Andy was great. Had two tattoos I was considering. Gave good advice and whipped out a drawing super quick. Friendly, personable, and didn’t make me feel like more of a square than I already am. I’ll go back. Read Less

Thank you Brian for the best tattoo experience I've had. Totally chill atmosphere with great music, friendly staff and just an already great vibe. I asked for a pretty complex tattoo and they were able to find me the right artist who worked with me to get it perfect. I couldn't be happier with the whole experience and I can't wait to come back for my next tat. Read Less

Ryan did my traditional strawberries today! I love it. The tattoo is so clean and dynamic. It fits me wonderfully too! Ryan has a great work ethic and was more efficient with his time than any other artist I have had work on me. (I've had a few). Thank you so much, I'll be back! Read Less

Great tattoo shop in Victoria! I got tattoos by both Colin (in 2012) and Ryan more recently and they did an excellent job! The shop is also super friendly and clean. Thanks for always providing a wonderful tattoo experience � Read Less

Got paw prints tattoo done here today. I showed up and got in right away. As soon as I walked in I was met with nothing but kindness and professionalism. If I visit victoria again, I would definitely get another tattoo by them. Thanks Bryan I love the tat! Read Less

I went in yesterday to get matching tattoos with my best friend and as soon as we walked in, we felt welcome. The space is very clean and the artists are all professional and VERY friendly. Before coming to Gov. St. We had an appointment at tattoo zoo and were treated very rudely so we walked out and ended up coming here as walk-ins. They were super accommodating to fit us in to the busy day and our tattoos look amazing. Definitely going back. Read Less

This is my favourite shop in town! I've had a few small pieces done elsewhere but this is where I go for the passion pieces and when someone asks me where to go it's always Government street. I've been Tattooed by both Ryan and Andy and love them both! Can't say enough good about this place! Read Less

I've never had a bad experience at this place. The guys are always cracking jokes and having a good time, and it's super friendly and positive environment. I always see Andy, and his creativity never disappoints. Read Less

Had a portrait of my mom done by Bryan Turnbull and it's so photorealistic that I get asked almost daily if they can look at it closer and who did it. I know many friends who've been inked there and all the work is top quality by each artist. Great spot, great people. Read Less

Got my first ever tattoo here in August 2016, on the 4 year anniversary of my dad passing away. Chris David did the piece. it was one that I designed and he perfected. It came out perfect, and made my wife decide to get tattooed the same day(by Miles, Also amazing work btw). My piece came out even better then I had hoped, and I will be returning for more ink very soon, as will my wife. Read Less

I was in Victoria on a trip to see my brother who lives in Sooke. I stopped by this shop because of all the great reviews. I was super excited to get this tattoo done and I had planned on getting it on this trip. I checked what time closing was (6pm), I walked in at (5:00pm). I asked if what I wanted was available to do, and if not, no worries! I didn't want it rushed or to put the artist in any time restriction. However, they told me that it was super easy and could be done fast. They told me that the minimum is $80, and I was just so excited and set on getting it I didn't mind. They had me just sit down and took no information about me. The artist that tattooed me was Brian. He was very nice and patient. I was debating on the placement, and didn't feel rushed at all. During tattooing, we were talking about my trip and where I was from. In about a 2 minute span he said I was done. I have two other very small and simple tattoos and they both took at least 10 minutes. Well I decided to trust him, and that he did a good job. He wrapped my tattoo up and he said you're all set! He didn't give me any after care instruction at all. I have other tattoos so I know the aftercare. The one thing that I am SUPER bummed about is that he missed a pretty big gap on my tattoo. My tattoo is very dainty and small so it's a big part that is missing. Overall, the experience was great and everyone was super friendly and accommodating. Just half of my tattoo is missing. :( Read Less

Went to Victoria this weekend with a friend without anything really planned. On our last day there we joked about getting tattoos over breakfast and realized that we'd both wanted to get one for a while and already knew what we wanted. Since this place was only a couple blocks away we decided to go check it out and were not disappointed!Since our tattoos were both small they fit us in between appointments, I think we had to wait less than half an hour for mine and my friend has his tattoo done another half hour after that. Chris David did both of ours and he was awesome! Very cool, reassuring and FAST. It felt like it took no time at all.Noticed while we were there that all the staff were talking and having fun, the whole place had a really great vibe. Our tattoos are looking great today, very crisp and precise! If I ever want another tattoo I might end up making another trip over to the island to see these guys again. Read Less

I have quite a few tattoos and I like to get something from every place I visit. You know, as a reminder of being there or whatever. My husband and I googled some places and this one was the 3rd or 4th that we checked out on the web. We both liked this one and decided to give it a try. They fit us both in with walk in appointments for two hours later or so. They did a wonderful job on the both of ours, and I was extremely impressed. They run a bit pricey, but you get what you pay for. This place was wonderful and does lots of great traditional looking tattoos. Would definitely come back if I'm ever in Victoria again.Their shop is clean, sanitary, and looks pretty damn awesome. Read Less

My boyfriend and I came in to Government Street Tattoo and were both really impressed with what we saw from Chris David. We weren't going to be in Victoria for very long but he was able to fit us in for an appointment within the next few days. We came in and he had our drawings perfect for what we had in mind. Chris was super friendly and the shop had a nice atmosphere in general, really laid back.Our tattoos both turned out awesome. Clean lines, perfect shading, I really couldn't ask for more. I get complements on my heart envelope all the time. We'll come back to Chris next time we're in Victoria! Read Less

I had an awesome experience at Government St Tattoo! Colin did my tattoo yesterday and it turned out beautiful. He incorporated the main ideas I had given him, but he made it way better than I could have imagined. I will definitely go back to him for my future tattoos :) Read Less

I had an awesome experience at Government St Tattoo! Colin did my tattoo yesterday and it turned out beautiful. He incorporated the main ideas I had given him, but he made it way better than I could have imagined. I will definitely go back to him for my future tattoos :) Read Less

With two days in Victoria on a COLD NOVEMBER, I didn't really have an agenda as to what I'm going to do there. Then on the ferry the idea (the one a lot of friends warned me not to do) seeped in: get an impromptu tattoo.My first one at that.So I pulled out my trusty Yelp app and looked up places in Vic and went with the one place that had the most Yelp reviews: Government Street.Yeah, insanity.Looking for this parlour wasn't difficult, it's located in the Chinatown district and can be easily picked out by it's snazzy shop sign. When I walked in it really was my first time strolling into a tattoo place. The buzz of needles going off, the walls lined up with the coolest tattoo art and sketches. I wasn't the least bit intimidated or scared but more pumped up.Still after years of deliberating and by that I mean years of google searches and constant badgering of Tattooed friends who rolled their eyes at me and sighed: "just GET one already!", I had a lot of reservationsBut one of the artists, Dillon, took his time in answering my questions with short necessary answers. He basically told me what I needed to know and wasn't the least bit annoyed if I asked the question again. A very cool dude.Without any pressure we scheduled a time the next day. I had to lay down a $60 cash deposit. Dillon allowed me to take some pictures of fonts from a book but unfortunately couldn't allow me to walk away with some sample sketches. Understandable because there was a risk I could take them to another place.The next day I strolled in, having eaten a hefty meal, and was ready for the show. Surprisingly the process was quite quick. The tattoo took about a half hour while the sketching, set-up, and sanitizing process took 45 minutes to do.I was s/b to pay $80 but tipped to over a $100. Overall it was a positive experience for me. The atmosphere and attitudes of everyone at Government was relaxed and gave you the information you needed to know. I'm quite happy with what I got and even more happier that I grew out of a comfort zone, can't wait to get another one soon. Read Less