Victoria

2% Jazz Coffee

Coffee roaster and coffee shop, with regular blends and a rotating selection. For people who support socially-aware businesses, their single-use cups are biodegradable, and they pay their staff a living wage.

Mon-Fri 7:30AM-3:30PM, Sat-Sun 8AM-2:30PM

Afternoon Tea, at the Empress Hotel

This is quintessentially Victoria or unbearably kitsch, depending on your taste. Afternoon Tea, served from noon, includes fine teas, fruit with cream, and elegant petite sandwiches. Altogether it is a full meal. West Coast Tea, served Th-Sa from 7PM onwards during the summer only, builds on the concept but is designed for cruise ship visitors. $109 per person. Reservations required, and should be made 1-2 weeks in advance. Dress-code is "smart casual": dresses and ties not required, but avoid tank tops and flip-flops.

Price changes with the season, from $48 per person in summer to $38 in the winter

Bent Mast Pub and Restaurant

Burgers, sandwiches and pub fare in an old Victorian house. A great place to drink, eat, make friends, and have fun. Talk to the staff for a bit of the history of the house.

Mon-Thu noon-midnight, Fri noon-2AM, Sat 10AM-2AM, Sun 10AM-midnight·Starters $6-14, mains $10-20

Big Wheel Burger

A classic American cheeseburger joint with a focus on sustainability (it was Vancouver Island's first carbon-neutral restaurant). Delicious cheeseburgers and shakes gluten-free, vegetarian options and kid-friendly. Serves beer and wine as well.

11AM-10PM daily·$10-20

Blue Crab Seafood House

Beautiful harbor-view dining with elegant atmosphere. True to its name, there are a number of crab dishes, as well as other seafood options.

Sun-Thu 11AM-11PM, Fri Sat 11AM-midnight·Starters $10-26, mains $20-60

Bon Sushi

Small neighbourhood restaurant with eat in or take out. Authentic, no-frills, just good Japanese food.

Mon-Wed 11AM-8:30PM, Thu-Sat 11AM-9PM, Sun 5PM-8:30PM·$10-20

Brasserie l'École

A highly-acclaimed fine dining destination with the atmosphere of a classy but comfy Parisian restaurant. Has both a strong wine list and an extensive beer list, including a good selection of Trappist ales. Great steak-frites but hard to go wrong with anything on the menu. Considered to have some of the best food in Victoria.

Tue-Sat 5:30PM-11PM·Starters $10-20, mains $30-50, steaks from $50

Cafe Brio Restaurant

Cured meats and Italian and local dishes in what Northwest Palate Magazine has called "a destination for serious diners from all over the U.S. and Canada."

Tue-Sat 4:30PM-9:30PM·$13-34

Ferris' Oyster Bar & Grill

Two restaurants — the grill and patio (with a focus on sandwiches, burgers and oysters) downstairs, and the upstairs oyster and seafood bar. A large menu and classy atmosphere, perfect for first dates or nights out with friends. Even the burgers are good.

Mon 11:30AM-10PM, Tue-Sat 11:30AM-11PM, Sun 10AM-11PM (Upstairs oyster bar opens at 5PM nightly)·Starters $5-16, mains $11-32

Garrick’s Head Pub

A simple pub — and “One of the oldest English pubs in Canada” according to their website (est. 1867) — but with excellent food and amazing friendly service. As is typical in such pubs, not a great selection for veggheads, but their veggie burger (nuts and chick peas) is really fantastic. The fries are beer-battered to a lovely crispy dark golden colour and the fish is cooked really well, flaky, not squeaky. Mushy peas that come with the steak pie are very tasty. Lots of traditional British food... but with taste. There are also over 50 beers on tap. Not enough for you, how about that fireplace?

Mon-Sat 11AM-1AM, Sun 11AM-midnight·Starters $7-15, mains $13-19

Green Cuisine

Vegetarian Restaurant offers a buffet of 100% vegan dishes. $1.75 per 100g, with fruit drinks and soy milk shakes about $4 on top of that. A generous meal for two was under $30.

10AM-8PM daily

Irish Times

Wonderful pub meals, good beer and lots of seating. Live music most nights.

9AM-1AM

John's Place

A local favourite with some of the best staff in town and excellent food at decent prices. Does breakfast, lunch and dinner, with brunch on weekends. The Eggs Benedict with hollandaise sauce is to die for (10 varieties)!

Mon-Fri 7AM-9PM, Sat Sun 8AM-9PM·Breakfast $7-15, dinner mains $9-17

Oh Gelato!

66 flavours of beautifully-presented gelatos, garnished with bits of fruit or chocolate to illustrate their flavour, at $6.95 for a two-scoop cup. Also snacks and Canadian food souvenirs. Worth a stop to photograph the gelato.

9AM-10:30PM

Pagliacci's

One of the most popular Italian restaurants in town. Intimate settings and addictively scrumptious endless free bread. Always a good experience.

Mon-Thu 11:30AM-10PM, Fri Sat 11:30AM-11PM, Sun 10AM-10PM·Starters $7-15, pastas & mains $14-28

Rebar Modern Food

Rebar

This "fresh food" restaurant was a pioneering force in vegetarian cuisine when it first opened; 35 years on, it still draws regulars. Diverse modern menu with a juice bar and a nice location to boot. Mostly vegetarian, with a few fish dishes and a half dozen or so vegan options.

Mon closed, Tue-Thu 11:30AM-8PM, Fr 11:30AM-9PM, Sat 10AM-9PM, Sun 10AM-8PM·$10-22

Shine Cafe

A very popular brunch spot with a variety of breakfast dishes, soups, sandwiches and burgers. A particularly interesting dish they make is Scottish breakfast with black pudding and potato scones. Expect a long wait after 11AM on weekends.

8AM-3PM daily·$7-15

Spinnakers Brewpub

Within walking distance of downtown. A great place to go for a drink or a meal. There is a restaurant on the main floor, and a brewpub upstairs. Great atmosphere and a nice view of the Inner Harbour, especially in the evening. A variety of in-house brews, as well as whatever else you want to drink.

Restaurant open 8AM-11PM, taproom open 11AM-11PM·$6-24

Swan’s Restaurant and Hotel

Swan’s brews their own beer and feature live music every night of the week. Menu includes thin crust pizza, sandwiches, burgers and a number of meat and fish dishes.

Mon-Fri 11AM-1AM, Sat 10AM-1AM, Sun 10AM-midnight·Starters $5-16, mains $11-22

The Mint

Nepalese and Tibetan cuisine in a swanky atmosphere, DJs included. The main restaurant (The Mint) is downstairs, with lunch fare (The Mint Lunch) served at street level. A popular spot for students.

Mon-Fri 11AM-4PM (The Mint Lunch); 5PM-2AM daily (The Mint)·Starters $5-18, mains $10-23

The Noodle Box

Now a chain with 40+ restaurants, but this is the original location. Serves southeast Asian food fresh and in a takeaway box. Wait times vary depending on the time of day (for example, 20-25 minutes during lunch hour rush), but the meal is worth it. Minimize the wait by phoning in your order in advance. The boxes look deceptively small, but they make a very filling meal. There are also locations at and Saanich .

11AM-9PM daily·$12-18

The Penny Farthing

Feels like your typical British village pub, and the type of people you meet here are as charming as the pub itself. Large menu with flatbread pizzas, sandwiches, burgers, cheese and meat boards, and a number of entrees including some traditional British favourites like bangers & mash, fish & chips and shepherd's pie.

Tue-Sat 11AM-midnight, Sun Mon 11AM-11PM·Starters $6-13, mains $14-30

Il Terrazzo Ristorante

Great Italian in a charming patio atmosphere.

Mon-Fri 11:30AM-3PM & 5-10PM, Sat Sun 5-10PM·Salads & antipasto $8-16, pizza & pasta $16-22, mains $27-42

Maude Hunter's Pub

A neighbourhood pub.

Mon-Thu 11:30AM-midnight, Fri Sat 11AM-midnight, Sun 11AM-11PM