Willows Galley Fish & Chips

I cannot think of a reason to not give 5 stars — I’ve eaten at Willows Galley many times, and I have never once been disappointed. Fresh, fresh fish. Generous portions. Not greasy! (Did you get that? Not dripping with grease like at Barb’s) Good service. This place is my must stop at each and every time visiting Victoria. The village nearby has several nice looking café’s or restaurants, and yet each time, I pass them by and head straight for Willows Galley.
Enjoy.

This is the best Fish & Chips in Victoria. The batter is unique, really crunchy, tastes a bit malted. Served in little paper bags with french fries that actually taste like potatoes. I go back every time I“m home.

Perfect fish taco. Ended up here by chance after long bike ride. Sat outside on picnic table with foil wrapped fish. Hit the spot. Cooked perfectly. Simple and great.

Had the halibut and fries – mine was perfectly cooked, not greasy, but my husband’s was burned in one area of the fish coating. Perfectly fresh and hot. Could use more seating.

I don’t know what day and age we live in, but paying $ 12 for a measly piece of fried fish, uninspiring fries and generic cole slaw is unacceptable. The fish was okay, but pretty mushy on the inside. The fries were dry. This would be okay if it were half the price, but c’mon! Won’t be going back.

I’ve been going to this place since I was 6, yea, like back in the stone ages. I always love coming here for the fish and chips, the memories, and the Ice cream. It’s a fun place to come, grab a little snack, then head down to Willows Beach to hang out on the lovely lawn there.

$ 46 for 4 pcs of Halibut, Fried, Coleslaw and Tartar Sauce
(See pic attached)

Went last week for fish and chips. Also had onion rings.
Cod and chips:
Cod itself was perfectly cooked, moist inside. But the batter didn’t seal the fish properly, resulting in an greasy fish. After a few minutes, the batter itself started getting mushy and soaked with the frying oil.
Fries were crisp, but over-​cooked. Their outside crust was very thick and the overall impression was that of excessive dryness. They also lacked salt, which sucked because we discovered that when at the beach.
Onion rings:
Delicious thick onion rings fried to deep golden-​brown crispness. They were excellent, if excessively oily.
Overall, pretty decent F&C, great onion rings, but most items were overly greasy which got a bit overwhelming after a few bites.
I would rate Fairfield Fish & Chips better based on one experience at each business. Fairfield’s batter remained crisp even after taking it home. It was a deep golden-​brown, perfectly cooked cod inside, well seasoned, and not oily.

Right around the corner from me, but it’s seldom inspired me to eat there repeatedly. The food is good but expensive, particularly as they have nothing but benches to sit at. Waiting is always involved when you want to eat there, so be prepared.

Went for a carry-​out at lunchtime. Didn’t find the service at all swift and waited fifteen minutes for my order. No complaints about the quality of the food but felt the miniature piece of Halibut a rip-​off at seven dollars. I think you could probably feed two as well elsewhere for the cost of a fish supper at Willows.

i so wanted to love the food. i really did.
I DID love the soft serve ice cream and i would most definitely recommend tootling to find this spot to try it or a milkshake of some sort. They have all the old school machines and make a mean swirl cone that seemed to disappear all too fast.
the onion rings and poutine were a great fried snack… my only let down was the fish tacos. they sounded amazing with coconut rice and mango salsa, but the fish was over cooked, the tortillas not made from scratch, salsa not so spicy, and only one piece of fish for two tortillas… the curry sauce did sort of save this dish, but i wouldn’t be telling my BFF to try this one.
I guess you have to stick to the standard FISH & CHIPS and ice cream.

Love this shop. Great food and ice cream, and minutes from gorgeous Willows Beach. I don’t venture down to Willows Galley nearly often enough.
Too bad they don’t have popcorn shrimp anymore but the guy working there was right, the hali-​bites are way better!

after reading Brad W.’ 1^st review of «Willow’s Galley» I’m compelled to step into the breach and defend their honor.
I’ll start by saying this is a venerable establishment for good reason; Opened in 1980, a conversion from a vintage cornerstore (see archival photos within), I’ve been a faithful customer since 1984.
Portions are large, you’ll go away satisfied on that count. There is a wide ranging, nautical themed menu to suit all comers but the star for me is the «Halibut» burger:
a more than generous filet served grilled or breaded (your preference) with tartar on a tasty bun with the requisite side of excellent coleslaw. The quality is in the cut and it is priced acccordingly.
décor is ship to shore, and the limited interior seatting is all picturewindow perfect. outdoor seatting available as well.
service is fast and friendly, the same fellows have been tirelessly in attendance for I don’t know how long (they know my custom order before I request it!). Waits can be long at lunch or dinner, by 6pm in the summer, the line strings out the door and you may wait till near the 6:45 closing time to eat. While you wait, check out the sweet note scrawled on a strip of cardboard from 1980. it’s under glass by the front door and does harken back to a much more innocent time. charming.
all in all, its a great outing to Estevan Village and it’s proximity to our beach at Willow’s as well as Uplands park. consider the take-​away soft serve ice cream for your stroll.
enjoy.

Love, love, love this place. Friendly, family oriented atmosphere that makes sure the whole neighborhood feels welcome and the best fish and chips in Victoria bar none. The Galley has been in business for donkeys years and is much beloved by locals and tourists. Personally, I always get the halibut and chips, but friends and family members have also ordered the Galley Dog (that would be a hot dog), the hamburger, and the Halibut burger and have raved about the quality. Portions are generous (massive heaps of fries and a very satisfying piece of fish) so you might want to share, particularly if you want to try one of their very popular milkshakes. Their hours are a bit wonky (closed on Mondays and Tuesdays I think, open from 11:00 to 6:45 on other days) and the lineups can be wicked. It’s the neighborhood place though, so good spirits usually win out over the wait and if the weather is decent you can take your treasure down to Willows and have your dinner a la plage. Nice.

A fish & chips place has to do only two things well, you guessed it, deep fried battered fish and deep fried potato chips. Failing that, if they can at least do a good job on the fish, I might still go back. Willows Galley Fish & Chips does neither.
I had deep fried cod, and chips. Neither were made to order but rather taken from a stockpile and given to me in immediately. I stayed to eat there and the next few customers were served from the same non-​refreshed stockpile. If stockpile sounds too harsh, as though I am perhaps stretching the point, I assure you I am not. The most attention given to any portion of the orders was the careful folding of the newspaper wrapper.
The fish batter was excessively greasy and gummy between the batter and the cod. The chips were unremarkable, though I’ve had worse.
I could go on but I really don’t think I have to. The best part of this restaurant is the setting, Estevan Villlage is a nice 2 block community commercial village, good for some window shopping, browsing, and eating. The fact that you could walk to the beach before your fish & chips got cold, and eat them with an ocean view, is the only reason this review is two stars rather than one. Take a pass on Willows Fish & Chips.