Rainy Day Food in Victoria BC: Warm Tables

Rainy day food in Victoria BC is a category the city does well, because it gets plenty of practice. The wet season runs from autumn into spring, and cafes and kitchens know how to be warm. Look for a window seat, a fire or a deep booth, and order soup, noodles, a pie or a bowl.

Start with a late breakfast, visit a museum or a bookshop, eat a long lunch and finish with an early dinner. Chinatown suits noodle shops and tea, Fernwood suits cafes and bakeries and Oak Bay suits tea rooms and bistros.

What counts as rainy day food in Victoria BC?

Anything that is hot, filling and slow. Soup, stew, chowder, pie, pasta, ramen, pho, curry and roasted vegetables all qualify. A bowl of pho in a steamy Chinatown room is a rainy day classic, and a seafood chowder by the harbour is another. Pubs add hot pies and shepherd's pie, and cafes bake in the morning.

Which Victoria winter restaurants are good for a long lunch?

Those with a window seat, a fire or a deep booth. Hotel dining rooms, neighbourhood bistros and pubs all work. Visit on a weekday, when tables are free and the staff have time. Winter is the season when a restaurant that is crowded in July becomes easy to enter, so use the quiet to try somewhere new.

What Victoria comfort food should you look for?

Dishes that arrive in a bowl or a pot: soup, stew, noodles, risotto, mac and cheese and a good pie. Ask what is made from scratch that day. A kitchen with a daily soup and house-baked bread has the right idea. The fish and chips guide lists a classic that also works in drizzle.

Where is the best Victoria soup?

Opinion varies, which is why the city needs more ratings. Delis, cafes and noodle shops all make soup, and a few places specialize. Try a daily soup at a lunch counter, a pho at a Vietnamese restaurant and a chowder at a seafood place, then compare. Rate each with the dish and the day so a pattern appears.

What makes Victoria cosy cafes?

A corner table, soft light, a fireplace if you are lucky and a counter of baking. Cosy cafes are the places where you open a book and finish the second cup. They exist in every neighbourhood, from Fernwood to Oak Bay. The Cook Street guide describes two. Tag a place Cosy or Fireplace if it fits.

How do you plan a day indoors?

Start with a late breakfast, visit a museum or a bookshop, eat a long lunch, shop or read and finish with a pub dinner. Victoria has the right indoor activities for a wet day, from galleries to tea rooms. The afternoon tea guide covers a classic option.

What should you wear?

A rain jacket with a hood, shoes that cope with puddles and a spare pair of socks. An umbrella is common, though wind can ruin one. Carry a bag for wet things. Most restaurants are used to dripping guests and have a spot for coats.

How do you rate a warm table?

Say what you ate, how warm the room was and whether you could dry out. "The lentil soup and bread, a drenched Tuesday at one, hot and generous, window seat" is a rating that helps. Add Cosy, Fireplace or Quick Service when they fit. A rating records the weather, which a score does not.

How can you keep your wet-weather list?

Open the Mosey app, rate the places that rescued you and save them in a list called Victoria rain plan. Invite friends through a link, and follow them so Home shows what they rated and saved. Rate places with a tag, like Soup or Bakery, and you earn a badge.

What should you cook at home on a wet day?

Something that makes the house smell good. A pot of soup from the market's vegetables, a loaf of bread, a tray of roasted roots and a pie are all within reach. Buy ingredients at a farmers market or a grocery near your rental, and let the kitchen do the work while the rain falls. Eating in on a wet night is one of the pleasures of a long stay, and a rating of the soup you made is as good as one of a restaurant.

Which neighbourhoods suit a wet afternoon?

Chinatown for noodle shops and tea, Fernwood for cafes and bakeries, Oak Bay for tea rooms and bistros and the Inner Harbour for hotel dining rooms with a view of the storm. Each has a different kind of warmth. A walk between two of them, with an umbrella and a good coat, can be a pleasure, and the rain adds to the atmosphere. Choose by mood and keep a cafe in reserve.

Does it rain all winter? Often, but there are plenty of dry days. Plan for both.

Are restaurants open in the rain? Yes. Most are. Check hours.

For the province's seasons, read the BC food by season guide, and for the other towns start at the Food in British Columbia page. Other provinces are in the Canadian food guides.

On your next grey afternoon, grab the Mosey app, rate the table that warmed you up and share your list with someone who is soaked.