Friday, March 29, 2024

These are Victoria Buzz’s top 10 favourite restaurants that opened in 2019

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Victoria saw a trend in 2019 of new restaurants that focussed on local ingredients, sustainable meals, and plant-based goodness. 

But there is plenty of diversity in the 10 eateries listed here! 

You can snack on anything from a beetroot burger to a Schnitzel Grilled Cheese to S’More Ice Cream, so get out there and support these great, new local businesses. 

Deadbeetz Burgers

Victoria’s food industry sports many great examples of food trucks evolving into established storefronts, and Deadbeetz is the latest to try it! 

The beetroot-based food truck has been a staple in Victoria for years now, and their new Oak Bay brick-and-mortar location is just as popular for people craving their beet burgers and Fresh Fried Root Vegetable Chips.

  • Hours: 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday
  • Location: 1950 D Oak Bay Avenue

Nowhere * A restaurant

This is a hard restaurant to find (and talk about), but it’s worth the search. 

Hidden away inside the courtyard at Broughton and Douglas, Nowhere * A restaurant focuses on sustainable seafood and plant-forward dishes, using Victoria’s proximity to the ocean as a way to experiment with unique ingredients. 

But their meat dishes are sumptuous as well — just check out this photo of dry-aged beef with pecorino fiore sardo cheese-stuffed pasta and fresh greens!

  • Hours: 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday
  • Location: #G4 1001 Douglas Street

House of Boateng

With an Executive Chef from Ghana, a Head Chef from Japan, and a Co-Owner from England, House of Boateng truly is an international restaurant. 

Named as YAM Magazine’s Best New Restaurant in 2019, and shortlisted for Air Canada’s Best Canadian Restaurants, House of Boateng focuses on three simple things — fresh ingredients, delightful service, and good food.

Anyone who has tried their Duck Mac and Cheese will know that those three things are all you need!

  • Hours:
    • 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Monday through Friday
    • 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Saturday and Sunday
  • Location: 105-2854 Peatt Road

Paul’s Diner by Fol Epi

One beloved Victoria institution meets another beloved Victoria institution, and the results are magical. 

In July 2019, local bakery Fol Epi took over the legendary Paul’s Diner, revamping the menu while keeping the old-school cool of the space. 

With meals like the Mushroom and Kale Benny, Schnitzel Grilled Cheese, and Pulled Pork hot dog, the restaurant offers an entirely new dining experience that still pays tribute to the diner style that was so popular. 

  • Hours
    • 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday
    • 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., Friday through Saturday
    • 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Sunday through Monday
  • Location: 1900 Douglas Street

Virtuous Pie

This Vancouver-born, plant-based pizza joint has had its eye on Victoria for their newest location for over a year now, and they opened for business on December 15, 2019. 

The eatery offers a multitude of pizzas, ranging from Margherita, to Sweet Pepper and Sausage, and all of them are entirely vegan. 

And, like all great Victoria restaurants, they even have vegan Shafts to drink. When in Rome…!

  • Hours
    • 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., Sunday through Thursday
    • 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., Friday through Saturday
  • Location: 530 Pandora Avenue

Dosa Paragon

Another amazing vegan option in Victoria, Dosa Paragon opened in August as the first South Indian restaurant in Victoria and most likely on the Island, as well. 

Unlike other East Indian eateries in town, this restaurant specializes in cuisine local to the south Indian state of Kerala and everything on the menu is made from scratch by the husband-and-wife duo, “Bob” Unnikrishnan and his wife Lathika.

Our recommendation, though, is their Chicken Biryani – an aromatic and flavourful spiced rice and chicken dish!

  • Hours: 
    • 11:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday
    • 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday
    • 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Sunday
  • Location: 735 Yates Street

Breakwater Tasting Room

No, the Breakwater Tasting Room isn’t entirely new (it opened in 2018), but with a new Head Chef, it may as well be. 

Head Chef Israel Alvarez, formerly of Pujol, CDMX (named the best restaurant in Mexico City by the Wall Street Journal), has handcrafted a tantalisingly intimate menu of authentic Nixtamal tacos and botanas with an unmistakable Pacific Northwest twist. 

With sustainable and ethically sourced ingredients — and unbelievably tasty handmade tortillas — this is some of the finest food you’ll find anywhere in North America, situated on one of the most scenic spots on Vancouver Island.

  • Hours: 4:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday
  • Location: 199 Dallas Road

Wind Cries Mary

Wind Cries Mary opened this past July to popular acclaim in the former Camille’s Restaurant location in Bastion Square, and is one of the city’s newest farm-to-table restaurants.

This quaint hideaway restaurant features an ever-changing menu focused on using locally sourced meat, produce, and seafood, all served family-style in a beautiful, relaxed space.

  • Hours: 5:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m., Tuesday through Sunday
  • Location: 45 Bastion Square

Cacao 70

What’s dinner without dessert? 

September 2019 saw the arrival of Cacao 70, the newest in a chain of chocolate bistros  that started in Montreal in 2011. Their menu contains 10 different chocolate flavours featured in a plethora of dishes including soft-serve dips, customizable fondues, crêpes, and waffle combos.

Their fare is available on UberEats and SkipTheDishes, too, so you can binge on the finest chocolate Canada has to offer, and on Netflix at the same time!

  • Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., all week
  • Location: 611 Fort Street

Perverted Ice Cream

Victoria’s newest and kinkiest ice cream parlour officially opened its doors in July 2019, and their deep and delicious flavours have been a huge hit since!

With flavours like “Beg for S’more” and “Brand Spanking,” it’s not hard to see why Victorians were so excited. 

As it turns out, being perverted has never been more fun

  • Hours
    • 1:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., Sunday through Thursday
    • 1:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday
  • Location: 604 Humboldt Street

With files from Brishti Basu and Carrie Sullivan

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