Vegan Vacation: Victoria, British Columbia

Hey there! We had a fun-filled two-week vacation, but it’s good to be back. I’ve got a lot going on, so I’m going to try to make this brief! First, we had the most amazing weather in Victoria and Seattle—totally lucked out. We definitely want to move to Victoria, but I know that the cloudless weather we had is certainly not the norm. Either way, Victoria is high on our list of vacation spots. This is the view from our room. Instead of putting you through our vacation photos, I’ll skip to the food! I was pleasantly surprised at how vegan-friendly Victoria is; we had no trouble finding places to eat and stuff ourselves silly. For us, most everything was in walking distance, too. Our hotel had a small kitchen so we were able to at least prepare some meals ourselves. We started each morning with a short walk to a great coffee shop:

Moka House Coffee

Excellent coffee and service and even had veggie burritos and veggie rolls—The Husband’s favorite.

Rebar

50 Bastion Square, Victoria

Definitely a favorite!

Kale Salad: $9 (vegan)

Potsticker Bowl $13 (vegetarian)

Rebar Poutine $12 (vegetarian)

Vegan brownie (can’t remember the price. Don’t care. It was awesome)

Rebar is very popular and fills up, so you may have to wait for a table, but it’s worth it. If you can’t make it, don’t worry—they have a cookbook!

Green Cuisine Vegetarian Restaurant

#5 560 Johnson Street, Victoria

Vegan Mac n’ Cheese. That’s all you need to know. Okay, they have more than that, but be sure to try it, because it is fantastic. Green Cuisine is buffet style and prices are based on plate weight. There were so many items to choose from, that this was such an ideal way to try a bit of everything! Plus, it was all delicious. The menu changes often, so check their website for the menu.

On a side note, I was really bummed that Sarah’s Place, a vegan shop above the restaurant, closed just one day before we arrived. Luckily, you can still order online! I want to wish Sarah a speedy recovery, as she is having to undergo chemo for breast cancer. Keep her in your thoughts and send her a friendly note if you can!

Lotus Pond Vegetarian Restaurant

617 Johnson Street, Victoria

We went with the lunch buffet (also priced by plate weight), or you can order from the menu. The place is pretty small, but seemed to be a local favorite. We really enjoyed it.

I will probably never forget this meal or this restaurant, because we ate here shortly after I about lost my shit out in the ocean in a kayak. We kayak a lot, but of course, being in Colorado, we’re confined to lakes and rivers. I’ve never been a big fan of being in the ocean, but I thought, hell, I could do this. After getting out a little too far, where the bay opened up and the waters got a bit choppy, I freaked. I was in the back of a 2-man kayak with The Husband and suddenly I panicked, thinking we were going to get eaten by a whale, a shark, or an orca . . . or all three. This was moments before I started hyperventilating:

Anyway, I digress . . . If go, see Joanna at Victoria Kayak ~ Tours & Rental. She’s the best! (Us, after being safely back on deck)!

The Joint Pizzeria  

1219 Wharf Street, Victoria, BC

Another great local favorite. Pretty small inside, but we were able to score a table. The Joint offers vegan and gluten-free pizzas, which you can have made on the spot, or take a slice or two to-go. They make their vegan pizzas with Daiya cheese (even though the menu says, “our own vegan cheese”). Whatever, I was happy with the Daiya.

The Ninth Grader went with the nachos with veggie meat.

Blue Poppy Restaurant—Butchart Gardens

We hopped the bus one day and went up to The Butchart Gardens (a must-see if you visit). They have two restaurants and we opted for the cafeteria-style, Blue Poppy. We all went with the $8 salad that was ok—it sufficed. There weren’t many vegetarian options otherwise, although I believe they had a vegetarian Indian dish. It looks like the menu changes often, so you may want to call ahead to find out what veg-friendly options they’ll have that day.

Is that it? I guess so. I will end it by featuring a British Columbia wine that was outstanding (especially while being enjoyed on the balcony, overlooking the bay):

Red Rooster Winery

I’ll be bringing you our vegan Seattle finds soon!