Darcy's, Victoria

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Darcy's Pub is at Bastion Square. Joining the harbor really.

The pub is an icon it seems. During the day its busy with people enjoying the outdoor tables, the sun, and crowd watching. At night it becomes the haven for young party goes out for a night on the town.

Here the drinks are expensive but the vibe is good. A pint of Guiness was costing $7.50.

Incidentally the basic spirits were only $5.50. That was better value than the beer.

The live band which started around 10pm were fantastic and got the pub dancing away. Sure it wasn't Irish music but hey they were there to suit the crowd, not give the authentic Irish experience.

Darcy's (formerly Darcy McGees) is located in downtown Victoria, at the corner of Wharf Street and Bastion Square. It is a very popular pub/bar with Victoria's college crowd... so popular in fact that there is usually a line just to get in on Friday and Saturday nights (and possibly Thursday during the school year too). They often have live music inside.

There is lots of seating, and they have a traditional pub-style menu. I have only been there a handful of times, but I never found their drinks to be very cheap (especially if you're from the "time is money" school and you waited half an hour to get in instead of going to any of the other pubs within a two minute walk!). If you want a martini, you have to order by color- "red", "blue" or "purple"... they wouldn't mix us Chambord Royales or Cosmopolitans!

In the last year or two, Darcy's has re-opened the space above the pub with a club, called Upstairs Cabaret. It has a fairly older crowd (the average age is probably around 25) and gets busy late on Fridays and Saturdays.

Dress Code: No shirt, no shoes, no service!