There are some seriously exciting openings coming to Victoria in the next two months — and now you can be the first in line.

While hunting down these details we stumbled across 4 more rumoured openings planned in town for 2026. While they aren’t ready to announce quite yet, we promise there are some really cool, locally owned concepts in the works — and we’ll be reporting on them as soon as we can.

Foodies of Victoria, rejoice. We are in for a great year.

Downtown

Fülcanteen

We’ve all seen the signs up beside Rudi, and the mystery ends here.

Fülcanteen will be a West Coast cafe powered by whole, organic ingredients. Think macro-conscious smoothies, sandwiches, bowls, wraps, and coffee, all in a calm, simple space. They’ll be serving up clean, satisfying food that balances health and indulgence.

With Picnic Too’s recent closure, they’ll be stepping into a much-needed gap in Victoria’s food scene when it comes to quality, fast, healthy options. We’re really looking forward to this one!

Fülcanteen plans to open by early to mid-June, with operating hours of 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM, Monday through Friday.

Address: 730 Pandora Ave

Website: https://fulcanteen.ca/

Meat & Bread

We’ve all seen their sign up downtown, and some of us had started to lose hope. But it’s confirmed — Meat & Bread will be (re)opening their doors in Victoria this July.

This will be their first ever location to include a full barista program, and they’ve partnered with Fernwood Coffee Company (operators of beloved local spots Parsonage Cafe and Little June) to lead the coffee offering. 

They’ll be serving up a breakfast menu and their core sandwich lineup, with the notable inclusion of their Steak Frites, previously a rotating special, being offered as a permanent item at this location (pictured above!).

Address: Broad St and View St

Website: https://www.meatandbread.com/

Birdman

Fried chicken alert! Birdman marks the third opening by Cottage Hospitality Group, the team behind local favourites Wind Cries Mary and Rudi.

The menu will centre on fried chicken, oysters, and shareable sauces, paired with a thoughtfully crafted wine list. It aims to honour the classics without overworking them: stacked handhelds, oysters every way, mac and cheese, and house-made pies and soft serve.

Birdman opens May 22nd in the former Friends of Dorothy space (who have announced on their Instagram that they plan to return after a short break).

Address: 537 Johnson St

Website: https://www.birdmanvic.ca/

Ayoub’s Dried Fruit & Nuts

A Vancouver staple is making its island debut this year! Ayoub’s offers a huge selection of snacks and pantry items, from roasted nuts, nut butters, and dried fruits, to baked goods, chocolates and desserts (currently craving their Turkish delight), and more. They also offer up snack platters and gift sets. Find a wide variety of Middle Eastern flavours here, and if you haven’t already tried their lime and saffron nuts, get yourself to their local store this summer.

Address: Broad St and View St

Website: https://ayoubs.ca/

Oakberry

Another snack spot is making its way over the water just in time for summer. Oakberry is a global chain that serves a menu of açaí bowls and smoothies. You can build your own bowls with classic toppings like granola, fresh fruit, nut butters, chia pudding, cocoa nibs, honey and protein add-ins, or choose from their signature bowls.

The Fort St location plans to open to the public this June, with the Tuscany Village location expecting a June/July debut.

Addresses: 801 Fort St and Tuscany Village

Website: https://www.oakberrycanada.ca/

Cadboro Bay

Noble Berry

Blazing the way for a Caddy Bay revival (we’re calling it now, don’t say we didn’t warn you), Noble Berry Dessert & Kitchen Studio will be opening their doors this May, right beside neighbourhood sushi staple Mutsuki-An. They will be offering “berry desserts with clean flavours and refined textures, freshly baked pastries, seasonal salads made with local ingredients, sandwiches, and a selection of gluten-free and vegan options.”

They have a focus on local, seasonal ingredients and will be working directly with local berry farms.

Noble Berry plans to open this May, with planned hours of Tuesday through Saturday from 10am to 6pm, and Sunday and Monday from 10am to 2pm.

Address: 2560B Sinclair Rd

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nobleberrystudio/

Vic West

49 Below (New Location)

Just in time for summer! This favourite local ice cream shop is expanding into Vic West. They’ll be joining Fry’s Red Wheat Bread Bakery and Spiral Cafe on Craigflower Road across from Banfield Park (that sounds like the perfect summer picnic combo to us!).

They plan to open in mid-May, and will also be at the Vic West Fest on June 6th.

As in their Oak Bay location, they’ll be serving up 12 flavours of ice cream, but expect some extra features in this new space. For guests who want to skip the queue, they’ll have grab-and-go options including single-scoop cups, pints, and ice cream bars. They will also be introducing ready-to-go ice cream cakes — perfect for us last-minute planners who forget to order ahead. And perhaps most exciting: they’ve polled their social media followers to co-create an exclusive Vic West flavour dubbed “The 420”(after their new address, of course).

Show up to support the opening in May to find out what this mysterious flavour will be!

Address: 420 Craigflower Rd

Website: https://www.49below.ca/

Did we miss a spot? Write in to let us know.