Boom + Batten Restaurant and Cafe

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

Where the Pacific Northwest Meets the Water

Boom + Batten sits at 2 Paul Kane Place on Victoria's Inner Harbour, and the view is more than a backdrop — it shapes the entire experience. The restaurant describes its approach as "elevated casual dining," a phrase that holds up: the setting is striking, the atmosphere approachable, and the cooking firmly rooted in Pacific Northwestern ingredients and seasonal thinking.

The Team Behind the Kitchen

Executive Chef Laurence Munn leads the culinary program, working alongside Restaurant Director Jade Kennedy and Wine Director Kristine Osachuk. Together they have built a kitchen and beverage program that draws on what the restaurant calls "the best ingredients on the market" — a commitment that reads clearly across the menus, from brunch through to a full dinner service.

A Wine Program Worth Noting

Wine Spectator recognized Boom + Batten with its Award of Excellence in both 2023 and 2024, and one look at the wine list explains why. The selection is genuinely broad: British Columbia producers — Burrowing Owl, CedarCreek, Blue Grouse from Vancouver Island, Phantom Creek from the Golden Mile — sit alongside Champagne, Sancerre, and a thoughtfully curated natural and orange wine section. Kristine Osachuk's program reflects the same Pacific Northwestern sensibility that runs through the food, with Okanagan and Vancouver Island bottles given real prominence.

The cocktail list is equally considered, with signatures like the Earl Grey Sour using Sheringham Raincoast Gin — a local Vancouver Island distillery — and a house-made Boom Grapefruit Radler on draught. Zero-proof options are taken seriously, running from non-alcoholic wines to a full roster of spirit-free cocktails.

From Café to Dinner

The space operates as both a café (open daily from 9am) and a full dining room, which means Boom + Batten works as well for a morning coffee as it does for a weekend dinner. OpenTable has ranked it the #1 most booked restaurant in Victoria, and it has earned Diners' Choice recognition consistently from 2020 through 2024, including placement on OpenTable's Top 100 Best Brunch + Lunch in Canada for 2025.

The patio, weather permitting, is the place to be — unreservable by design, and all the better for it.