It's been a while since I posted a "where to go when in Victoria", so with the Easter Long weekend rapidly approaching, I thought it's time to get back at it. As I mentioned a couple of days ago, the cruise ships are going to be rolling once again on the west coast enroute to Alaska, and they have 230+ scheduled stops right here in the capital city.
Occasionally I write about where to go and enjoy food and beverage while visiting the city because I find tour groups mis-lead you. If you are a new to my blog, you should know that I spent many years in tourism transportation on the West Coast. There aren't too many places that I don't know about or haven't been. If you are planning on visiting our fine city, or have a customer who's booked on a cruise ship this may be an interesting post for them.
It's true, that when I travel, I enjoy going to where the locals hang out. I like to experiment with my food and beverage as I think this plays such a major part in the enjoyment of travel. So, having said that, be cautious of where your tour guide is sending you. They may suggest places to go because they:
a) Don't know any better
b) Get a kick back from the proprietor
c) Is they only place they know because someone told them ten years ago it was good.
This is true. I travel a fair amount, particularily on cruise lines, and this is what I am finding. So I self direct my dining excursions by asking, research and recommendations. Victoria is a lovely city steeped in tradition. (mostly British) but hey, we'll take it. It is said that there are more pubs per capita in this region than anywhere else in the country. Not bad considering the population is only 400,000. You can find almost everything and anything within the confines of our very small, quaint inner harbour district. The best part, is most of the downtown area is within walking distance and transportation is optional on the most part. Depending on your physical ability and how adventurous you may be.
When you get to Victoria, I hear the same thing. Tour Directors sending people to the same damn places like they are the only ones in the city. Not only does this sometimes send people away with a mis-represented impression of our city, but maybe feeling a little deflated on expectations. So print this post out before you travel and have it in your pocket for your arrival. Where to go, and where not to go in Victoria. A friendly, albeit short, guide from someone who LIVES here and knows better.
The Top 10 places where not to go for food and beverages:
1. The Old Spaghetti Factory. Affordable? Yes! But only tourists eat there and the food is crap.
2. James Bay Inn. Ughh! A few locals, dark and right out of the 70's. A typical beer parlor with the red terry cloth tables. Not my speed.
3. Bent Mast (James Bay) If you stumble across the sign, turn and run the other direction. The worst service I have ever experienced. Not cheap from my recollection either.
4. Cactus Club (Douglas Street) Very young and hip. Food is okay. Service, well, we're not sure. It depends on what day of the week it is. Patio very noisy as it's right at the intersection of Douglas and Fort.
5. Earles on Government. Same as above, just not quite as noisy. Located at the same location as the old Elephant and Castle. Service staff are VERY young and not that attentive.
6. The Shark Club. Sports bar on the north end of Douglas at Hillside. Put bunny ears on the service staff and you'ld swear you were hanging out at Hugh Hefners mansion. Food is average and the service is hit and miss. For me, more misses than hits of late. I guess I'm just too old for that place, I'm not sure. Can be very loud too. If you don't care about anything and just want to watch a game, than this might be the place for you. But unlikely.
7. Blue Crab (James Bay). Used to be my favorite place for seafood, great view of the harbour but something happened. Still trying to figure it out. For the price, I'd go somewhere else. See fine dining selections below.
8. Darcy's Pub (Wharf Street) Not much nice to say about this place, so I won't say anything at all. It's a meat market at the best of times. Period.
9. Milestones (Wharf Street) Great view of the harbour. The service staff are hit and miss here too like most places in town. The food is average. Medium Priced. Not my pick, nor would I recommend it. It's always busy, because of it's location and built in traffic not for what's on the menu. Trust me.
10. Nautical Nellies (Wharf Street) Like Milestones above, by shear virtue of its location and built in traffic, it is always busy. Situated right across from the harbour.
The Top 10 places to go for food and beverages: (not in any particular order)
1. Swiftsure. Okay, it's a pub with pub fare. Food decent and the service is average but great patio on the harbor. Alot of tourists, but you will also find alot of the locals there too. Resonably priced.
2. The Bengal Lounge (Empress Hotel). Expensive but worth it. What can we say? It's the Empress and they excel in customer service.
3. Barts (Executive Inn) Small, in the basement but in the middle of the action downtown. Lots of locals. very few people from out of town even know it's there. Resonably priced. Service is always good. The place for a good beer and a burger.
4. Noodle Box (Douglas Street) The only fast food joint on my list. My favorite by far. It is also licensed. can be loud, takes a while to get your food but it's fun and the food consistantly good.
5. Bard and Banker (Government Street). Reletively new. Housed in old heritage building. Great beer, service is slightly above average. Can be pricey. But fun for the adults. A real taste of Britain and Ireland.
6. Canoe Club (Further down Government Street) Hey, my kind of place, they brew their own beer. Right on the water, fabulous patio. Can be pricey but worth it. Service is hit and miss but everything else makes up for it.
7. Swans (not far from Canoe Club) Gold medal winners for their beer. Situated in a very quaint botique hotel. Great live jazz and blues music at night. Try the IPA, the best.
8. Christies carriage House (Fort Street). Not walking distance. Take a cab to my old neighborhood. Personally, one of the best neighborhood pubs in the city. Reasonably priced, service is consistantly good and the beer selection is massive.
9. Cafe Brio. (Fort Street) Fine dining. Incredible food and service and a fabulous wine selection.
10. Il Terazzo. Italian dining adjacent to Market Square. My favorite for fine dining in town. I have been going here for years and have yet to be dissapointed. Call for reservations or you won't get in. It's that good.
NOTE: I have to add #11 to this catagory because I was really hard on anything that operates on Wharf Street. Be careful, anything down that strip is way over priced with average to below average service. With the exception of Sauce. Located on Wharf by the Blue Bridge. Great patio, fun atmosphere, reasonably priced and the service has been exceptionally good for the many times I have been there. Bording on fine dining but not quite. They make a mean martini!
There you go. There is more, but I had to narrow it down to my least favorites and favorites. If there is something else you would like to know about, let me know and I will give you the straight goods on it. There are some fabulous places to go in Victoria, I hope this helps in making your experience a nice one in which you may want to write home about.
Note: I am not affiliated with any restaurant or hospitality organization and these are my own views
Next time around we'll talk about tipping. This is big topic of late on the blogs and travel magazines, so I will give you my perspective on that later.
Happy touring.
WSG (Fototrips) Posting news of interest from around the world relating to travel and photography.
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