854 replies to this topic

[pennymurphy2000]

I don't recall anything but Chinese there. Any hints as to what years?

Late 1970-ish/early 1980s time frame? It was definitely Mexican with a tiger logo I think? I remember going there for a birthday dinner. I was a little kid at the time but I remember I was intrigued by the deep friend ice cream on the menu.

[Bingo]

deep friend ice cream on the menu.

 

I have some deep friends but they would not be good in ice cream.

[ObcVictoria]

I miss the 80's late night coffee spots, they used to be a good show on weekends from around 1-3 AM, like Coffee Mac's, Bino's, Scott's Diner, The Day & Night, sadly they are all gone.

 

Anyone remember that Chinese Buffet on the Gorge, in the basement of where The Loft Pub is now? It was "all you could eat" and started at 11:00 PM and went until 3:00 AM or later, sometimes it was a crazy place, they had a big projector screen and satellite TV and they played MTV loud...  Must have been 1983 when I was going there.. it was a gong show Saturday nights.. once someone overturned the entire buffet lol

[Spurtz]

I miss the 80's late night coffee spots, they used to be a good show on weekends from around 1-3 AM, like Coffee Mac's, Bino's, Scott's Diner, The Day & Night, sadly they are all gone.

 

Anyone remember that Chinese Buffet on the Gorge, in the basement of where The Loft Pub is now? It was "all you could eat" and started at 11:00 PM and went until 3:00 AM or later, sometimes it was a crazy place, they had a big projector screen and satellite TV and they played MTV loud...  Must have been 1983 when I was going there.. it was a gong show Saturday nights.. once someone overturned the entire buffet lol

Coffee Mac's....there's a name I haven't heard in a long time.  I was last there around 1990, if I remember correctly?

[ObcVictoria]

Today I ran into the old El Rancho waiter, still driving the old 1979 El Rancho Dodge van with the logo on the side lol! He remembered me as we used to go there all the time back in the day Anyone who ever went to the El Rancho Restaurant on Bay St. down by the Jubilee Hospital will remember the great fun that was had by all there lol  He is using the old van for a painting business now haha

[Sparky]

^ Welcome to VibrantVictoria ObcVictoria.

This is one of my favourite threads. There were a number of great restaurants, bars, and greasy spoons that made for a great city. We used to meet up in our favourite haunts and socialize without a phone in our face.

Good times.

[UDeMan]

Today I ran into the old El Rancho waiter, still driving the old 1979 El Rancho Dodge van with the logo on the side lol! He remembered me as we used to go there all the time back in the day Anyone who ever went to the El Rancho Restaurant on Bay St. down by the Jubilee Hospital will remember the great fun that was had by all there lol  He is using the old van for a painting business now haha

 

El Rancho had the best deep fried ice cream dessert.   Does anyone know a restaurant that serves it in the same style? 

 

It was an ice cream ball covered in a cake like dough and deep fried.  I've tried other places, but nothing ever comes close to El Rancho.

Edited by UDeMan, 22 August 2018 - 02:38 PM.

[Nparker]

...It was an ice cream ball covered in a cake like dough and deep friend...

I literally started to drool when I read this. 

[Jackerbie]

El Rancho had the best deep fried ice cream dessert.   Does anyone know a restaurant that serves it in the same style? 

 

It was an ice cream ball covered in a cake like dough and deep fried.  I've tried other places, but nothing ever comes close to El Rancho.

 

Cafe Mexico has deep fried ice cream, but it has been so long since I had it that I can't remember if it is cake wrapped or not. If El Rancho did it the "typical" way, then the ice cream was probably wrapped in a rolled out pound cake and then fried. Doable at home if you have a deep fryer!

[ObcVictoria]

I recall when I was a kid going by The Beachcomber at night and being dazzled by the flaming tiki torches all over the front of the building lol  I don't think they would get that kind of signage past city hall in 2018

I was too young to go in with my friends but I remember partyers coming out from there and I always thought it was really cool..  must have been around 1972-73   it's looong gone..some cool pics in the link

 

http://www.tikiroom....44898&forum=2

[Langford Rat]

I remember going there when we were kids and and giggling when we heard  table next to us order the "poo poo" platter....eeeww!

[ObcVictoria]

Speaking of Mexican food, who remembers Las Flores? They were in the space that Ferris's Grill & Oyster Bar is now, back in the early 80's probably the best most authentic Mexican food I have ever had in my life. The proprietor was elderly back then, and he was hit with repeated rent increases, so he moved to Haultain St. in the same building as the fish & chip shop is, and next to a beer making supply store. But he never got the traction in the new location, and eventually he had to close.  Another really good one was the Lone Star Grill, on Yates across from where Sult Perogi Bar is now. They were fantastic, but also long gone.

[ObcVictoria]

Here's another one from the past... JP's Chicken, ..was at the corner of Douglas and Johnson, now occupied by Burger King. They had the most awesome roasted chicken in town, and JP was a really nice guy. But he was obliterated by the explosion of the Tommy Tucker's chain of chicken restaurants, which opened at Pandora and Broad, across from city hall, and in Oak Bay, and I think they opened a few more, sadly that spelled the end of JP's, in the early to mid eighties. Tommy Tuckers did very well with multiple locations and eventually they also imploded, but their chicken was nowhere as good as JP's.

[Rob Randall]

I tried to find if JP's was early enough to be in the Colonist online archives which stop at 1970 but only could find a listing for Dorman's menswear which was at 1328 Douglas from at least WWII up until at least the end of 1970.

[ObcVictoria]

I tried to find if JP's was early enough to be in the Colonist online archives which stop at 1970 but only could find a listing for Dorman's menswear which was at 1328 Douglas from at least WWII up until at least the end of 1970.

I think JP's opened around 1980

[On the Level]

I miss the 80's late night coffee spots, they used to be a good show on weekends from around 1-3 AM, like Coffee Mac's, Bino's, Scott's Diner, The Day & Night, sadly they are all gone.

 
Bino's!  We would go there after the club closed.  We were not always perfect but we incorrectly owned another table throwing tomato slices from their burgers against the window.  The waitress was not impressed.  Fast forward 2 weeks later, 3 of us had moved to Vancouver and had met at Bino's in Coquitlam. Ironically, the same waitress also happened to move to the same Bino's at the same time.  I've never seen such a shocked look.  We were the best behaved table every time we went there!  

[ObcVictoria]

Back in '72 as kids we used to go to the Pandora McD's after elementary school, and get hamburgers for $0.15 and cheeseburgers for $0.20 and kids would take their burger pickle slices and whip them onto the windows, where the ketchup would stick them in place, and then very slowly slide down. The security guard would completely melt down and start screaming and yelling and everyone would bust out laughing. Got to be a daily affair, watching this guy flip out and nearly have a stroke. We were devious kids lol  ..eventually they set up "pickle thrower surveillance" and banned a few kids... haha

[RFS]

Back in '72 as kids we used to go to the Pandora McD's after elementary school, and get hamburgers for $0.15 and cheeseburgers for $0.20 and kids would take their burger pickle slices and whip them onto the windows, where the ketchup would stick them in place, and then very slowly slide down. The security guard would completely melt down and start screaming and yelling and everyone would bust out laughing. Got to be a daily affair, watching this guy flip out and nearly have a stroke. We were devious kids lol ..eventually they set up "pickle thrower surveillance" and banned a few kids... haha

They should have just stopped putting pickles in your burgers

[Mike K.]

Jesus. Victoria has security guards at that McDonald’s even back in the early 70’s?

[Mystic-Pizza]

Some closed/defunct eateries and restaurants I frequented were:

 

-Mr. Burger on Harriet & Burnside (early 80's)

 

-Famous Charlies under the Capital 6 Theatre where Johnny Z's eventually went in

 

-Goodies restaurant  down town on Broad St.  (famous for their egg omelets) 

 

-The Drummer Boy  in Tillicum Mall (best chocolate Malts) 

 

- Dino's on the corner of Tillicum and Burnside

 

-The Brass Duck ( under original owner/management) 

 

- Harvey's Hamburgers (Down Town on Yates & Beside Swiss Challet on Douglas)

 

- Foo Hong's Chinese Restaurant in China Town

 

- Cosmo's In Burnside Plaza (under original ownership when you could order food and sit inside)

 

- Brownie's Recipe Fried Chicken

 

- The Pantry On Douglas Across from Mayfair Lanes

 

- Tommy Tuckers