This place served up a little bit of everything. My group and I were feeling different cuisines and this place has it all and plenty of vegetarian options. Quick service, delicious food, friendly staff - perfect for a weekend in Victoria! It's cozy inside and there's plenty of seating to have at for small and large parties alike. Enjoy your time and be sure to try the Persian chai - so good!! read more

Asked what brand of bagels they had. He told me "a bagel is a bagel", I'm from New York. Wrong audience. He proceeded to slam the bagel bag on the counter. He then asked me where it was from like a quiz. Costco. Very rude , and unnecessary, simply wanted to know what brand the bagel was. It matters. read more

Great little corner coffee shop. So cute and clean inside. Love the plants and the fishtank. The server greeted us promptly. She was welcoming and helpful. All of our drinks were delicious! The baked goods looked delicious. You should check it out. read more

Staff was rude and didn't understand English. Asked to exchange five dollars for coins and they refused.

We decided to try this cafe when we were downtown. The Grindstone cafe has a pleasant ambiance with some interesting decor that creates a cozy atmosphere. Good vibes! However, I found the drinks to be lacking in quality. My iced chai latte was disappointingly watery and lacked the expected flavours. On the positive side, the service was good, but considering the price we paid for our iced lattes ($15+tips), we were not left impressed. Unfortunately, we won't be returning anytime soon. read more

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Revisiting the Grindstone for an afternoon sweet treat. Did not disappoint. We split one large hunk of carrot cake. It was delicious, moist and not sweet. The accompanying Americanos were brewed to perfection. This corner shoppe is clean, low key and managed by extremely friendly staff. Oh! Forgot to mention they have a complete menu of salads, soups, sandwiches, and wraps. Don't over look this gem when in Victoria. read more

Grindstone Cafe - Carrot cake with Americano coffees...great treat! - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

Enjoy the random eclectic vibes, but a bit more attention to the quality of food and drinks would be great. Also, some of the food items are quite pricy for the quality. read more

Great vibes upstairs at this café! It's super colourful and inviting, and has so many fun decorations!

Very homey and comfortable. Small cafe with lots of plants. Great coffee and baked goods. They also sell soups and sandwiches. Had a cappuccino and a Lacey cookie. Both were excellent. I was eyeing some fabulous looking carrot cake in the case. I was told they made it themselves. I'll be going back to try it. read more

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We stopped in for coffee and a pastry on June 2, 2024. The cappuccino was outstanding. It is a cozy place with a comforting family feel. The father - daughter team behind the counter were friendly. read more

Came in here for some light lunch. Got the tortilla soup. Pros: - super friendly service - small quaint seating all next to big windows - the soup is 100. ($6.99) huge chunks of avocado and plenty of cheese partially melted in the soup makes it so friggin good. 100. The guy at cash also reassured me that local South American folks have said it's the best tortilla soup in town. Sold. - nice and quiet. Lots of ppl here came by themselves so the noise only really came fr the open kitchen space - free Wi-Fi! I'm visiting fr Van and Freedom doesn't have reception here so nice to have solid Wi-Fi Cons: - because this place is quite small, the seating may not be very accommodating to larger parties - soup usually comes w bread I think, they forgot mine maybe, but it's ok. I'm sure if I asked they would've given it to me. read more

This is Victoria's most inviting coffee shop / cafe. Inviting in that the staff are super friendly, the seating is accommodating for small groups and the solo studious types (like me), and the decor is fun and quirky (like a coffee shop should be). The coffee is great - they make a mean Latte (mean as in good). They were even open to my crazy idea of making a true "Canadiano" and they have been playing along with me to experiment with variations. I saw in one of the other reviews mention made of the carrot cake - and it is indeed really good. All of the soups and sandwiches (and I am slowly working my way through the whole menu) have been fabulous. I have also had good success taking home some of their to-go items (which you can have there too) like the calzone or the samosas. It is true - I have become a regular there. This in itself speaks volumes as I am very picky about my coffee shops and the Grindstone Cafe has joined my elite list of coffee shops around the world that I make a point of visiting whenever I can. All in all, a great spot. The sort of local business we all need to get behind. Personally, I am voting with my feet and I think I need to go there right now... read more

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Great service and breakfast bagel. Perfect stop while wandering Chinatown in the morning.

I have been here when my adult daughters were visiting and it is a nice spot to grab a hot tea, coffee, and a snack. I have enjoyed their sandwiches and baked goods. The staff is friendly and efficient. read more

This place didn't have a massive line so we had breakfast here. Service was friendly and the lunch menu was expansive. Not a lot of choices for breakfast but what we ate was tasty. Almost every table upstairs was occupied by students with laptops and headphones. Solid choice for coffee and a light meal. read more

I was looking for a cute place to have breakfast while in Victoria without waiting in line or overpaying for eggs benny. Got attracted to this place by their exterior painting which is quite interesting. However, the ambiance is not great. There's a lot of potential as the property is very nice. But they're are WAY too manny flower decorations around which didn't really look good to me. Most importantly, the tables are covered in transparent plastic which makes it feel like you're dining in your grandma's house. Their breakfast sandwich was quite good though, but there are few breakfast options. read more

Reasonable coffee & food. However, the waitress told us that vaccine passport was not required because "we don't want the government telling us what to do". If you like hanging out with unvaxxed people, this is the place for you. read more

Adorable little place serving a good coffee variety, extremely friendly service. Lemon bread is so moist and tasty and the breakfast sandwich was just what I needed to start the morning, yum! read more

Cute little café. The menu is very extensive offering a variety of grilled sandwiches and wraps with a generous portion size. The owner and his assistant are so generous and nice. Recommend trying his specialty carrot cake and breakfast sandwich. read more

A pretty mid cafe experience. I had a breakfast bagel that was just okay, but it's not like the quality of breakfast bagels really varies that much. The decor inside is very cute. The cinnamon bun was delicious though. They have a few gluten free options which is great to have. read more

The breakfast sandwich was so good: the roll was crispy, (how did they do that!) with eggs, tomato slices and avocado stuffed inside. Coffee was perfect. The tables outside faced the sunshine and it was a great place to soak it in. Had some coffee questions and the barista was an expert. read more

The tortilla soup was recommended to us and since we were in the area, we decided to go in for lunch. Turns out that the tortilla soup is delicious! I've never heard of it before and it was a nice surprise. Spices, cheese, tortillas and avacado....mmmm. My boyfriend and I each got a wrap. Mine was supposed to be greek chicken with creamy dill sauce. There wasn't anything noteworthy about the wrap. It was a bit bland. Also, the lettuce is all on side and the meat on the other, as opposed to mixed up evenly. So one bite is lettuce, the other bite is just meat. The boyfriend wasn't raving about his wrap either. The cafe is small and cute. The staff are warm and welcoming. The food is overpriced. Two wraps and one soup, the bill was close to $30 dollars, no drinks. Go for the soup, if you've never tried it. read more

I had stopped into this place about a year ago but haven't been back because it was a bit out of the way. I remembered the cafe having a great atmosphere and I wasn't wrong. The background music stays in the background, the two behind the counter were super friendly and chatting with many of the guests. Beyond the atmosphere, I found my reason to get back here sooner: the tortilla soup. I've had soups like other places and it's always way more broth than filling, but not here. I had more than broth in every bite down to the last drop. I'll definitely be back for more. read more

Grindstone Cafe - Tortilla soup - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

I've been coming up to Victoria a week per month since February and Grindstone has become my go-to for lunch. I'm working outside most of the time and although it's not hard work, since it's outside - it's draining, and what I crave is either something soothing (like soup - especially when it's cold) or a sandwich with a reasonable amount of protein in it, plus an espresso for an afternoon pick-me-up. I've found that some of the other cafés nearby (e.g. Cascadia) are good for coffee and desserts, but don't stack up to Grindstone in terms of a satisfying lunch. When the job in Victoria ends, I'm going to beg for the tortilla soup recipe. It's nothing too fancy, but it really hits the spot for me - a bit of spice, not too much and the right amount of avocado, cheese, and tortillas. I also like the chicken, blue cheese and apple sandwich - very comforting somehow, like a nap between two buns. The food and espresso are made once you order it, so it does take a little time to come out. The staff are friendly, but this may be because they recognize me as a Grindstone addict at this point. read more

What a wonderful little restaurant we found today when we stopped at the grind stone their breakfast sandwich was absolutely wonderful lived up to everything and we had cappuccinos whether it was a wonderful little fun this morning read more

BEST Breakfast in Victoria with great service and best coffee ive ever had if i could give more than 5 stars i definitely would had a great time and is a must go to if you are in Victoria read more

I noticed that cook had gaudy nails. It completely grosses me out to see food handlers with long nails. very unsanitary.

Funky little cafe! Great coffee and tea. Service is enthusiastic and helpful. Love the music! Pretty extensive menu but I only tried the bakery items - lemon coconut loaf and the brownie which were pretty good. read more

One star given for the 6/10 coffee, but super lame customer service. Staff needs to get off their high hipster horse and come back down to reality. Rude as ever!! read more

Lovely breezy cafe with super yummy breakfast sandwiches for our last breakfast in Victoria! They tailored each one to our personal liking (veggie version, no mayo, added garlic butter, etc.) Perfect for a quiet last morning in Victoria! Great vibe and music in background as well. read more

The most delicious food you will find in any cafe!!! So amazing!! I didn't try their coffee but their food is really good. If I lived near by, this would be my go to place. read more

Loved their food, coffee an atmosphere! There sandwiches are so fresh and tasty and it's a Beautiful place to people watch!

My favorite place to come for lunch! LOVE their Thai Noodle Salad, Chicken Apple Sandwich, & Tuscan Chicken Sandwich!!!! The relatively new owners are very warm and friendly. Sad for them they had a flood soon after they acquired it but glad they stuck with it and kept favorite menu items. The only thing I am not crazy about is their coffee. Don't like the taste. read more

Coffee was undrinkable, both myself and my husband left our cups unfinished. My husband had drip coffee and I had a latte. No muffins or more morning like baked goods, very disappointed. read more