We dive. You dine.
7 days a week from 11:30 -10:00pm
(Happy Hour runs 2:00 -5:00pm except Sunday which is all shucking day)
Please note we do not take reservations, we operate on a first-come-first-serve basis.
Welcome aboard.
As you stroll down Blanshard Street and through our door for the first time, you’ll have a feeling that you’ve been here a hundred times before. The place and the faces will seem familiar. That table over there already has your name on it! And it feels great to be back.
Nestled in our little corner, we’re blessed with top-notch shellfish straight from the ocean – our local pride. Yet, our menu isn’t just local love; it’s a global affair. From Caspian Sea caviar to Nova Scotia lobster, we’re all about freshness on your plate. So, kick back, scan the menu, and let’s take your taste buds on a world tour. It’s casual vibes, global flavors, and a whole lot of delicious. Welcome to our culinary haven!
Follow Us @shucktaylors
The Chowder
There is a clam chowder on the bar most days. Made fresh in our kitchen, not opened from a tin. A cup costs less than a glass of wine. When it runs out, it runs out.
The Room
Forty seats. A long zinc bar. Edison bulbs that throw warm light onto the oyster ice and the tile floor. Red buoys above the door on the corner. The music is low enough that the conversation at the next stool is none of your business. The window faces Blanshard. The door is rarely closed for long.
Walk-in only. No reservations. No app. No QR code. The bar is the host. The shucker is the chef. You sit, you order, you eat, you stay as long as you want.
Found, Not Marketed
The locals call it a hidden gem. We did not pay for that. People walked in by accident, ordered a half dozen, and came back the next week with three friends. The travel guides started showing up. Then the food writers. Then Capital Daily, the Times Colonist, the Mijune Paks. Then the tourists in Patagonia raincoats asking for the chowder by name.
There is no plaque outside. The sign is small. The wine list is one chalkboard. We are not trying to be on the cover of anything. We are trying to shuck good oysters every day and pour a glass of grenache for people who appreciate it. The rest takes care of itself.
Best in Victoria?
That is not for us to say. The shortlist of oyster bars in this city is real and it is good. Ferris’ is an institution. Nautical Nellies has the view. Finn’s has the volume.
What we do is different. Pacific oysters shucked to order on a 30-foot bed of ice. A West Coast wine list. An all-day Happy Hour on Sundays nobody else runs. House clam chowder when the kitchen feels like it. Walk-in, no app, no fuss.
If that is what you are looking for, walk in. If not, we will recommend somewhere else that is. Either way, you eat well.
Want a tin of our smoked Pacific oysters to take home? See Anytime Oysters. Available at the bar in single tins, or by the case shipped Canada-wide.
