Best Food Tour in Victoria, BC: A Taste of Victoria Review
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If you’re considering booking a food tour in Victoria, BC, A Taste of Victoria is a great way to experience the city’s food scene while learning a little about its history along the way.
I booked this walking tour during our three-day trip to Victoria because it consistently stood out in the reviews. I also liked that A Taste of Victoria is locally owned and that the owner, Andy, still guides many of the tours himself. We ended up with Andy as our guide, along with eight other guests, for an afternoon of walking through downtown Victoria and sampling everything from perogies and biscuits and gravy to matcha and cream puffs.
After about seven food stops, we finished the tour pleasantly full and with a better understanding of how Victoria’s history has influenced its surprisingly diverse food scene. In this guide, I’ll share what the A Taste of Victoria Food Tour was actually like, how much food and walking to expect, and what I’d want to know before booking it yourself.
Traveling Tessie’s Quick Take
Experience: A Taste of Victoria Food Tour
Location: Downtown Victoria, BC
Duration: About 2 hours
Group Size: 10 people on my tour
Food Included: About 7 tastings, enough to replace lunch
Best For: Food lovers, first-time Victoria visitors, and travelers who enjoy a little history with their food
Traveling Tessie Approved? ✓ Yes
Table of Contents
What to Know Before Booking A Taste of Victoria
A Taste of Victoria is a walking food tour through downtown Victoria that combines local food stops with stories about the city and its history. The tour is easy to fit into a day of sightseeing, but a few things are worth knowing before you book, especially about cost, timing, and how much food is included.
How Much Does the A Taste of Victoria Food Tour Cost?
Our tour cost less than $100 USD per person, and I thought the experience was well worth the price. We visited about seven food stops over the tour, with enough food to completely replace lunch for us.
Since tour prices can change, I recommend checking the current rate for your travel dates rather than planning around a specific price.
How Long Is the A Taste of Victoria Food Tour?
The tour lasts about two hours, which felt like just the right amount of time. With roughly seven food stops along the way, we kept moving to something new without the tour ever feeling rushed.
We booked the 11:30 a.m. tour, and I think that timing worked especially well. We grabbed coffee and a pastry for breakfast beforehand and treated the food tour as our lunch. By the end, we were fuller than we would have been after a typical lunch, but not uncomfortably stuffed.
I definitely wouldn’t recommend eating a full meal right before your tour. You’ll want to arrive hungry enough to actually enjoy all of the tastings.
Where Does the A Taste of Victoria Food Tour Start?
This particular tour meets in downtown Victoria at Phillips Brewing Tasting Room, and we had no trouble finding the meeting point. The location was easy to get to on foot, which makes the tour especially convenient if you’re already staying or sightseeing downtown.
Your booking confirmation will include the exact meeting location and arrival instructions, so I recommend double-checking those details before your tour in case anything changes.
What to Expect on the A Taste of Victoria Food Tour
Our group had 10 people, including the two of us, and our guide was Andy, the owner of A Taste of Victoria. I chose this tour because I liked that it was locally owned and that Andy still guides many tours himself, so I was happy to learn he’d be leading ours.
Andy kept the tour casual and interesting from the beginning. It never felt scripted or cheesy, and there wasn’t much downtime between the food stops. As we walked, he shared fun facts about Victoria’s history and pointed out interesting places along the route.
I’d say the tour was roughly 60% food and 40% history, which was a good balance for me. The history added context without turning the experience into a walking history tour with a few snacks thrown in. Andy also connected some of Victoria’s history to the food we were trying, including how the city developed such a wide variety of international cuisines.
What Kind of Food Do You Eat on the Tour?
We stopped at about seven different places during our tour, but I’m intentionally not going to tell you exactly where we went. Part of the fun was not knowing what was coming next, and the restaurants can rotate, so your experience may be different from ours anyway.
What I can tell you is that the food was surprisingly varied. We tried everything from perogies and biscuits and gravy to matcha and cream puffs, with a mix of savory and sweet tastings throughout the tour. Nothing felt repetitive, and there wasn’t a single stop where I was hesitant about trying what was served.
The perogies ended up being my favorite bite of the tour. I’d actually never had one before, and they were delicious. More than any individual dish, though, I appreciated trying such a wide range of food in one afternoon. It made the tour feel like an introduction to Victoria’s broader food scene rather than a collection of similar tastings.
How Much Food Is Included?
Come hungry! With about seven tastings included, there was more than enough food for the tour to replace a full meal.
What I liked most about the portions was the balance. We weren’t getting huge servings at every stop, so I could enjoy everything we tried without getting so full I couldn't do the next tasting. By the end of the tour, I was definitely full, but not in that uncomfortable, “I never want to look at food again” kind of way.
For me, it was the right amount of food for a two-hour tour and made the experience feel worth the price, rather than like we were paying mostly for the walking and commentary.
How Much Walking Is Involved?
The tour includes a decent amount of walking, but it never really felt like it. The food stops break up the route nicely, and the pace was comfortable throughout. We never felt rushed getting from one place to the next, but there also wasn’t much standing around waiting for the group to move on.
We were also able to sit down at most of the stops. Not every location had enough seating for the entire group, but there were usually at least a few seats available for anyone who needed a break. Only one or two of our stops didn’t have seating at all.
I’d still wear comfortable shoes since you’ll be exploring downtown Victoria on foot, but I wouldn’t consider the amount of walking a downside of the tour.
Who I Think Will Love This Food Tour
This food tour in particular is especially well suited to first-time visitors. You’re not just moving from one restaurant to another. You’re walking through downtown Victoria while learning about the city’s history along the way, so it gives you a chance to get your bearings while trying several different foods.
It’s also a great fit if food is a big part of how you like to experience a destination, but you don’t necessarily want an entire tour focused on the technical side of food. The mix felt approachable and casual, with enough history between stops to keep the experience interesting.
I’d also consider this tour if you have limited time in Victoria. In about two hours, we tried food from around seven different places, explored part of downtown, and learned more about the city without having to plan any of it ourselves.
After taking the tour myself, I can see why A Taste of Victoria has such great reviews. Between the variety of food, Andy’s casual guiding style, and the bits of Victoria history woven in along the way, it felt like we were getting much more than a progressive lunch through downtown.
For under $100 USD per person, I thought the experience offered plenty of value, especially given how much food was included. I’d happily book the tour again, particularly since the restaurants rotate and there’s a good chance we’d get to try something completely different next time.
If you’re planning your first visit to Victoria, this food tour is easy to work into your trip. You can see exactly where I’d fit it into my 3-day Victoria itinerary, along with the other experiences I’d make time for while you’re in the city.
Happy travels!
-Tess
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Tess Arnold
Hi! I’m Tess, founder of TravelingTessie.com, and not only do I love to travel, but I love immersing myself in new places and finding off the beaten path experiences wherever I go! I’ve lived in 4 different states & traveled to 13 countries and counting. I believe that tourism is meant to benefit both visitors and locals alike—and I want to bring that idea back into the travel industry by highlighting companies run by locals such as tours, hotels, restaurants, and more. On Traveling Tessie you can find hidden gems in top destinations around the world, travel tips, detailed city guides, and tons of inspiration for your next trip! If you love travel as much as I do, then please join me on this journey! I hope you enjoy my content as much as I enjoy providing it for you!