Smiths Pub announces immediate closure

Smiths Pub on Courtney Street has closed its doors for good. 

“We didn’t want to go out like this, but things happen,” read a sign Scotch taped to the pub’s front doors on April 11. The closure was sudden and a surprise to customers and staff, particularly since just a day before,  the pub’s management had posted about upcoming events, including a trivia night that was supposed to take place the day of its closure, on social media. 

The pub opened in 2006 and was a beloved watering hole known for its cozy atmosphere complete with UK-themed decor and inviting paned windows that were perfect for watching the city go by, one drink at a time. 

Smiths Pub was especially known for its selection of craft beer and gin and for its corn dogs and loaded hot dogs. 

The pub’s owners have yet to formally announce why it has been shut down, although they posted to Instagram on Monday thanking customers, DJs, and staff. 

The pub’s upstairs space, the Argyle Attic, closed in 2020 but was still operating as a private event space. 

Liam Maxwell Brown posted to a Victoria hospitality Facebook page that with Smiths Pub’s sudden closure he no longer has a wedding celebration spot. He had rented  Smiths’ attic for his August reception. “We thought we had it all sorted out!” he wrote in his post. 

Smiths Pub follows a number of eateries that have shut their doors recently. Just last week Shatterbox Cafe in the Victoria Public Market announced on its Instagram that it was permanently closed. Several pubs have closed recently, with 1550’s Pub Style Restaurant in Saanich reopening as The Rack West Coast Bistro at the beginning of the year and the popular Yates Street Taphouse closing down last year.