Categorized | TEA ROOM, VEGETARIAN

Venus Sophia Tea Room & Vegetarian Eatery

If you’re ever in Victoria’s Chinatown and in the mood for something OTHER than Chinese food, I have good news for you.

Whether you’re looking for breakfast or lunch options, I can highly recommend Venus Sophia Tea Room & Vegetarian Eatery as a good place to get some very tasty (and healthy) food.

Here you can choose something from Venus Sophia’s delicious vegetarian menu (not just for vegetarians), sample some of their scrumptious desserts or experience their lovely Afternoon Tea.

For our first visit to Venus Sophia Tea Room, we decided to do vegetarian (Mark’s choice) and Afternoon Tea (my choice).

Venus Sophia Food & Tea Counter

When we first walked into Venus Sophia we were welcomed by an atmosphere that could be described as a combination of elegance and simplicity.

Set up as part cafe, part dining room, it exuded beauty but without having that hoity toity feel you may encounter at some tea places.

It is unlike any other Tea Room I’ve been in Victoria, and at first I wasn’t sure if I liked the whole “order at the counter then sit down” thing. But that thought didn’t last for long.

As I was ordering their afternoon tea, I was asked to select my choice of tea. I appreciated the ability to see and smell all of the different types of tea they had to choose from as as they were all displayed on the counter (complete with descriptions).

Roman Provence Tea

I decided to go with the “Roman Provence” tea as it was said to be a sweet and fruity tea which I tend to like.

If you want to order one of their fantastic desserts, they are displayed in a glass case at the front counter as well. I always like sizing up my desserts ahead of time so I know exactly what I’m gonna get.

Note: I’m pretty sure Venus Sophia sells the biggest chocolate croissants I’ve EVER seen, so for you pastry lovers out there, save some room for dessert!

As I was choosing a tea for my “Afternoon Tea” ($25.50 per person), Mark was ordering the “Brie Mango Quesadilla” ($11) off the vegetarian menu.

Brie Mango Quesadilla

Said to be one of their most popular dishes, this dish consisted of melted brie on layers of avocado and mango slices in a green quesadilla.

One bite into his quesadilla Mark quickly found out why it’s so popular here. It was excellent!

One of the great things about their vegetarian menu is that not only is it flavourful, but they also use may organic ingredients as well.

Mark and I chose a table at the front of the restaurant and were perfectly comfortable sitting there for a couple hours.

Enjoying My Tea At Venus Sophia

The environment here is very welcoming and I could see myself (as I noticed the woman sitting at a nearby table), reading a book over a cup of Cappuccino on a lazy Sunday afternoon in my near future…

Anyway, back to my tea.

If you decide to order the Afternoon Tea, in addition to being served a pot of the tea of your choosing, you will also get 4 finger sandwiches, a variety of bite sized desserts and a scrumptious scone with jam and whipped cream, all beautifully presented on a 3-tiered plate.

A separate “exotic fruit plate” also comes with your meal.

Afternoon Tea

For me, my favourite parts of my meal had to be the tea itself and the gorgeous “Royal Albert” china that it was served in, as well as the large, super fresh and tasty cranberry scone (served with just the right amount of jam and whipped cream).

I must mention our delightful server we had as well. Very polite and friendly, we felt very well attended to for the entire time we were there.

When I go out for afternoon tea, I don’t like to feel rushed and I certainly didn’t at Venus Sophia Tea Room. The mood was relaxed and the smooth jazz music playing in the background was a nice touch too.

If you’re not the tea type, they also serve what I hear are exceptional coffees including Americanos, Expressos, Cappuccinos, etc.

They are also open for breakfast so they’ve got you covered.

For our first visit to Venus Sophia Tea Room & Vegetarian Eatery, Mark and I were both very happy with our experience and without question, will be back again soon.

IN A NUTSHELL…