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11 Island restaurants offer some of Canada’s most scenic dining

Open Table compiled the list by reviews from diners between June 1, 2018 and May 31 of this year
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This summer, Whidbey Pies Cafe hosted Fabio & Rita’s Italian Pop-Up every First Friday. The cafe, usually open only in daytime, transformed into an evening destination for authentic Italian food prepared by a young couple from Italy, chef Fabio Consonni and sommelier and wine educator, Rita Di Tondo. Outside, Whidbey Pies topped off the four-course meal with live music, wine, beer and of course, pie slices. The last pop-up dinner is Sept. 1.

Rick Stiebel/News Staff

Vancouver Island has a healthy appetite for serving up restaurant rooms with a view.

According to OpenTable, 11 of the top 100 restaurants in Canada to make the 100 Most Scenic Restaurants in Canada list are on the Island.

The vast majority of those 11 were in the Greater Victoria area: The Beach House, Blue Crab Seafood House, Finn’s Seafood, Chops and Cocktails, Glo Restaurant + Lounge, the Keg Steakhouse, Marina Restaurant, Milestones Grill + Bar, Tea at the Empress, The Dining Room at the Butchart Gardens, and Vista 18 Westcoast Grill and Wine Bar.

Alpina Restaurant at Villa Eyrie Resort on the Malahat also made the cut.

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The list was compiled strictly by reviews from diners between June 1, 2018 and May 31 of this year conducted by OpenTable, a part of Booking Holdings, a leading provider of online restaurant reservations. More than 51,000 restaurants around the world use OpenTable’s software to seat more than 125 million diners monthly.

The overall score consisted of data points that overall dining rating, the total number of reviews and regional overall rating. Qualifying restaurants were then scored and sorted according to the total of tags for which “scenic views” was selected as a special feature.

B.C. took a total of 35 spots on the list, the second-most of any province after Ontario. For more information, go to the Open Table website.

rick.stiebel@goldstreamgazette.com