QV Cafe and Bakery: Home to huge desserts and affordable all-day eats

You’re seated under a red umbrella, shading you from the summer sun as you watch crowds meander under the arch of Victoria’s Chinatown. A light breeze moves your hair out of your face so you can take your first bite of mouth-watering carrot cake cheesecake on QV Cafe’s spacious outdoor patio. “This was your best decision of the week”, I think to myself as I take a sip of my iced coffee and take in the delectable flavours.

QV Cafe and Bakery is one of Victoria’s family-owned eateries, serving every meal from breakfast to late night cheesecakes. It’s run out of an old car repair shop, renovated into a large sit-down restaurant with giant garage doors opened to its expansive outdoor patio. Widely known for a huge variety of rotating cheesecakes that come in avant-garde flavours such as Nanaimo bar, peanut butter brownie, lavender white chocolate, Turtle, and rootbeer, to name a few. The colossal cream pies, cupcakes, and cakes are just as tasty as the famous cheesecakes.

The Mount Everest chocolate cake slice

An example of their giant portions is the Mount Everest chocolate cake, a slice the same size as my head!

This chocolate lover’s dream is three layers of soft, moist chocolate cake in between thick fudge buttercream icing, topped with a dollop of white buttercream icing and green cactus sprinkles. The cake-to-icing ratio is perfect for tasting the sweet cream icing and cake in every bite! I’m not a fan of icing but this one complimented the cake so well! For only $7.25 it could feed multiple passionate chocolate lovers or could be taken home for dessert for a week!

The menu

Besides the sweet treats at the front, QV also serves savoury baked goods like calzones, meat and veggie rolls, shepherd’s pie, and spanakopita. Other options that sit behind the glass display (which you’ll want to break into) are the potato and macaroni salads, and the veggie and meat lasagnas, samosas, and burritos. The meal bites don’t stop there, with full breakfast and lunch menus, featuring brunch and lunch diner classics with vegetarian-friendly options.

Brunch options include build-your-own omelets, breakfast poutine, and eggs Benedict made with free-run eggs, house-made hollandaise, and home-cut Yukon potato hashbrowns, all for under $15. For the morning sweet tooth, they serve buttermilk pancakes and classic French toast for under $13! The lunch menu actually invites customers for both lunch and dinner with burgers and hot dogs, vegetarian options, grilled cheese, and chicken tenders. Side options include French fries, pickle fries, yam fries, and onion rings.

Reviews have raved about the “quality coffee.” QV buys fair trade and certified organic coffee beans for its brew options, including decaf espressos, Ethiopian Yirgacheffe coffee, and Caffioco, a frozen coffee drink that can be ordered as green tea, chocolate mint, Irish cream, and other fun flavour options. They also serve milkshakes and smoothies. Aside from the every-meal menu, QV stands out for its affordable food fare that anyone should try at least once!

Try any of the one-of-a-kind cheesecake flavours with a coffee, or enjoy a meal at a great price while people-watching the entrance of Chinatown at QV Cafe and Bakery!

QV Cafe and Bakery

Qvcafe.ca@qv_cafe_and_bakery1701 Government St.