Searching for the best Victoria food tours? A Taste of Victoria will leave you satisfied.
While exploring Victoria’s food and drink scene, I enlisted the help of a local food tour to understand better what makes the city a foodie favorite.
Although I covered this outing in my overall take on British Columbia’s capital city, a dedicated Taste of Victoria tour review is warranted. It’s that good.
📌 Book Your Victoria Food Tour Here
Meet Andy, Your Victoria Food Tours Guide
Andy is your guy if you want a crash course on Victoria’s history and its wonderful food scene. He did his undergrad in history at the University of Victoria and spent four years as a summertime pedicab driver, giving guided tours of his city. His love of food, local sights, and local ingredients led him to create A Taste of Victoria Food Tours, a perfect way to show off the city and some of its tastiest locations.
At the time of my Taste of Victoria Food tour review, Andy had only been operating for nine months but had already served over 1000 satisfied guests. Again. He is that good.
If the above doesn’t already make him overqualified, he loves to travel, too. He has visited 47 countries, so you know he is well-versed in cultures from all over the world, making him appreciate and understand Victoria’s diverse food scene that much more.
Market Eats
Our three-hour tour kicked off at the Victoria Public Market, something I didn’t even know existed until this visit. Although located in the 1921 Hudson’s Bay building, the origins of the market are much more recent.
The beautiful building was saved from years of vacancy and turned into the present-day market in 2013. Modeled after New York’s Chelsea Market, it currently houses plenty of unique boutique shops and restaurants and hosts events such as cooking classes and Victoria Craft Beer Week.
All this said I was a bit concerned when Andy ran down where we would be sampling – Olive Oil from Olive the Senses, fresh bread from the French Oven Bakery, pork crackling form Roast Meat & Sandwich shop, and tea from Silk Road Tea. Not because they didn’t sound great. They sounded like places that give away free samples. How would I fill up on that? And where is the value?
The short answer is that I was so very wrong.
At Olive the Senses, Andy explained the market’s interesting story and how it has become a focal point for flavor in the community. He highlighted how the shops work well together for both owners and clients, then gave us time to sample flavored oils and vinegar.
We were asked to grab our favorites to bring along to our next stop, the French Oven Bakery. There, we sampled some amazing bread, including the softest ciabatta I have ever had, all while dipping in the oils and vinegar we brought with us.
Smart.
Andy then advised us to grab some of our favorite bread for our next stop, Roast Meat & Sandwich Shop. Known for its use of only natural and humane meat, this spot is a local favorite for its sandwiches and massive (baked, not fried) pork crackling.
We got to sample a small piece along with a couple of meatballs swimming in an amazing marinara sauce. The bread came in handy to sop up the remains.
Again, it’s so smart. It was a great way to tie the market together, creating a sense of community between local vendors and local flavours. And really, isn’t that what a local market should be?
Chinatown Stroll
We left the market fuller than anticipated and made our way through Victoria’s historic Chinatown. This is where Andy’s knowledge of the city really shined. I have visited Victoria several times and through the area but missed many things.
Notably, a phone booth (who uses payphones?) decorated in Chinese fashion and the story behind the beautiful Victoria Chinese Public School, which still operates today.
We then ducked down the narrow corridor of Fan Tan Alley, again something I did not know existed until taking this Taste of Victoria Food Tour.
I won’t give away all the details as I think you should take the tour, but I will say the history of gambling and Chinese culture is fascinating in North America’s second-oldest Chinatown.
Local Favorites
Our next couple of stops were local favorites, both old and new. First up was John’s Place, an eclectic diner known for its breakfast and has been operating in the same spot for 30+ years. It is also known for its homemade soup du jour, which we sampled regardless of it being a hot summer day. Try the borshch if available!
Booking.comSticking with an Eastern European trend we then visited the Sült Pierogi Bar where I had the best pierogies outside of Warsaw, excluding my grandmother’s of course. Why pierogies in Victoria and what makes them so good?
As manager Ryan Broeckhuizen explains, Sült Pierogi Bar exists because they wanted to embrace Canada’s diversity through food. They made a simple Eastern European staple Canadian by stuffing them with locally sourced and seasonal ingredients.
It’s the use of these fresh ingredients that makes the place so good and a new local hotspot.
Their hip bar with local craft beer on tap doesn’t hurt. Nor does their bacon confit, which is made slowly over time and with plenty of love. And yes, you can taste the love.
Full Up on A Taste of Victoria Food Tours
By the time we wobbled out of Sült, I was stuffed. Thankfully we had a bit of a stroll down Government Street before our final stop at Rogers Chocolates. Along the way, Andy filled us in with titbit after titbit on this historic town and its architecture.
This included the story about the mural on the Belmont building. Painted in 1922 simply because the folks behind this new building complained about losing their Olympic Mountain range view.
I am not sure how many times I looked at this mural without knowing it.
The history lesson continued inside Rogers Chocolates while we sampled a tasty truffle. From there, it was back to the harbor for goodbyes and one final story about the town’s most famous hotel.
The Empress recently got a facelift which included the removal of its iconic vines growing up its walls. While doing this, workers found all sorts of jewelry, leaving them to believe that a family of raccoons used to live in the vines and were stealing items from rooms with windows opened for relief during the pre-AC days. Can you imagine how much grief the hotel staff probably got and for how long?
It’s interesting stories like that, as well as Andy’s clear knowledge and love for local food, that make a Taste of Victoria food tours a no-brainer. Seriously, I’ve taken food tours all over the world, and this is truly one of the best.
The only thing that would improve it is if Victoria had open liquor laws (like New Orleans) so you could take samples of some of the great craft breweries as you stroll. Someday.
How to Book A Taste of Victoria Food Tours
At the time of updating this post, A Taste of Victoria Food Tours costs $99 per person. This includes multiple tastings and an excellent guide. You can book your tickets through Viator or directly through A Taste of Victoria Food Tours official website.
📌 Book Your Victoria Food Tour Here
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Although my Taste of Victoria food tour was made possible by a Tourism Victoria.
As always, the experience, opinions, and love of local eats are my own.
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