The restaurant is an old style hangout, walls filled with autographed celeb pix, tables crowded together, it is a nostalgic feast for the eyes. Many of the servers have been on staff for years as well. There is something really great about all that. But...the food was nothing special, nothing wrong with it, just nothing special. Standard breakfast fare, the basics for fruit (I want berries, mango, pineapple, papaya, whatever is best at the moment). We didn’t leave hungry, but we wouldn’t rush back.More

I have been a loyal Johns breakfast eater for more than 30 years. Every tourist I met in town I would tell them “you need to have breakfast at Johns”! This all ended on the second day of the new year. A few years ago...I moved to Nanaimo but often treat myself to breakfast at Johns by getting up early and making the journey to Victoria for opening time. This day I met with friends and ordered my usual; I almost always order the same thing. Well, the waitress Deborah I believe, who should know my face by now actually questioned me about whether I understood what I was ordering. I was shocker! 36 years and I’m treated not only like a stranger but a stupid stranger. I desire and need is to avoid salt and in my sixties now I know EXACTLY what I am ordering. Then they replaced the asparagus with spinach…yuck! I understand there are short supplies sometimes but surely there is something better to replace asparagus with. Anything would have been better…even kale. This experience broke my heart. I actually shed a few tears. I miss Rodney…he always treated me like a regular costumer. Deborah was very friendly to other regulars there but I wasn’t one of them. Too bad. That warm, inviting feeling is gone.More

Opened in 1984, John’s Place has become something of a legend in Victoria thanks to its home-style eats, large portions and fair prices. It’s not surprising to see people lining up to get their hands on John’s famous Eggs Bennies or house-made Belgian waffles. Heck,...this place has grown so popular that it even caught the attention of the Food Network’s John Catucci in 2011! And, after all the hype, I can’t help but agree: You definitely gotta eat here! When in Victoria, breakfast or brunch is a definite “must do.” As such, when we visited the city during the tail end of October, I was quite pleased to finally knock John’s Place off my long-standing foodie “bucket list.” It had been a long time in coming. We arrived shortly after 9AM and, surprisingly, didn’t have to wait for a table. The interior, as many earlier reviews have noted, is eclectic. Old photos and art cover the walls of John’s Place. Some have said this setup reminds them of a home basement but that, to me, sounds a little drab. I’m more inclined to suggest the various photos and artwork lend themselves to a homey environment; that is to say, the pictures (and art) evoke positive memories and thus create an environment similar to “home.” It certainly suits the atmosphere and, indeed, the food. In reviewing the large breakfast menu, my partner and I both decided to order what makes John’s Place so famous: Classic Eggs Benny and the Belgian Waffle with signature cream cheese syrup. We received our food in good time and, oh my! The portions definitely are big but, with some effort, we managed to finish our breakfast! My partner thoroughly enjoyed the Eggs Benny, which was pleasing to the eyes as well as stomach. And my Belgian Waffle? I honestly can’t recall the last time I had one so perfectly executed. The exterior of the waffle had a nice “crunch,” but the inside remained soft and slightly chewy. And then once you pour some of that cream cheese syrup on the waffle . . . well, it just takes the whole experience into a whole new stratosphere. Both dishes, while simple, highlight what John’s Place does so well: They make home-style comfort foods, but do so with a level of care not usually seen in small diners like this. It is little wonder, then, that John’s Place routinely makes various “best of” lists in Victoria. The food is satisfying, the service friendly, and the place legendary. FOOD: 5/5 SERVICE: 5/5 VALUE: 5/5 RECOMMENDATION: Victoria is indeed a breakfast mecca and no visit would be complete without a breakfast or brunch stop at John’s Place. Highest recommendation! PS: If you found this review helpful in any way please consider hitting the "helpful" button!More

I visited Victoria over the weekend. The goal was to see the lights at Butchart Gardens and relax while exploring the town. The morning after seeing the lights we thought visiting John's Place would be a good start to the day. Expecting a wait we...checked in and waited our turn. When we were called we were seated at a table recently (last five minutes) in a walk way about 4 inches from another group of I am sure very nice people. I am normally private but this was too close. In the first five minutes I was bumped into and jostled about by servers conducting normal business. After another half dozen dumps, nudges and abrasions, I had enough and left. I'm sure the food is good but if you want a comfortable seated meal, you may want to go elsewhere.More

I have managed many of resturants and would have been ashamed if mine operated like this today, was told at the front door there was a wait (tottaly fine) was sat pretty shortly after (Bonus), the server was at our table within seconds (percect) ordered...two drinks and they took only a few minuits (great) but it was down hill from here, waiting 8 minuits for our server to return so we could order food, then it took a little over 30 minuits for our food to arrive, by this point our drinks were completely empty, she dropped off the food and left, never asked if we needed anything, then we didn't see her again to our table, she kept taking new tables and talking to them but not us, we had to flag a different server down after 20 minuits to get some waters, then after 15 more minuits we gave up on eating, by the time we flagged down the other server our food was cooling down and by the time we saw our server finally for the first time since getting our food (over half an hour) she asked why we hadn't finished, I said "Wasn't hungry I guess" trying to be polite and get the experience over with, she responded with "Barely touched food is a red flag, speak to me" so I told her that we hadn't seen a server in half an hour, our drinks had been empty when she dropped the food off and she responded with "Well you had drinks on the table didn't you?" When it told her they were empty she huffily said "then this is free I guess" and told us it is a very busy resturant, took our plates and stormed off. I get it is a busy resturant, but we didn't seat ourselves, we didn't staff the resturant and we didn't choose to take more tables, we are just guests on out honeymoon trying to enjoy a nice breakfast, don't make this our issue.More

I had 2 delicious Mimi on the Beach mimosas and the Polish frittata stuffed with perogies. Five stars for the atmosphere. I walked from Hotel Grand Pacific down Blanshard St, lefted on Pandora St, then returned towards the BC museum via Douglas St. Single woman,...approximately 0900. It wasn't until I turned onto Pandora, that I passed 2 persons I was fairly sure were homeless- but also began to see storefronts for food kitchens and government aid offices. I wasn't actually panhandled until I began walking down Douglas St-anchored by the Spaghetti Factory diagonal corner from the BC museum. Interestingly, my Clipper seatmate on the return trip to Seattle had been cautioned the night before via social media post to avoid Pandora, due to homeless. When I stopped in the 7-11 Douglas to pick up my cold morning Diet Coke, the clerk commented on how bad the theft and disturbance was due to this population. Honestly, this was all very tame by US standards. Not once did I walk past someone sleeping on the ground. No tent encampments. No strewn about garbage. No business alcoves used as restrooms. If all this makes you uncomfortable, please take a cab and don't miss this place!More

Went here based on tripadvisor recommendations. Funky place, great service, great food, good portion sizes. Definitely will come back when we're in town again.

I really loved the atmosphere. Huge servings. Wait staff was great. Food was ok. I would go back again, but would try something different.

What an interesting place. I'd love to know the story behind it. We had breakfast here before going whale watching in the harbour. It was so delicious. We made the mistake of ordering pancakes in addition to our omelettes. They were almost as big as...the plates they were served on...which were large! Our server tried to warn us but we didn't listen. We couldn't fit another bite in after the eggs so we packed them up to go and had them as a snack later. John's place is definitely not stingy with their portions or their flavour. Highly recommend.More

We had a delicious breakfast with great service. The atmosphere is so unique, definitely an old school diner feel. I have Celiac disease and ordered the Catch 22, which is a gluten free waffle and a half order of the classic eggs benny with gluten...free hollandaise sauce on a gluten free bun. Our server, Deborah, was sweet, helpful, and knowledgeable. Highly recommend.More

Locals will tell you about this place - it’s excellent for breakfast and brunch. Great service, great food. Don’t be put off by the lines - it moves really quick.

Diner style breakfast and brunch with a big lineup, totally packed at lunchtime. The food was very nice and had some good-looking specials.