Hide + Seek Coffee — Restaurant in Oak Bay

everyone who knows me, knows i am all about coffee. this is my all time favorite coffee shop.

always a stellar selection of beans. im from the mainland and i always make sure to blast through my lineup at home when i know im vacationing so i can bring home a haul from here. coffee is always brewed with care and love every time i've visited, and served the same way as well, on a beautiful wood tray with a glass of water and lovely hario decanter. waffles are always fun and taste amazing. genuinely look forward to sunday the most every time i visit (the island) just for waffle sunday. treats and toast are also yummy.

i dont know exactly why, but this place is just so warm and comfy. art by local artists, the photographs, vinyl records being played all day, books to enjoy, everything comes together to make me feel like i am a very welcome guest at a good friend's home. and thats something i love so much about hide + seek. somehow, i feel like a longtime resident of oak bay, a part of this lovely community on the island, just from the vibes alone.

ive had a good few conversations with you all, and man, i just wanna be best friends with all of you. everyone behind the bar is a joy, and the passion and love for what they do is so, so crystal clear.

i just started as a supervisor at a brand new coffee shop and one day may open my very own, and hide + seek is my number one reference/example as a grade A coffee shop with grade A service.

just like i tell everyone here on the mainland, if you're visiting the island, going on a vacay to victoria, etc, you NEED to visit hide + seek. they deserve all the love, and you deserve to have the amazing experience these lovely...

As anyone can tell by the number of photographs I post on Instagram, I freaking love Hide + Seek’s Waffle Sunday. Every week I look forward to Saturday night when they post their menu on Instagram sharing what will be the next morning’s feature waffle.

If you’ve been to Hide + Seek’s Waffle Sunday before, you know how busy this spot can be. As this is a cozy coffee shop, I prefer to arrive right as their doors open at 10am so I can find a spot to sit, people watch and (most importantly) waffle-eat. If you’re a regular (or if you’ve seen the signs), you will also know that they have a no laptop policy on Sundays (only) from 10am-1pm. This may be a deal breaker for some patrons but there are SO many places in Victoria to set up shop with your laptop but not many places that serve such deliciously creative waffles as Hide + Seek (I still dream of their Yuzu waffle🤤🍋). I’m thankful they institute this short-term policy as it can be hard to find a spot to sit and enjoy your waffle if there’s a sea of tables occupied by laptops.

Lastly, I want to mention the staff at Hide + Seek as they are always so friendly and inviting. Every time I visit I feel treated like a regular they know by name (even though I’m sure they likely don’t remember me!). The atmosphere they’ve created in their shop is so special and so inclusive.

If you haven’t had the pleasure of enjoying Waffle Sunday (what are you waiting for?!) please do check Hide + Seek out soon! I also highly recommend their Cardamom Tea Latte. I believe it’s only served in the fall months but it is worth. every. sip....

This is as my daughter puts it, “Mommy’s favourite coffee shop” and she is not wrong.

Jesse and Jamie have something really special here. Not only an incredibly inviting space with excellent music playing at all times (and an instagram page for that music @cafecollection) they have SERIOUSLY GOOD COFFEE!

In a town that is quickly becoming known for some damn fine coffee, they have managed to make relationships with roasters you can’t find anywhere else in the city! (Camber, Bespoke, Monogram etc.). They are committed to excellent service, product, and experience.

The staff are all knowledgeable and friendly. They always make an effort to get to know us and I’m not even kidding, one day when it was slow Jamie and Jesse made me coffee and then played with my toddler to give me a few minutes rest! They’ve even delivered coffee to my car when I was parked out front with a sleeping infant. Where else does this happen?!

Bi-weekly knit nights, bi-weekly knitting classes, origin book club, Promotion of local events, and other great community involvement. You will be hard pressed to find a place that cares more about this stuff than Hide + Seek.

Waffle Sunday’s are awesome and very busy, they are active on Instagram so it is very easy to see what is happening at the store, and they have a great selection of tiny human toys and story books as well as other cool things to read and art to admire.

This place will always be top of my list to recommend when visiting Victoria. Not far from the ocean and completely worth the trip to...