Little Jumbo

Great ambiance, warm service, quality food and a commitment to cocktails that includes zero-proof drinks makes Little Jumbo a standout in Victoria.

Little Jumbo manages to be both hip and relaxed. The menu features a mix of seafood and meat (pretty low on the vegetable/vegetarian content, though it appears to change regularly). We had been doing a fair amount of eating the night we visited and skipped the appetizers since they were all fairly heavy (halloumi, polenta fries, oysters etc), and there was no salad to be had. I went for the Calabrese style mussels and clams, spouse went bistro burger. Both entrees were done well, both plates left clean.

The dessert menu had three items and spouse surprised me when ordered two when we had trouble deciding between the hummingbird cake (dense, moist and delicious) and peanut butter chocolate bar with gelato (rich and decadent).

I loved the creative zero-proof cocktail options, and chose one called Into the Woods, which had pine syrup and a delicious gin and tonic vibe. Our server had great pacing and was generally lovely. Little Jumbo is a haven in the more touristy section of Victoria's waterfront.

(Please note that while this is a review of Little Jumbo, it is reflective of our entire stay in Victoria).

Was excited to try Little Jumbo, as we'd gotten a recommendation from friends who had been there some time ago. We made a reservation, also at their recommendation, and understood why when we arrived. After walking town all day, we came in hungry. The place was dimly lit and tiny, with a good initial vibe. Servers were attentive and very friendly. The menu was also small, with limited food choices (all looked/sounded yummy). Between the four of us in our party, we ordered two steaks, an orzo dish, an entree salad, and three glasses of wine. The food did not disappoint. All of us tried each others, pretty much ate everything, and were all full. We said no to the offer of ordering dessert, although they sounded delicious! Then, we got the bill...and almost fell over. Let me preface this by saying that we did in fact look at the menu and saw the prices for the food. We knew each steak dinner was $48.00, and the other two entrees were around $30.00/each. What the three wine drinkers didn't know was that the recommended glasses of wine were $24.00/each (x3 = $72.00). We paid the bill, with a nice tip (our server doesn't set the prices), and left. All of us discussed this later. The food and experience there were good, but that was definitely out of all of our comfort zones for what we would normally spend on a dinner out. This, combined with the whole day being VERY expensive everywhere we went, was the last dagger in our collective feel for Victoria. None of us had been up to Victoria since pre-COVID. The prices EVERYWHERE have gone up exponentially. Needless (and sad) to say, we won't be back that way again for a long time, and we live in Port Angeles.

Visited on a Saturday night. Staff was great to help me reserve for a larger group of 6 people.
Our server was lovely and very attentive.
We all loved our food, cocktails and some had dessert that was well enjoyed. A tad pricy but I'd say very worth it for a special night out.
I had the lamb shank and savoured it and have to say the polenta base that it came on was out of this world...never had anything like that. So good!

On our last night in Victoria, we decided to "get fancy" and try this gem of a restaurant. We made a reservation over the phone rather than Google (Google wanted a credit card for cancellation). The restaurant is tucked back from the street through a hallway but has ample signage to find It! We were seated immediately and started with a round of cocktails. The entire menu sounded absolutely delicious so we decided to start with a few appetizers and share an entree. We ordered the Polenta Fries, Beef Carpaccio, Burrata and the Haida Gwaii Halibut Croquettes. The Croquettes were served in chili oil and quite the kick. Everything else was delicious! Our server, Matt, even took the burrata out of the fridge to allow for room temperature as my partner requested. We shared the Yarrow Meadows Duck Breast which was cooked to perfection. To finish the meal, we ordered the Mille Feuille for dessert and felt It was the perfect complement and finish to the flavors of the meal. Matt was phenomenal and was ready with cocktail suggestions, explanations of Canadian norms and even joined our banter on learning any new language and living in a different time period! It was a wonderful evening in the cozy Little Jumbo restaurant and we will definitely be recommending It to friends visiting and will be back ourselves one day!

Food here is AMAZING! Their menus change often, so we were surprised at first but everything we end up ordering are absolutely delicious. The beef tenderloin is literally some best steak I've had. It's cooked exactly liked how we like it. Juicy, tender with a bit charr on the outside. Clams and scallops are cooked in a red pepper broth, but not too spicy, which is perfect for me!

Service is amazing too, we didn't make reservation but got seated in the bar, and the 2 bartenders (one of them is named Max, thank you Max) are super nice and attentive. They work together like a great team. Bar is also pretty spacious for eating as well, didn't feel cramped at all.

Highly highly recommend this place!!

Down a dimly lit hallway and open the door to this charming "Speakeasy" style bar and restaurant.

Service is great and the menu includes an array of interesting items. Our group of 6 ordered more than what's in my photos, including Duck Wings, which were delicious!!

Great find, near the Harbor, within walking distance of the Fairmont Empress.

I had the halibut and two drinks. The halibut was small and came with folded buttery cabbage?? Portion was small and bland. The greens didn't make sense with the meal. Couldn't even cut it right with a knife. A side of potatoes or asparagus would make sense. For drinks, the waterlmelon drink barely had any alcohol and the Berry one tasted like a Negroni. Pass

Love this place! Great energy, great service, great food, great cocktails! Really hit everything of the park for us! Seemed a little quiet at first but by 7 the place was rocking and had a great buzz all night! Service did not miss a beat! This place should be high on your list of restaurants in Victoria!

Love this place! Great drinks and food! Always check this place out when visiting Victoria.

Little jumbo is a great spot for appetizers and drinks or dinner. I love the atmosphere.

I recommend the mushroom pate. It's a little different than I was expecting but it's very good. There are lots of drink options. It's the perfect place to try a cocktail.

Service was tops shelf.