Victoria Taste Buds

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? 🔥🍖

09/03/2026

🔥🍖 LET’S GET SAUCY, VICTORIA!

Esquimalt Ribfest is back at Bullen Park September 11–13, bringing three days of smoky BBQ, cold drinks, food trucks, live music and plenty more to dig into.

This year, six professional rib teams will be firing up the smokers, each bringing their own ribs, sauces, rubs and BBQ favourites to the competition. And if ribs aren’t enough, there’s a HUGE lineup of food vendors serving everything from poutine and Greek food to churros, mini donuts, cookies, ice cream and more. 🤤

🍖 6 competing ribbers
🍻 Local beer, cider, wine & cocktails
🍴 Food trucks + vendors
🎶 Live music all weekend
🛍️ Local craft vendors
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family-friendly
🎟️ FREE admission

📍 Bullen Park, Esquimalt
📅 September 11–13

We’ve put together your Victoria Taste Buds Guide to Esquimalt Ribfest 2026, including the ribbers, food vendors, drinks, full music schedule and everything you need to know before you go.

👉 Read the full Ribfest guide here: https://victoriatastebuds.ca/rib-fest/

The only real question is… how many ribbers can you try in one weekend? 🔥🍖

08/28/2026

VICTORIA, THIS IS YOUR SATURDAY PLAN. 🥣💜

HEAL Wellness is officially opening its doors at University Heights THIS SATURDAY, August 29, and they’re kicking things off with a pretty epic Grand Opening. 👀

Set those alarms because you’re going to want to get there early:

🥣 FREE OG Açaí Bowls for the first 50 guests
👕 FREE exclusive Healer’s Club merch for the first 100 guests
🎧 Live DJ bringing the vibes
✨ $10 OG Açaí Bowls ALL. DAY. LONG.

Yep. FREE açaí. FREE merch. Music. And $10 bowls all day. 💜

📅 Saturday, August 29
⏰ 10 AM
📍 3956 Shelbourne Street, University Heights

Victoria, let’s give HEAL a BIG welcome to town! 🫶

Save this post, send it to your group chat + tag who you’re lining up with Saturday morning. 👇

And because we obviously had to do a little taste testing before the big day… 👀

Here’s what we tried:
🥣 OG Açaí Bowl — the classic for a reason
🥭 Mango Bowl — bright, tropical + SO refreshing
🐉 Dragon Bowl — colourful, fruity + almost too pretty to eat
🤍 Vanilla Date Smoothie — creamy, filling + packed with 24g of protein

Safe to say, you’ve got some decisions to make on Saturday. 😂💜

VictoriaEvents UniversityHeights ShelbourneStreet AcaiBowl Smoothies HEALWellness

08/28/2026

There is a NEW wellness spot to welcome to town! 💜🥣

HEAL is officially opening its doors at University Heights this Saturday, August 29, and if you’re an açaí bowl, smoothie or fresh-food person, you’re going to want this one on your radar.

HEAL was built around a pretty simple idea: healthy food should taste incredible, feel approachable and bring people together. Their menu is packed with real, whole ingredients and options that work just as well for breakfast on the go as they do for a post-workout refuel or a catch-up with a friend.

A few things that have already called our name 👀:

🥣 OG Açaí Bowl — açaí topped with granola, strawberry, blueberry, banana, coconut, cacao nibs and h**p seed.

🥭 Mango Bowl — mango, agave and coconut milk topped with granola, banana, mango, blueberry, coconut, cacao nibs and bee pollen.

🐉 Dragon Bowl — a bright pitaya, mango, peach and pineapple base with fresh fruit, granola, coconut, cacao nibs and h**p seed.

🤍 Vanilla Date Smoothie — banana, vanilla pea protein, creatine, lion’s mane, dates, almond butter, oat milk and coconut cream, packing 24g of protein.

And we LOVE how accessible this new location is. At 3956 Shelbourne Street, it’s right at University Heights, along major bus routes with plenty of parking nearby. Plus, with bowls around $15 and smoothies starting at $8, the menu keeps fresh, whole-food ingredients at a pretty approachable price point.

🎉 GRAND OPENING — SATURDAY, AUGUST 29!

📍 3956 Shelbourne Street, University Heights
⏰ Doors open at 10 AM
🥣 FREE OG açaí bowls for the first 50 guests
👕 FREE exclusive Healer’s Club merch for the first 100 guests
🎧 Live DJ
✨ $10 OG açaí bowls ALL DAY

We’re VERY excited to have another fresh, feel-good food option in Victoria. 💜 Welcome to the neighbourhood, HEAL!

Save this for Saturday and tag the person you’re bringing with you! 👇🥣✨

UniversityHeights ShelbourneStreet AcaiBowl Smoothies HealthyEating HEALWellness

08/19/2026

What an absolutely unreal experience this was. 🥹💕

From getting that very first email asking Victoria Taste Buds to be a Title Media Sponsor, to getting to experience Picklefest for my birthday surrounded by some of my favourite people… I’m still kind of taking it all in.

Seeing the Victoria Taste Buds logo on signage throughout the festival was already such a surreal moment, but having people actually come up to me and tell me they read and love the blog, that they’ve discovered new restaurants because of it, or that they appreciate being able to find more accessible places to dine honestly meant more to me than I can put into words.

One of the most incredible parts of this whole journey has been seeing how many local businesses, restaurants, festivals and events genuinely believe in Victoria Taste Buds and what I’m trying to build. To have people in this community not only support Taste Buds, but actively champion it, recommend it, invite me into their spaces and want to see it succeed is such an incredible honour. I don't take any of that trust or support for granted.

Victoria Taste Buds has become so much more than I ever imagined it would be. Having people share it, promote it, recommend it and genuinely value what I’m creating is incredibly heartwarming.

I don’t really know how to properly thank everyone for the support and love you’ve poured into both me and Taste Buds so far. I put so much of myself into this little corner of the internet, and getting to see it grow into something that people genuinely value is pretty damn special. 💕

Thank you for being here, for reading, sharing, following along and supporting what I’m building. And a HUGE thank you to everyone at Picklefest for believing in Victoria Taste Buds, inviting me to be part of such an incredible event, and making my birthday one I definitely won’t forget. 🥒

08/19/2026

🍸 Some of Victoria’s best cocktails are hiding where you’d least expect them…

Sure, Victoria has plenty of incredible cocktail bars, but what about the places that aren’t known for cocktails, yet are quietly serving some seriously good drinks? 👀

Think breweries with creative cocktail menus, restaurants where the drinks deserve just as much attention as the food, and casual spots serving hidden gems you might completely overlook.

I rounded up Victoria’s Best Unexpected Cocktail Spots, featuring:

🍹 Cafe Malabar
📚 Small Gods Brewing
🌮 Hanks A Restaurant
🍝 Old Spaghetti Factory Canada
🍸 End Dive

Whether you’re looking for your next happy hour spot, a creative mocktail, or just want to try something beyond your usual order, there might be a new favourite waiting somewhere you wouldn't expect.

👉 Read more on our website to see the full list + the cocktail I recommend ordering at each spot!

Looking for the best hidden gem cocktails and mocktails in Victoria, BC? From Small Gods Brewing and Café Malabar to Hanks, End Dive, and Old Spaghetti Factory, these unexpected spots are serving some of the city's most underrated drinks.

08/18/2026

Being a food blogger is a little weird sometimes. 🍴

I absolutely LOVE talking about why I started Victoria Taste Buds, supporting local restaurants, making Victoria's food scene feel more accessible, helping people discover somewhere new, and making sure everyone feels like they deserve a spot at the table.

But actually telling people I'm a food blogger? For some reason, that still gives me anxiety, so I decided to write about it.

This one is a little more personal than my usual posts. I'm sharing what it's actually been like growing Victoria Taste Buds, the creator events that can sometimes feel oddly competitive, how I approach honest restaurant reviews, the reality of comped meals and brand deals, the VERY strange messages I've received from businesses and other local accounts, and the surprising amount of work that happens behind the scenes.

I'm also talking about something that has become increasingly important to me: accessibility in our local food community. Whether that's price, dietary needs, physical accessibility, sensory considerations, or simply giving you enough information to decide whether an experience is right for you, I want Victoria Taste Buds to be more than pretty pictures of food.

I want it to actually be useful.

And yes... I included a couple of the weird DMs. 👀

Read the full blog on our website for a little glimpse behind the scenes of Victoria Taste Buds. 🍽️💛

There is something weirdly anxiety-inducing about telling people I’m a food blogger. Which is funny, because if you ask me

08/11/2026

🥒 VICTORIA, SHOW US YOUR PICKLE 🥒

We have some very important judging duties coming up this week… 👀

Victoria Taste Buds will be joining the judging panel for the Show Us Your Pickle Competition at Picklefest Victoria, and yes, that means we’ll be tasting our way through some of Victoria’s best homemade pickles. Tough job, but someone has to do it. 🫡🥒

BUT we need more pickles to judge!

Think your homemade pickles have what it takes? Whether you’ve perfected a family recipe, have a secret brine you swear by, or simply make a damn good pickle, this is your chance to put them to the test.

🥒 HOW TO ENTER:
Complete the online application, prepare your best batch of homemade pickles, and drop them off at Phillips Brewery (2010 Government Street) by August 12.
Application form 👉https://picklefestcanada.wufoo.com/forms/m1ndhgsf02n30dq/

📍 Drop-off: Phillips Brewery
📅 August 5–12
⏰ 11 AM–7 PM daily

Then head to Picklefest Victoria on August 15 to find out who takes home the win!

🥒 Proudly Sponsored by Putter’s Pickles

A big thank you to Putter’s Pickles, the official sponsor of Show Us Your Pickle, for helping celebrate Canada’s incredible home pickling community.

We’re VERY ready to taste what Victoria’s home picklers have been working on. 👀🥒

Tag the person who makes the best pickles you know they’ve got until August 12 to prove it.

07/29/2026

🚨 I need your BEST chicken wing recommendations... and I don't want any gatekeeping.

I'm updating the Victoria Taste Buds Wing Guide and I want to make sure I've got the absolute best wings in Greater Victoria.

So tell me...
📍 Where's your go-to wing spot?
🔥 What flavour do I HAVE to order?

Bone-in, boneless, vegan, sweet, spicy... I want to try them all. Help me build the ultimate list by dropping your favourites in the comments! 🍗👇

07/19/2026

Yesterday I spent the afternoon at BC CrabFest at Ship Point in Victoria's Inner Harbour, and I genuinely think this will always be one of the most delicious events of the summer. 🦀☀️

Each year there's something new to experience. Yes, the Authentic BC Crab Boil is always the star of the show (for good reason), but this year I found myself spending more time at the Coastal Conversations. Hearing directly from local chefs, fishers, seafood educators and Indigenous guides about everything from how to cook and crack BC Dungeness crab to the history of the Lekwungen People and why supporting local seafood matters added so much to the day. It wasn't just about eating incredible food, it gave you a deeper appreciation for the people and traditions behind it.

There's plenty to enjoy beyond the crab buckets too, with live music throughout the day, an Educational Marketplace, a Family Zone for kids, and local BC craft beer, cider, wine and non-alcoholic drinks.

One thing I really appreciate is how physically accessible the event is. The layout makes it easy to get around, and there are lots of places to sit and enjoy the harbour.

Now, let's talk about the crab. 🦀 It's definitely one of the pricier food events in Victoria, but I honestly think it's worth it. BC Dungeness crab is considered a luxury product around the world, yet this event lets you enjoy it fresh, right where it's harvested. If you're looking to save a little money, I'd recommend sharing one of the larger crab buckets. You still get the full experience, and it's a great way to keep costs down.

I also love that BC CrabFest is about more than great food. It's a celebration of our coast, the fishing families and producers behind every catch, and gathering around the table together. Add in the festival's zero-waste commitment and donation-based entry supporting The Mustard Seed, and it's an event that's easy to get behind.

Already counting down until next year. 🦀🌊