Taoisis Ramen & Tao Tea
I recently had the chance to visit Victoria’s latest ramen spot, Taoisis Ramen, and I have to say, it’s a must-try! Located in the atrium at 800 Yates St., this cozy, family-run eatery is a hidden gem, especially in the evenings. Since they’re the only spot open in the atrium at night, you can enjoy your meal in a unique setting with high ceilings and natural light filtering through roof windows.
Taoisis brings authentic Chinese flavours right to the heart of downtown Victoria. In the mornings, they operate as TaoTea, offering fresh-baked goods like shrimp buns, pork floss buns, and fruit buns. Their drink menu is impressive, featuring options like Matcha Bubble Milk Tea, Peach with Jasmine Green Tea, Roasted Coconut Coffee, and more. Their milk teas have their signature triple cheese foam topping, which is delicious!
In the afternoon and evening, their ramen menu shines. They offer rich broths like Tonkotsu (pork/chicken), Shoyu (light soy sauce chicken/pork), and Miso (soybean paste pork/chicken), with plans to add a chicken-only option soon. You can choose from toppings like Ground Pork Stew, Chicken, Sliced Pork, BBQ Chicken, and Potato Stew, with a vegetarian option featuring vegetable broth and tofu stew. Every bowl is loaded with generous toppings, including free-range eggs, bean sprouts, cabbage, corn, black fungi, bamboo shoots, lokbok, seaweed, and more.
Their street food and side dishes are just as tempting, with offerings like Gyoza, Bacon Enoki Rolls, Tofu Salad, Cheesy Potato Sausage Bowls, Skewers, Assorted Oden, and more.
What we tried:
🔸Pork Floss Cheese Bun
🔸 Matcha Bubble Milk Tea
🔸 Charcoal Roasted Coconut Coffee
🔸Grape with Jasmine Green Tea
🔸Shrimp Gyoza
🔸Bacon Enoki Roll
🔸BBQ Pork Tonkotsu
🔸BBQ Chicken Miso
🔸Strawberry Blueberry Shaved Ice
I highly recommend the Pork Floss bun—it was incredibly delicious and had a unique texture with the pork floss on top. The Bacon Enoki Roll was packed with rich umami flavours. The charcoal-roasted coconut coffee is an item I will be returning for when I need a quick delicious caffeine pick-me-up!
