Victoria Public Market At The Hudson

This was the last meal in Victoria heading out to Vancouver. Decided to come to the Public Market because the Butchart Garden bus guide advertised it both times we were passing by the market. Well, it is a nice trendy looking market but for ²⁄₂ restaurants we tried inside, we experienced poor service and mediocre food. The rotisserie chicken was ok but when I asked for salt and Tabasco sauce it became such a big deal. I also asked the girl what she did to the skin on my chicken because it was partially missing, she said it was because it was falling apart but assured me the skin was inside. She lied. Moving on to the other fish n chip place, fish was fresh but the fish batter was weird and the chowder was the worst tasting chowder I had. not good at all. Waste of money. It seems hard to find good food in Victoria. It’s also hard to find good service. It’s a beautiful place but limited options to eat well. I couldn’t wait to leave lest we lose weight.

I may not have the popular option here, but I find this market totally overwhelming.
Selection sucks. What few vendors are here only sell a handful of items each. Nothing is really to die for either.
The farmers market on Wednesdays seems to be down to two or three tables.
The vendors in here keep inconsistent hours and few of the food vendors are open around dinner time.
I find the whole space, which is supposed to be trendy and industrial, to be dark and unwelcoming. The gates are designed to always appear half closed, which makes it look like everyone is trying to close up shop.

Interesting little market with a nice variety. Mostly food vendors but also a nice kitchen shop & florist. The bakery way in back has some excellent treats & will make you a delicious dairy free hot chocolate from scratch. The chocolatier in the middle of the space has some of the best chocolate in the world & it’s from all over the planet. We will be back again. Most places with the exception of the bakery start opening about 11:00.

Came here for a little snack late in the afternoon. Some of the places were already closed, but luckily for us the small Mexican ‘la cocina de Mama oli’ was still open. We ordered the chicken tostada and the chicken burrito. After a short wait we were served and the food was delicious. The best Mexican we had in BC during our holiday. The portions were generous for the price and the service was very friendly.

Relatively new, the Public Market Building houses about a dozen great little permanent shops and rotating Farmers’ stalls. I’ll do individual reviews on the shops.

If you’re expecting something like Granville Island, you’ll be sorely disappointed, so don’t have those hopes too high.
The «market» is all indoors and consists of less than 12 stalls, not too small, of primarily food or food-​related places. Later on a Sunday afternoon, market was dead — maybe a handful of shoppers.
To give you an idea, there was a florist, a Mexican stall (selling $ 10 Pozole), an Indian-​fusion place, a chocolate stall selling a variety of bars/​treats from around the world, the Victoria Pie Company, Olive The Senses, a bakery, and a small/​local grocers. At the time of my visit, there were no produce stalls.
It’s ok as a walk through, but you can’t exactly spend an afternoon here because it’s too small.

This is a nice, indoor retail space but not well utilized.
Not as much stuff, retail or food that I thought would be in there.
A nice souvenir shop in there would have been good.

It’s smaller version of Granville island in Vancouver but has a few shops that are worth stopping by for.
1) there is amazing cheese shop with great grilled cheese
2) balsamic and olive oil shop
It’s also got a few food vendors, tried roast which you can see the reviews and photos.
Value ³⁄₅
Atmosphere ⁴⁄₅
Service ¾
Quality ³⁄₅
¹³⁄₂₀

Nice up and coming market area, we were there on a Monday so it was a little quieter but everyone but the lady selling opera tickets was very friendly. Some good, local finds you won’t get in the more touristy areas of Victoria.

What a smashing find!
For anyone who seeks event space, this place is a godsend. Honestly. I wish I could uproot the whole damn site and move it to the mainland. Not only do they have a big ass room to work with, but as an event coordinator, you have the option to include the current patrons (for a public event), they have linens and most rentals onsite, access to a huge commercial kitchen, a decent sound system and the rental prices are unbelievably fair.
The space is on the utilitarian side, but it has pretty details that make it more lively and the vendors that occupy the space on a permanent basis, have done a wonderful job with their stall fronts. Each little space looks like it’s own little upscale café — from a bundle to bright colours to sophisticated chic display cases — there’s a lot of personality packed into this space.
On a non-​event focus, if I still lived in Victoria, i’m sure this would fast become a regular haunt. From the cheese stand (which can do no wrong), to the Silk Road Tea shop and artisan bakeries — this is a one stop shop for picnic and/​or dinner party goodies. Or just, goodies because it’s a weekday and you’re feeling fancy.
When I was last there, there were still some big empty spaces that made this place feel a wee bit unfinished, but overall, I’m excited to see this place expand and build. Definitely worth poking your head in.

Smaller than I thought it would be. There were only 14 stores. Good if you are coming here for specialities. I came here for Olives and Senses. I wish we had sth like this in Vancouver.

Spec-​flippin-​tacular!
When I was visiting Victoria a few months back a few locals had told me that this market had just opened. Being from Seattle they were quick to compare it to our famous 100+ yr old market down at Pike Place. And while it’s definitely smaller, there’s so much here worth checking out. This brand new space boasts a cheese shop, a tea shop, a bakery, an olive oil shop, fresh flowers, fresh fish, and tons more. I fell head over heels in love with this market and will absolutely never visit Victoria again without popping in here first.
What makes me love this city is their love for local produce and local business. This Market brings all of that together under one roof and it’s a great way to shop for your home and family without having to drive all over town.
All of the shop owners were friendly and many of them have tasting stations so you can test products and food before you buy.
I bought lunch from a meat stand in the form of sandwiches and meatballs, then I bought a baguette, some olive oil, and some cheese. Pretty much all of my favorite things under one roof.
It looks like in the coming months the variety of shops here will be even greater as they’re making room for new tenants and shop owners. Keep checking back to watch it grow!

This place is great. We really enjoyed the vendors and the food — I think we ate from 4 different places in the hour we were there. It was really that good. If you like food, go here!