VICTORIA, BC

Our guide to eating, drinking, spending money, and lounging in Victoria.

N: NATURAL WINE | B: BIPOC-OWNED/OPERATED | W: WOMEN-OWNED/OPERATED | Q: LGBTQIA2S+

MORNING

Torch Song | browse vinyl and rare books while you sip coffee | relentlessly advocating for marginalized peoples | visit

Nourish | vegetarian breakfast dishes so vivid and satiating you’ll forget about bacon | sneaky natural wine list | N | visit

Saint Cecilia | uncompromisingly quality focused café | small children’s area upstairs | micro collection of quality garments and housewares | visit

Hey Happy | energetic breakfast spot working with spectacular roasters from around the globe | don’t skip the homemade pop-tarts | visit

Fol Epi | some of the best baked goods on the planet thanks in part to their house-milled flour | perfect patio for a warm day | visit

Hide + Seek | oak bay legends serving quality coffee and house preserves on toast | take your order down to willow’s beach | visit

NOON

Dumpling Drop | super flavourful dumpling in an addictively spicy sauce | small collection of canadian natural wines | everyone’s favourite human | NBQ | visit

Working Culture | the sweetest couple pumping out organic baked bread and superb coffee | get there early and join the mob of locals before everything is gone | W | visit

Ox King Noodles | the chongqing spices are so wickedly aromatic | ideal pairing for jochen beurer’s riesling | B | visit

Finest at Sea | grab some fried oysters and sit in the park | wild-caught, sustainable, local fish and chips that actually live up to the coast’s reputation | visit

Uchida | treat yourself to their stellar sushi for an indulgent lunch | fresh fish, bright flavours, mastery | B | visit

Ate | filipino favourites that’ll make your mouth sing | our dream pairing is Maloof’s orange wines | visit

Yalla | family run persian shawarma spot with all the fixings | maybe our most frequented lunch destination | B | visit

Be Love | if you’ve got dietary restrictions and miss flavour, these folks have you covered | vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free | visit

Pho Vy | that aromatic vietnamese broth we all crave, there won’t be a drop left | B | visit

Taco Justice | big flavours for when you desperately need satiation or a hangover cure | those burritos are no joke | visit

Shuck Taylor’s | relentless dedication to quality seafood | they allow corkage, so bring a bottle of Le Grappin’s vezelay to pair with their notorious lobster roll | visit

Syriana | criminally underrated middle eastern food | dip everything you can think of in their hummus | B | visit

Bodega | charming tapas joint with a sneaky sherry and vermouth list | the stuffed piquillo peppers are nonnegotiable | visit

Pho Halong | adorable couple pumping out uplifting vietnamese staples | we love their soups with Gut Oggau’s theodora | B | visit

Kao Gang | thai pop-up at dumpling drop | super limited hours but absolutely worth seeking out | give me khao soi or give me death | NBQ | visit

Little Yunnan | get past the pixilated menu, you’ll find a plethora of flavours you never knew you wanted | yunnan ham, marinated pig’s ear, spicy kelp salad, all thrilling sides | B | visit

Bao | fluffy steamed buns stuffed with hearty fillings in a cozy little room | i always order one too many | visit

La Taquisa | from guadalajara to victoria | doing mexico proud with their handmade corn tortillas and flavourful fillings | visit

Superbaba | house pitas every day | falafel and khebab you should take to the beach and pair with a bottle of Séléné’s cuvée printemps | visit

Hong Kong West | tiny old-school chinese restaurant serving up homey classics | the photos are wildly inaccurate, but the flavours are on point | B | visit

NIGHT

Tourist | arguably the best place to drink natural wine west of Vancouver | how the heck are they making such outstanding food in that tiny kitchen | beautiful minimalist space and the kindest staff | N | visit

Stage | i have literal dreams about their food | high octane, raunchy, decadent flavours from the best local ingredients | constantly rotating, no-filler wine list we can’t wait to order from | N | visit

Standard Pizza | you no longer need to fly to new york for good pizza | grab a wheel to eat in the park with a bottle of Matthieu Barret’s petit ours rouge | visit

Cafe Brio | a cornerstone of the victoria food scene, recently passed on to the next generation | perfectly executed west coast flavours with a twist | keep an eye on their social media for frequent collaborations | N | visit

The Courtney Room | this glitzy room makes me feel old money | their bar team knows a thing or two about cocktails, and the expansive wine list is stocked to impress | N | visit

Hank’s / Nowhere | the ghosts of every italian grandma somehow inhabit these chefs | robust, no-frills, high-quality, real food that makes you smile nostalgically | visit

Wind Cris Mary | one of the restaurants that put victoria on the map pumping out modern west coast cuisine | local ingredients take center stage in their intimate underground eatery | N | visit

Eva | i know you didn’t have schnitzel on your victoria food bingo card, but you’d be a dummy to miss it | refined german food with a precise teutonic wine list | N | visit

Part & Parcel | this is that neighbourhood joint that always over-delivers | their menu reads like a greatest hits album | N | visit

Brasserie l’École | the bistro you went to in lyon | living out my french fantasies while eating moules frites, soupe à l’oignon, and house cured charcuterie | visit

End Dive | pescatarian restaurant with mind-boggling fish dishes | huge focus on locally grown produce | my kind of cocktail list | N | visit

Rudi | they turned girl dinner into a restaurant | beautiful space with a snack-forward menu, satisfying all your cravings at once | visit

Marilena | where I go to show off a new outfit | the swankiest room in which to eat an immaculate seafood tower and drink outrageous bottles of champagne | N | visit

The Cozy Place | adorable couple from guangzhou serving up comforting northern chinese classics | the cumin lamb pairs incredibly well with Domaine Richaud’s cairanne blanc | B | visit

Emmaline’s | eclectic neighbourhood bistro serving up forgotten classics and modern takes on comfort food | visit

Caveats: We admit we’re wildly biased towards businesses owned by our friends. Our experiences may differ significantly from your own thanks to nostalgia, personal preferences, and preferential treatment from overly generous pals. We suggest making friends with the staff or inviting us out for dinner.

Most city guides have a tragic bias towards instagramable restaurants, neglecting anyone without a marketing department or celebrity chef. The ‘pay-to-play’ mantra of local and national publications irks us to no end, so we’ve included an enormous number of unsung heroes. We don’t care if you’re on television or win competitions. We don’t require westernized service. If you have a one-star yelp review saying you’re too expensive, we assume it means you’re buying better ingredients and paying your employees a living wage – not driving a Rolls.

Establishments with a history of racism, sexism, ageism, ableism or other forms of discrimination have intentionally been left off the list. We'll add or subtract as needed as we learn about improvements or infractions. We’ve tried to include an indication of BIPOC or LGBTQ+ ownership where possible, but some are a little fuzzy (multiple owners, management qualifies, but the owner doesn’t, or we don’t know them personally). If we’ve made a mistake, let us know.

If you don’t see your favourite spot on this list, don’t be discouraged – perhaps we’ll end up there eventually and have the same miraculous experience you had. Did you have fun at one of our recommendations? Please send us an email or tag us on social media!

JUICE IMPORTS IS LOCATED ON THE TRADITIONAL LANDS OF THE: NIITSÍTPIIS-STAHKOII ᖹᐟᒧᐧᐨᑯᐧ ᓴᐦᖾᐟ (BLACKFOOT / NIITSÍTAPI ᖹᐟᒧᐧᒣᑯ) (KAINAIWA, SIKSIKA NATION, PIIKANI) | KTUNAXA ɁAMAKɁIS | TSUU T’INA | MICHIF PIYII (MÉTIS)