Restaurant Spotlight: 1550s pub style restaurant

Welcome to ‘Restaurant Spotlight’, where we showcase some of the best-kept culinary secrets Victoria has to offer. Whether you’re a tourist or a local, some of these locations might just have slipped under your radar. Here is a helpful guide to Victoria’s own 1550s Pub Style Restaurant.

Located just a few blocks away from the intersection of Shelborne and Cedar Hill X Road, this little nook is a hidden local favorite that is often unseen by tourists. This is a real shame, as it is one of the best pub-style restaurants on the island. The restaurant itself is spacious and comfortable, with the ambiance focusing on relaxing open spaces with an outdoor patio area for additional seating. A very impressive liquor shelf stands behind the bar at the far end of the restaurant. This is the centrepiece of the building, granting an almost Hawaiian resort feel to the location with the unusual bottles and spirits that line the shelves. The restaurant is also a local haunt for sports enthusiasts, many of which will enjoy watching a game (usually hockey or football) on one of the large televisions hanging above the bar. 

The food served here is generally quite quick in terms of reaching your table, but that isn’t to say that the serving staff are rushing. On the contrary, the serving staff here are some of the most personable servers to be encountered on the island. They manage to find that delicate balance between holding meaningful conversations with the customers while still managing to get food out on tables as quickly as reasonably possible. They go the extra mile to make the customer feel at home, and you can really feel that effort shine through in every aspect of this establishment. Even if you swing by just to pick up take-out, you’ll still experience that welcome warmth within the few minutes you might be there. 

Meals you should try

1550s takes its pub-style roots seriously, leaning heavily into pub food and refining those recipes to perfection. Here are just a few highlights you might want to explore while you’re there: 

A Hefty Brunch

1550s may have an impressive dinner menu, but it also sports an equally robust brunch menu for anyone looking to add a little pep in their step before noon. They offer a frankly absurd number of options on how to prepare eggs (Benedict, Blackstone, Florentine, and Rancheros to name a few), while the restaurant also runs the gamut of most other traditional breakfast staples you can imagine and perfects them. Belgium Waffles? Check. French Toast? Check. Pancakes, double check. Philly Steak Hash? They have that too. Special mention must go to the ‘1550s Breakfast Feast’, which is one of the definitions of a breakfast classic. Three eggs, two strips of bacon, two slices of ham, and two sausages served with hashbrowns and toast. It’s as classic as it gets. Sometimes classics are classics for a reason. 

Appetizers and More 

Being a pub-style restaurant, 1550s has mastered its appetizers. Many of them are a meal in and of themselves and can be enjoyed alone or with a group of friends. 

If you’re looking for a difficult mountain to climb with friends, there is no greater challenge than the Nachos Supreme, which might be quite possibly the largest plate of nachos you may ever lay eyes on. Smothered in two kinds of cheese, olives, tomatoes, and green onions this plate will be a true challenge even if you bring a few friends. Served with heaping helpings of Sour Cream and Salsa.

Looking for something a little less daunting? Try their potato skins, which are baked potatoes filled with two kinds of cheese, bacon, and green onions. These are perfect to keep your hunger at bay while not being too filling while you wait for your main meal to arrive. 

If you’re in the mood for seafood, you might want to try out their Calamari. Fried squid with heaping helpings of tzatziki can often be a perfect conversation starter as well as a delicious treat.

Wings 

One of the centrepieces of this restaurant’s menu has to be their chicken wings. Already extremely crispy and delicious in their own right, 1550s ups the ante with an astonishing 15 different and unique flavours to choose from. These include Teriyaki, Cajun, BBQ, Honey-Garlic, Honey Hot, Szechwan, Dry Jerk, Bleu Moon, Thai Peanut, Ancho Chipotle, Lemon Pepper, Sweet Chili, ‘3 Alarm’, and the extra-spicy ‘5 Alarm’. More likely than not, there’s a flavour there that might just pique your interest. As a personal recommendation, you might want to try out Wednesday Wing days. If you’re looking for a hefty helping of chicken wings, Wednesdays are the prime time to visit this establishment thanks to a serious discount. 

If you’re looking for a restaurant that can satisfy your cravings for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, you can’t go wrong with 1550s. It’s a local favourite for a reason and it could be your favourite too. Swing by and give it a try if you haven’t already. You won’t be disappointed.

@1550spubstyle1550srestaurant.com1550 Cedar Hill X Road