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Victoria Dining and Drinking

EATING AND DRINKING

Although clearly in Vancouver’s culinary shadow, Victoria still has a plethora of restaurants , some extremely good, offering greater variety - and higher prices - than you’ll find in most other BC towns. Pubs tend to be plastic mock-ups of their British equivalents, with one or two worthy exceptions, as do the numerous cafés that pander to Victoria’s self-conscious afternoon-tea ritual. Good snacks and pastry shops abound, while at the other extreme there are budget-busting establishments if you want a one-off treat or a change from the standard Canadian menus that await you on much of the rest of the island. As a quick guide to the best, Rebecca’s and Dilettante’s are good for mid-priced lunch or dinners; the Herald Street Café or Water Club for a pricier but not exorbitant dinner. Earl’s is part of a reliable mid-price chain, as is Milestone’s , the latter giving you harbour views from some tables. The slightly wacky Re-bar serves what may well be the healthiest food and drinks in North America.

Cafes, Teas and Snacks

Barb’s Fish and Chips , 310 St Lawrence, Fisherman’s Wharf off Kingston. Much-loved floating shack that offers classic home-cut chips, fish straight off the boat and oyster burgers and chowder to boot: the small ferries from the Inner Harbour drop you close by.

Bean Around the World , 533 Fisgard St. A nice café with plenty of magazines and games to while away a rainy afternoon.

Blethering Place , 2250 Oak Bay Ave. Along with the Empress , known as a place to indulge in the tea-taking custom. Scones, cakes and dainty sandwiches are served up against the background of hundreds of toby jugs and royal-family memorabilia. Perhaps a tad overrated - try the Windsor House as an alternative.

Demitasse Coffee Bar , 1320 Blanshard St near Pandora Ave. Popular, elegantly laid-back hole-in-the-wall cafe with excellent coffee, salads, bagels, lunch-time snacks and an open fire in season. Recommended.

Dutch Bakery & Coffee Shop , 718 Fort St. An institution in Victoria serving pastries and chocolate to take away, or you can eat in the popular if plain coffee shop at the back.

Empress Hotel , 721 Government St. Try tea in the lobby ($29), with tourists and locals alike on their best behaviour amidst the chintz and potted plants. A strict dress code allows no dirty jeans, anoraks or sportswear.

Murchie’s Tea and Coffee , 1110 Government St. The best place for basic tea, coffee and cakes in the centre of Victoria’s shopping streets.

Re-bar , 50 Bastion Square-Langley St. A great place that serves teas, coffees (charcoal-filtered water) and health food at lunch (usually organically grown), but most remarkable for its extraordinary range of fresh-squeezed juices in strange combinations, smoothies, “power tonics” and frighteningly healthy wheatgrass drinks such as the “Astro Turf” - a carrot, beet, garlic and wheatgrass medley.

Sally’s , 714 Cormorant St, near corner of Douglas St. Funky little café and very popular with locals and local office workers despite its location on the northern edge of downtown. Drop by if you’re up this way, but don’t come specially.

Willie’s Bakery , Waddington Alley, off Johnson St. Good little bakery and café with great croissants and lots of outdoor seating in summer.

Windsor House Tea Room , 2450 Windsor Rd. If you’re making the effort to come out of town for tea at the famous Blethering Place , you could stay on the bus (the #2 Oak Bay) to have your cuppa by the sea here instead.

Restaurants

Da Tandoor , 1010 Fort St (tel 384-6333). Tandoori specialist that is, along with the Taj Mahal , the best of Victoria’s half-dozen or so Indian restaurants offering good, inexpensive food in an over-the-top interior.

Dilettante’s Cafe, 787 Fort St near Blanshard St (tel 381-3327). Although a little north of the central core, this vaguely decadent and relaxed single-room restaurant is deservedly popular at lunch. The good food is the usual mixture of Italian, Canadian and Pacific Rim fare.

Earl’s , 1703 Blanshard St (tel 386-4323). You’ll find an Earl’s in many Northwest towns, but the restaurants are none the worse for being part of a chain: good - not fast - food, with a lively, pleasant interior and friendly service.

Green Cuisine , Courtyard Level, Market Square, 560 Johnson St. Vegetarian restaurant and bakery in pleasant off-street setting with a good hot buffet and salad bar.

Herald Street Cafe , 546 Herald St (tel 381-1441). An excellent and stylish old favourite for Italian food with a Northwest twist Pricey but still good value with a relaxed, art-filled atmosphere. Well worth the walk from the Inner Harbour.

Il Terrazzo , 555 Johnson St, Waddington Alley (tel 361-0028). Smooth, laid-back ambience with lots of red brick and plants and a summer patio that provides the setting for good, moderately expensive North American versions of Italian food.

Le Petit Saigon, 1010 Langley St, off Fort St (tel 386-1412). A byword for good low-priced downtown Vietnamese food.

Marina Restaurant , 1327 Beach Drive (tel 598-8555). An upscale restaurant with great marine views and a deserved reputation for some of the best fish and seafood in the city.

Milestone’s , 812 Wharf St (tel 381-2244). Popular mid-priced place slap-bang on the Inner Harbour beneath the infocentre, so lots of bustle, passing trade and good views, but not the place for a quiet meal.

Ming’s , 1321 Quadra St (tel 385-4405). Regularly voted Victoria’s best Chinese restaurant. Inexpensive.

Pagliacci’s , 1011 Broad St between Fort and Broughton (tel 386-1662). Best restaurant in Victoria if you want a fast, furious atmosphere, live music, good Italian food and excellent desserts. A rowdy throng begins to queue almost from the moment the doors are open.

Periklis, 531 Yates St (tel 386-3313). Greek restaurant opposite the youth hostel, often with belly dancers, plate-spinning and good (if predictable), inexpensive Greek food.

Sze , 515 Yates St (tel 383-2829). A great place for an early or late-evening drink, thanks to its informal, vaguely exotic feel and wonderfully broad bar; it’s also good for an eclectic mix of Mexican, Italian and other dishes, which can be eaten either at tables up on the tiny mezzanine or in the cosy dining room.

Taj Mahal , 679 Herald St (tel 383-4662). Housed in a mini Taj Mahal, a bit of a walk from the centre, this inexpensive restaurant serves good Indian food with chicken, lamb and tandoori specialities.

Tomoe , 726 Johnson St (tel 381-0223). Victoria’s best Japanese restaurant with a comfortable, low-key atmosphere. Fresh produce is flown in daily from Tsukiji, the world’s largest fish market. Expensive, but if you like sushi well worth it.

Bars

Big Bad John’s , next to the Strathcona Hotel at 919 Douglas St. Victoria’s most atmospheric bar by far with bare boards, a fug of smoke, and authentic old banknotes and IOUs pasted to the walls. It also hosts occasional live bands and singers, usually of a country-music persuasion.

Charles Dickens Pub , 633 Humboldt St. One of Victoria’s hideously mocked-up British pubs but good for a laugh. If this is too much, try the Garrick’s Head pub, 1140 Government St, which has a cosy fire in winter and lots of outdoor seating in summer.

D’Arcy McGee’s , 1127 Wharf St. It was only a matter of time before Victoria acquired an “Irish pub”. This one has a prime site on the edge of Bastion Square, offers predictable food and beer, and has excellent occasional live Irish music.

Spinnakers Brew Pub , 308 Catherine St near Esquimalt Rd. Thirty-eight beers, including several home-brewed options, restaurant, live music, occasional tours of the brewery and good harbour views draw a mixed and relaxed clientele. Take bus #23 to Esquimalt Rd.

Swan’s Pub , 506 Pandora Ave at Store St. This pretty and highly popular hotel-café-brewery, housed in a 1913 warehouse, is the place to watch Victoria’s young professionals at play. Several foreign and six home-brewed beers on tap, with the Millennium nightclub in the basement.