As the sun rays pour down on you this summer while you lounge around downtown or on the beach, the best thing to accompany those good vibes is a refreshing drink. Thankfully, a cure to your thirst is easily solved as Victoria is teeming with excellent cool drinks.

From bubble tea and milkshakes to iced coffee and smoothies, here are some of the city’s best places to grab a non-alcoholic cold beverage.

The Bubble Tea Place

The Bubble Tea Place offers up delicious flavour combinations of its bubble tea with a vast menu to choose from. If none of them spark your interest, you can construct your own flavour combination from its build your own drink menu. They even have dairy-free options for their milk tea drinks!

Address: 532 Fisgard St, Victoria
Hours: Monday- Sunday, 11am-6:30pm
Instagram: @bubbleteaplace

Moka House

Enjoy a cool iced coffee on Moka House’s patio, possibly the unofficial hub of Cook Street Village and the perfect place to spend a summer afternoon. They have many options to choose from including iced flat whites, iced white mokas, and iced carmellos as well as classic iced lattes and iced cappuccinos.

Address: 345 Cook St, Victoria; 3849b Cadboro Bay Rd, Victoria
Hours: Monday- Sunday, 7am-8pm; Monday- Sunday, 7am-6pm
Instagram: @mokahousevictoria

Jam Café

Cool down with a tin cup milkshake or a Coke vanilla float at Jam Cafe, voted by Tasting Victoria readers as having the best brunch in the city. Its milkshakes come in classic flavours like vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry. The brunch spot also has a daily feature flavour to choose from, with past ones including dark cherry and bubblegum.

Address: 542 Herald St, Victoria
Hours: Monday- Friday, 8am-2pm; Saturday and Sunday, 8am-3pm
Instagram: @jamcafeyyj

Rebar

Rebar, voted as one of the best vegan and vegetarian restaurants in the city, has a vast selection of smoothies and fresh juices made in-house. Its juices feature refreshing options like Prana, a fruity mix of strawberry and mango, while its smoothies feature tasty combinations like Funky Munky, a rich drink that includes espresso and peanut butter.

Address: 50 Bastion Square, Victoria
Hours: Monday- Thursday, 11am- 9pm; Saturday and Sunday, 10am-9pm.
Instagram: @rebarmodernfood

Maiiz Nixtamal

Pair your tacos and tamales at Maiiz Nixtamal with some of its unique latin american drink offerings. Enjoy some refreshing agua fresca if you want something fruity, or some cold chocolate atole if you are looking for something richer. Alternatively, its agua de jamaica, hibiscus iced tea, is sure to cool you off.

Address: 540 Fisgard St, Victoria 
Hours: Monday- Sunday, 11am-7pm
Instagram: @maiiznixtamal

Free Beer*

Pick up a can of non-alcoholic beer at the Free Beer* bike cart, available this summer at the Oaklands Summer Market. The cart started out last summer with an ambition to connect people with non-alcoholic craft beer that tastes like beer. Its offerings have included Phillips Iota Hazy IPA and Nonny Czech Pilsner.

Address: Oaklands Summer Market, 2827 Belmont Ave, Victoria
Hours: Wednesday, 4-7:30pm
Instagram: @freebeershop

Rootside Bitters & Mixers

Mix up your own cold drink at home with Esquimalt-based Rootside Bitters & Mixers’ syrups made from fresh juices and botanicals. Just mix with sparkling or tonic water! Some of its offerings include cardamom & citrus tonic water mix and rosehip lemonade mix.

Address: 859 Devonshire Rd #3, Esquimalt 
Hours: Tuesday-Friday, 10am-5pm
Instagram: @rootsidebitters

Phillips Brewing Co.

Even though Phillips Brewing Co. is famous in Victoria for its incredible beer, it has a whole range of craft brewed sodas, ideal for those searching for non-alcoholic options. Available in stores across the city and at the Phillips tasting room at Government and Discovery, these pops include classics like root beer, ginger ale, orange cream soda, and cola.

Address: 2010 Government St, Victoria
Hours: Sunday- Thursday, 12-7pm; Friday and Saturday, 11am-7pm.
Instagram: @phillipsbeer