Rumrunner Pub

I'm a local and haven't been to the Rumrunner in a few years. We stopped in last Friday and the food was AWESOME! Outstanding service too. I highly recommend the halibut wrap if you like some spice in your dinner. Whatever the owner and staff are doing, keep doing it. It was a great atmosphere and we will be returning.

Went to Sidney with parents and the husband. We wanted to get some refreshments and ended up at the Rumrunner Pub and Restaurant. It was about 3:30pm, so maybe not the busiest time, but their patio was mostly occupied. Things to note: Hand sanitation upon entry Ocean view is gorgeous Friendly service Food was good No dog allowed on premises Close to a parking lot I was happy to sanitize my hands upon being greeted and before being seated (who knows what I've accidentally touched). With the sunny day, we were automatically led to the patio. We didn't bring the dog today (we asked Sadie and she just didn't look enthusiastic about going out), so the no dog rule was no problem. Water was delivered just as we sat, as well as the menus. We just got some food to share, which was: Chicken tenders and fries Crab and Artichoke dip Calamari Drink(not pictured): Mango cream soda Chicken tenders were what I wanted and expected, fries crispy. Crab and Artichoke dip was good, came with bread and some nacho chips for dipping. Only thing I couldn't like was the chips ended up a little extra salty. The calamari was good, soft, tender, I liked the flavour. Just note the sauce for ours was the base where the calamari rested on, which might not be preferred by some. Finally, the cream soda was good (ok, I don't recall my last cream soda so don't take my word for it), however I wasn't detecting much mango flavour. Overall food was alright- nothing that beckoned me to return for that item again, but it could be our menu choices. Food coming out to diners looked really good as well, so maybe it was just our decisions. Service was lovely, water was refilled when they had the chance without us even asking. The view is gorgeous, ambience is comfortable, I felt relaxed. Good experience overall.

We were told there’d be a 35 min wait for a table at the pub next door and lucky for us we kept walking and found the RumRunner. We hadn’t been asked for proof of vaccination for a while. Although everyone’s done with Covid, Covid is still not done with us so we felt this was a safe place to enjoy a beer and calamari before heading for the ferry. Service was friendly and our food arrived in good time to make our sailing. Great view of the marina and beyond from the glassed in dining area.

After a day at the boat show we needed dinner and we realized we hadn’t been here in years! My hubby had the Thai curry which he said was very good. The seasonings were perfect and portion was great too. I had the fish and chips and was super impressed. The batter was light and crispy and the fish cooked and moist. Our server was very good and we appreciated being in a venue where vaccine passports are still being checked. We’ve moved our boat out to Sidney and so we’re looking forward to coming back again!

As we waited at the door, Bill stepped away from the bar and graciously helped the 4 of us to our view table because the waitress crew were busy-busy. Turns out he is the owner, started Rumrunner Pub & Restaurant 31 years ago. The name (explained by our waitress, and Bill’s daughter) came from the actual rum-running that took place during 🇺🇸 prohibition times(Canada didn’t have prohibition, but did have stills and lots of boats😆). Great food, great location, great view, and best of all, great people! Thank you Bill & crew/family for these wonderful dining moments that make up a life.

This is the best restaurant near Glass Beach. Probably the closest restaurant to the water in some of the best views. Not to mention the very friendly ownership and staff. The food and service is outstanding. I go there every time I visit Victoria. Very family-friendly. Honestly cannot say enough good things