Pizzeria Prima Strada

Filetti Pizza

This is just great pizza! It's Neapolitan style, which is thin crust and cooked in a wood burning stove.  There are a couple of locations, they have a website with menus and daily specials.  The pizza's come in individual size or sharing size.  The crust is phenomenal and the toppings are not so traditional and oh so tasty.  Lunch is deli style and you pay at the counter then they bring the food. Dinner is
a la carte.




My favourite is called:
Panna e Pancetta cream, pancetta, parmigiano, mozzarella,
ricotta, scallions

It's so yummy and creamy with the perfect salty taste with the pancetta. 

It's worth checking out.

 

Four stars.....I had one undesirable experience here that had to do with the service. 

Pagliacci's

Pagliacci's is a Victoria landmark. This is a great little place.  It is a tight sqeeze to get everyone in so you have to be in the mood to be close to other people!  It is worth it though, the food is fantastic! It can be a bit pricey depending what you order, they have hiked the prices up in the last year which has detoured me from going on a regular basis, it is now a bit of a treat to go.  They have free bread, amazing, and the service is great and it is an all around funky little joint. The menu has fresh made pasta's, homemade pizza and a variety of main courses that are all tasty.
They have a special's menu that is different everyday.  The homemade soups are fantastic and are a great deal for a lunch, they can be bottomless and served with the bread.... muwha! Here is the website, you can check out the specials before you go! 

I give it only 4 stars due to the HUGE price hikes.

Japanese Village

Need I say more?  If you live in Victoria you have to go to the Japanese Village.  It is a sit down Japanese Teppan Grill Restaurant that they cook in front of you.  They also have a sushi bar that serves a full menu as well.  I love love love this place and go for lunch as often as we can get in!  Lunch is great deal, dinner can be a bit pricey, but still worth it! I have the teryaki salmon which is fantastic, everything is good though and I have tried everything!  You get a bowl of rice (or two) and you have to try it with the "steak sauce" which is just icing on the cake! The service is great and food is always consistent and delicious.  You usually need to make reservations for dinner, lunch it is suggested but sometimes you can walk in.  They also do take out for lunch.....a big bowl of rice with steak sauce $3.00, great deal. The ambience is cool too, you go underground and there are no windows so it is really different and memorable. 

John's Place

If you want a great meal for a great price....John's Place! It is on Johnson St close to the intersection of Douglas. They have a website that lists their menus and specials.  The best part.....free bread...and not any old bread..a fabulous homemade rosemary bread that is so unbelievable!  They have even been featured on the food network.  I have been going to John's Place for over 15 years and the staff is still the same, they know me by name and practically role out the red carpet when I arrive!  The thing is...they do that for anybody. It is a casual fun place to be and to top it off the food is outstanding.  I like a variety of items there, Chicken Chang Mai soup is one of my fav's, and the meatloaf with mashed potatoes......uh can you say stuffed!  There is something for everybody and they love kids too!  One of the specialties is their breakfast/brunch that they serve all the time. Check the website for Sunday brunch menu.
If you have never been there...then you need to go.

Italian Delicatessan on Blanshard Street

This is a fabulous Italian import delicatessan.  It is right on Blanshard street between View and Fort.  It is amazing!  You can go and sit down there are lots of seats, real european style, and then the food...well out of this world.  You can order loaded panini sandwiches, italian rolls loaded with salami's and artichokes and olives.  They have fresh pasta dishes availabe too.  They have a hot meatball sandwich...need I say more?  They slice the meat to order it is fresher than you could ask for! You could also buy all your dinner ingredients if you go for lunch and have a fabulous authentic meal for dinner too.  The staff are all super friendly and knowledgable about their products and want you to enjoy their food and products. The best thing....the price  $5.60 for a HUGE sandwich.

Shizen Sushi

I love Sushi, not the raw fish kind, it's one of those things I can't wrap my head around. All other types involved though....and Shizen Sushi is the SHIZ! If you know what I mean.  They have a fantastic lunch menu offering their Bento Box style eating with a wide variety of choices and that will only run $7.95 you can add on just about anything for $2.50 more.  Dinner menu is extensive and full of all varieties of Japanese food, their sushi chefs are unbelievable! Be sure to thank them when you leave, they love that!! 

The piece de la resistance that I came accross a long time ago was their highlander roll! Now this used to NOT be offered on their menu, but has since been added in the new 2013 year of new menu printing! So now everyone can get in on it.........Holy SHIZAZZ hold on to your hat, this is not for the faint at heart it has tempura prawn, avacado, creamy spicy mayo, and is topped with thinly seared rib steak that is melt in your mouth crazy....then they top it off with this ginger spicy crucnhy business on top...I don't know it's just heaven.  I would actually consider asking for this as my last meal........not that there is one coming soon...but it is that good!
http://shizensushi.ca/
C-Rae Rating:

Baan Thai

Gang Gai (Red Curry) Lunch Combo
w/soup & 2 spring rolls!

Baan Thai Broadmead has become my newest hangout. I love Thai food and these folks got it covered. They know us when we walk in and treat us so well everytime.
For lunch:
They offer a combo lunch meal that can run you as low as $9.75 and come with soup & 2 springrolls! Crazy. It could easily be split as well, but not me, I'm in it to win it!!
For dinner:
The plates are served off an ala carte menu and are all delicious. I haven't tried one yet that I don't love.
Here's their website http://baanthaivictoria.ca/
They have 3 locations to serve Greater Victoria and they are spot on every time. Consistency is huge with me, and you get exactly what you go for every single time!! The do delivery and take-out and it is awsome right to the table at home too!

C-Rae Rating:

 

Why believe me?

Just a random cheesburger

Just some random pasta

Well for starters, I can eat! Always have been an eater, always will be an eater. Thin or Thick I enjoy a good meal.  I love to eat out, I love to cook and I love to try new things. Can't get a better combination than that! 

So why believe me? 

I can honestly say that I have been dining out for lunch and dinner and the occasional brunch or breakfast for a long part of my 35 years.  Even as a teenager we would all go out for dinner and "coffee" and enjoy a good meal together, we could drink coffee all night and still fall into bed like the dead. Gone are those days for me my friends but here's to what's out there to keep enjoying.
So I would consider my auntie to be my official lunchtime connoisseur sidekick. Along with my husband and date night partner for the dinners.
So I hope to be able to give an honest opinion about local Victoria BC Restaurants, most of know who I am, and be a place you can visit when making a choice about where to go and spend your hard earned money to eat out.

I plan to expand to other cities I have visited and enjoyed their dining establishments as well, in the future *ie. Las Vegas (one of my favourite places) so when you travel you can make plans to eat in great places as well.
This is all my passion and desire to see people get what they deserve to pay for. In this time we are all just trying to enjoy what we can in life and it is costly so let's get the biggest BANG for our bucks!
Enjoy! 
I also happen to work somewhere that I have access to hundreds of people's opinions and often share mine with them, they can all atest to that once they start reading this!  So please,
I welcome your feedback and additions to the site as well, I always like to try new places and have never had the avenue to share widespread before so here goes it.....
To share a comment, you either need a blogger id or you can post as anonymous, but please leave a name for me to send kudos to if necessary! xxx