1550's Pub Style Restaurant says goodbye

As we’ve come to the end of a year and the hopeful beginning of a new one, Victoria’s ever changing restaurant scene continues to evolve—inviting new contenders onto the scene while others, sadly, leave us behind for good.

After 50 years of service in Saanich, Fifteen Fifty’s Pub Style Restaurant—a space well known for its vibrant and lively atmosphere, weekly food and drink deals, classic bar foods and draft list—has officially shuttered its doors at the end of 2023.

Closing for renovations earlier last year, the restaurant addressed rumours at the beginning of December of a possible closure.

“I can now confirm that I have sold my business. After 30 years of owning 1550’s restaurant, it is time for me to pass the torch to someone else,” Fifteen Fifty’s owner Keith Campbell wrote in a social media post. “It has been a lifetime of meeting wonderful people within our neighbourhood and making friendships that will last a lifetime. Without your support, we could never have done it.”

Locals in Victoria will dearly miss their Taco Tuesdays, Wing Wednesdays, and popular weekend brunch offerings—deals that made Fifteen Fifty’s an iconic space to grab food and drinks in Greater Victoria.

The space will officially transform into The Rack West Coast Bistro, the second location of a Langford-based restaurant specializing in serving locally sourced meals in a warm and rustic atmosphere.

The Rack presents a similar atmosphere and menu of bar foods like loaded nachos, burgers and fried perogies along with an all-day breakfast menu for those starting off their day or craving breakfast-for-dinner—items like their breakfast burrito and “ultimate” BLT look delicious.

Fifteen Fifty’s Pub is one of many memorable restaurants in Victoria that closed this year. Sherwood Cafe ended service late September and the space is now home to a highly anticipated spinoff of Wind Cries Mary called Rudi, while one of the most popular taco chains located downtown—La Taqueria—also closed its doors in 2023 despite its apparent success.

The closure of Fifteen Fifty’s marks the beginning of yet another tumultuous, unpredictable and ever exciting food landscape in Victoria this year.

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