Brasserie L'Ecole

Excellent post Valentine's Day meal. Since they don't do reservations, got there around 20 minutes before opening and managed to make the first seating with two seats at the bar. Food was excellent, I had the Beef Bourguignon which I haven't had for ages and my wife had the Mussels. Great atmosphere and staff was super friendly. Restaurant ran like a well oiled machine. Highly recommended, you won't regret eating here.

Hands down the best dining experience in the city. Their attention to detail and making sure every one of their guests has a special night out is something you won’t find anywhere else. That and the menu is amazing. French onion soup, endive salads, any of the steak options. Paired with the perfect wine. I honestly look forward to every meal here.

Exceptional food and experience! We went here for our anniversary and had a wonderful meal. Virgil gave us excellent wine pairing suggestions and everything was timed perfectly.

Truly an amazing restaurant. Warm, inviting, comfortable, a real French bistro. Impeccable service, atmosphere and food… A trifecta! The owner, Marc, is virtually always on site, and it shows! While it’s not an inexpensive restaurant, the prices in relation to the quality, portions, and whole experience are extremely reasonable. The best burger Victoria combine with one of the best fries in Victoria (not really an exaggeration! ). The house salad is outstanding. The beef is ground fresh at the restaurant, so it’s one of the ‘rare’ places you can have a burger as you like it. No Restaurant is perfect, but I have to say, this place strives hard and comes as close as any. Highly recommended! (FYI, no reservations, but they’ll call you after you put your name in if you want to walk around the area.)

This small, unpretentious bistro on the edge of Chinatown has food that compares favourably to Michelin starred restaurants in Vancouver, San Francisco and NY. It’s that good. Well worth a visit.

The best French restaurant in town. Food and service are outstanding and such a cool design! So many lovely details in the decoration. Great experience, we’ll come back again definitely.

A perfect night out with the family. Amazing food and service. I highly recommend the salmon, it was fresh and so delicious. The truffle parmesan fries are to die for! Being from Montreal we're pretty hard to please when it comes to food but l'Ecole definitely a great dining experience.

Got lucky that there happened to be a table and didn’t have to wait. French onion soup was great for the cold rainy weather out. The duck with Roquefort sauce was a nice combination of flavours, and burger with truffle fries was tasty as well. Restaurant interior was cosy, a lovely place to dine for special occasions.

We stood in line at 5:15 pm on this rainy Tuesday to get a table at the first dinner sitting. We were greeted by attentive service and a knowledgeable waitress. This is a small dinning room, not a place to bring large groups. There are 8 spots at the bar besides a few 4 tops and a few tables for two. We had nice French wines and cocktails to choose from. We had complimentary bread and butter to start with our salad. The winter salad was beautifully dressed and had lovely bites of endives, pears and goat cheese. The onion soup was delicious but takes a bit to arrive at the table. We ordered the rockfish and enjoyed every bite, the fish was light and cooked perfectly. I would skip the desert next time crème brûlée was tiny and carrot cake was just ok. However, we really enjoyed our dinner and would recommend you give this restaurant a try.

Brasserie L'ecole was our dinner destination a few weeks ago when we arrived in Victoria from an afternoon ferry ride from the mainland. We had heard great things and knew that the line could get pretty long so opted to arrive right before open. There were already 6 or so parties ahead of us, so our party of 7 had to split up into a table of 3 and a table of 4, but we all still had a great time for dinner. The complementary bread and butter was excellent, and all the apps we ordered were great. We loved the medjool date app; I'm not usually a big fan of blue cheese, but the roquefort worked so well with the sweetness of the date and the nutty almond. Mussels were a huge portion and we were able to use extra bread to dip into the delicious white wine sauce. Endive salad was bright and also a huge portion; I loved the slight bitterness of the endive, paired with the richness of the pork, fresh apple, and crunchy hazelnuts. The french onion soup was by far the best we've ever had; it wasn't too overly salty like many versions are, and it was packed full of cheese, onion, and croutons. The sablefish and cod brandade was very good with peppery arugula and a bed of creamy bechamel. Our mains were great too! The steak frites were well-cooked to temperature (medium rare) with crispy fries and the duck confit was flaky and moist. Really enjoyed the pommes dauphine that came with the duck. We were stuffed by the end of our meal! Highly recommend this place for anyone who's in downtown Victoria and looking for hearty French fare.

Mid. Overhyped. Overpriced. The food was nothing to write home about. We lined up outside at 5 and there was already a line. I ordered the duck confit . The bacon bits were salty. The tater tots(?) were crispy but salty. The duck itself was soft...But salty. The peas were alright. But for what it was... Not sure if it was worth the price. It was just an oily, underwhelming dish. The onion soup was actually pretty decent. There was a mixture of different things in the soup, not just onion. The broth was just right and every scoop had either bacon, onion, crouton or cheese... Or all of the above! Service itself was decent. The waitresses were kind and attentive but I have a feeling that they're not used to seeing people of other races come here. I got a few weird looks/side-eyes when we first stepped in and ordered food. The waitresses seemed stand-offish at first but warmed up over time. Not surprised I'm not the only review mentioning this. The restaurant itself was cozy and moreso meant for people who enjoy drinking. Not really a family type of place. In general, I might've I expected too much with the food from the reviews and recommendations. If you have tastebuds that are used to well-seasoned food, I'd look elsewhere.

This place was so wonderful! The atmosphere was cozy and warm when I visited on a rainy day. Service was friendly and attentive. Note that you should line up right when they open, so you can grab a table. They don't take reservations, and their menu changes constantly. To start, the smoked steelhead trout was fresh and paired well with the underlying pilaf/salad. The French onion soup felt a bit too heavy, the pieces of bread/croutons inside were too large for my taste. The steak frites were so flavourful! The steak was quite large, and sustained my partner and I for another meal each. The 3 butter rounds on top was too much - it took away from the steak enjoyment, so I would recommend only spreading as much as you'd like, to taste. The fries were the best we've ever had. Not sure if they fried them in meat fat, but they were so crispy and flavourful on their own. It felt like a clean fry, not any excess oil. I wanted to note that we were stuck with a +$2 charge on our bill just for an extra plate with steak sauce on it for sharing. This was not communicated to us beforehand, and so when staff arrived with the extra plate and sauce, we thought it was generous and thoughtful. We were not aware that it cost extra money. Had we known, we would have declined this early on. The duck confit was fall off the bone! The crispy outer skin was cooked perfectly, and the meat inside stayed tender. The vegetable accompaniment paired very well with the duck, and the sauce balanced everything out. Would visit again to try new things on their menu!

Had to wait in the below freezing temps 20 mins before opening, but it was well worth it. The food was extremely delicious, with the French onion soup hitting the spot after a frigid evening out. The charcuterie board was also very tasty, with the comte cheese and 4-5 different types of cured meats. Unlimited bread and butter was a plus! I got their burger, which was very high quality and cooked medium. The fries were extremely crispy and elevated by the truffle oil and shredded parmesan. For dessert, we got the creme brulee, which was smaller than expected, but good nonetheless.

The food was fantastic. Of the very best quality prepared carefully and without pretension. The service was timely, friendly, and alert. We ordered a bottle of wine, but upon tasting it, discovered it was really not to our taste, and without any fuss, we were able to order another selection. I recommend this as among the best French restaurants I have enjoyed in North America

Classic French brasserie in a small jewel of a restaurant. Get there early or be prepared to wait for the 2nd seating-- if you have to wait, there are several places in the neighborhood where you can get a cocktail and they will call you when your table is ready.

No reservations. First come, first seated. We got there for the 5:30 pm opening time and there was already a line. Best (large, plump, and tender) mussels we had in ages. Salads, soups, and fish main was delicious. A nice wine list. No room for dessert.

Back again and as good if not better than last visit. Service was wonderful and food outstanding. The restaurant was very comfortable and there little disturbing noise. I cannot recommend this place enough, if you have to wait when you arrive (there are no reservations) you will be texted when your table is ready. Come relaxed and ready for a fine evening of dining Brasserie style.

Food was delicious! You do need to know that the menu changes on a daily basis so expect to eat something different every time you go.

One of the best meals ever. The menu full of great choices. The service was exceptional. The atmosphere was relaxing.

Great local place. Great staff and delicious food. We had the delicious onion soup. The duck crepe was amazing. So filling. The only average meal was creme brûlée Will return again

The best of the best , without any genuine competitors in its class . It just does everything so well , food wine service . A fine restaurant incredibly well run . A regular customer for 20 years .

First off, let me just say their Dirty Gin Martini is by far one of the best I have ever had... The olive brine was just the right amount to offset the gin, sweet mother of goodness, I had 2 just make sure ;) Then the steak arrived, it melted in my mouth with the perfect amount of searing and seasoning to enhance the flavour of the meat. And if I may, I have to give props to the crusty bread that was served with our dinner, we ate it all which was a shock but indicates just how yummy their food is! Thanks for an amazing experience Brasserie, I'm already planning my return for your burger (and martini)!

Their burgers are excellent - definitely worth the money. However, our service was abysmal. Maybe even less if that's possible? Our server ignored my boyfriend and I for the whole meal - did not refill our waters and we couldn't even order drinks! After countless tries of attempting to get our servers attention, we asked another server for our bill and he eventually went to grab our server for us. She came over and said "I heard you wanted to see me?" We just want our bill so we can leave.. thanks! We do think it was a racial issue... as other individuals had amazing service, the tables are a foot a part from each other so she was helping out every table - except for ours... would not recommend going here - maybe grab take out if you must try their burgers!

Nice little french restaurant. It is first come first serve, so make sure you arrive as early as possible as there can be a line waiting go open on weekends or around a special menu. The menu is set every second day I believe, so you must consistently check online or with the restaurant to se what the daily menu is. The atmosphere is very laid back, so no need to get dressed up to go and good prices for quality of food.

The Empress concierge recommended we get there right at opening, that was great advice ! A very nice experience, great food, portions, wine list and service. Highly recommend, this is French food without pretense or attitude, as we like it. Humble, slightly off the beaten tourist path, but walkable, it was great value and we'll go back for sure. But you need to time your arrival, it's popular!

Best Beef Bourguignon we've ever had! We started with the pork and apple croquettes, they were amazing! All the better with the aïoli on the side. Very COVID-friendly, we waited outside where they took our name for reservation, and we only went inside when our table was ready. The tables are spaced quite far apart and we felt comfortable throughout the whole meal. Our main courses were wonderfully paired with Rochefort 10 and the always entertaining Kwak beer from the Bosteels Brewery in Belgium. Too sated to have dessert, next time we'll go for the Creme Brûlée, it looked amazing! Thank you To Marc and all his staff for a wonderful meal!

Probably the best french onion soup I've ever had. They don't shy away from the cheese, bread or onion. Every spoon of soup was loaded with something so it wasn't just broth. Also ordered the mussels and fries. Ordered the fries "Fancy" style which included truffle and shaved parm. Highly recommended! We showed up on a Tuesday evening expecting long line-ups. But luckily we didn't have to wait for a table for 2. Overall a great restaurant. Would definitely recommend if you're out in Victoria!

The best of the best for 20 years , still wonderful . Service attention to detail , quality of food , wine selection cannot be beaten .

Great to get back to some of the most pleasant....and delicious....dining in Victoria, after the Covid interruption!

Amazing. We had the scallops to start, a steak and creme brulee for dessert. One of the best meals I've ever had in the city. The restaurant doesn't take reservation. Make sure to arrive before 5 pm to line-up and get a table.

One word: Exceptional It was date night for my wife and I. Having popped in to try a French Onion soup earlier in the week and coming away impressed with the experience I decided a return was in the cards. Upon arriving to a full house the hostess, Danielle, was helpful in organizing a lovey table for later in the evening with a simple text , thus holding our table without lineups or stress. A unique and effective system I was impressed. We were greeted by Sterling and with his help navigated the menu and made our starter and dinner choices. The pace and timing was perfect for a date night experience and the food was epic. Without a doubt the best meal I've had in this lovely city. If the chocolate torte is available I highly recommend it..my wife called it orgasmic lol Also thank you to Peige for a little help identifying one of the ingredients in our lovely salad :). A perfect destination for your special evening in the storybook city that is Victoria. Thank you for helping make our date night so special :) Tim and Melissa West

They don't take reservations so arrive early to place your name on a list! Well worth the wait. Arrived at 630 put our name down and went across the street to have a glass of wine to fantasize our palate while we waited. We were buzzed 45 minutes early (woo hoo) before we expected for dinner. We had a fab bottle of Gewurztraminer and a plate of delectable smoked meats and cheese to start - a perfect way to get your mouth watering! All the meats were fantastic and well balanced. Husband had the 8oz steak with blue cheese butter and fries - delicious and perfectly cooked I had mussels and fries in the house special sauce - well worth to drag my fries in. Overall many gold stars Only complaint is that our waitress was not informed of the wines on list but was very upfront on this. Did not help or suade me in any direction Overall will be back 100%

Got dinner here during our one-night tour of Victoria, and it did not disappoint! We stopped in after a few locals told us it was a must-try. Entering this place feels like stepping into a medieval castle, for some reason. It's pretty dark and gothic. I felt right at home! The front-of-house guy had a great sense of humor and our waitress was knowledgeable about everything on the menu, including the drinks. We ordered the burger and the french onion soup. We split a beer (the waitress gladly poured it out into two glasses). Rus loved his burger (referred to him by a guy outside) and my french onion soup was so great and flavorful! It was a huge portion and I wasn't even able to finish all of it. The broth was full of soft, yummy onions, perfectly seasoned and not too salty. This was the best french onion soup ever! Brasserie L'ecole is such a neat little place. I'm glad that we decided to stop in.

I mean what to say about brass, for French fine dining it's the best Victoria has to offer. The service is always excellent and so is the food. It's pricey but definitely worth, would recommend the French 75, the endive salad, and the fancy fries.

Food: Excellent Staff: Attentive Atmosphere: warm & casual Line-up: could be long(I went there 6:15 pm on Friday and had to wait an hour) I had trout with kale and roasted fingerlings two weeks ago. It was really good!! It was more than I expected. The top of trout was crispy and inside of it was moist. It was perfect. I truly recommend this place to have dinner.

While visiting Victoria, my Aunt & Uncle treated us to dinner @ Brasserie L'ecole. WOW! Besides being a Beautiful, Cozy, Small, Dark & Intimate little French Bistro...the food is Divine! I started with the French Onion Soup...Best EVER! HOT,HOT,HOT! Then, I ordered the Steak Frites w/ compound butter...I'll NEVER Forget It ! The steak was prepared to perfection....the Steak Frites w / herbs, Parmesan & truffle oil.....mmmm! Be sure & Get The Truffle Oil ! ! ! Oddly enough, we didn't wait more than 10 minutes. I love this beautiful little bistro and look forward to our next visit to Victoria and dining @ Brasserie L'ecole! Great customer Service!

Delicious! We got their burger, their cod dish, French onion soup, and cream brûlée. The cod dish was fresh, crisp, and bright. The burger was perfectly cooked and so flavorful! The French onion soup was very cheesy and good. The cream brûlée had a perfect sugar crust. Our waitress was very nice and the restaurant was well decorated.

Lining up for what is supposed to be Victoria's hottest eatery was not too onerous in the 15 degree temperature. Brasserie L'ecole does not take reservations. From reading the reviews, nearly all five stars, the trick is to get there before 5:30 and join the line. Because the restaurant is small and fills quickly, you'll most likely be seated for much later. They'll text you when your table is ready. Ours was set for 8 p.m., and we were seated by 7:40. There are lots of nice bars in the area if you're inclined to wait. Now, having to perform a 'trick' to simply get a table for dinner seems a little like jumping through one too many hoops. And, considering the success of the restaurant, I'm not quite sure why they don't take reservations. Still, it's their party. Was the wait and early line up worth it? The restaurant has a great ID (you can even purchase the L'ecole aprons ($30), a welcoming host, and a nice ambiance. Lots of Dubbonet and Parisian posters. The bar looks cool. Brasserie L'ecole aims to be sophisticated and sexy. An adjustment here and there would make it more of both. A few (comfortable) demi lune booths and a jazzier ceiling would help. The food? In general, excellent. The service, also excellent. Attentive, smiling servers. The wine list? French only with some interesting choices. If you love Parisian bistros, you'll find exactly what you want. We went with a $60 Languedoc that was a perfect accompaniment to our meal. I had French Onion Soup and Steak Frites, my wife had Vancouver Island Mussels with Pernod and Sooke Trout with barley and beet reduction. The onion soup was beautifully presented with very tasty Gruyere, good, dark bread and an average broth. I prefer mine sweeter and more dense. This was the opposite. But, tasty. My $34 steak tasted delicious in a wonderful, light jus, but a little 'al dente' for that price. The frites were good, nothing special. I purposefully chose my meals to compare to the Parisian style bistros I've in eaten elsewhere. The choices compared well, but still have a way to go to match the best I have experienced (Le Select Bistro in Toronto and Cafe de la Paix and Cafe Imperial in Paris -- all three about the same price as L'ecole, so a fair comparison). The Island Mussels were excellent but the star of the evening was the Sooke Trout. Truly outstanding. Fresh, local produce and beautifully presented. It was superb and highly recommended if you are willing to jump the hoops to get a table. So, a four star rating, losing only one star for the bread service (a thinly sliced baguette -- this simple service could be elevated and really bump up the experience), and for the line up only entrance. $192 for two with two courses, wine, tax and tip.

Comme c'est magnifique! No reservations! Had to wait a good 45 to 60 minutes for a table but being one of the top 2 restaurants in Victoria (according to Yelp) I figured it was worth the wait. And it was. The scallop appetizer was delicious. The sauce that came with it made a great dip for the everlasting supply of bread coming to our table. 8 oz. steak with frites which can be made fancy with garlic, parmesan, herbs and truffle oil for an extra $2. Great value. Do it! So delicious! The steak was a bit overcooked for medium rare around the edges but the centre was done right. The flavour was amazing and the steak was very enjoyable. The flavour made up for the steak not being cooked to a perfect medium rare. Overall, the food was amazing and done right. It was very rich and could easily stop a weak heart, so be warned! Comfort food with gourmet flavour. The atmosphere was nice, service was friendly and fast. If you'll be going out for dinner while in Victoria, I definitely recommend it!

L'ecole was recommended to me by several places, and when I checked out the reviews on Yelp, there was no place I wanted to check out more. I came by myself (on purpose, don't worry) and got to both enjoy my food and do some people watching. The place is small, do don't stare too long. My server was lovely--attentive but also let me enjoy my meal. Great balance. I had the rib eye and it was phenomenal. Roquefort butter was placed on top and it was delightful. Definitely upgrade to the fancy fries--it's worth it. They also have good mixed drinks, but many of them I was unfamiliar with. The ambiance is lovely--definitely come here for date night or (solo date night, as it were). Don't come with groups larger than four--you'll be squeezed in too tightly. Didn't try dessert, but it looked lovely. The good: delightful food and experience all around. The bad: tight space, but that's what makes it fun.

What a disappointment, 16 months after an initial enjoyable visit. The service is friendly and attentive, but apart from a nice endive salad, the food leaves a lot to be desired from an up-scale French bistro. " Steak Frites" is just that: steak, in a bowl, surrounded by jus, and a bowl of frites. Although decent, the frites included lots of small crispy end pieces; a self-respecting chef would have selected only longer slices. The dish that included a pork sausage was glutinous and lacking in flavour. And the lentil "fritters" were more akin to falafel; the dish included goat cheese and greens and an arugula pesto in an artfully arranged composition that was nevertheless dry and bland. Weirdly, in a French restaurant, the lightly grilled (undercooked) vegetables were also bland and apparently devoid of butter! The desserts were very good. The menu lacked a poultry dish:- no duck confit - and a beef Bourgignon or braised dish of any kind.

Made it our 3rd stop for a progressive dinner evening. When we arrived we debated just ordering two creme brûlée but then decided to try the creme brûlée and the panna cotta. Upon tasting both desserts we realized we made the wrong choice, should have chosen to order two creme brûlée- it was crunchy on the top and super creamy just as we thought!

Hands down, my favourite restaurant in Victoria. We came here to round off our anniversary trip and were so glad we did. Like others said, you have to come and give your name at the door first as there will usually be a waitlist started. We wanted to have dinner around 8pm so we came at around 6pm and sure enough, there was a list started and we put our name down and went elsewhere for a drink while we waited. They sent a text to alert you that our table would be ready in 15 minutes or so which gave us time to settle up and head back. We ordered the mussels to start. There were 3 flavours but we chose the harrissa mussels with fino sherry and lime gremolata. Oh my lord, these were some of the best mussels I've ever had. The flavours were so good and the bread was perfect to soak it all up. For my main I got the trout dish and this was the best fish dish I've ever tasted. The fish was cooked beautifully and the brown butter sauce that covered the plate was amazing. Everything on the plate was perfectly executed from the kale to the potatoes. I find myself dreaming about this trout dish sometimes.... My boyfriend got the steak frites and it was quite delicious as well and came with a heaping amount of matchstick fries. Prices were fantastic for such an excellent restaurant. My entree was $24 while his was $26. Compared to Vancouver, you'd be spending at least $10 more for the same caliber of food. Our total bill came to $110 with tax and tip and that included 3 beers, an appetizer and an entree. Brasserie now has a very special place in my heart and I can't wait to come back again and try more of the food.

Parking 4/5 there is street parking out front & on the side. Service 3/5 the person who greeted us at the door was very friendly. The server was ok nothing spectacular. Staff seemed more intreated in having conversations with ppl they knew. Food was so slow waited over 1 hr for main meal and another table who came after was served food first. Environment 5/5 small cozy very Paris like. Food 2/5 ordered French onion soup, oysters for appetizer and the French onion soup was great! Oysters not good at all. Bread was hard and cold. Ordered medium rare stake and got rare. Trout was very bland.

Love love love this restaurant. Wish they will take reservation so that I don't have to wait in line at 5pm. The restaurant is not big, and can be loud at times. But once the food is on the table, you will forget about the noise. They change their menu frequently based on what's in season, maybe too frequent as I don't always get to have my duck confit. But they always have the frites and I always have them.

I love it! They close late, at 11pm. The short menu does not have to let you doubt about this place. Great starters and fabulous mains. The meat is amazing, always cooked as ordered. French onion soup is not actually a starter. Could order this as a main. Probably their best item... and one of the best ever tried.

Unfortunately we didn't get the table after 90 mins wait! Disappointed. I had been there once, good food and atmosphere. I expected to have long wait but didn't expect didn't get a table after 90 mins that the hostess asked me to wait. I believe they could do better than that. Hesitate to try again because there are many other restaurants as good as this one. Just bad experience.

You may be looking at this place and wondering "why is there a fancy French restaurant in the middle of China Town in Victoria BC?" I have no idea, but it's good. There is a trick to getting a table at Brasserie L'ecole. They open at 5:30, but who the heck wants to eat that early when you're on vacation? So don't even bother going early and waiting in line. It's a small restaurant with only room for about 30-40 people. The trick is to show up right at 5:30, let all those time wasters get the first cover, and put your name on the list for the 7:15 turn. You can easily walk back downtown, grab a drink and hop back in and eat. The host remembered us as soon as we arrived and our table was already prepared. We started if with a French 75 cocktail and an Absinthe...because why the heck not? The burger here is amazing. The beef is hand ground every day from the scraps from their steaks. The waiter we had was awesome in describing how the dishes are prepared and was very knowledgeable. We came to find our our waiter actually owns 3 restaurants in the Victoria area, so he knows his stuff. They also have a heck of a Belgian beer list. I indulged in one for my dessert. The ambiance is nice, food is great, service is excellent. Definitely a must do for your trip to Victoria. Even the owner of our Bed and Breakfast says it's his favorite spot (and gave us the tip for getting in), so if the locals love it, so should you.

There are days I've considered killing my boyfriend. Here's why: 1) He's male, and therefore was born to drive me crazy. 2) He's an engineer, which means "feelings" means he's gay. 3) He has a sarcastic sense of humor (so do I, but I try to keep it in check...really) The problem is that if I kill him, I probably won't be able to use my very raw passport anymore. Then there are times he's perfectly wonderful and I adore him (those times are few and far between), such as dinner here. During my last visit, we came here for dinner on what was American Thanksgiving...and enjoyed a number of dishes with DELICIOUS BACON. Our appetizer and main dishes had bacon. Or at least his did. I had a filet, I think....it's a little fuzzy due to the wine we consumed....chosen from their great wine list. Service was excellent (we laughed about that Movember nonsense), and we had a very romantic time. For a not gay engineer, anyway.

Simply put, this was the finest meal my wife and I have ever eaten. Let me set the stage for you.... The service: You need to be prepared to wait awhile as they don't take reservations (maybe 90-120 minutes), so don't go if you are with kids or if you are in a hurry. They will text you when your table is ready and they will suggest multiple bars/lounges in the area to drink at. The host is one of the nicest people you'll ever meet. I felt like we were friends after eating here. Cannot understate how nice it is to be treated like a real human being, not just another $100 ticket. The drinks: Great wine and beer options. World class. The food: We ordered a bacon/hazelnut/apple salad, the french onion soup, mussels with tomato/breadcrumbs/prosciutto and a steak with frites. Needeless to say we were fat & happy after this meal. The salad is crave-worthy. There are little bits of fried bacon cubes that are fantastic. The soup is good, but I think I have had better before. The mussels were the best mussels we have either eaten. Get. Them. Now. The steak/frites (spend the extra couple bucks on the parmesean/truffle/herb frites) were unbelievable. I'm convinced that anything you'd get is good here. Eat, drink and be merry!

This is NOT for the food. I put one star only because it's required to post a rating. L'ecole NO LONGER TAKES reservations. First come, first served; and there are only 13 tables in the bistro. If you don't drink - no one in my party does - you're stuck with nothing to do for an hour.

Excellent food, good wine and reasonable prices for the level of quality and service. We had the dates, oyster, trout and the duck and everything was excellent. Our meal with three glasses of wine, two apps and two entrees came to just under $100. As others have said, they don't take reservations but if you go in and put your name on the list they will tell you what time to come back, so it is as if you can make a reservation if you show up in person. We showed up at about 6:30pm on a Saturday night and were given a seating time of 8:15, though they called us at 7:45 to say that we could come earlier than expected.

Fine, fine... whatever. I've done too much yelping today... but this place just came to mind, and I either write about it on yelp, or I get in my car and start driving to victoria BC (I'm guessing it's probably about an 80 hour drive, and that damn ferry). It's taking a while to collect my thoughts about this restaurant. Went there a few months ago... ate just about everything on the menu, drank several (no seriously, I mean several... several) belgian beers, absinthe and who knows what else. Maybe it was the absinthe... maybe. Or maybe it was just the most amazing meal ever. The lucky thing was we had two women with us who didn't eat a ton, which just left more for me... and I did work my way all around the table.. actually I almost made it to the table next to us. The place is tiny.. I mean really small. I don't think there were more than 10 tables in the whole place... but it wasn't claustrophobic. They have the most amazing belgian beer selection I've come across in a restaurant. The food was beyond belief... everything was fresh, local. Okay, I just had second thoughts about the drive, but I remembered my car doesn't have much gas in it... no victoria trip tonight. Back to the review... the waiter was extremely nice, quick witted, and he tried to pick up on all 4 girls at the table sitting next to us... I put him up there with spongebob or buddha. I just can't say anymore... I'm starting to get a little emotional, and I just want someone to hold me. If you are ever in victoria... PLEASE go to l'ecole. If you don't love it... you need help, I can get you a number of someone.

I came to Victoria for work, and my fiance came along to experience the many restaurants recommended by our friends and colleagues. There was something about a place that didn't accept reservations and had long line ups that intrigued us, so we picked this place to dine at for dinner on our first night. We called ahead to ask how long the line up would be for a table of two. They said approximately 30 mins, which was a relief compared to being told there can be up to 90 min wait times! When I got there, the wait became roughly 45 mins, so I put my name and number down. With this restaurant being in the Chinatown area, we walked around for 30 mins to work up an appetite. When we headed back, the host said just a few more minutes. They were pretty accurate with the wait time. The interior is quite intimate, with dim lighting and tables fit for 2 or 4 people. The place kind of reminded me of Les Faux Bourgeois in Vancouver, where the staff were knowledgeable and friendly. Their dinner menu changes daily, but its available on their website if you're curious enough to check. I ordered the skate with green bean & fennel salad, corn & truffle sauce, and little tomatoes. My fiance ordered the steak frites. Both dishes were done really well, which brings me to say that it was worth the wait. The skate was really tender, and the flavour was really brought out by the corn & truffle sauce and little tomatoes. The green bean and fennel salad was dressed lightly, which didn't overpower the skate or the sauce at all. Usually fennel is quite strong in taste, but it was sliced thinly enough that everything about this dish just worked. The steak and frites were very tasty. We asked for medium rare, and it came out perfectly. We opted for the "fancy" fries, which were tossed in grated Parmesan, garlic bits, minced parsley and truffle oil. The frites definitely held up to the name of this dish in a French restaurant. They had a pretty good dessert menu, but we were both stuffed. The indicator was the pile of frites still sitting on the plate. All in all, its a good place. I am thankful that we have a place in Vancouver like Les Faux Bourgeois that can take reservations.

Best burger I've ever had - made with NY sirloin, if memory serves me correctly. Paired with a lovely red, it was blissful. Sat at the bar and enjoyed the banter with the barman and the neighbouring diners. Always start your Brasserie L'ecole experience with a French 75 (or 2) for guaranteed good times!

Really, really good food, really, really good service. I loved it here. Our servers were friendly and really genuinely seemed to be happy to be there. The decor was lovely. I was happy to see the photos that they chose to put up-- they didn't seem as haphazardly picked as at other places. The food was fantastic. I had this crazy tuna dish with chickpea fries and green beans and some other stuff. it was so, so good. My girl had a steak and it was the greatest thing ever. I was envious. Also, we killed this massive serving of fries which ALSO kicked ass. Finally, the desert was amazing. Almondy, chocolatey goodness. Overall I had a great, great evening thanks to this lovely restaurant.

This meal was the highlight of our weekend trip to Victoria. It was 5 stars across the board and well worth the hour wait. Everything from the oysters with house mignonette, to the bread, to the wine (, to the entrees (10 oz Certified Angus New York Striploin Steak Frites, red wine & shallot sauce, Roquefort butter & Salmon, crab fritters, braised greens, sauce remoulade), to the service, to the dessert was outstanding. I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a 5 star meal in Victoria.