Culinary Story Starters

Southern Vancouver Island is as beautiful as it is bountiful. The area has a well-deserved reputation as “Canada’s Provence” for its high-quality niche food scene and natural environment.

Farm-to-table

In Victoria, it’s common to find restaurants proudly serving dishes made with local ingredients. The community built between vendors, providers and restaurants means local produce is used whenever possible. Surrounded by the rich farming regions of the Saanich Peninsula and Cowichan Valley, Victoria’s restaurants and cafés are blessed with an abundance of local ingredients. Seafood—particularly salmon and shellfish—can be caught fresh from Pacific waters and is a mainstay of West Coast cuisine.

10 Acres grows and ethically raises many of their ingredients on their own organic farm in North Saanich and the rest of the ingredients are sourced from other like-minded farmers and fishermen. Other top tier restaurants like Olo, Agrius, and Zambris all source from local vendors. The Farm-to-Table scene in Victoria is flourishing and the offerings are endless, find a full list of restaurants here. Providers like Bob Duncan, a former entomologist who lectures on agriculture around the world, supply a variety of apples, peaches, quince, olives and citrus grown on the Saanich Peninsula to local restaurants. Former chef Andrew Shepherd owns Vancouver Island Salt and uses filtered sea water to create flavoured salts and high quality fleur de sel which are used in kitchens throughout the city.

Markets galore

Three words: fresh and local. Stock up on the best of the area’s produce, baked goods and prepared delicacies at one of many public markets. View the market guide for more information on all of the markets.  Visit the bustling community gathering place that is the Victoria Public Market featuring fresh local gourmet food offerings, specialty retail shops, live music, day vendors and much more!

Food festivals

No matter the season, there’s a food festival happening in Victoria.  In late February and early March, the annual Dine Around & Stay in Town takes over the city with more than 60 restaurants and hotels offering special three course menus and hotel room rates. In spring, the city features Culinaire and the Spot Prawn Festival.  In the summer, the annual Taste Festival features over 100 selections from local vineyards and farms and in the fall, Art of the Cocktail showcases all things craft cocktail.

Culinary tours

With so many foodie destinations to choose from, it’s tough to decide which to try. Skip the guesswork with a guided culinary tour. For options on foot, try Feast Concierge or Off the Eaten Track’s Oak Bay Brunch Tour, a two-hour trip featuring many of the neighbourhood’s best brunch dishes. For culinary discovery by bike, try The Pedaler’s Hoppy Hour Ride, a three-hour tour with stops at several local breweries.

Culinary lessons

For a hands-on approach to Victoria’s culinary scene, try a workshop or class. Improve your cooking skills with The London Chef, learn about all things tea-related with Silk Road Tea or head to the Victoria Public Market for any one of a number of educational culinary experiences.