Two renowned restaurants in the Greater Victoria area, one well-established and the other relatively new, have been named in OpenTable’s ‘Top 100 Restaurants in Canada for 2024’.
The two lucky Greater Victoria restaurants that made this year’s list are Ugly Duckling, located in downtown Victoria, and The Butchart Gardens Dining Room in Brentwood Bay.
Additionally, 13 other BC restaurants made the list.
Ugly Duckling is new on the scene, having only opened in February 2023 and already making a name for themselves as one of Victoria’s finest.
This eatery prides itself on being at the pinnacle of Vancouver Island’s best and most innovative dining experiences.
This isn’t their first accolade Ugly Duckling has earned itself. In their debut year, they were long-listed as one of Canada’s Best New Restaurants for 2023 by Air Canada’s En Route Magazine and they were named Yam Magazine’s Best New Restaurant of 2023.
Their menu changes with the seasons, based on the farmers’ offerings and the whims of the culinary team.
The Butchart Gardens Dining Room is a well-established and more traditional fine-dining experience which specializes in its daily high tea experience.
Beloved by locals and tourists alike, the Dining Room at Butchart Gardens is a must for anyone visiting the iconic Saanich Peninsula attraction.
See the rest of the Top 100 Restaurants in Canada for 2024 list here.
OpenTable is a prominent restaurant technology company which many local restaurants utilize to aid them in daily operations. They compiled this list based on over one million reviews, ratings, reservation demand analytics and percentage of five-star reviews, among additional data.
According to OpenTable, even though affordability is tough for all restaurants in this economy, there are some positives to be found in their data.
They say that this year saw an 18% increase in group dining with six or more people, with the most popular days for group dining being Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.
For restaurants who are trying new things and positioning themselves on the cutting edge of dining experiences, OpenTable’s research also shows Canadians are craving exposure to unique culinary encounters. Their data indicates 39% of Canadian residents saying they would be more interested in experiential dining in 2025 than they were in 2024.
Have you ever been to Ugly Ducking or The Butchart Gardens Dining Room? Do you think another restaurant was more deserving of being on this list?
Let us know in the comments below!
