On our non-cruise trip to Victoria we stayed at the Empress. The room was superb (club level overlooking the harbor) but the food was very poor.

There are several restaurants nearby that offer excellent fare. I don't remember the name of the place but there was a Greek Italian place (what a combo) around the corner that served the best food we had in Victoria.

There is also an excellent deli on the street corner by the Empress. They have a nice outside eating area.

At Butchart Gardens we had a simple lunch on the upstairs terrace overlooking the gardens. T'was quite memorable.