Murchie's Fine Tea & Coffee - Victoria

Murchie’s is an institution and a Victoria landmark. I love their sandwiches because they are delicious, fresh and some are creamy! They also have many pastries including giant chocolate chip cookies if you must indulge !You order at the counter, wait a few minutes, then pick up your food and choose a place to seat. There are plenty of seating areas inside and outside on the street. The place is old style and not very modern but it attracts hundreds of locals and tourists daily. There is usually a lineup but it goes quite fast. Murchie’s is also famous for their fine teas which they sell in their very large retail store next to the restaurant area. A trip to Victoria is definitely not the same without eating here at least once! By the way, in the section in front of Murchie’s Government Street is now strictly pedestrian (almost 2 years now) so you will have to walk a few extra meters to get here.

A true Victoria icon. Murchie’s isn’t just a tea shop—it’s part of the city’s heritage. Located in the heart of downtown Victoria, it’s been delighting locals and tourists for generations with its signature teas, fresh coffee, and irresistible pastries. The elegant, old-world décor brings you back in time, while the aroma of fresh-baked croissants and steeping tea fills the air. Must-tries: their tiramisu, croissant, and classic tea sandwiches. Don’t miss browsing their curated tea and gift shop afterward—it’s the perfect place to find quality souvenirs. Whether you’re enjoying afternoon tea upstairs or grabbing a quick espresso downstairs, Murchie’s is a timeless experience you can’t miss in Victoria.

We visited this tea shop while vacationing in Victoria. The Victorian Fog was so delicious I had to come back for another! However, the line up was so long the second day we decided to skip it. I went back day 3 and decided to wait in line because the good tea was worth the wait. The breakfast scone was delicious! Lovely place to visit and drink some good tea!

One of the must-visit places in Victoria, BC. I really liked the Murchie’s Afternoon Tea (not in the photo). Quite a lineup for placing the order and a long wait for the food/beverages. But the wait was worth it. The shop side is very nicely decorated with a good variety of merchandise. I will definitely visit again the next time we are in town.

Updates - They refunded to me later . We’ve regularly purchased cakes from here for family birthdays and have always enjoyed the taste. However, this time was disappointing. The cake was overly sweet, with uneven layers of cake and cream. The creme portion was thicker than usual, and the cake, which should be soft, was moist , and strawberries were spoiled. (Seems not fresh) Quality control was doubtful. This one lacked their usual uniqueness. I won’t be buying this cake again—it feels like it was made by a trainee.

The exterior of the store looks nice and expensive. True enough, their food’s quite pricey for the quality and taste. The exterior of the place is the opposite of what you see inside, it doesn’t look nice. For the food, I ordered the chocolate, vanilla, and raspberry macarons. I regret buying 2 of each. Bad texture, the chocolate one doesn’t taste anything like chocolate, and it’s like it’s been on display for a loooong time or like it’s been in the fridge for a long time. The oat latte was also not that good. Coffee was bland. I ordered it iced but they served it hot (I didn’t mind so I just took it). I tried their creme brule as well. It’s not the best but it was okay. Their chocolate chip cookie’s big and it tasted average. For the service, a few staff were nice. I went here twice already. The first time, I just ordered coffee but it took them a long time to serve it. It was the same way the second time. Overall, it’s nothing special. It just looks nice outside.

Very relaxing tea room with a variety of loose leaf tea options from around the world - sold by the gram/lb and they also have tea bag’s and other tea accessories for sale! I tried their Murchie’s Rocher and it was so refreshing! My brothers enjoyed the Earl Grey lavender tea. I can’t wait to try their Maple Chai and other oolong teas I bought. Highly recommend stopping by for tea! 🫖

We decided to visit their shop on Sunday afternoon after strolling around downtown. It was our first time, and we planned to enjoy some coffee, chai lattes, and macarons. However, to our surprise, we ended up waiting almost 30 to 45 minutes for our orders, despite the shop not being very busy. When we finally received our drinks, they were only warm, which left us a bit disappointed.

This place is adorable, especially during the holidays. Everything is decorated and festive. The food and pastries are delicious. We also enjoyed the coffee. A huge plus is that they make a pretty mean hot chocolate for the kiddos or adults that gave up the caffeine. The line is usually long on the weekends but it moves fast. It's honestly not so bad waiting the 5-10min because you get to look at dozens of different treats, pastries and breakfast items while you wait. So of course you end up ordering way more than you need. I really really liked the macaroons. (I thought I'd never say this about these overrated cookies.) They weren't bland like store bought ones. Lots of flavor and the perfect crunch softness ratio. Especially the blackberry one. I also loved the sausage egg & cheese breakfast biscuit. The eggs were perfectly scrambled and piled high. Very full. Rich with flavor. The biscuit was moist but crunchy. Sadly, I tried to come back for a breakfast sandwich the next day but they were all sold out. I will definitely be back here the next time I'm in town.

Stopped in for a "pick me up" and this place is pretty darn cool. Had the Mocha Bliss with a blueberry muffin and the Murchie's Afternoon Blend tea. Everything was pretty tasty but a couple of the staff were trying to shut everything down an hour before closing even though there was a line of people trying to order. That was the noticeable less than "customer service" but overall the muffin was as tasty and my husband said the tea was the best he's ever had. They also have a tea shop portion to purchase tea and coffee too.

Really nice store that's iconic in this town with strong British influences. A fun place to shop for teas and coffees from around the world, along with all the kit you need to make a great cup. Stick around and have a cup and a piece of cake, and enjoy an old fashioned tea time experience in lovely downtown Victoria. Visitors love this, so expect to stay a while.

Came here for breakfast, and I got the scone with egg and sausage. It was large and filling, and definitely hit the spot for my breakfast cravings. The scone maybe could have had more butter? The eggs were also a little on the soggy side. I still overall really enjoyed this unique scone breakfast sandwich!

Ah, another visit to the beautiful Murchies. A very popular tea and pastry place in downtown Victoria. I ordered a monte cristo and almond croissant for a quick breakfast. The croissant was especially delicious and the monte cristo was buttery and hearty. Yum for both. My favorite place to sit is at the entrance. There a very few seats here, but always nice to people watch. There is almost always a queue, however it is worth it. Even at 7:30 am when the opened there was a short line. So if you are only here a few days, come here.

This is definitely a must stop for any tea fanatics. As my dear friend stated it so well, it's a Victoria institution! Older establishment, showing a bit of its age but then again, that's part of its charm. Definitely had a lot of old building character & I loved the back room where it really felt more like a fancier tea house. It was also quieter as the glass walls cut the general bustling noises from the main part of the coffee/tea shop. Also, if you're really lucky, you get to sit by the very large windows, positioning yourself to overlook the full room & really take yourself into tea sipping mode. Decorated beautifully for Christmas & their teas... So flavourful! The aromas - ahhhhh!!!! So let's just say that I stocked up on a lot of mini gift boxes before I headed back out to the vehicle. Both my friend & I gave the teas a 10/10 and honestly that bread pudding is something I'll definitely have to enjoy on my next visit as it was that delicious I wouldn't change my order to the many other tempting options. Accessibility & finding street parking in the general block area is a bit extra challenging. Also, for my noise sensitive friends, it is a bit louder than most tea/coffee shops but at Christmas time & being connected to the shopping, it was to be expected. There is a smaller off-side table area (2-3 tables?) between the busier general area & the stairwell that's glassed off. This is where I sat at first watching for a open table in my preferred location. If you're physically able, there's more seating up several stairs (sorry, my memory is failing me on how many up & I couldn't grab a proper picture with the many people there to grab a coffee or tea). There are some tables right on the same the level where you order but those fill up fast. Too bad they didn't at least have one marked for disabled use. Also, I forgot to grab a photo of either of the entrances - the shopping side & the tea/coffee shop side. I can't recall which one had less stairs but I wouldn't recommend taking in a walker or anything larger with wheels. As it truly is that small/narrow of a place & very packed with people. Also, both sides are multi-levelled. So I was very glad that I went with my friend so I could go scout out where to sit & safely bring up our orders to the table I was waiting at. Overall, a really neat experience to take in while visiting Victoria.

Calling Murchie's a "palace of tea" would not be an exaggeration. In addition to their vast, ever-bustling tea bar selling all manor of brews, biscuits and baked goods, there are racks and racks selling fat fat stacks of teas, and tea accessories. Expansive seated dining areas, where "pinkies-up" teetotalers sip and savor their favorite flavors. It's royal tea, for royalty!

During our trip to Victoria, I had the chance to try this place right before we left. My only regret is not going there earlier when I just got in town. This was a European cafe, there were tons of pastries! Savory and sweet options too. The place was huge! They do high tea options where it comes in a cute tea set for you to enjoy if you dined there. I was overwhelmed by how many options there were and didn't even get the chance to look at the drinks. They have coffee, lattes and tea as well. I got the ham and cheese croissant, the sausage sandwich, the Tuscan prosciutto sandwich and the carrot cake. The carrot cake was light and not too sweet! The sandwich had a nice crunch and the sausage sandwich was scrumptious! Highly recommend for a breakfast/brunch/bakery spot!

i had a terrible experience. i placed an order for a cake for my party and the person who took my order assured me that they will place an order for the biggest size they've got. My party is literally tomorrow when I called they told me that the order is for 10" cake which is not the biggest size and they won't make a bigger one for tomorro (even though they haven't started making i) i found a girl that would make a cake and then I called to cancel my cake. The same guy who answered my first call was like "I apologize we couldn't make your cake" I told him that I am frustrated because I trysted them with my special day so he hang up on me. super rude, super unprofessional, and super not trustworthy. it's not just that they cancelled on me but they were actually rude too. will never ever step a foot in this store!!!

A fantastic spot for some afternoon tea! While visiting Victoria, it got to the point in the day where we were a little tired and needed a slight caffeine and snack boost to get us through the rest of the day. We stumbled across this spot when walking by and it seemed quite popular, so we figured we'd give it a shot. They were featuring two specialty drinks, and the jasmine tea with steamed milk (I forgot the exact name!) caught our eye. We got that alongside the lemon drop shortbread cookies. Both were served in cute mugs, and I loved how beautifully presented it all was! They have plenty of seating in the back, so you pickup your items and then head over to sit down. I was so pleased with the whole experience, and would definitely recommend this spot!

I wish I had visited Murchie's the first few times I visited Victoria. Only on this recent visit did I hear about it through my sister in law. I am one to prefer tea over coffee so this was just heaven for me. On my first visit, I ordered the Victoria fog (a twist on the London fog, with hints of lavender flavor) and pastries. The next day -yes, the next day- we returned and I ordered more pastries. To down the pastries, I ordered a spring tea drink that was absolutely divine. You best bet that I will be enjoying a cup when I return home as they also sell pre packaged teas.

Tried a tea and coffee from here, both were good with the tea being refreshing. Purchased some ground coffee and service at both ends of the shop were prompt. Would come here again if back in Victoria.

Historic Victoria tea house with a nice decor and ample seating. Friendly, efficient staff. No table service. You stand by the counter until they call your name for pick-up. Minor disappointment: Sacher Tort had NO apricot jam inside. To me, the apricot defines the sacher tort.

Oh man! My husband and I loved Murchies!! We want to go back to Victoria just to sit down w/ a pot of tea and one of their delectable pastries or sandwiches. Everyone is friendly and helpful and the tea and coffee rooms are beautifully inviting. They have an amazing selection of their own tea and coffee blends and browsing through the shop was a blast. We came away from Murchies w/ souvenirs and memories!

Large selection of bulk and pre-packaged teas, and assorted accessories along with a coffee and tea drinks prepared for you. Staff is very friendly and attentive, prices are reasonable for a private label tea brand. Store is very well designed and organized. Recommended if you are looking for some tea to take home or need a drink to relax while shopping in the area.

We didn't stop for pastries or food but went to the other side of the store where walls are all lined with boxes of tea. So many choices. I bought a few boxes for friends. I was looking for Lady Earl for a friend and was told Ms Earl replaced it and would be discontinued. I bought a box and hope my friend will like it. 50 tea bags for $16. I also bought smaller boxes of different teas, those are not as cost-effective, 10 bags for 6. They had 2 hot-pots of tea to try with tiny plastic cups. Staff the first day was OK but the second day I returned, the younger staff was much more helpful and friendly.

Before we visited Victoria I was looking at places to have a reasonably priced afternoon tea and Murchie's seemed like a good place, and we were not disappointed! We arrived about an hour before closing so we didn't have time to linger or peruse the teas and merchandise for sale, but we had enough time to enjoy our selections, plus buy some teas to take home. We viewed the selection available, some items had already sold out, and stood in line to order. We put together a tea tray with a Cordon Bleu croissant, a slice of lemon blueberry bread, and a hazelnut macaron. For our tea, Hubby chose the Murchie's Medley made with Murchie's Afternoon tea with caramel & vanilla syrups while I chose the Tutti Frutti made with their Apricot & Blackberry teas and white chocolate syrup, yummy! Having it served on a silver tray was a nice touch. It appears that there is another dining room upstairs, and there was an area adjoining the merchandise shop that was closed. An elevator services all of the floors, including the washrooms downstairs so climbing up and down stairs is not a requirement. We had a nice time and look forward to trying to replicate the delicious experience at home with the sample boxes we bought of each tea in our order.

Tried Murchie's for the first time on our mini vacation to Victoria. Great shop ! Great lunch foods as well. We shared a salad @ sandwich. They were tasty & right temp. We also tried a few desserts & cold coffee drinks- delicious. scones were awesome also.

If you love tea, do not miss this place. It's gorgeous inside. The staff are attentive and extremely knowledgeable. The bakery case full of treats will fill your heart with joy. And then you can smell hundreds of varieties of tea to take home. Hands down, the best tea shop I've ever visited.

Not what we were hoping for. Went in hoping for a nice English style pot of tea with a scone and hopefully a European style danish. Huge queue of tourists but we decided to hang in and waited about 25 mins to get to the front of the line. Tried a tea and coffee a couple of scones and a danish. Was asked if i wanted cream with the scone....good sign. Scone was soft and "bready" danish tasted like something you would get in a gas station wrapped in plastic. Not what we were expecting. I am guessing they are now so popular that they are having to go for more mass produced products. Dissapointing

The service and customer experience at Murchie's were extremely disappointing. The staff were unfriendly and unwelcoming. We chose to celebrate my Aunt's 60th birthday there because we loved the teas and pastries, but the experience was ruined by the poor service. My Aunt traveled from another country, only to encounter the worst staff we've ever dealt with. This is not how visitors should be treated, especially in Victoria. Although the store closes at 6 PM, the service significantly declined starting at 5 PM. At one point, the staff even suggested we just unbox the cake and eat it without a plate which is so embarrassing, and was incredibly rude. We do not recommend this store and will not be returning.

Best Tiramisu in Victoria I've eaten. The ladyfingers has been soaked with espresso, it is really good and same way as I've tried in Italy. The price is very worth the effort to get it, try it if you have never tried.

We stopped into Murchie's Tea & Coffee during our day trip to Victoria Canada. To start off with the great, their pear strudel was amazing. Flakey, sweet, and filling it was exactly what we were looking for. The more disappointing part of the meal was the chicken pot pie whose crust had an odd taste to it and both wasn't seasoned or warm enough. The service was friendly and prompt, and visually the presentation on the tray was beautiful so next time we'll just stick with their sweets.

We popped into Murchie's on Sunday morning for some teas and sandwiches. Their line in the cafe gets pretty long but moves quickly! I ordered a Romesco sandwich-this was wonderful. The chicken was grilled well, and the red sauce was nutty and flavorful. This was made complete by a bed of greens on the sandwich. This was very hearty and satisfying. I also got a Pomegranate Rooibos tea to go, which went perfectly with the savory flavors of the sandwich.

Our first stop in the city. It's located on the popular street. The line was just at the door. It gave us time to decide what we wanted. We were ordering about 10min, not too bad. You order at the registers in the middle of the display case and pick up at the other end. ..all in all, it's organized but fairly relaxed environment. The service is friendly and makes time to answer questions even tho they are busy. Found a table outside. .. everything we ordered was good. Next time we want to try sandwiches. This place serves the best tea latte - the Victoria fog. It converted my friend who isn't fond of tea. Can't wait to go back. This is my favorite bakery in Victoria.

Stopped by for some drinks and pastries on a Saturday afternoon. If it's a weekend, be prepared for a long line/wait time. I got an iced latte which was mediocre and my boyfriend hot tea which he enjoyed but wasn't my cup of tea. Our pastries however were definitely the highlight! Thoroughly enjoyed the pear caramel brioche and raspberry danish. Overall, enjoyed the experience, although the busy atmosphere wasn't my favorite and would preferably return on a weekday.

Best breakfast I had during the trip to Victoria. Their Greek sandwich blew me away. The vegetables were SO sweet and flavorful. I got some loose tea to go after the meal and have enjoyed them throughoutly at home as well (especially their pumpkin spice tea).

Love the shop and the cakes!! I heard the sandwiches are great too but I will try that in a different time! I the ill definitely recommend trying the cake. It's perfect for black coffee

Murchie's is a must visit for me whenever I'm in Victoria. As a tea lover, the sheer selection and quality always wins me over, and the coffee/selection of goodies is great as well. Maybe it's my English background talking, but stepping in always feels like home.

The food and tea was pretty good, but the service was terrible. They got my order wrong and it took 15 minutes or something that could have been corrected in less than one minute. And the girl doing the dishes on the end wearing space buns is particularly rude. If you hate your job so much then find a new one! It did not live up to the hype. I would not waste my time again.

We were on a tour of Victoria and decided to get a bite at Murchies. Wife had tea and a scone which was mediocre. I ordered the Barcelona panini which looked great. Got our food in crowded restaurant and took a couple of bites of my sandwich. Next thing I see is a GREEN WORM on my plate. Now I know it was probably on the lettuce and snuck past the sandwich maker but still very gross. I took my plate back up to the ordering counter and the help was obviously embarrassed and offered a refund ...I decided on a different sandwich ...but honestly I couldn't eat it.

Love their awesome selection, prices and friendly atmosphere and staff!!! Definitely coming back again fo sure!!

The tea was great (Murchies afternoon) but the macarons were both stale. Disappointing.

We stopped in for hot chocolate and muffins for breakfast a few days during our stay in Victoria. The muffins were fresh, fluffy, and adequate size. The price was very reasonable for the food. There is plenty of room inside the cafe or outside on the tables to eat. The staff was friendly and quick!

3 stars for the location, clean and big space and good customer service. Food are not that great, nothing special. Is it a hype or maybe just not my taste?

Five for the atmosphere and tea drinks. This was recommended as a casual $ alternative to a formal sit down $$$$ tea. The tea drinks were clever and tasted like the descriptions. Raspberry tea latte with a kiss of chocolate? 5* Pleasant service, plenty to look at and buy. Places to sit in the back.

You've traipsed all over downtown Victoria, including traveling through time at the Royal British Columbia Museum and journeying to another country in Chinatown. You're tired and parched. Murchie's Tea & Coffee is the place to refuel in an authentic Victoria way. The 129-year-old chain is based in British Columbia, and this location has everything you might need mid-morning or mid-afternoon: coffee AND tea, a tempting array of baked goods (I even spied flourless chocolate cake), real dishware (what a treat), tons of seating AND a gift shop. I enjoyed Espresso Con Panno with extra whipped cream, and I got an abundant cup. The espresso was as smooth and creamy as the whip. Worth a stop for any tourist.

There's a huge selection of teas. They have other kitchen items and of course tea pots. The cafe is good too.

Love this place best scones and tea. Come here every time I visit Victoria. The staff were very friendly.

Simply a must see when you go to downtown Victoria. We had just checked out of our hotel and were feeling quite hungry and so we stopped in for a Victoria fog (like a london fog but with lavender) and another steamed tea latte beverage. To compliment our beverages we got a brioche and a raspberry danish. The raspberry danish was the perfect balance of sweet and a little bit tart with the raspberry. This place can seem intimidatingly busy but the line moves quite quick and there is ample seating. We actually were able to get a beautiful view from our table we found hidden in the back corner overlooking brick buildings outside. Simply adorable. After you're done here, you can visit Munro's bookstore next-door.

This is a fun experience. The different baked goods are amazing. I need to watch the gluten, so did not have as many choices as others. The service was excellent. It is a great place to sit and have tea or coffee and the little shop next to it provides any specialty tea that you had.

Excellent! The pastries - we ordered were exceptional - tiramisu, macarons, cream brulee, two difft cakes - all were exceptionally well made. We ordered a latte and hot chocolate and it was extremely well prepared too. This is one place I highly recommend. We also went here to celebrate a second bday and did high tea and it was a beautiful experience. The seating - bar and tables were good. The presentation of food was excellent. Lines can be extremely long, but service is quick and they are very friendly. Highly, highly recommend.

Definitely a great place to go. The line was out the door when we arrived but it did not take long for us to place our order. The tea and pastries we ordered tasted amazing. The place was super busy but also comfortable I would go again to just sit and relax with a book and some amazing tea.

Not impressed with the quality of tea or service here. It appears to draw business based on its history. Would not come back for tea.

Murchie's was very busy the day we stopped by this location especially the cafe portion of this nice store. I specifically came in to shop at the loose leaf counter which was fairly quiet. The woman that assisted me was very pleasant and helpful. I ended up purchasing their Scottish breakfast, Canadian breakfast, Irish breakfast and Assam teas. All of their teas were very good and reasonable for the quality. I will definitely come back to Murchie's when I am in Vancouver or Victoria.

This so such a great find that we came back multiple times over the course of the weekend. Saturday morning at 10:00 and the line was out the door. We spied two twice bake Alamein croissants but by the time we got up to the counter, they had found other homes. We ended up with a ham and cheese croissant and a carrot walnut muffin. We also stopped by and had lunch, around 2:00 the following day, the carrot fiber soup was very good but the tomato, ham and cheese panini was out of this world! I also grabbed a ton of their Christmas tea, as I can't imagine that I can get my husband to go back tomorrow. Great time-lots of seating too.

Stopped by while roaming the streets of downtown Victoria to give their berry tea latte a try. It was surprisingly cost-effective and flavorful, and the shop was really cute to browse around. They also served a good variety of pastries as well.

Very rude staff, extremely slow, mediocre coffee. Never again. Staff seemed annoyed to be at work and boarder line hostile. I was not the only one to make this observation.

This was my favorite place I visited in Victoria!!! Everything from the food to the presentation to the service was amazing, and I even made 2 trips to this shop during my vacation. I got an extra hot latte with almond milk and a ton of pastries. Their drinks are SO good (vanilla latte though wasn't that great) & toasted croissants/black currant scones are a MUST! This is a great place to study/work with so many tables and outlets. The inside of the building is huge and spacious.