With so many great food and drink venues on the South Island, we had a hard time selecting just a few. So we asked our judges for more of their favourites.

By Cinda Chavich 

Best West Coast

1. Wild Mountain Food & Drink
1831 Maple Avenue S., 250-64203596, wildmountaindinners.com

2. AURA waterfront restaurant + patio
680 Montreal St., 250-414-6739, aurarestaurant.ca

3. Marina Restaurant
1327 Beach Dr., 250-598-8555, marinarestaurant.com


Best Small Bites

1. Stage Wine Bar
1307 Gladstone Ave., 250-388-4222, stagewinebar.com

2. The Livet
201, 804 Broughton St., 778-265-3033, thelivet.ca

3. The Tapa Bar
620 Trounce Alley, 250-383-0013, tapabar.ca


Best For Caffeine

1. Caffe Fantastico 
965 Kings Rd., 250-385-2326, caffefantastico.com

2. The Parsonage Cafe
1301 Gladstone Ave., 250-590-3320, fernwoodcoffee.com

3. Bean Around the World
533 Fisgard St., 250-386-7115, batwcoffee.com


Best Afternoon Tea

1. Venus Sophia
540 Fisgard St., 250-590-3953, venussophia.com

2. The Fairmont Empress Hotel
721 Government St., 250-384-8111, fairmont.com

3. The Pacific Restaurant and Terrace (Hotel Grand Pacific)
463 Belleville St., 250-386-0450, hotelgrandpacific.com


Best Dessert

1. AURA’s brownie with peanut butter ice cream
AURA waterfront restaurant + patio, 680 Montreal St., 250-414-6739, aurarestaurant.ca

2. Kid Sister’s passion fruit ripple ice cream
Kid Sister Ice Cream, 10 Fan Tan Alley, 250-590-6888, kidsistericecream.com 

3. Ruth & Dean’s ginger and black pepper layer cake
Ruth & Dean, 1310 Douglas St., 778-265-6060, ruthanddean.com


Best Late Night Bites

1. Vis à Vis
2232 Oak Bay Ave., 250-590-7424, visavisoakbay.com

2. Little Jumbo
Down the Hall, 506 Fort St., 778-433-5535, littlejumbo.ca

3.  Northern Quarter
1724 Douglas St., 250-590-7702, northernquarter.ca


Best Place for a Date

1. Il Covo Trattoria
106 Superior St., 250-380-0088, ilcovotrattoria.ca

2. The Courtney Room
619 Courtney St., 250-940, 4090, thecourtneyroom.com

3. Saveur
658 Herald St., 250-590-9251, saveurrestaurant.ca


Best Place to Dine Solo

1. Zambri’s
820 Yates St., 250-360-1171, zambris.ca

2. Vis à Vis
2232 Oak Bay Ave., 250-590-7424, visavisoakbay.com

3. Foo Asian Street Food
769, Yates St., 250-383-3111, foofood.ca


Best Place For Meat-On-the-Bone

1. Jones Bar-B-Que: Pick the ribs
1725 Cook St., 778-265-4227, jonesgotmeat.com

2. Chicken649: Choose the Korean chicken
2224 Quadra St., 250-590-6491, chicken649.ca

3. 5th Street Bar & Grill: Order the dry-rubbed ribs
1028 Hillside Ave., 250-380-4600, fifthstreet.ca


Best Bakery

1. Crust Bakery
730 Fort St., 250-978-2253, crustbakery.ca

2. Fol Epi
732 Yates St., 778-265-6311; 101, 398 Harbour Rd., 250-477-8882, folepi.ca

3. Fry’s Bakery
416 Craigflower Rd., 250-590-5727, frysbakery.com


Best in a Bowl

1. Foo Asian Street Food
769, Yates St., 250-383-3111, foofood.ca

2. Bao
626 Fisgard St., 250-590-8688, baovictoria.com

3. Superbaba
1325 Blanshard St., 250-590-2725, eatsuperbaba.com


Best Seafood

1. Marina Restaurant
1327 Beach Dr., 250-598-8555, marinarestaurant.com

2. Red Fish Blue Fish
1006 Wharf St., 250-298-6877, redfish-bluefish.com

3. Oak Bay Seafood
2024 Oak Bay Ave., 778-432-0227, oakbayseafood.com


Best Pub

1. Spinnakers Gastro Brewpub
308 Catherine St., 250-386-2739, spinnakers.com

2. Canoe Brewpub
450 Swift St., 250-361-1940, canoebrewpub.com

3. Four Mile House
199 Island Hwy., 250-479-2514, fourmilehouse.com


Best Takeout

1. Salt & Pepper Fox
1812 Government St., 250-590-1212, saltandpepperfox.com

2. Roast Meat & Sandwich Shop
6, 1701 Douglas St., 778-433-6639, roastsandwichshop.ca

3. Chicken649
2224 Quadra St., 250-590-6491, chicken649.ca


Best Charcuterie

1. The Whole Beast
2032 Oak Bay Ave., 250-590-7675, thewholebeast.ca

2. Four Quarters Meats
2031 Malaview Ave., Sidney, 250-508-7654, fourquartersmeats.com

3. Cure Artisan Meat and Cheese
1400 Cowichan Bay Rd.,Cobble Hill, 250-929-2873, facebook.com


Best Pizza

1. Pizzeria Prima Strada
230 Cook St., 250-590-8595; 1990 Fort St., 250-590-8599, pizzeriaprimastrada.com

2. Fernwood Pizza Company
2009 Fernwood Rd., 778-430-4446, fernwoodpizzacompany.com

3. 900 Degrees Wood-Fired Pizzeria
2401 Millstream Rd., 250-590-4493, 900-degrees.ca


Restaurants With the Best Ambience

1. Brasserie L’École
1715 Government St., 250-475-6280, lecole.ca

2. Q at the Empress
721 Government St., 250-389-2727, qattheempress.com

3. The Tapa Bar
620 Trounce Alley, 250-383-0013, tapabar.ca


Best Customer Experience

1.OLO
509 Fisgard St., 250-590-8795, olorestaurant.com

2.Brasserie L’École
1715 Government St., 250-475-6280, lecole.ca

3. Bodega Bar
1210 Broad St., 778-406-1210, bodegabar.ca


Best South Asian

1. Royal Spice Fine Indian Cuisine
212, 815 Cloverdale Ave., 250-380-1881, royalspicevictoria.ca

2. Fishhook
805 Fort St., 250-477-0470 and one other location, fishhookvic.com

3. Spice Jammer
852 Fort St., 250-480-1055, spicejammer.com


Best Mexican/Latin

1. La Taqueria Pinche Taco Shop
766 Fort St., 778-265-6255, lataqueria.com

2. Cafe Mexico
1425 Store St., 778-265-7880, cafemexico.com

3. Mesa Familiar
1296 Gladstone Ave., 778-265-4725, facebook.com


Best Middle Eastern

1. Yalla
1011 Blanshard St., 250-384-0069, letsgoyalla.ca

2. Superbaba
1325 Blanshard St., 250-590-2725, eatsuperbaba.com

3. Bold Butchery & Grill
1420 Quadra St., 250-590-1126, boldbutchery.com


Best Japanese

1. Fudo
777, 425 Royal Oak Dr., 778-265-3328, fudovictoria.com

2. Sen Zushi
940 Fort St., 250-385-4320, senzushi.com

3. Uchida Eatery
633 Courtney St., 250-388-7383, facebook.com


Best Italian

1. Zambri’s
820 Yates St., 250-360-1171, zambris.ca

2. Il Covo Trattoria
106 Superior St., 250-380-0088, ilcovotrattoria.ca

3. Il Terrazzo
555 Johnson St., 250-361-0028, ilterrazzo.com


Best Eastern European

1. Cook & Pan Polish Delicatessen & Cafe
1527 Amelia St., 250-385-5509, cooknpan.com

2. Sült Pierogi Bar
609 Yates St., 778-265-7858, sultpierogibar.com

3. Taste of Europe Deli
130, 735 Yates St., 778-432-4898, tasteofeuropedeli.ca


Best Vegetarian/Vegan

1. Be Love
1019 Blanshard St., 778-433-7181, beloverestaurant.ca

2. Nourish Kitchen & Cafe
225 Quebec St., 250-590-3426, nourishkitchen.ca

3. Rebar
50 Bastion Sq., 250-361-9223, rebarmodernfood.com


Best Thai

1. Thai Lemongrass
3838 Cadboro Bay Rd., 250-385-3838, thailemongrass.ca

2. My Thai Cafe
1020 Cook St., 250-472-7574, mythaicafe.ca

3. Baan Thai Wok and Bar
1117 Blanshard St., 250-383-0050 and two other locations, baanthaivictoria.ca


Best Chinese

1. Golden City Restaurant
721 Fisgard St., 250-386-8404, goldencityrestaurant.ca

2. Ho Tong Restaurant
3388 Douglas St., 250-475-1398, facebook.com

3. J&J Wonton Noodle House
1012 Fort St., 250-383-0680, jjnoodlehouse.ca


Best Burger

1. DeadBeetz

2. Bin 4 Burger Lounge
180, 911 Yates St., 250-590-4154 and two other locations, bin4burgerlounge.com

3. Big Wheel Burger
341 Cook St., 250-381-0050 and two other locations, bigwheelburger.com


More Best Restaurants

The 2018 Best Restaurants were selected by a panel of judges. Meet the judges here

Best Overall Restaurants 

Best New Restaurants 

Best Casual Restaurants 

Best Hidden Gems

Best Chef-Driven 

Best Upscale 

Best Cocktail Bars 

Best Brunch

Best Food Trucks

Best Farm-to-Table

Even More Best Restaurants


This is from the July/August 2018 issue of YAM