a coma Top shelf man.. Excellent food, service, atmosphere. What more can I say? Did I say the food was excellent?