Victoria Taste Buds

09/28/2026

🍻 Fresh hop season is here!

Driftwood Brewery is kicking off DriftWet on October 4 an afternoon of fresh hop b**rs, surprise guest taps, vinyl in the hop garden + a Hanks A Restaurant/Unicorn Sparkles kitchen takeover. 🍔

Tickets are officially SOLD OUT, but don’t give up just yet! 👀 You can still hop on the cancellation waitlist in case a spot opens up.

And good news: Driftwood plans to make this an annual event! 🙌

We’ve got all the details 👇

Fresh hop season is officially here, and Driftwood Brewery is celebrating with a brand-new event dedicated to one of the

09/19/2026

🍜 A HIDDEN GEM ON FORT STREET YOU’LL WANT TO KNOW ABOUT 👀

If handmade noodles and big bowls of comfort food are your love language, Jiangyun Noodle House needs to be on your list.

Tucked away at 830 Fort Street, this cozy Taiwanese noodle house is serving up handmade noodles, rich broths and seriously generous portions, all in a small, welcoming space that feels a little like you’ve stepped into someone’s home.

🍜 Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup
🥢 Grilled Pork Noodles with Signature Sauce
🍤 Creamy Laksa Noodles with shrimp & mussels
🍚 Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice
🥩 Pan-Fried Beef Tongue
🌿 Plus plenty of gluten-free options

But what really made JiangYun stand out to us was the heart behind it. Owner DanDan is creating more than a place to grab a bowl of noodles, she wants it to be a community space, with local art, future events and the kind of hospitality that makes you want to stick around.

📍 830 Fort St., Victoria
⏰ 12–8 PM | Closed Wednesdays

This is one of those Victoria spots we almost want to gatekeep... almost. 🤫🍜

👉 Read our full JiangYun Noodle House review on the Victoria Taste Buds website:

JiangYun Noodle House is one of those places you almost want to gatekeep… but absolutely can’t.

09/18/2026

🍺 HAVE YOU BEEN TO HOWL BREWING YET? 👀

Tucked away on Lyall Street in Esquimalt, Howl Brewing is one of those places that makes you remember just how fun exploring local craft b**r can be.

Howl specializes in small-batch, hyper-local b**rs made with BC-grown ingredients, with a constantly changing tap list that ventures well beyond the usual styles. Think Viking-inspired ales, hopless herbal gruits, historical smoked b**rs, farmhouse saisons and plenty of other pours you probably haven’t tried before.

Their intimate tasting room is also full of neighbourhood history, and there’s a good chance you’ll be chatting about your b**r with Dan and Alayna, the same people who made it. 🍻

📍 1209 Lyall St., Esquimalt
🍺 Small-batch + hyper-local
🌿 BC ingredients
👀 A tap list for the adventurous b**r drinker

If Howl Brewing isn’t on your local brewery list yet, it should definitely be on your radar.

👉 Read our full Howl Brewing review on the Victoria Taste Buds website: https://victoriatastebuds.ca/2026/05/31/howl-brewing/

One of Victoria's most exciting and genuinely different craft breweries.

09/17/2026

OKAY VICTORIA… WHERE ARE WE GOING FOR A CAESAR?! 🍹👀

I’m currently working on adding more spots to the Victoria Taste Buds Caesar Guide, which means I need to know where you’re ordering your favourites!

We’re talking spicy, smoky, extra pickles, ridiculous garnishes, classic and simple, if it’s a great Caesar, I want to know about it. 😂

So Victoria, help me out: who makes a Caesar that NEEDS to be in the guide?

🌶️ Extra spicy?
🥒 Loaded with pickles?
🥓 Basically an entire meal on top?
🍹 Or just a really damn good classic?

👇 Tag your favourite Victoria Caesar spot in the comments so I can add it to my must-try list!

And yes… I fully accept that researching this guide means drinking a lot of Caesars. It’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make. 😂🍹

CaesarCocktail VictoriaDrinks VictoriaTasteBuds

09/17/2026

🍺 OKTOBERFEST IS COMING TO OAKLANDS! 🥨🌭

Grab your b**r stein and come hungry! Oktoberfest at Oaklands is happening Saturday, October 3, with an evening of local b**r, bratwurst, live music, dancing and plenty of pretzels. 🍻🎶

Your ticket includes a bratwurst meal and your first local b**r from Hoyne Brewing (or c***r), with vegetarian and gluten-free options available too.

📅 Saturday, October 3
⏰ 5:30–10 PM
📍 Oaklands Community Centre
🎟️ $42 | 19+ only

Looking for something fun (and delicious) to add to your October calendar?

👉 Learn more at:

Break out the b**r steins and come hungry, Oktoberfest is returning to Oaklands this October! 🍻🥨🌭 The Oaklands Community Centre

09/16/2026

Where are we going for WINGS? 👀🍗

Crispy, saucy, messy, spicy whatever your wing order looks like, I want to hear about it.

There are SO many great wing spots around Victoria, but everyone seems to have that one place they swear by.

So tell me: where are your favourite wings in Victoria? And more importantly… what flavour are you ordering? 👇

I may need to turn the answers into a Victoria Taste Buds wing guide. 👀

09/12/2026

POV: we grabbed a little bit of everything from Grizzly BBQ and built the ultimate RibFest board 🤤🔥 🐻

We loaded this board up with just some of what they’re serving this weekend:

🍖 Full rack of ribs
🥩 Brisket
🍗 Chicken
🥪 Pulled pork sandwich
🥔 Tallow roasted potatoes
🥗 Coleslaw
🫘 Beans
🩷 Pickled onions
🌽 Cornbread
🔥 House BBQ sauce

Basically… come hungry. 😂

If you’re heading to RibFest this weekend, consider this your reminder to make Grizzly one of your stops!

📍 Bullen Park — 527 Fraser St, Victoria, BC
📅 September 11–13

Now the important question… what are you grabbing off the board first? 👀

Esquimalt Ribfest Esquimalt Fire Fighters IAFF 4264Township of Esquimalt

09/10/2026

Phillips Tasting Room has a NEW food menu and there are some seriously fun things happening over here. 👀🍔🍺

I stopped by to check it out and tried the Classic Smashed Stack and the Mother Clucker and both were SO delicious. The Mother Clucker is a fried chicken sandwich with sweet + spicy sauce, pickles, arugula and coleslaw, and I would absolutely order it again. 🙌

But there is a LOT more on this menu I need to go back for… including a HOT DOG TOWER?! 😂 Four all-beef hot dogs + four crispy corn dogs served on a mountain of tater tots. Tell me that wouldn’t be ridiculously fun to order with a group.

They’ve also got shareables, sandwiches, loaded tots, wings, poutine and more! Plus rotating food specials if you’re looking to try something new.

And obviously, it’s Phillips, so there’s plenty to drink. 🍻 You’ve got their lineup of Phillips b**rs, plus cocktails featuring spirits from their own Sanctuary Wh**ky and Cathedral Gin.

I already love this spot. It’s right downtown, easy to get to and always has such a fun, lively tasting room atmosphere. Whether you’re popping in for a b**r, meeting friends for food or making it a stop during a downtown Victoria day, it’s one of those places that’s just easy to have a good time at.

And if you’re a b**r lover, don’t forget Phillips is also a stop on the BC Ale Trail! 📍🍺 Check in on the BC Ale Trail app while you’re here to snag some points toward rewards, because if you’re already having a b**r, you might as well get the points too. 😉

New menu = another excuse for me to go back. And I WILL be seeing that Hot Dog Tower in person. 😂🌭

Phillips Brewing & Malting Co. Destination Greater Victoria BC Ale Trail BC Craft Brewers Guild🍻

09/04/2026

🔥🍖 Grizzly BBQ is bringing the heat to Esquimalt Ribfest!

Vancouver Island born and bred, Grizzly BBQ is the only local team at this year’s Esquimalt Ribfest and they’re ready to serve up some seriously good BBQ all weekend long.

👨‍🍳 Award-winning Pit Master
🔥 Free fire shows
📍 Homebred Team
🥔 Tallow-fried baby potatoes
🙌 Extra sauce? Always free.

Come hungry, support the hometown team, and make sure you stop by Grizzly BBQ to see what they’ve got cooking!

📍 Bullen Park — 527 Fraser St, Victoria, BC
📅 September 11–13

Who’s ready for Ribfest? 🔥🍖