With Canadians not wanting to travel to the USA at the moment, we have more opportunities to explore our beautiful country. I do enjoy eating tasty food and visiting wineries where I can sample their wines and maybe speak with the wine maker. Victoria is a wonderful place to visit. It has a culinary scene and it is close to visit wineries in Southern Vancouver Island.
I put together this 2-day itinerary that I thought may be of interest to many of my readers. It can give you a starting point for your short stay, and you can tweak it to make it a perfect fit for you. The itinerary below assumes that you will spend two full days in the Victoria area, so does not count travel to and from Victoria. I also added in two brewery stops in case you like a mid-day pint. Enjoy.
MyWinePal’s Suggested 2-Day Victoria Itinerary
Downtown Restaurants
Day 1: Old Town & Inner Harbour
Breakfast – Jam Cafe (8:00 AM) In the heart of Old Town Victoria, just steps from the Harbour, Jam Cafe pioneered their classic Southern style meals and is recognized as one of the best brunch and breakfast spots in Downtown Victoria. Try the Buffalo Blue Benny or the tiramisu pancakes.
Lunch – Red Fish Blue Fish (12:00 PM) A seasonal dockside seafood restaurant on Victoria’s Inner Harbour, known for its creative hand-roll-style tacos and modern take on traditional seafood dishes, and as an Ocean Wise partner. The BC halibut is legendary. Expect a short wait as it moves fast and the harbour views make it worthwhile.
Afternoon Beer – Whistle Buoy Brewing (3:30 PM) Whistle Buoy Brewing is the only craft brewery in the heart of downtown Victoria, located in Market Square, just off of Lower Johnson Street. They brew in small, limited-edition batches, so the beer is always fresh with constantly rotating taps.
Dinner – Marilena Cafe + Raw Bar (7:00 PM – Reserve in advance!) Your top priority for BC wines. They honour the Island’s premier wineries such as Unsworth Vineyard’s Charme de L’île sparkling wines, and Averill Creek’s Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and Blue Grouse Estate Winery, only a 45-minute drive from the restaurant. YAM’s 2025 Restaurant of the Year, Best Big Night Out, Outstanding Service, and Best Wine Program. It’s also ranked among Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants.
Day 2: Harbourfront
(Location: The Courtney Room. Credit: Geoff Hobson)
Breakfast/Brunch – The Courtney Room (9:00 AM) Nestled in an enchanting boutique hotel, The Courtney Room was named Restaurant of the Year at the YAM Restaurant Awards. Known for upscale Pacific Northwest brunch using the freshest Vancouver Island ingredients; smoked salmon benny or buttermilk fried chicken and waffles are standouts. They carry a strong selection of BC wines if you want a morning bubbly or glass of Okanagan sparkling.
Lunch – Finn’s Seafood Restaurant (12:30 PM) A restaurant with a view, conveniently located on Wharf Street on the harbour in the heart of downtown Victoria. Their menu offers a wide selection of BC craft beers and BC VQA wines. The sablefish and fresh oyster bar are standouts, and September is a perfect time to sit on the harbour patio.
Afternoon Pint – Garrick’s Head Pub (3:30 PM) The Garrick’s Head Pub is home to Vancouver Island’s largest selection of draught beer, with 55 taps featuring craft beer from Victoria and the rest of B.C., as well as from all over the Pacific Northwest and around the world. One of the oldest English pubs in Canada, set in beautiful Bastion Square with a wood-burning fireplace and lovely patio.
Dinner – Brasserie L’Ecole (6:00 PM – No reservations, arrive early. Open Tue-Sat.) Taking a seasonal approach to French cuisine, this downtown eatery is named after the old school building which it calls home, walking the fine line between fancy and casual. Dishes are deeply satisfying, with moules frites a constant crowd pleaser, as are the rotating selection of prime steaks. Brasserie L’Ecole is a cozy French steakhouse with an extensive French wine list that beautifully complements the menu.
Chinese Restaurant Recommendation: March
In case you would like to add in an Asian restaurant into your dining mix, March on Langley Street is the top pick with a small, intimate Cantonese restaurant run by chef-owner Calista, who trained in a Michelin-starred kitchen. It’s received rave reviews for its handcrafted dishes like beef sheng jian bao with crispy lace, custard buns, chicken oil rice, cold noodles with marinated pork belly, and fresh-made egg tarts.
One catch: March is open Wednesday – Sunday, dinners from 4:30 PM (Fri/Sun also open from 12:30 PM for lunch).
Winery Visits
If you want to hit all the restaurants I’ve outlined above, you may have only time to fit in one or two wineries between lunch and dinner. If you travel up the Saanich Peninsula, past the Victoria International Airport there are two wineries you could visit: Deep Cove Winery and Invinity Sparkling Wine House. Slightly closer is Church & State Wines in Brentwood Bay. If you take Hwy 1, aka the Malahat, the two closest wineries that you may want to visit are Unsworth Vineyards and Enrico Winery. There are more wineries to the north of Unsworth and Enrico that you may want to visit, such as Blue Grouse Estate Winery, Venturi-Schulze Vineyards, and Averill Creek Vineyard.
Have fun visiting Victoria and the surrounding wineries. If you have travelled to Victoria recently, please provide your comments on restaurants, wineries, or other sites you visited that you would recommend.
