Waterfront Breakfast at Marina Bay Cafe

Tasting flights of award-winning organic cider on a ten-acre Saanich Peninsula orchard above the water, reservations required on weekends.

The Estevan Village bakery counter two minutes above Willows Beach, known for a breakfast sandwich built on a house biscuit.

An 1889 heritage house in James Bay where the cooking is vegetable forward, the light is good and nothing is in a hurry.

A tiny room at the far end of Sidney's pier where the halibut is worth the money and the Mount Baker view is free.

Sidney's teal boothed diner on Beacon Avenue, turning out stuffed Belgian waffles and five different hashes three blocks from the sea.

Brentwood Bay's one table actually on the dock, open to 8pm Friday and Saturday, with kayaks tied up a few metres away.

The West Shore branch of Victoria's pink diner, where you can hand the menu back, say Mahoney, and let the kitchen decide for you.

Floor-to-ceiling harbour views and a West Coast kitchen at the literal edge of the Inner Harbour seawalk.

Victoria's Chinatown tasting menu that critics keep whispering 'Michelin' about, with just enough seats to feel like a genuine secret.

Walk-in BC oysters shucked to order on Blanshard Street, with all-day Sunday happy hour and a 4.8 you can actually trust.

A brand-new marina room in Sidney where nearly every table looks out over the boats, wild BC seafood and an award-list of wine.

A Tudor heritage manor ringed by wild oaks, with crackling fireplaces, heated patios, and Times Colonist dining wins year after year.

Fort Street's Italian-leaning West Coast institution: house salumi, 300 bottles of wine and a room that makes three hours vanish.

Fort Street's beloved all day breakfast room since 1991, with art crammed onto every wall and a benny list that runs to double digits.