Review Fan-tan Cafe - Victoria

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.

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.

As much as I love the food here, their lack of customer service is enough to make me give them 1 star. This establishment will be closed on random days or they will decide to close early because the owner decides he doesn't want to keep it open during the listed open hours. They often do not pick up their phone or just turn it off so they will no longer have to take orders. The right thing to do would be to pick up the phone and just tell the customer you have decided to close early, rather than ignoring them. I live and work in the area and would love to order their food more but they are simply unreliable.<br/><br/>One evening when I was finishing up work I wanted to order some takeout. Their scheduled hours listed they closed at 9pm, I attempted calling at 7:50 and the phone just went straight to voicemail. I called several more times over the next 20 or so minutes and still no luck. On my walk home I passed by at 8:20 to see that they were still open but when I walked in the server told me the kitchen was closed. I approached the owner behind the counter and asked if he was closing at 9. He didn't make eye contact with me but instead turned his back to me and said they were closing early because they were really busy. I've heard of establishments closing early due to a slow night but you are refusing more business because you feel like you made enough already? Does not seem like a great business model to me.<br/><br/>I have been let down too many times by this establishment and will no longer rely on them and as a result will no longer give them my business.

We went there for dinner tonight and as soon as we entered the restaurant it was noticeable that the fish in the tank at the entrance were dying; gasping for air. When I mentioned this to the waitress she said that she didn't care. The water in the tank was far too hot and the fish were in distress. She only phoned the owner because I mentioned that I was going to phone the SPCA. But she had previously phoned the owner about the fish and the owner didn't bother to come to the restaurant. We immediately left as it was too upsetting to see the fish. <br/><br/>Please do not eat at this restaurant.

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.

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.

Big Dissapointment. Been going there for 3 years and just had a horrible meal.We ordered the the honey garlic wings .YCCCH Pre cooked and reheated<br/>with a very poor sauce.We asked a waitress for napkins and she forgot.We got the Wor Won Ton which was the best in town.We had to send it back,because it was luke warm.It also appeared to have a beef based broth..They reheated the soup.<br/> My partner said the taste had changed and I noticed that the soup was not like it used to be.Also it had increased in price<br/>to $20.00 for a bowl for two.The price change I can handle.Cold ,beef based soup is not why I have been going there for 3 years.

Brutal. Food took an hr. Service was lazy and my dish was tasteless. Unfortunate because I've had take out before and it's was quite good. We didn't tip and usually I'm dead set against that considering I was a server for years... I find people can be generally understanding, they can see when a server is running their ass off in a busy place and providing polite, apologetic all around good service to their tables. Some times its the guys in the kitchen who can wreck it for the front of house. In this case both were bad and I mean bad. We had to make a point. You won't be seeing us again and I'll be sure to tell my friends. Where the hell is a good place to eat here in Victoria!?!

Demands tip. Food was ok, would have considered coming back, but when I was paying my girlfriend went to the washroom, while I waited outside, the waitress I paid came out and said, "if your not going to leave a tip don't bother coming back!" That's super rude! And unprofessional!!! Maybe some people are low on cash, or maybe my girlfriend was going to leave a tip! Either way you don't demand tips! <br/>I don't recommend this place

Pick your night?. Went there Thurs Aug 28th and the food was so good, my partner and I talked about it for days until Sunday the 31st we decided to shut up and just go back for more! Sunday however was a different story. We took 5 friends with us and every single dish except one was bland and tasteless. Like it came from a food court. The one vegetarian dish that was ordered was the only one that got finished. Maybe there are different chefs on different nights? I'm going to call them and give them feedback because without consistency, people won't go back and I really loved the Thurs night meals!

Service was lazy and we didn't care much for our meals. I had a thai noodle bowl and my partner had a meal with chow mein, sweet and sour pork, and fried prawns. The prawns were mostly batter, over cooked and hard to bite into. All in all it was ooookay. Far better Asian food in this city. Bubble tea was the highlight.

Worst watery ma po tofu I've ever had...flavourless food ...it was expensive and was so disappointing ...I could have made it better at home. When I got my food to go they did not seal the package properly and my food leaked everywhere. Honestly the whole inside if the place was dirty.

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.<br/><br/>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.

Bad Sevice. Last Friday a friend and I went to have dinner at this restaurant. I ordered a Caeser to drink, when It arrived at our table I tasted it. It was awful and completely undrinkable so I politely informed the waitress that it wasn't very good, she simply said "Sorry" and walked off without taking it from our table. Later on she gave us the bill and I noticed the Caeser (Which I had only taken one sip of!) was still included in the bill so I went up to the register and asked the waitress if I had to pay for it. She said that after the bill has been printed no changes can be made to it (I have worked for restaurants myself in the past and this is completely untrue) when I told her that I wouldn't pay for a drink I didn't enjoy and didn't even finish she said rudely "Now it just looks like you don't want to pay for the drink" I was completely shocked at her comment, but since I'm not the type to start a fuss publicly I quietly paid for my twenty dollar bill and left. It surprises me that in such a popular restaurant, in a busy tourist area that they wouldn't hire the proper staff. There are so many young people living in Victoria looking for work right now that are nice, friendly and hard working and there is no reason for this kind of behaviour.

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.

The worst Chinese food ever! We should have paused when we realized that the waitress and the kitchen staff were European but, not wanting to be biased, we ordered. This was without doubt, The worst meal we have ever eaten in Victoria. Avoid it.

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. <br/>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.

Greasy noodle boxes. Some nice flavor and texture on the sweet and sour pork but too little of it atop a mountain of greasy noodles. Why so many noodles? It is just too much. Sure, they're cheap to serve but some meat is what I want.<br/><br/> The people in charge seem nice, capitalizing on name and location and, sadly, tourists that they'll never see again. I live around the corner but won't go back - there are too many other restaurants where you can get better quality and balance.

Lousy!. The sweet and sour pork tasted like Worcestershire sauce. ..it was awful.<br/><br/>Our beef had some pieces that were still raw in the centre and oozing blood...and others that were well done. Similar complaint to someone else who wrote a review earlier.<br/><br/>We were so cold in the draught of the air vent that we had to change tables. <br/>Service was good, but it was honestly the worst Chinese food I'd ever had..... I tried to like it...but just couldn't find anything positive.<br/><br/>I will say that the soda/syrup ratio in their fountain pop was perfect. So often I get a flat or tasteless diet cola and have to send it back. This one was just right.

DISGUSTING!. The reviews on this page is an absolute reflection of the provincial tastes of the masses of Victoria. This place was the most digusting place I've eaten at I think, ever. Granted, the service was fine but the food was inedible. The chow mein was too salty, and everything else greasy and flavourless. The combo meals seemed like a good idea at first, but absolutely vomit inducing. Everything is slopped on one oval plate. All the greasy, salty sauces running one into the other. The beef in the beef and brocolli were inconsistently cut that some of the bigger pieces were even raw in the middle. Took a few bites and decided calories weren't worth the garbage on the plate. WTF- these people have been in business for 26 years? Thank you to the idiots who support this place. Lots and lots of pig slop for cheap!!!

SMALL AND BUSY. We ate at this small Chinese restaurant twice during our 4 nights' stay in Victoria.<br/><br/>The first dinner was good but the chef must have a very heavy hand on salt. We decided to give this restaurant a second chance and went there 2 nights later. This time, we specifically told the server that we wanted our food with less salt. The food turned out to be excellent.<br/><br/>The restaurant is small and the seating rather cramped. The lone server was very pleasant and worked under rather hectic conditions. It took quite a while for our food to be served (we noticed that those who came in after us for take-out were served well ahead of us).<br/><br/>Overall, we recommend this restaurant to those who wish to pay reasonable prices for North American (not authentic) Chinese food.

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.

Why?. I went here once a couple of years ago. Never went back. The food was awful, worse than food court quality (at least Vancouver food court quality). Rice was hard, probably had been sitting in a warmer for quite some time. Restaurant was decorated in a unique way for a Chinese restaurant but cleanliness was questionable. Service was fine, but still. Why bother? Go to Wah Lai Yuen, at least you're getting real Chinese food.

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.

If you are a purist who’d rather die than eat pork coated with day-glo red sauce take heart, this restaurant also prepares authentic Chinese dishes that Asian people will actually eat. Pete loves the beef and ginger chow funn – tender slices of lean beef sautéed with oyster sauce and bok choy served over a mound of saucy, slippery rice noodles. On dreary winter days, nothing provides comfort like a bowl of wonton soup topped with morsels of crispy skinned bbq duck. Wash everything down with plenty of green tea. In the evening you can order a martini and lounge in front of the colourful goldfish tank while you wait for your nosh. Servers are friendly and food arrives quickly. Keep in mind that this isn’t the most refined Asian fare you’ll find in Victoria but portions are generous and prices are very reasonable for what you get.

A quaint little shop with an attractive front and variety of dishes on their menu. Right next to Fan Tan Alley. Wor-won ton is something special that they have...

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.

Overall our experience at Fan Tan Cafe was quite good. Their menu is huge and I forgot to mention they also have the largest selection of vegetarian items on it than any other Chinese restaurant in Victoria. Also, none of the food on the menu has MSG in it.

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.

While in Chinatown, enjoy some alternatives to Afternoon Tea. Silk Road (like The Fairmont Empress, discussed in the last Victoria report) is in the area, but for something different, how about two contrasting experiences right across from each other?