😋 What is happening in Victoria's food scene this week?

Good morning foodies! It's that time of the year!

Do you love Victoria’s food scene? It’s time to give your favourite restaurants some love! The Tasting Victoria Best Restaurant Awards start today with the nomination phase. Click here to nominate your favourite restaurants in each of our categories!

We would love to hear your favourites in each category, from best date night spot to best cocktails, to hidden gems 💎, and more!

Know a friend or family member who would be interested in nominating their favourite restaurants in town? Forward this email to them. 

Nominations will only be open for a couple weeks, so get started now! Then stay tuned for the next phase where you can vote for the best restaurants! We can't wait to see the results!

😍 5 spots to try right now

🍣 Block Kitchen and Bar: Sharable Asian fusion eats and cocktails at 538 Yates.  

🍕 Virtuous Pie: Vegan pizza and ice cream at 530 Pandora.  

🍷 Bar Poco: Share small plates and enjoy a glass of wine at 616 Trounce Alley.   

🥬 Rudi: Check out Wind Cries Mary’s new venture at 710 Pandora.  

☕ Macondo Colombian Kitchen: Arepas and Colombian coffee at Cook Street Village Food Court.  

Know a great place we should add here? Reply back and let us know!

FEATURED

Our top 10 dishes of 2023

A new year has begun, and as we look back at 2023 we are reflecting on all the truly great food we tasted. So we thought we would share a list of our absolute favourite dishes that we enjoyed this past year. 

From classic staples and dishes from recently opened restaurants to limited edition releases—that we hope will return in the new year—these are the foods and drinks that stood out to us in 2023!

FEATURED

1550’s Pub Style Restaurant says goodbye

As we’ve come to the end of the year, Victoria’s ever changing restaurant scene continues to evolve. 

After 50 years of service in Saanich, 1550's Pub Style Restaurant—a space well known for its vibrant and lively atmosphere, weekly food and drink deals, classic bar foods and draft list—has officially shuttered its doors at the end of 2023. 

The space will transform into The Rack West Coast Bistro, the second location of a Langford-based restaurant specializing in serving locally sourced meals.      

Read more about the restaurant's closure here.  

🗞️ News

Loy Sing Meat Market seeks new owner. The butcher shop in Chinatown is the oldest continuously operated Chinese business in North America. [CHEK] 

La Pasadita’s grand opening is this Saturday. The new venture from Kattia’s Kitchen in Colwood is hosting a party featuring Mexican food, Latin music, and prizes.

Tickets for Culinaire are nearly gone. The Island food and beverage event will take place Apr. 24. Featured presenters include Dumpling Drop, Goodside Pastry House, and 49 Below.

Have a restaurant, business, or event to promote?

Get in touch with our team for small business-friendly advertising plans.

🗓️ Events

Classic Rock Party Night: The Brice Tabish Band will play classic rock music at Hermann’s Upstairs tomorrow. Doors 7pm, show 8:30pm.

Dinner & Drag: Enjoy dinner and drag performances hosted by Mina Mercury at Friends of Dorothy tomorrow, 5:30-8:30pm.  

Motorsports Spectacular: See monster trucks, motocross, and stunts at Save-On Foods Memorial Centre tomorrow and Saturday. 1pm and 7pm.

Goth Nite: Dance to goth rock, EBM, postpunk music and more at Victoria Event Centre this Saturday, 8pm. 

Owen Chow Quintet: The award winning trumpeter will be joined by pianist Ben Sigerson, bassist Louis Rudner, and drummer Kelby MacNayr at Hermann’s Jazz Club this Saturday. Doors 5:30pm, show 7pm.

Cuban Night: Enjoy Latin music and margarita towers at Bard & Banker on Tuesday, 8:30pm.

 💸 Deals

• $5 queso fries and $10 lime margaritas at Leopold's Tavern on Tuesdays from 3pm-close.  

• $18.88 burger and a beer at Penny Farthing on Thursdays after 8pm.  

• $11 smoked ling cod and $11 Amalfi highballs at Wind Cries Mary during daily happy hour from 4-5pm.  

• $6 truffle fries and $12 lychee tini at Earls during daily happy hour from 2-5pm and during late night happy hour from 9pm-close from Sunday to Thursday and from 10pm-close on Friday and Saturday.

🧑‍💻 Jobs

• Cooks Assistant at Fairmont Empress

• Senior Communications Advisor at BC Ferries

• Store Manager at Starbucks

• Brand Marketing Officer at Invest in Canada

• Financial Services Associate at CIBC 

📸 Post of the week

Foodie @anjeatss is ringing in the new year with some brunch and an iconic Victoria view.

That’s it!

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