A Guide to Eating and Drinking Your Way Through Victoria, BC

I celebrated my birthday earlier this month with a delicious getaway to Victoria, BC. Eating my way through this darling city was the perfect way to ring in 33 and it all began with a beautiful ride up to Canada on the Victoria Clipper. Picking up in downtown Seattle and dropping off in downtown Victoria, this couldn’t be any easier (or any more fun!) and I highly recommend booking the Clipper for your trip to Victoria.

Take A Taste of Victoria Food Tour

Your eating adventure begins with A Taste of Victoria Food Tour. This yummy experience starts at the Victoria Public Market and takes you through China Town (Canada’s largest) and the Inner Harbour with eight delicious stops along away! Pictured is the fantastic bakery you’ll visit, La Roux Patisserie, where you’ll indulge in the macaron flavors of your choosing (I am going to have to insist you try the strawberry cheesecake, it’s outstanding).

Bomb Meatballs at Roast

Roast is another stop on the A Taste of Victoria Food Tour so if you opt to take the tour (which I highly recommend), then this is already in your yummy Victoria future. I liked these beef and pork meatballs so much that I returned for a full serving of them the next day (and considered going back a third time before I left.) These guys are committed to exceptional craft, sustainably produced food that tastes great. They also have some hella’ good chicharonnes here.

Empress Gin Cocktails at The Veranda at the Fairmont Empress

Y’all know I’m not a big drinker anymore and on the rare occasions I do chose to indulge, it’s usually a glass of wine. However, it was my birthday so I had this celebratory cocktail and damn was it good! This Empress 75 is a play on a French 75 and it’s composed of Empress 1908 gin, St. Germain, Veuve Clicquot Brut and grapefruit caviar. These are little crafted balls of grapefruit that you stir into the cocktail and they absorb it’s fantastic flavor and booze. At the end, turn that cocktail up and enjoy them! This magical purple gin (that changes color with the addition of citrus!) is a collaboration between Victoria Distillers and the Fairmont Empress and is crafted with the Empress’s famed tea blend.

Pastries at Fol Epi

One of the best pastries I’ve ever had in my life happened here at Fol Epi where they serve house baked organic breads and sweets. The closest pastry in the photo, this was a kouign amann, a bread like cake I was unfamiliar with but will be obsessed with now forever. It was like the inside of a fluffy croissant encased with a sugar glaze. Y’all, this was HEAVEN.

Brioche French Toast at Agrius

Right next door to Fol Epi, you’ll find one of the most bomb brunch spots I’ve ever had the pleasure of visiting. Agrius is beautifully modern with an open kitchen while extremely inviting with lots of natural light and plants spattered throughout. It utilizes organic, seasonal ingredients from the bounty of Victoria. Their Brioche French Toast is by far the best I’ve ever had. A mountain of freshly baked brioche topped with berries, fresh fruit, vanilla ice cream and drowned in maple syrup makes this an unforgettably delicious experience.

The tasting menu at The Courtney Room

The culinary highlight of my trip to Victoria, and where I had my birthday dinner was at The Courtney Room. This was definitely one of my favorite meals of 2018. Fantastic service, food and ambiance await you at this elegant new restaurant that sits in the bottom of the award winning Magnolia Hotel. We couldn’t resist the tasting menu and it was definitely the way to go. A beautiful multi-course meal highlighting the farmers and beautiful local produce of the area tell a delicious story in this magical experience that any food lover will adore.

After dinner drinks at Little Jumbo

Little Jumbo came highly recommended for cocktails and it did not disappoint, y’all (they’ll also make you a mean mocktail should you prefer!). With impressive attention to detail, they go above and beyond here to craft seasonally and locally inspired cocktails. Dine at The Courtney Room and have cocktails here afterwards for a truly perfect evening.

Brunch at John’s Place

Be prepared to wait in line here (but it’s worth it). For 30 years John’s Place has been making everything fresh from scratch from the pies to the salad dressings and my new obsession – their famous cream cheese syrup that’s served with their Belgian waffles (and has been recently featured on Food Network Canada). You’ll find friendly service and a funky vibe here on top of the awesome food.

Ice cream at Kid Sister

Y’all know I can’t visit a new city without finding the bomb ice cream! Well, in Victoria’s historic Fan Tan Alley lies perhaps the best ice cream I’ve ever had (and I don’t say that lightly). This organic, locally sourced goodness is perfectly creamy and flavorful and it’s 100% worth waiting in line for.