Many of Victoria’s restaurants offer a wide variety of cuisines to match the city’s diverse population, including anything from traditional British fare to international fare. You can find oysters, crab, and sockeye salmon in the area, as well as grapes for wine and barley for craft beers. To get the most out of these regionally rich tastes, it’s better to dine at one of the establishments on this list, which combines them with several global influences. Victoria, Canada, has a wide variety of cuisines, world-renowned chefs, excellent seafood, and breathtaking scenery, making it tough to choose where to eat. If you’re looking for a romantic date, a family supper, or a celebratory meal, these twenty beautiful restaurants are just what you need.
1. Pagliacci’s
Since 1979, Alan di Fiore’s mother’s classic recipes have been served at Pagliacci’s. Pagliacci’s is now one of the best places to eat lunch, dinner, and brunch on the weekends in Victoria. Aside from the live music and extensive selection of portions of pasta, sandwiches, and soups, Pagliacci is known for its warm and friendly ambiance. Please stop in for a slice of their famous cheesecake and a home-cooked supper.
2. Café Brio
Furniture made of wood and painted in vibrant blue, yellow, and red hues are just some of the items you’ll find in this room. Each season brings a new crop of fresh fruits and vegetables, so the menu changes seasonally. The à la carte menu is continually changing because of the freshness and locality of the farm and fish products. The sommeliers at Café Brio can guide you through the over 300 wines on offer.
3. Nobu Japanese Tapas
Nobu is modeled like an Izakaya, a Japanese variant of an Irish pub or a Spanish tapas bar. The mission is to create a comfortable, homey setting for friends and family to enjoy cuisine, drink, and company. Nobu serves Japanese meals in Spanish style. These Japanese tapas come in small, shared platters and feature chicken, pork, vegetarian, and seafood meals. With a few sushi rolls, there’s something for everyone.
4. Red Fish Blue Fish
You can order the fish and chips, which consists of halibut, cod, or salmon that has been deep-fried in a crispy tempura batter and is served with traditional tartar sauce, coleslaw, and hand-cut Kennebec chips. Alternatively, you can go for the fish taco, an experimental dish, a fresh piece of grilled seafood, or one of the house-made soups. Red Fish Blue Fish is a restaurant in Victoria, British Columbia, housed in a cargo container in the Inner Harbour. The restaurant’s location is ideal for viewing the sunset over the sea.
5. Glo
At this waterfront hotspot, happy hour meets the golden hour. Large indoor and outdoor seating areas give this restaurant the feel of a nightclub, even during the day. Fresh seafood and a huge selection of burgers, sliders, and sandwiches make this a popular place for loud groups of friends. The beachfront patio is the perfect place; to enjoy happy hour as the sun sets over the ocean. Patio heaters and comfortable furniture keep the fun going until the sun goes down.
6. The Pink Bicycle
The Pink Bicycle is one of Victoria’s top burger joints. Each burger is cooked with fresh ingredients and served on a toasted sesame bun from the bakery next door. Enjoy a basic cheeseburger or try a new version inspired by international or local cuisines. Examples are the maple salmon burger and the Banh Mi Burger. The Pink Bicycle, with its Mac ‘n’ Cheese sticks, truffle fries, and poutine, will become your new favorite burger spot.
7. The Butchart Gardens
At Butchart Gardens, eating places are surrounded by colorful and intricate flower arrangements. This gives the area a magical feel and goes well with the menu’s beautiful design. If you want fine dining, go to The Dining Room. If you want a more casual meal, go to the Blue Poppy Restaurant, suitable for families. There’s also a coffee shop for people who need caffeine fix. For a picnic, you can get wild BC salmon, grilled chicken, fresh prawns, or Portobello mushrooms, which all come with a house-made salad and dessert. These are even put in pretty packages and given to guests in picnic baskets.
8. Jam
For all-day egg-extravaganza, Jam wins at Victoria’s brick-walled, coffee-scented Jam. Because the venue doesn’t take reservations, you’ll have to wait in line with every other early-rising hipster in town. Creative cocktails like the Madras mimosa and the bacon-adorned Bourbonator Caesar help ease the pain of a night out on the town. Some say Jam’s naan breakfast burritos are helpful in the recovery process after a night out on the town, and the chicken-and-waffle motif continues with Benedicts and French toast.
9. Zambri’s
Since 1999, when Peter and Jo Zambri opened this local restaurant with an Italian theme, it has been a mainstay of the local food scene. The pasta is the show’s star with fresh noodles served with classic sauces like peas and gorgonzola. The main dishes include pork and chicken raised in the area. The bar is usually available, but the beautiful large room fills up quickly, especially on weekends. Make sure to try their house gin and tonic and the great food. Every single part of the cocktail is made from scratch.
10. Il Terrazzo
Il Terrazzo, a romantic Italian restaurant, offers candlelight dinners. Menu items include wood-oven roasted meats and pizza, fresh seafood, and house-made pasta, all inspired by northern Italian cuisine. Seared scallops, steamed mussels and open-flame cooked salmon are just a few of the various local seafood dishes available. Try the veal tenderloin if you’re a meat-eater. Il Terrazzo’s desserts include house-made tiramisu, pastries, and ice cream, all produced in-house.
11. Aura Waterfront Restaurant And Patio
Aura is the place to go for Pacific Rim-inspired meals. Its seasonal menu incorporates only the best organic and local ingredients. For breakfast, try omelets with goat cheese and grilled asparagus; for lunch, try pan-fried Dungeness crab cakes; and for dinner, try charbroiled beef tenderloin with roast garlic jus. Enjoy your drink while watching the boats pass by. The food is superb, as are the wine, island microbrews, and cocktails.
12. The Bengal Lounge
You may enjoy traditional curries and decadent cocktails at The Bengal Lounge at the Fairmont Empress. Elegantly designed in the style of Queen Victoria, the Bengal Lounge pays homage to her role as Empress of India. The restaurant, renowned for its tasty curries, offers both à la carte menu items and distinctive curry buffets. The low lighting and lounge-style decor make it a great place to relax. The weekend performances of local musicians encourage people to stay for an additional drink.
13. Restaurant Matisse
Restaurant Matisse is known for serving the best simple French food. Some of the dishes they serve are beef Carpaccio, roasted breast of pheasant, king prawn, scallop fricassee, and lemon syllabub. The restaurant’s cozy atmosphere makes it feel like a small diner in the French countryside, perfect for small groups and couples looking for a romantic meal.
14. John’s Place Restaurant
John’s Place has been a Melbourne institution for almost thirty years. You’ll be back for more after trying their famed eggs Benedict or Belgian waffles. Every meal includes real butter, homemade sausages, and seasonal fruit. If you go for the award-winning brunch, try to construct your omelets with over 30 ingredients! You’ll adore John’s southwest meatloaf and Longhorn Dinner with succulent slices of slow-roasted beef brisket, cornbread, Texas whiskey barbeque sauce, and creamy mashed potatoes.
15. Ithaka Greek Restaurant
Located in the heart of Victoria, Ithaka is one of the city’s best-known restaurants. If you’d like to start your meal nicely, you can’t go wrong with saganaki, cheese flambéed at the table with brandy and served as an appetizer. If you want a meaty main dish, you could get the moussaka, a half rack of ribs, or a chicken souvlaki skewer. Keep an eye out for a smashed plate and a burst of traditional dancing from the proprietors who own this establishment.
16. Blue Fox Café
The Blue Fox Café in Victoria is one of the city’s most incredible places for brunch. Funky paintings, cheesy curiosities, and a long queue of hungry customers wait outside the entrance and down the street to get a table. The 1st sip of their organic coffee will make the wait worthwhile if you get a table. Residents of the city can’t get enough of the “extremely thick French toast” or one of the more than ten variants of eggs Benny that have been named the best in the city by locals. A lunch menu of delicious beef burgers, hand-cut fries, and house-roasted pork quesadillas is available all day.
17. 10Acre
The Kitchen, a good dining restaurant; The Commons, a cocktail and oyster bar; and the Bistro, a place to have brunch the morning after, are part of this massive complex. Local fishers and farmers provide the ingredients if they aren’t sourced from their organic farms. To eat food that has been freshly prepared. Menus based on what’s in season are great for trying out new foods, such as fresh berries and local spot prawns. A virtuous dinner includes locally brewed beers, French press coffees, and handcrafted gelato.
18. Be Love
Be Love is one of Victoria’s most incredible vegan restaurants, offering food made with love for the community and the environment. Its exquisite ambiance and candlelight may make it seem like a French or Italian restaurant. However, this trendy restaurant is 100% vegetarian and serves inventive and superb lunch, brunch, and dinner dishes. Heather now creates seasonal menus with rich, wholesome meals like crispy pumpkin ravioli and the Green Bowl, a blend of greens and rice topped with avocado, roasted cashews, and Thai coconut green curry.
19. Brasserie L’ecole
Brasserie L’ecole, which is owned by sommelier Marc Morrison, is known for its wide selection of Belgian and French beers and wines, which go well with the French food on the menu. The menu changes every night and only uses seasonal and local ingredients. Examples are oysters, inland mussels, gougers, skate wing, beef paler with cauliflower puree, and duck confit. The dark wood floors and furniture create a romantic atmosphere, but guests are only seated in the order they arrive, so be ready to wait.
20. Green Cuisine Vegetarian Restaurant
The Green Cuisine is one of Victoria’s most fantastic vegetarian restaurants, serving a 100% plant-based dinner. Their menu features natural and organic products with a global flair. Soups, sandwiches, salad bars, pizza, hot dishes, and desserts are available. Fill your plate with tempeh, falafel, cornbread, and chocolate cake, and drink fresh juice or handmade kombucha. Locals exclaim over the richness and flavor of the enormous dessert menu at Green Cuisine.
