Est. 2012 · Downtown Victoria
An underground oasis beneath the city.
Award-winning craft cocktails, shareable plates, and candlelit nights — downstairs at 768 Yates Street since 2012.
Hours
Tue–Thu 5pm–12 · Fri–Sat 5pm–1
Sun 5pm–close · Closed Mon
Happy Hour
5 PM – 6:30 PM
10:30 PM – Close
Tonight
A different ritual every night
Find Us
Downstairs @ 768 Yates St
(778) 433-4848
See you around in the underground.
Descend into Victoria’s best-kept secret.
A cenote is a hidden pool carved beneath the surface — a place to escape the world above. Ours sits below the streets of downtown Victoria: low light, eclectic decor, and a bar program that’s been winning hearts (and awards) since 2012.
Our bartenders are makers. Everything is built from scratch, and the feature sheet changes with the seasons — so there’s always a reason to come back down.
Our Story →
The Bar
Cocktails worth the descent.
Award-winning, made-from-scratch, and a little theatrical. Three moods — Uplifting, Adventurous, and Cenote Classics — plus a rotating seasonal feature sheet.
- Tea Thyme
- 19
- Faces in the Crowd
- 19
- Gin Ne Sais Quoi!
- 18
- Maria Full of Grace
- 18
40 Creek rye, rhubarb liqueur, mandarin tea, absinthe, thyme.
Fandango mezcal, house blueberry liqueur, green Chartreuse, lime.
Bombay Sapphire, Chambord, hibiscus, lime, egg white, tiki bitters.
Hornitos Blanco, house passionfruit liqueur, lemon, absinthe-charred thyme.
The Kitchen
Small plates, made for sharing.
Tapas-style and served as they're ready — graze, share, and stay a while. Flatbreads, baked brie, duck wings, and sliders, with gluten-free and dairy-free options throughout.
- Baked Brie
- 26
- Duck Wings
- 19
- Pork Belly Sliders
- 21
- Cenote Nachos
- 16 / 28
Filo-wrapped, confit garlic, honey mustard, blueberry gastrique, warm bread.
Confit wings, orange-ginger-maple-soy or salt & pepper with chili & ginger.
Sous-vide pork belly, caramel apple glaze, aged white cheddar, arugula.
House tortilla chips, mixed cheese, jalapeños, salsa fresca, sour cream.
Always Something On
A reason to descend, every night.
Happy hour runs twice a night, every night we're open — and each evening of the week has its own ritual.
Happy Hour · Early
5 PM – 6:30 PM
Happy Hour · Late
10:30 PM – Close
Tuesday
Tequila Tuesday
Margaritas $13 · tequila shots $6
Wednesday
Whisky Wednesday
Old Fashioneds & Boulevardiers $13
Thursday
Throwback Thursday
A rotating trio of classics — 3 for $13
Friday
Feature Friday
Once-in-a-lifetime originals
Saturday
Feature Saturday
Once-in-a-lifetime originals
Sunday
Sunday Rumday
Daiquiris, Mai Tais & Junglebirds $13
The Room
Eclectic, intimate, a little mysterious.
Private Events
Take over the underground.
Birthdays, celebrations, and corporate nights for groups of 8 or more — partial and full buyouts welcome. Tell us your vision and we'll build the night around it.
Find Us
Downstairs, beneath the city.
Look for the stairway leading below 768 Yates Street, in the heart of downtown Victoria.
Address
Downstairs @ 768 Yates St
Downtown Victoria, BC V8W 1L4
Hours
- Tuesday – Thursday5 PM – 12 AM
- Friday – Saturday5 PM – 1 AM
- Sunday5 PM – Close
- MondayClosed
Get in touch
Good to Know
Frequently asked
Cenote is downstairs at 768 Yates Street in downtown Victoria, BC — look for the stairway leading below street level. We're an underground cocktail lounge tucked beneath the city, walkable from anywhere in the downtown core.
Walk-ins are always welcome and seated first come, first served. You can also reserve a table for parties of up to 7 — on Fridays and Saturdays, reservations are available until 6 PM. For groups of 8 or more, please use our private events page.
We're open Tuesday to Thursday 5 PM–12 AM, Friday and Saturday 5 PM–1 AM, and Sunday from 5 PM until close. We're closed on Mondays.
Happy hour runs twice every night we're open: early from 5–6:30 PM and late from 10:30 PM until close, with deals on cocktails, draft beer, wine, and flatbreads.
Our kitchen does shareable, tapas-style plates — flatbreads, baked brie, duck wings, sliders, garlic prawns, and seasonal salads — served as they're ready so you can graze and share. Gluten-free and dairy-free options are available.
Absolutely. Our 'Foolproof' zero-proof menu features house-made non-alcoholic cocktails crafted with the same care as the rest of the bar — plus N/A beer and a non-alcoholic spritz.
Yes. Cenote is a favourite for birthdays, celebrations, and corporate gatherings — we offer partial and full buyouts for groups of 8 or more. Submit a request through our private events page and our team will be in touch.
Cenote has been downtown Victoria's underground oasis since 2012 — award-winning, made-from-scratch craft cocktails, highly trained bartenders who'll build something just for you, eclectic candlelit decor, and a rotating sheet of seasonal features.