YAM magazine’s Best Restaurant Awards 2024 celebrate Greater Victoria, B.C.’s exciting food scene, judged by an independent panel of chefs and food experts.
BY CINDA CHAVICH | PHOTO BY ANDREA CONFORTI

Best Cocktail Bar or Lounge: Humboldt Bar
722 Humboldt Street | $$-$$$ | humboldtbar.com | No reservations; walk-ins only
Humboldt Bar offers an “immersive cocktail experience” designed by long-time city mixologist and bar manager Brant Porter. It’s a journey into the world of historic polymath and explorer Alexander von Humboldt, through a cool cocktail menu that details his life with stories and vintage botanical prints.
Imagine the discoveries of this famed 19th-century German naturalist and his worldly adventures while sipping cocktails called Lost in The Woods or Concentrated Sunbeams — and contemplate the many things named for him, from the Humboldt Current and Humboldt Squid to the downtown Victoria street where you’ll find this elegant and intimate bar.
One of our judges loves the Republic of Letters, made with Irish whiskey, Armagnac, amber vermouth, Bénédictine, bitters and candle wax, a dark and complex cocktail that conjures Humboldt’s era of exploration in every sip.
Runners-up: