Fan Tan Cafe - filling stomaches in the heart of Chinatown

The Fan Tan Café has been a fixture in Victoria’s Chinatown for decades (their website says 28 years and I’m apt to believe them). Tucked in the middle of Chinatown, they form half of the gateway to Fan Tan Alley.

Fan Tan Cafe right at entrance to Fan Tan Alley

A large fish tank greets you as you open the door, acting as a visual screen between the entrance and the rest of the restaurant. The tables are cosy, the chairs are comfy and the drinks are classic. Being there on a Thursday, Long Island Ice Teas were on sale – so we ordered up a couple and tasted the 80’s again.

Hot & Cold Cafe - you'll warm right up to this place

Unfortunately, The Hot & Cold Cafe has closed this location on Pandora.
…fortunately, they still have their Cook St. Village location!


The Hot & Cold Café has recently opened up a second location on Pandora Avenue (the first one is tucked into Cook Street Village, just up from the Beagle pub). This new location is nestled up to Relish, a favourite restaurant of mine (best scones ev-a, and the breakfast isn’t a slouch either), but I digress…

The Hot & Cold is open Monday-Friday from 9:30 for coffee & baked goods and at 11am, they roll out their full lunch menu. The lunch menu includes soups, salads, sandwiches & rice bowls (plus they have a special of the day).

Lots of delish looking baked goods to liven up your morning coffee and then even more tasty-looking items for lunch….

Foo Asian Street Food - thousands of people (& a TV show) can't be wrong

Victoria's Foo, at the corner of Blanshard Street and Yates Street, is housed in a small building, once just used for storage, then a liquor store and finally, now, to some fabulous asian-inspired street food. You can take your food away, saddle up to the stools inside, or (if the weather is nice) pull up a seat on the patio.

Foo Asian Street Food at Yates & Blanshard

All the food offerings are listed on large blackboards, above the counter that overlooks the kitchen. The two larger ones show the regular menu and the smaller one above the register shows the day's specials.

Relish - Weekend Brunch Happiness

Relish is a lovely little cafe located on Pandora Avenue, just east of Quadra Street. Bookended on the corners by McD's and a Provincial Government office, a few older, one-storey buildings house a large amount of food-goodness. Relish is one of them (the Blair-Mart and Hot and Cold Cafe are worth standalone future blog write-ups). Relish is open Monday-Friday for breakfast & lunch and on Saturdays for brunch. A weekend brunch was our meal destination – so we slid into the last available table at the time.

Relish's sunny tables on Pandora Ave.

The menu is not long but it is diverse – including granola, french toast, bennies, sandwiches and a burger. Some of the menu items have very interesting Korean & Chinese influences, as well. They also have a beautiful espresso machine - so you can start your meal off...

Devour - and we did...every last morsel

Unfortunately Devour has closed their doors :-(
For fans of this little gem of a place, they are coming out with a cookbook.


A tiny little lunch and early dinner spot tucked away on Broughton Street (near Blanshard) is Devour Bistro. The name aptly explains what you'll be doing. There's seating inside and a few tables outside, where you can soak up the sun (which we did).

Recently I met up with a friend and we pretended to be a ladies-who-lunch. And ladies who lunch can start the meal properly....