My Best 5 Coffee Shops in Victoria BC

• Hide and Seek Coffee:  https://hideandseekcoffee.ca
• Township Coffee: https://www.facebook.com/TownshipCoffeeCo/
• Habit Coffee:  https://www.habitcoffee.com
• Caffe Fantastico: https://caffefantastico.com
• Discovery Coffee: https://discoverycoffee.com

I don’t think that I ask alot of a coffee shop.  I want good coffee, in the flavour profile I like (medium to dark if possible) made with care and attention.  Okay, in reading that sentence, maybe I ask more than some folks do!  I like ambiance, friendliness, flare in presentation. And I like tasty snacks to go with that are hopefully small and tasty. This list shares my best 5 coffee shops in Victoria BC.

I see it again –  I’m demanding.

The good news is, Victoria, BC has coffee shops that meet my needs and they do it very well.  This wasn’t always the case.  About 10 years ago, I relied on Starbucks to make me my espresso-based drinks. I would stand at the counter asking the barista to remake them when they didn’t meet my expectations.

I don’t have to do that with any of these five places.

#1

Hide and Seek Coffee, in the Oak Bay Village, is everything you could want in a local coffee shop.  Cool music, appeals to wide demographic, excellent coffee, made with flair, and run by friendly folks with an interest in you enjoying your drink.  I’m in here at least once a week, more if Victoria’s road construction upsets me (frequently nowadays!).  Haven’t made it to their second location on Fairfield Rd, but I’m sure I will soon.  Makes a killer cortado and dry cappuccino – EXACTLY how you would expect them to be made.  Baked goods are dependably yummy. The shortbread cookies and chai white chocolate chip cookies are great accompaniments to my coffee with each visit. Hide and Seek Coffee is #1 in my best 5 coffee shops in Victoria, BC.

#2

Township Coffee has been my go to ‘local’ coffee shop. This was particularly true when I was still driving in to client sites here in Victoria.  Easy to swing by with lots of parking on Tyndall Avenue in Gordon Head, you have to find a good time to not get in a long line up!  The cheerful greetings and chatting is infectious, and the pride in their coffee making abilities is clear.  My cortado here is produced with a flourish, and is always bang on.  Township also makes a Callebaut Mocha which is phenomenal – rich but not sweet, just right to feel indulgent.  Baked goods here are more indulgent and savoury in nature so I tend to pass on them, but have enjoyed the muffins and the sausage rolls.

#3

Habit Coffee in downtown Victoria is another standout.  Rich, complex roasted coffee here, and the cappuccinos (for me) are the star act.  My first introduction (about 10 years ago) to a gluten free chocolate chip cookie here was an eye opener. I loved it.  Habit is well placed for business meetings and picking up between client visits so it was on high rotation for me for many years.  Still reliable and love their spaces!

#4

Caffe Fantastico:  I’m particularly partial to their Harbour Rd. location (Fantastico bar-deli).  This open space, with all the wonderful food means I can sit with my coffee, visit with a friend, and check out what food goods I want to pick up on the way out!  Fantastico does an excellent cortado and cappuccino, and I always have lots of options with treats available to go with.  The care and attention the baristas put into making the drinks is laudable and their popularity is clear when you see their packed locations.

#5

Discovery Coffee rounds out my top 5 coffee shops here in Victoria, BC.  Their roasted coffee beans are rich and have complex flavour notes.  Their cortado almost can compete with Hide and Seek – really depends on the day for me!  I take a pass on most of their in house treats – I’m not a big donut lover!  However, a sign of my devotion to their cortados is that I still have them on my top 5 in town even though I can’t get a treat with my coffee drink!

Give these places a try if you haven’t already!  These local places should be supported!

Check out my post on Mile Zero – my drip coffee roaster of choice based here in Victoria, BC!