Ok. Wow.
Is it just me or is Victoria in the midst of a restaurant renaissance? The list of new, cool openings seems like it just keeps getting longer.
And you, dear reader, are on the frontier of foodie news due to your wise choice to subscribe to Tasting Victoria.
In today’s newsletter there are two EXCLUSIVE scoops you now get to put in your back pocket and break out at the next dinner party (think of me when you’re met with the inevitable coos of shock, admiration, and social accolades).
Happy eating!
— Zoe
TASTING VICTORIA EXCLUSIVE
You heard it here first: Lee’s Donuts will be moving into Broadview Block.
This will be the famous donut shop’s first ever location on the island.
For those of us keeping score, that makes FIVE new food and drink joints coming to the Broad & View area: Lee’s Donuts, Meat & Bread, Ayoub’s Dried Fruits and Nuts, Kyoto Garden, and Citrus & Cane around the corner in Trounce Alley.
THE BIG STORY
Cook Street Village is getting its very own Hey Happy (!).
After months of sitting empty, a corporate behemoth will be transformed into the third act of the beloved local coffee spot.
I sat down with Hey Happy owners Rob Kettner and Andrew Paquet to hear about the plan for the new location, and when exactly we can expect to get our butts in those new seats.
The vision for Cook Street is straightforward: keep Hey Happy's core values of high quality design, incredible coffee, and delicious food in a vibrant atmosphere, while paying homage to the iconic Cook Street Village neighbourhood…
Read the full story here.
📍Moves & Shakes
🥪 Otto: Just opened! 🎉 What a turnaround time! The sandwicherie (real word or not? Vote below) opened this week at 1019 Fort St. to much excitement — so much so they had to announce on their Instagram that they had sold out multiple days in a row and needed some time off to catch up. Get there for the next sandwich restock.
🥗 Fülcanteen: Just opened! 🎉 Healthy, balanced bowls, smoothies with a full menu of add-ons (collagen, creatine, greens, you name it), with sandwiches and sweets, too. More like this please! They alone cannot fill the gaping hole that is healthy fast casual dining in Victoria. Find them at 750 Pandora Ave.
🍕Dough Eyes: Just opened! 🎉 The latest restaurant from Vinuel Restaurant Group (owners of Cafe Brio and Brasserie L’Ecole). Casual, delicious pizza and funky wines in the old Virtuous Pie space at 530 Pandora. Hard to go wrong.
🌺 Janevca: New chef, new menu 🧑🍳 Janevca has reopened (reemerged from the ashes?) with a brand new identity. New Executive Chef Lenny Moy’s menu is a fusion of Italian and Asian influences, while retaining the wood-fired cooking core that is key to Janevca’s identity.
🦪 The Courtney Room: New chef, new menu 🧑🍳 New Executive Chef Julie Hyde is now leading the team at The Courtney Room, and there’s a brand new, refined menu to prove it. Word on the street is it’s a definite step up. Have you been in yet? Reply and let us know your thoughts!
🍵 Kyoto Garden: Coming soon! 📣 There’s a Kyoto inspired tea house being built at the Broad and View St. intersection. They’ll be serving Japanese tea and desserts, like matcha, hojicha and other Kyoto specialties. It’s a big space to fill and we can’t wait to see what they do with it!
🍠 YAM’s 2026 Best Restaurant Awards: New awards just dropped! Chobap was anointed YAM’s Restaurant of the Year and Lumache earned Best New Restaurant. Agree or disagree?
Did we miss a spot? Reply back and let us know!
🎟️ Upcoming Events
🍎 Local Folk Summer Fair at Sea Cider
What: This third annual summer fair takes over Sea Cider Farm & Ciderhouse’s entire orchard and forest grounds for a day. Wander the Orchard Market, filled with 50 curated vendors, catch live music and dance, let the kids loose on the play stations, and graze on local food and drink. A proper Island summer Sunday. Admission is $5 at the door.
When: Sunday, July 12 from 11 AM to 4 PM
Where: Sea Cider Farm & Ciderhouse, 2487 Mt. St. Michael Rd
☕ Discovery Night Market
What: Discovery Coffee is staying up a little later this summer for its very first night market. They promise an evening of local food, artists, and vendors gathered at their Oak Bay cafe. The July 17 market leans tasty, with food from Whisk & Yolk, Good Filling Sankaku, Forest of Butter, and Big Black Lunchbox. It’s an exciting line up since these eats are all currently “pop-up only,” so this is a rare chance to try them out. Shop local, meet your neighbours, and fill your tummy.
When: Friday, July 17 from 5 PM to 9 PM (second market is Friday, August 14)
Where: Discovery Coffee, 1920 Oak Bay Ave
🍷 Cowichan Valley Wine Festival
What: A month-long, self-guided ramble through the Island's oldest wine region. One ticket buys you a QR code that gets scanned at each of the eleven participating wineries, among them Blue Grouse, Unsworth, Averill Creek, Zanatta, Cherry Point, and Cobble Hill Winery. Pick a few and do a day trip or spread it across all of August. If you scan in at eight or more your name goes in the draw for a full case of Cowichan wine. A handful of stops require tasting reservations, so check ahead before you point the car up the Malahat. There’s a kickoff party on July 29th, too.
When: Saturday, August 1 to Monday, August 31
Where: Eleven wineries across the Cowichan Valley (Cobble Hill, Mill Bay and Duncan)
Are you hosting a food event? Reply to let us know.
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