I've had the lunch special here a few times now. I love this place because the servings are portioned so well (at least for lunch) and you don't feel gross after you leave from overeating. Which happens so often at Chinese food restaurants. The food here is really good. Fresh and delicious. It's a go-to.
Horsing Around Victoria
+4
The staff at Horsing Around have been in the trenches in search of the holy grail of our favourite foodstuff, the glorious noodle.  Whether it be mung bean, traditional wheat pasta, egg or rice noodle, we have slurped them all down with equal brio. Today we want to give kudos to a dish you may not be familiar with, Chow Fun.  Many of us have enjoyed Chow Mein, the ubiquitous Chinese take out staple. Chow Mein is comprised of thin wheat noodles,wok fried until hot and crispy.  Chow Fun alternately is comprised of wide soft, rice noodles, stir fried with a protein (usually beef), flavoured with ginger and dark soy, and topped with crunchy bean sprouts.  Chow Fun is said to test the mettle of the Cantonese cook as the noodles have to be sauteed in a dry seasoned wok to impart the requisite smoky flavour (we have heard that some cooks “cheat†by adding liquid smoke) .  Whatever the method of preparation, we love Chow Fun – the textural contrast between slippery noodles and crunchy bean spouts, the little throat warming kick of ginger and liquoricy dark soy, we crave this dish again and again.
Just what we needed. For a place to be busy on a Tuesday night we knew we were in for a winner. The service was great and the food was so tasty. Perfect mid week meal at a great price
Good food... Confusing menu.. I like the food. The service is decent. The atmosphere is alright. My major complaint is about the menu(s). They have a lot of menus and I'm not sure which one is correct. There are prices and a menu on the back door for takeout which seem lower than the prices on the front menus. The prices on the menu inside the cafe are different than the many special boards. There are menus and specials printed everywhere in many different ways. I feel as if there are multiple listings for a single dish several places. I find it very confusing.
I just wish I had one good menu with the prices presented elegantly.
Always a great meal this is my favourite spot on Vancouver island and the service is great they have excellent lunch combos as well
A nice place to eat. This place is not your traditional Chinese restaurant. The employees don't speak Chinese and the menu has no Chinese so here is where they lose some points. But the price is reasonable and the restaurant is located in an interesting location. I usually enjoy the more authentic Chinese food but this makes for a nice alternative every so often. Recommended for people who are new to Chinese cuisine.
Good value and tasty 3 choice lunch combo. They got busy and service a little scattered, but a friendly place.
Love the take-out noodle boxes. They're not always uniform, some days you get different veggies than others, but all in all they're great comfort food.
Reasonable Bang for Your Buck. The Fan Tan Cafe is reasonable bang for your buck. I have to admit that I found the food a bit salty, but that being said, the food quality overall was decent... not amazing, but decent. The service was sufficient, not amazing but sufficient.
Love the lunch combo specials!. This place is one I go to for a cheap and awesome lunch. They have this list of items you can pick 3 off of and out comes an amazing and filling lunch. I almost always have the same thing when I go here: beef and broccoli, chicken chow mein and sweet and sour pork. I love the tea they have there also.
The atmosphere is a little different inside, the walls are painted a dark colour with funky artwork and the ceiling has holes cut out of it to look like stars im assuming. I dont know if it really goes with the Asian theme maybe it does and I am missing the mark but if I had any complaints that would be it. It just doesent seem to fit and could use a bit of a facelift.
Fan Tan Cafe is my favourite restaurant in China town. They have great lunch and dinner specials. (Three menu items for $11, can't complain!) This place is always packed, considering there are only about 8-10 tables in here. I went there this afternoon and waited about 15 mins for a table. The food was mediocre. The chow mein and wonton soup were good however the cashew chicken was way under done and super bland. It tasted like raw pancake batter which was not appetizing what so ever. I would also like to mention that today, the service was the most unfriendly, most unprofessional I've experience in a while. During our visit, we witnessed a table get up and leave before ordering and a table or two get turned away because they " were too busy".
Best Chinese food around with tons of variety. Definitely one of my fav restaurants in Victoria area. I always order a ton of dishes and never get tired of eating the leftovers after.
Poo shoots left in my shrimp, and food not quite how I remember it from a year ago when it was really good. Service is good though, would definitely give it another chance.
Good Food. But too many spider webs in the window if you are seated there. With some cleaning would be even better!
Why 78%?!. Honestly, I don't understand only 78% of people liked this place! (rate as of Feb. 10). I go there again and again, because the food is great! Their fried noodle that comes with the lunch combo is amazing. Service is warm and genuine although the place is not a true, hardcore chinese restaurant like others in the neighborhood. If you wanna have the best Chinese foods in China Town in Victoria, go to FTC.
Fan Tan serves up good Canadian-Chinese food - order family style, set combos or make-your-own combo. Ginger Beef was excellent! Lots of fresh ginger & garlic flavour.
There are lots of choices for omnivores and vegetarians alike. Find out why this restaurant has been a fixture in Chinatown for over twenty one years.
It was dinner and a movie day. Ed and I were to be used as extras in a local indie zombie film. But before we reached the set, a little stop over in Chinatown was in order. Becoming the undead is hungry work and what better to serve two overweight zombies than brains in a bowl of broth.
Always love trying new chinese places! after trying for the first time we just had to get it again the next night hehe! Everything was great especially the sweet and sour pork, beef and broccoli, and every other combo option we tried! great portion sizes, flavour, and sauciness!
We had lunch here and the 3 course lunch for $17 was delicious. You got a choice of about 20 dishes to choose from. I had the chicken chow mein, spicy vegetable statay and deep fried prawns. Yummy! We came back again and I had the Shrimp Wor Won Ton soup and it was delicious.
Barry Marks (Cosine612)
+5
Ate here 9/29 with a friend. Stumbled in blindly after walking out of a noodle place across the street that was not worth staying and eating. Short version was this is a small, hole in the wall kind of place, outstanding noodles and soup, ice cold Blue Buck Beer, great service, and a nice clean restroom. Very reasonably priced and with service as good as The Empress down the street. Right on the corner of Fan Tan Alley. Don’t let the looks deceive. Just eat. A lot. And some should be noodles. Singapore Rice Noodles. Yummy.
Serves delicious noodle dishes and plenty of other Chinese cuisine. Plenty of indoor seating available and a few outdoor tables as well. They offer takeout and adult beverages too. Located in the heart of Victoria's Chinatown and only feet from historic Fan Tan Alley. Enjoy the sites and sounds and delicious food.
We were given recommendations and they did not fail. First time there and definitely won’t be our last. Fantastic food. I love ginger beef, this was the best I’ve ever had.
Great food with a nice atmosphere right in the heart of Canadas oldest Chinatown. Went for lunch and really enjoyed the Spicy Lunch Combo it was flavorful but not overly spicy definitely recommend a stop if your walking around downtown Victoria.
Always great food, haven't been let down once. Try the beef and greens wonton! The menu is vast with many options. I've had many different dishes and always been satisfied with flavours and portion size.
Such great cheerful service from a beautiful young human, the tea was to the table quick as a wink & the wonton soup was outstanding! Perfect prawns.
Will always bring people who need a good souping :)
This place was pretty good! The food was very good for Chinese food though the pork for the sweet and sour chicken was a bit too fatty. The service here was awful. The server was rude and watched expectantly at the screen when we were giving the tip. She was also were snippy about everything. The atmosphere was alright and the bathrooms were nice. I might come back here again for the food but definitely only because of that. I would maybe recommend this place to others.
The food was quite good. The won ton soup had a favorable brith and was full of good ingredients. There is quite a difference in sizes. The medium is definitely a meal. I had the daily special & it was a good size. The breaded shrimp had a little too much breading. The noodles were delicious. I just didn't like the black walls but at lunch it wasn't too dark. I would go again.
GET THIS WONTON SOUP!! My friend and I came here absolutely starved and upon the first bit of soup we acsended and became spiritually awakened. I have never tasted a soup so delicious, it wasn't even the wonton it was just the broth that I cared about. I would sell my soul to the chef if it meant having more of this soup. The rest of the food was good too, only $25 for a huge plate of good, filling food. The service was okay, our waitress kept disappearing but I think they're just a bit understaffed. Atmosphere was a little dark, some new light bulbs could be in order. Anyways, if you're hungry and looking for a decently cheap, delicious meal downtown, this is the place for you!!
The food was delicious and came out within 10-15 minutes after ordering! Plenty of options on the menu and very reasonably priced. Located in an ideal area right next to the alleyway, sitting outside was enjoyable especially for people-watching.
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