The best pork skin I've ever had was in Victoria, B.C. , which is quite shocking as someone who's explored the traditional Hong Kong BBQ in Chinatown San Francisco. The roasted pork belly and char siu was soooo good, my parents immediately did a U-turn to get another plate. I went on a Wednesday morning, and the line was out the door with locals. Already a great sign! Going in, you can smell the fragrant char siu marinate and smoky BBQ. They cut the meats right in front of you, so it's piping hot once the food is handed to you. The char siu was a little too sweet for my taste, but the marinate was still pleasant tasting. The pork belly was perfection, the skin was light and crispy. read more

We immediately felt like we were transported to a sister restaurant to New Town Bakery in Vancouver's Chinatown. So our hopes were high ...... We heard rave reviews about the pork buns, but I am sorry to say they were only medium, in our opinion. The Wonton soup came with the wontons all overcooked and blown apart, the filling not so great. The broth was OK, but unremarkable. If you aren't used to seeing lettuce in hot soups, don't let it scare you off - it's actually really delicious! We were a little disappointed, but not so much that we wouldn't come back to try something else. People are friendly, service was great! read more

Excellent find with fast and delicious lunch. The wonton soup, veggie rice and crispy pork, huge portions and kind and sweet staff on a busy day. We took leftovers to homeless person on street. read more

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Was told of this restaurant by Bob, a local who works at place where I got poutine from. He gave me specific directions and said to look for the Peking ducks hanging from the window, that's exactly how found this place. Hope got the right thing yet he highly recommended something, of the something I got the pork thing from the bakery,, which was amazing! The bread was a bit sweet, the pork and sauce on inside was amazing. It was a little fatty for me yet what I ate was fantastic! This place is almost literally a hole in the wall. Barely enough room for some small dining tables on either side, it's very cramped if eat in. I chose to go. read more

Wah Lai Yuen - Pork thing - Chinese Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

What a lifesaver we found in Chinatown! Fresh off the boat and ready to unwind at our lake house, the last thing we wanted was a big cooking and cleaning session. This place was perfect - we popped in and loaded up on some delicious BBQ, chicken, and a few different Chinese pastries. Everything tasted good, maybe little greasy since take a while till we ate it. The pricing was fair, especially after converting it to US dollars. It meant we could just whip up some rice and truly relax, enjoying the beautiful lake house scenery. read more

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Here again and the food is still incredible. Crispy duck is the bomb. Love the staff here. A great hole in the wall restaurant with great food and bakery. read more

=== 1. VERDICT/VALUE 3.5 stars: it can be inconsistent here - but still, I recommend the buns and the BBQ meats here (most of the time) - for everything else, I'd put aside any desire for authentic Chinese food. === 2. FOOD The meats are where it's at: - BBQ Pork: It's about as close Victoria gets to Vancouver-grade or Hong Kong-grade BBQ pork in Victoria. Be sure to ask for half-lean, half-fat BBQ meat for the best blend of tenderness and flavour. You can also ask for the honey sauce to be lessened or put on the side to avoid your precious meat from swimming in sugar :) - Roast Pork: Hit or miss: be sure to ask how old it is, or perhaps order it later in the day (late afternoon perhaps?) to avoid meat leftover from the previous day, reheated, despite what staff there will tell you. Contrary to what they say, the skin is sometimes not as crispy nor the meat as tender and fresh as they say it is... The buns are bigger than most offerings in Vancouver and Hong Kong, so you're banking on the larger size; they also charge more too. We usually get the: - BBQ Pork Bun - full of meat and flavour, fairly legit. - Cocktail Bun - full of coconut/sugar. - Pineapple Bun - takes the cake (pun intended). - Hot Dog Bun - standard hot dog inside a doughy bun. The consistency of the bun is different than what is typically found in authentic buns - more flour? Less chewy? Still, they're great in my opinion and worth the trip! === 3. SERVICE Also hit-and-miss: sometimes it's quick and efficient in typical Chinese retail fashion; other times, you're waiting on one younger lady to be able to take your order, chop meats, and handle the cash...hopefully while changing gloves as it does seem a little suspect at times. === 4. ENVIRONMENT It's not a looker, but it is perhaps brighter than what I recall from childhood with the extra lighting in the ceiling. It's reminiscent of some of the older Chinese establishments back in downtown Honolulu - focus what's on top of the table and not on the flooring or anything underneath :) Wheelchairs and baby strollers should fit here, but parking is a challenge: it's all luck of the draw with the busy city street meter parking or you're looking at a paid lot and some walking in and around Chinatown. read more

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Fresh tasty food, amazing service snd very accommodating. I would highly recommend this small business right in the chinatown area

Very nice. We loved the BBQ pork buns, curry buns, cream coconut buns. Ordered the chow fun which was excellent The dumpling wonton soup was good too. The chili oil was not very nice tho, it was pinkish ...which was unexpected, and wouldn't get that again. Service was prompt and nice Ambience was friendly and servers were attentive read more

Yum yum yum yum yum. All I have had is their bbq pork buns so I'm sorry I can't comment on other stuff but like those are the best I have had. Are they traditional steamed bao, no, but they are sweet and crispy and fluffy and filled to the brim and cheap and they now take card!! I always see a line so I am almost certain their food must be top tier as well. Beautiful place and good layout, definitely go if good meat is what you're looking for, I heard their duck is to die for read more

In Victoria visiting family and headed to the waterfront to watch the Dragon Boat races. Looking for a snack to munch on while walking through Chinatown and stopped at Was Lai Yuen for some bbq pork buns. This was the only Chinese bakery we could locate on our walk. The bbq pork buns were pretty good. They make them in house. They contained plenty of pork and the buns were great...but we thought they needed more flavour...they were a wee bit bland. It was very convenient and happy to support small local businesses. read more

Wah Lai Yuen - Chinese Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

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Stopped in to get some snacks for the rest of our day trip in Victoria. The lady that helped us was super sweet. Egg Tart 5/5 - perfect amount of sweetness Pineapple Bun 5/5 - crispy top with chewy inside yumminess..the coconut was really good Pork Bun 5/5 - lightly crispy on the outside and BBQ meat was seasoned well Cheese and Chive Bun 5/5 - my favorite one! Stop by if you're in the touristy areas of Victoria Chinatown! read more

Wah Lai Yuen - Chinese Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

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We go regularly. Love the food and the folks there. Always delicious always delightful.

What a fun spot. We got there just after opening, and it was already filling up, by the time we left there was a line outside. This place is just what you want. Lots of options, and super fast! We got the string beans & the bbq pork & duck lo mein. Both were great, and the bbq pork was outstanding. We got a box of buns to bring home & share. Good thing to note: the menu on yelp is 12 years old, and the prices have nearly doubled (no judgment there! What hasn't doubled in the last 12 years?!) read more

Wah Lai Yuen - Bbq pork & Bbq duck lo mein, string beans - Chinese Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

All staff wore masks! Service was relatively quick although you may need to call on them a lot. Absolutely loved the soy sauce chicken and char siu (bbq pork) combo. Both meats are juicy and flavorful. Veggies are fresh. The wonton noodle soup was average at most. The noodles looked as if undercooked when first served. But I was informed to let it soak in the hot soup for a bit before eating. Which I later could see the point. Because if they had cooked the noodle more, it's be soggy and falling apart in the soup, kind of like the wonton skin. The meat in the wonton was a bit tough too, not the best. read more

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Food was Ok but not great. My SIL and I both ordered won ton noodle soup with roast duck. The duck was a disappointment. Dry and possibly day old because the skin wasn't crispy. The broth lacked umami. Hubby tried the roast pork rice dish. The roast pork was good, fatty with crispy skin. The BIL had the beef brisket noodle dish. He said it was OK. There's 2 bathrooms in the back but the one I used ran out of toilet paper. So the staff gave me dinner napkins which will plug up toilet. read more

what a fabulous place!!! Wandering around Victoria we choose this place and it's just $18 CDN .... it's HUGE and tastes perfect!!!! Super friendly staff conversed with me in my home town dialect! Wow! Gotta be 5 stars +++ read more

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Best Crispy pork and coconut pineapple rolls. The Crispy pork noodle soup was amazing also.

Enjoyed my meal. Service was nice. Had a few enjoyable dishes I would return when I am in town again read more

This was a great little noodle house and Chinese restaurant in the downtown Chinatown of Victoria BC. Service was friendly server helped us decide how to order a menu good for two people. We wanted to try Bbq pork and duck and wonton soup, so server suggested half and half for the bbq, then one bowl of wonton and 1 cup of rice. It was filling and sufficient for two people. Price is fairly reasonable for a tourist area. Serving were good sizes and taste was plenty of flavor. read more

Wah Lai Yuen - Wonton soup, bbq pork and duck - Chinese Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

Got food poisoning - they were nice and the food was good in the moment however Do not recommend tho read more

Chinese. Difficult or complicated, or more intentional if you don't look like them. I've experienced this time and again, Why TF, do I NOT learn my lesson? Hubby and I wanted to try, wow Victoria, BC chinatown. This business is NO different than other chinese restaurants I've been in. Either you get a friendly service and then you have this place. Forget it if you look "flip", chinese service don't like "flips"... I dread this type of review. But ain't it the truth? The food was nothing to cry mama siomai about. I asked if they had a bag (plastic or paper), didn't matter as we were walking ways away back to our hotel. The young dude said "no!" even if they had a ton behind the counter. WTF is your problem dude? Never ever ever go to this place, ever again. No, just nope...did I say ever?! read more

Wah Lai Yuen - Chinese Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

Coming in for lunch we ordered a nice variety dishes. I would have to say the highlight is the roasted pork, with perfectly crispy skin and a good amount of seasoning without being overly salty. Their beef brisket noodle soup could have been a little more tender with a little more depth in their broth, but still quite tasty. Overall a good stop for lunch. read more

I'm amazed no one has Yelped this. My husband and I walked up and down C-town, even asked 3 merchants for recommendatins (in chinese) and were directed to the higher priced places. Finally we passed by this place and saw the duck and roast pig hanging in the window. It reminded me of a real, authentic chinese bbq place. We looked at the menu and walked in. The portions are smallish, but the prices are cheap, and the food have good flavor. We ordered the Soy chicken, the Roast Duck, and the BBQ Roast Pork ($11.95), along with a side of chinese broccoli in oyster sauce and bowls of rice. It was just enough for the 2 of us, but didn't stuff us to the gill. Price w tip: $25. What a bargain compared to the neighbors for $25 for ONE DISH. This place had soup noodles, pan noodles, meat over rice dishes, and other comfort Hong Kong style dishes. The front of the store have chinese barbecue to take away, and also baked items like buns and sticky rice. I gave it a generous 4 star because it was affordable and authentic Cantonese food. Compared to the neighbors charging 3x's the price for "white" Chinese food, it deserves a 4 star read more

Wah Lai Yuen - Not flashy but has comfort cantonese food - Chinese Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

The food was delicious- on par with Cantonese food I miss so much, having used to live in Vancouver. Walked in for an early dinner with kids at 5 pm. Staff were so attentive and friendly. They remembered to take my kids into consideration by giving them forks and napkins and cold water without our even having to ask!!! We enjoyed their salted fish fried rice and seafood tofu hotpot immensely. Also had the BBQ pork which was deliciously juicy, drenched in its honey sauce. We ordered too much food :). Would have wanted to try their roast duck and pork if it had been available. read more

Was walking around the area and this was the first stop we saw and decided to give it a try. The wait took a while since it was lunch time. The waiting area was very small and tight. People coming in and out, while getting hit by the door at times. While waiting, the person behind the to go counter was also managing the seating of customers. Lots of yelling going around. As expected for a Chinese restaurant though. We got one order of the BBQ Duck Lo Mein and the BBQ Pork & BBQ Duck Lo Mein. Pretty decent portion and it came with a little side bowl of soup which was more on the salty side though. Before leaving, we ordered a few of the pastries from the to go counter because we noticed a lot of people coming in and out just for the pastries. Overall, a decent stop when visiting the area. read more

Wah Lai Yuen - BBQ Duck Lo Mien - Chinese Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

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It's a decent Chinese restaurant. It's a cold autumn day and we just wanted some comfort food. Bbq pork was soooo good. Got the noodles and bbq pork. And the combo #2. Everything was all slightly saltier than what I needed the dishes to be but can just wash it down with the tea they give you. Hand sanitizer at each table. Pork from the combo was just ok and fried rice was good but salty. Overall solid 3. Service was good. read more

Fast and friendly service throughout my experience. I was visiting Victoria from San Diego and wanted some authentic Chinese Food with a short wait. This place did not disappoint. I was seated immediately on the dine-in side and provided some complimentary hot jasmine tea. The tea was a nice addition to warm me up in the rainy weather. I tried the specials bbq pork and duck special, which was reasonably priced at $14 Canadian. Both dishes were crispy, sweet and delicious. Even the rice had a nice sweetness likely dripped in from the meat. The servers constantly checked in my and even took turns making sure I was enjoying my experience. It only loses one star as they were out of the roasted pork and soy sauce chicken options to go with the duck. I would definitely come back again to try those dishes next time I'm in Victoria. read more

Just ok I wouldn't give it any more stars and lucky for 3 because the BBQ pork was good. read more

Wah Lai Yuen - Inside view - Chinese Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

Craving for honey roasted bbq pork? Or wonton noodle soup? Try this restaurant. I wanted to order more but the servings are good for 2-3 people. The food reminds me of what we always have in Hong Kong - authentic Cantonese food. Highly recommend this place read more

I'm new to the Vancouver Island so my taste msy be different from locals ... but i found this place to be ok only. I wanted to order fish maw soup ... but it's not on the menu so i seconded for hot & sour soup instead. I also wanted deep fried, hot and spicy squid ... but when i ordered the person taking my order did not understand what i wanted and said this was not on the menu ... but when i got there i saw salt & spicy squid on the menu ... so i was a bit taken back. I ordered the salty prawns and the batter was heavy. I prefer lightly floured not batter. I need to find an authentic Chinese restaurant. read more

Which food do you jones after when you've been away from home for a week or more? It was kebab when I lived in London, unagidonburi under Tamachi-eki in Tokyo, a slice in New York, burrito in LA and Chinese food now that I'm settled in my beloved new home, San Francisco. I couldn't wait to scratch that itch and so supped at Wah Lai Yuen, a Chinese deli whose front window was adorned with the appropriate duck, pork, etc. The flavors (bbq duck, bbq pork, crispy bbq pork and the pot liquor drizzled atop rice) will never outpace my beloved Cheung Hing. Their portions were a bit parsimonious. Therefore, the value-for-money quotient is nothing to write home about. In the end, if you find yourself in Victoria and you've got a jones on for Chinese deli, you could do a lot worse than Wah Lai Yuen. I would ask Wah Lai Yuen to reflect on their value-for-money proposition. read more

Stopped in for a quick lunch while visiting Victoria. The beef chow fun was tasty, but their dumpling noodle soup left a lot to be desired. Broth was so bland and noodles were not tasty at all. However their BBQ roast pork baos were good. My son and daughter in law thought they were delicious read more

I haven't visited all the BBQ places in Chinatown yet, but Wai Lai Yuen you have more than earned my vote for best Cantonese-style (from Hong Kong) BBQ house in Victoria. + BBQ pork (stick with the non-crispy skinless one) and duck over rice or egg noodles in won ton soup are excellent + The egg custard tarts here are absolutely DELICIOUS. Not only was I so surprised at how good they were out here, I bought a dozen to bring back to my coworkers + Price: a full lunch including drink and dessert will only set you back about $12-15 This is a fantastic place to get fresh Cantonese-style BBQ and noodle soup dishes. They also have plenty of other entree items for dinner. read more

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Staff is extremely rude! I ordered a dish to go and wanted to change my mind and dine in. They said no.. even though the restaurant had many open tables. read more

Substandard Chinese cuisine. We ordered a side of duck $10.95 and a side of Crispy Roast Pork $10.95 and the special fries rice $13. Duck was really skinny, not worth $11 for a tiny bit of bones. Crispy Roast Pork turned out to be just Charsei pork. They must have gotten it mixed up, regardless, it was not worth $11. Both these dishes didn't come.with rice. The special fries rice was so small in quantity and lack the flavors that it was not special. I make better fried rice and I am not qualified to be a chef, although I am Chinese and know a thing or two about food Chinese food. Well, service was good. The young man took my order was polite and nice. It is hard to eat good Chinese cuisine in a tourist area outside knowing your favorite local spot in any area. I try to give the benefit of the doubt, but three times reviews really is a tell tale sign. read more

Great and friendly service, super clean and the food was outstanding. BBQ pork, Lo mein, veg fried rice and veg. soup were perfect and authentic. Food came out fast too. All staff were welcoming and fixed a misunderstanding in our order right away. We would be regulars if we lived in Victoria! read more

Wah Lai Yuen... a traditional place tucked away in the small Chinatown of Victoria... service was good too. The great things about this place is the pineapple bun and red bean buns were just as good as the Chinese baked goods I had in Hong Kong. The roast pork is perfectly crispy and cooked. BBQ glazed char sui was a bit salty and sweet, but also moist, not too much fat and great when I took it home to fry with rice. Honestly I can't wait to try their wontons and other dishes. Very clean place and by far the best Chinese restaurant I ate at downtown other than Cozy Place on Douglas St. Ive eaten Chinese food in China, HongKong, Malaysia, San Francisco and Vancouver/Richmond/Burnaby, B.C... this is really decent for Victoria! read more

Delicious BBQ duck, beef soy chow fun Green beens Doesn't look like much from the outside but well worth it. read more

Didn't look like much from front but it's quite authentic chinese food. Service is fast, portion is big and taste is pretty good. Buns were good as well. Overall pleasant experience. read more