There’s a certain buzz to Oak Bay, the small British Columbian town on the southern tip of Vancouver Island. Gazing at the San Juan Islands through the Haro Strait, the charming berg is a seaside wonder filled with friendly cafes, boutiques and eateries. Beaming with British magnetism, Oak Bay feels like a faraway international destination despite being a short ferry ride from Washington state. And perhaps best, the city of about 20,000 is an imbiber’s paradise, endowed with a large quantity of bars, restaurants and tasting rooms.
Much of the liquid life flows from the Oak Bay Beach Hotel, a luxury waterfront resort home to pleasant Salish breezes and stylish rooms. There, guests can take in The Snug Pub, Oak Bay’s first pub dating back to 1954. On top of an award-winning wine list featuring an impressive number of British Columbian wines, the place touts floor-to-ceiling windows and a cozy interior that lives up to its name. Wash your meal down with an Oak Bombay, a cocktail made of gin, Chardonnay, elderflower liqueur and soda or a lager from Vancouver Island Brewing.
The Dining Room also calls the hotel home and is an intimate restaurant built on a sturdy framework of fresh Pacific Northwest ingredients. Guests can nosh on just-harvested oysters and potato gnocchi alongside wine pours from B.C., Argentina, Italy, France, New Zealand and beyond. The weekend four-course pairing menu is always a good idea. And then there’s FARO, a kitchen and bar devoted to handcrafted pizzas and afternoon aperitivo hour. The place boasts a rotating wine flight as well as from-scratch cocktails and zero proof options. Issued the Award of Excellence by Wine Spectator for two consecutive years, FARO is where it’s at when it comes to savoring local and faraway wines. The hotel is in the midst of a winemaker’s dinner series that lasts all summer and showcases labels like Hillside Winery, 1 Mill Road and Kettle Valley Winery.
Relatively new to the scene, Marilena Cafe and Raw Bar has been garnering well-deserved attention. The downtown Victoria restaurant features a Japanese-minded raw bar and an impressive wine list. Over at Stage Wine Bar in the historic Fernwood neighborhood, excellent bites like cured tuna with hazelnut and chili oil, and steelhead with trout roe team up with local beers and ciders and a handsome cocktail list. The theme is French, just ask the offerings of Calvados and Cognac and sprawling wine list. Exciting regions like Alicante, Douro and Jura feature prominently and the wise staff can point you towards a memorable pairing.
Vis-a-Vis follows the French theme, a wine-centric haunt that serves three square meals a day. Wines are available by the bottle, glass and flight, from places like the Okanagan Valley, Provence, Uruguay and elsewhere. The beer list is ample and there are many aperitif and digestif options to please all palates. Arrive early for Croque Madame or in the evening for Coq au Vin. Just be sure to do it with a glass pour from the well-curated list.
At Wind Cries Mary, there’s a secret courtyard as well as a lengthy patio for al fresco fun. The laid-back spot highlights local purveyors and is guided by a nose-to-tail butchery philosophy. Stop by for a remarkable happy hour or feast on local steelhead or hand-rolled ricotta gnudi. Ideal for a nightcap, there’s a beautifully-engineered wine list along with house cocktails featuring ingredients like calamansi, kola nut and yuzu.
Oak Bay is all delight, a beachy extension of a Victoria metro area that’s all about pleasing your palate.
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