Ithaka Greek Restaurant

Superb Greek cuisine in Victoria, across from the Doubletree and Marriott hotels.

We stopped by for dinner and they accommodated us even though we didn't have reservations. Here are some of the highlights of our visit.

Service: I usually start by describing the meal, but the service from Sarah and her colleagues was so exceptional it must be mentioned first. From giving us recommendations, to warm and friendly conversation, to efficient service - everything was top notch. Sarah swapped out my flat beer for a cocktail with no fuss, and one of her colleagues found and returned our teens jacket - we saw her grab it and run for the door even as our daughter was heading back in to retrieve it!

Food: excellent. We tried the Dolma (superb), the calamari (some of the best we've ever had), the saganaki cheese flambé (lighting food on fire is an essential Greek dining experience!) and the pita and three dips platter (olive tapenade, tzatziki, and roasted red pepper feta).

Drinks: my wife and I enjoyed our Rosemary Collins' cocktails and our daughters liked their mocktails.

Dessert: also very good. We ordered the Chocolate mousse and Ekmek (they were out of the Bougatsa) and polished them both off!

Ambience: lovely. We sat in the small bright room overlooking the street - Sarah turned on the ceiling-installed space heater for us so we were comfortable.

Value: good. We paid about $150 before tax and tip.

Verdict: highly recommended. Enjoy your visit!

We ordered take out from this greek restaurant on our trip to Victoria and food was tasty and authentic but I was really missing pita bread to go with all the delicious tzatziki!
We ordered:
Chicken Souvlaki - A large skewer of tender and tasty chicken. They serve grilled veggies instead of greek salad but rice and potatoes made a good side.

Lamb Shank - Best dish with fall off the bone lamb that was flavourful and melt in your mouth.

Moussaka - Layers of eggplant, ground beef and a potato topping, this was very tasty and portion was not bad.

Calamari - Least impressed with this dish as the pieces of calamari were very small beneath the batter. It was a bit soggy due to take out but I really didnt get the texture or flavour of "squid" anywhere in this appetizer.

Keftedes - meatballs that were easy polished off by my family. Nothing special but not dry either.

Overall, a bright and friendly restaurant among a large plethora of hotels just off the edge of downtown Victoria.

The interior has an airy and warm feel. Service is friendly. It took awhile for the food to arrive at the table and menu items are on the pricier side.

Ordered the following speciality entrees that include rice pilaf, lemon roasted potatoes, and seasonal vegetables:
Roasted lamb shank - fork tender, not very flavorful
Greek combo - Greek pork ribs were dry, chicken souvlaki were flavorful and tasty

The rice pilaf, lemon roasted potatoes, and vegetables were delicious. If I were to go back, I would order the chicken souvlaki again.

The service was very nice and while it did take time for things to arrive, that just helps you appreciate the effort.

Ryan was a great waiter throughout our meal.

The restaurant was busy and our wait was only 5-10 min at 7 pm on a Saturday. The candles and colors were beautiful and very calming for a bustling restaurant.

All the reviews were excited about the calamari but it was def not tender, a bit too salty, and I had multiple dry pieces that seemed like pieces of soft shell were attached (never experienced with calamari before). Made me wish I had the moussaka instead.

I loved the potatoes and tzatziki sauce and appreciate that most things didn't rely heavily on salt for flavor. The chicken souvlaki was tender and flavorful.

The Ekmek is what transformed this from a 3 to 4 star review. Such a unique and inspiring dessert if you love the honey cinnamon flavor of baklava but want the texture of tiramisu.

Food was delicious, though a bit pricey for what you got. Had the Chicken Souvlaki - meat had nice grilling without being dry, rice pilaf was flavorful, and seasoned vegetables were cooked perfectly.

Hostess seemed annoyed that we were requesting a table for 4 without a reservation? This was very soon after they opened for the day and the dining rooms weren't particularly busy either. ‍

Lovely place , lovely service , lovely ambiance! We did make a reservation to avoid any surprises. But they do have a big place. Loved our orders - zorba dinner, lamb shank, pita wrap - gyro, cocktails and the dessert. We stayed close to this place and hence didn't worry about parking. Definitely a must visit in my words.

Craving Greek food, which happens often with us, we were happy to find this restaurant within a five minute walk of our hotel. Mostly very positive reviews on here, with a few not so glowing, we felt that good outweighed the not so good.

We are glad we made the choice for so many reasons. There was a Birthday party happening up in the elevated area so there was live music and some dancing going on which only added to our experience.

The decor is definitely Greek in nature but understated, no hanging plants here thankfully. The service was excellent, with our waiter being exceptional, knowledgeable and obviously a veteran.

The entire place was very clean, with the washrooms exactly as you want. The dancing once the tables were cleared made us feel as if we were in Greece without the broken plates.

The food itself was fantastic, with every part of the meal incredibly well prepared, cooked to perfection, and wonderfully presented. Everything else could have been average and the food would have elevated our experience to, we have to come back!

This is a great Greek restaurant!
We really enjoyed our entrees.
We entered the restaurant and was greeted with beautiful friendly staff
Love it!
Our waiter was very sweet, friendly and attentive. Great service

My husband and I are visiting our daughter who lives in Victoria
We are from Southern California, USA.

I had the rack of lamb and it was cooked to perfection for my liking (medium rare).
Our daughter had the chicken souvlaki and she also enjoyed it. My husband went light and had the Greek salad, it was so fresh and delicious.
Our server was very friendly and attentive His name is Sucre.
We are very happy with our dinner and of course the ambience of the restaurant transport you to the Greek islands,

Everything has to be relative for touristy Victoria, so although far from being the best Mediterranean restaurant possible, this place offers a decent sit down meal, especially after currency conversion.

The calamari was some of the best and crunchiest I've had to date, which could've been 5 stars alone. The chicken souvlaki was disappointingly small and dry IMO. The accompanying rice pilaf pairs well enough, but doesn't stand out alone. Same for the lemon potatoes/mixed veggies without that traditional strong lemon flavor. The baklava was good for a fix, but was just too dense and sweet after a while.

Service was courteous from calling in to check wait times/ making a reservation (highly encouraged) to dining in. Note the acoustics inside are terrible; the noise volume is magnified with echoing voices so it's definitely not the most calming for a young family or worth it as a date night.

So lucky this excellent choice was located across from our hotel. The trio pita board- stuffed grape leaves and Greek salad were all fresh- well prepared and very enjoyable. You will not be disappointed.