Wah Lai Yuen

Was looking for an Indian buffet shop, it was closed but was posted as being open, when we walked by this shop. A line of people outside for takeaway orders so we sat inside. Glad we stopped. A cute little place, looked like family run and smelled awesome. We shared the sweet &sour chicken and the bbq duck with crispy pork. The flavours were great, served fresh and tasted incredible. The staff was excellent and extremely friendly.dont judge a book by its cover, take the chance and go in. Reminded me of growing up in Asia as a teen.

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!

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.

=== 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.

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

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 +++

Got food poisoning - they were nice and the food was good in the moment however

Do not recommend tho

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.

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.

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.

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?!)