Seems that every time I go to Victoria I end up stopping at Swans. I really like their bar. Clean and airy, comfortable, friendly and bright. Nice glassed in atrium style patio around the front is great for people watching. The food is good, appetizers are great and they have a decent selection of styles on offer, with drink specials as well. I generally enjoy their beers , though I’ve never really tested their servers knowledge that much.

Bright, woody, and roomy, it maintains at least a little Victorian parlour feel to it along with distinctive Canadian accents, like a portrait of PET. The house beers I found a little underfermented. Staff were fine. A good place for sociable drinking. I’m amazed how crowded this place can be. Even on a Saturday afternoon it was jammed to the gills.

Big bar with 9 beer engines right out front - but only three of them were serving. They had ten beers when I visited, and a few of them were impressive: good IPA and porter. Next door is the Swans/Buckerfield bottle shop. This spot is easily walkable from almost every other beer-worthy spot in town.

Nice looking place with lots of native carvings decorating the walls. The glass-enclosed section of the bar is a nice place for a mid-afternoon pint as well. Whenever I’ve been here, I’ve had good service. Beers are pretty average, but the Scotch ale is worth checking out. Great location as well, you can walk from here to any of the other Ratebeer Victoria destinations in under 20 minutes. The attached hotel is pretty swank as well, with original art in every room.

Always a treat for the eyes, great ambiance,cozy. The service is always poor, the food average. They serve a good range of beers, ranging from average to very good. June 14/06:Since my last visit, the service appears to have gotten even worse, beer quality has deteriorated slightly, and the prices have skyrocketed. I won’t be back.

The Swan Hotel is stunning with 20’ ceilings, brick walls and oak trim. Cedar railway ties span the ceiling leaving one to think this hundred year old building could withstand an earthquake. Though the bar area was only ~1/3 capacity with approximately 40 patrons, the 6 staff seemed oddly busy and the service was very slow. I actually had to ask 3 times for my bill. Decoration inside the building is a mix of vivid Haida art, cast-iron work and art of Pierre Elliot Trudeau... mind-boggling? Lively atmosphere of seniors, regulars and nerdy golf tourists. The musical trio belted out blues tunes. I highly recommend coming to the Swan because the atmosphere and beer were well beyond my expectations... though you might have to wait a few extra minutes for the service.