The best Chinatown and Old Town restaurants in Victoria — dumplings, bao, wine bars, and date-night rooms.
Start with Il Terrazzo, Cafe Malabar, and Brasserie L'École. The archive links below are worth a scroll for the backstory — just check hours and details before you head out, since they change.
All within a few blocks of Fisgard Street, Government Street, and Market Square.
Treat this as a shortlist, not gospel. Start with the current picks, raid the archive links for the backstory, and always check hours, menus, and reservations before you head out — these things move around.
The archive isn't filler. It's here when an older Tasting Victoria story still explains why a place, neighbourhood, or dish is worth your time.
Inspired by Northern Italian cuisine with a Pacific Northwest twist, Il Terrazzo has served Victoria for three decades from its hidden Waddington Alley courtyard with six fireplaces and a vine-draped patio.
A Keralan kitchen perched on the Inner Harbour at the edge of Old Town, with a waterfront patio and a menu built around South Indian cuisine using local seafood and produce.
A small French country brasserie at the edge of Chinatown. Since 2001, the room has stayed intimate, the wine list deep, and steak frites and mussels among the city's most-ordered plates.
A snug, sexy wine bar in Chinatown with a low-lit room, an ever-changing bottle list, and a kitchen turning out shareable plates built around local produce.
A modern Japanese bistro in Old Town with a bright dining room popular for casual weeknights. The aburi oshi is some of the best in the city.
A Chinatown counter doing a single immersive tasting menu built around the fields, forests, and waters of Coastal BC. Set aside two and a half hours.