Nanaimo
Place your order upfront, grab a table (made from reused bowling-alley wood) and wait for the magic to appear. Gabriel's out-of the-ordinary renditions of…
Must-see restaurants in Vancouver Island
Victoria
No need to conduct an opinion poll: the perennial lines in the street outside Jam suggest that this is the best breakfast spot in Victoria. The reasons?…
Victoria
Authentic Italian flavors melded with a laid-back Victoria spirit make a devastatingly good combo. If you don’t believe us, come to Il Terrazzo, a…
Victoria
Bonsoir! You may have just arrived at the best restaurant in Victoria, a small but wonderfully elegant bistro discreetly furnished in la mode français,…
Tofino
Reserve ahead for your table at this sparkling regional- and seasonal-focused restaurant that earned a spot on the Canada's 100 Best Restaurants list in…
Vancouver Island
Ukee has about three places to refuel your car and at least another three to refuel your brain and legs while sating your sugar addiction, including the…
Vancouver Island
Not a lot else has changed at the establishment formerly known as Hanks, still a fount of carnivorous comfort grub where the key word is 'pork.' The menu…
Tofino
True, it’s a shed of sorts, albeit a very nice one with candles, an open kitchen, lovely wood furnishings – and quite decent food: count on quick-fire…
Vancouver Island
This three-pronged business (craft shop upstairs, bookstore below decks) is Port Hardy's local hub, dispatching the best coffee north of Campbell River…
Victoria
There are several bakeries on this stretch of Fort St, but the Crust jumps out at you first. Maybe it's the deliciousness of the aromas, or the delicate…
Tofino
It’s hard not to love a restaurant whose name is short for 'sophisticated bohemian,' a label that might have been invented with Tofino in mind. Once a…
Vancouver Island
The sole exponent of Ucluelet's food-truck scene is far superior to many bricks-and-mortar seafood restaurants. Specializing in fresh-shucked regional…
Victoria
On the waterfront boardwalk at the foot of Broughton St, this freight-container takeout shack serves fresh-made, finger-licking sustainable seafood…
Vancouver Island
Hit this historic, antler-studded saloon for a pub-grub dinner while you flick through a copy of glossy local magazine CV Collective. There are a dozen or…
Vancouver Island
Showing how far Ucluelet's dining scene has elevated itself in recent years, this lovely candlelit room would easily be at home in Tofino. The ever…
Vancouver Island
Any local will tell you to cancel your other dinner plans and head straight here. You'll find an intimate, candlelit dining room little bigger than a…
Vancouver Island
Great service and pub grub push this regular-looking neighborhood bar to the top of the Port Hardy dine-out tree. Sporty's (as everyone calls it) offers…
Victoria
A huge, aquamarine-painted satellite of Vancouver's popular and authentic Mexican joint, this ultra-friendly spot specializes in offering a wide array of…
Tofino
This low-ceilinged designer 'shed' has kept expanding over the years, but has never lost its welcoming locals' hangout feel. The perfect spot to grab…
Victoria
Don't miss the smoky, coconutty chowder at this tiny Indian- and French-influenced seafood restaurant, but make sure you add a tartine open-faced sandwich…
Vancouver Island
In an immaculately restored 1906 heritage building, the ever-changing seasonal menu here fuses local ingredients with subtle European influences. For…
Vancouver Island
Occupying a decommissioned wooden church, this smashing fry-joint serves cod, salmon and halibut in three different styles (beer-battered recommended),…
Tofino
One of BC's most celebrated food trucks, Tacofino serves the best fish tacos in the region from a disheveled metallic machine with the Virgin of Guadalupe…
Vancouver Island
Adding the welcome aroma of baking bread to the oily harbor smells, True Grain is part of a three-shop island chain. From sourdough to raisin, the bread…
Tofino
A Tofino fixture for almost 70 years, this local legend has never rested on its laurels. Start your evening with a cocktail, then launch your voyage into…
Vancouver Island
The patio deck of this charming, 1863 heritage-building restaurant is a fine place for a splurge, and the $37 three-course BC-sourced tasting menu is…
Nanaimo
This old bank building reborn in bright pink might have floated over from bohemian Paris in the age of Joyce and Hemingway. There’s plenty to gaze at…
Vancouver Island
‘Locally produced’ is a mantra you hear a lot on Vancouver Island and it’s taken particularly seriously at this attractive, if pricey, wooden restaurant…
Vancouver Island
In a town that trades on its outdoor affiliations, there’s always a place for guilty-pleasure eating indulgences which, in the case of this new snack…
Victoria
The Hotel Zed's upmarket diner lures locals (arrive off-peak to avoid the crush) with its breakfast tacos and eggs Benedict platters (recommended: the …
Vancouver Island
Head up the ramp alongside and aim for a picture-window table overlooking shimmering, boat-bobbling Broughton Strait. You'll soon be diving into some…
Victoria
A long way from the greasy patties of yore, the Pink Bicycle (named for the machine that has pride of place in the window) deals in gourmet burgers served…
Victoria
A garage-rehabilitation project with a galactic theme, Pluto's is the only remaining Phillips 66 'bat-wing'-style gas station left in Canada, although the…
Victoria
A local legend that's often packed elbow-to-elbow on busy evenings, this New York–style Italian restaurant serves great pasta dishes, often with a West…
Victoria
Despite being conceived by an expat Scotsman in New Westminster in 1894, BC’s quintessential tea merchant has become a Victoria staple with the company…
Vancouver Island
An inviting, multi-floor locals' hangout (aim for the top-floor patio in summer), this dark-wood boozer offers a huge menu of elevated pub grub, from taco…
Victoria
Olo is Victoria's quintessential farm-to-table restaurant and it ploughs a deep furrow. The 'locally grown' mantra is taken seriously here with small…
Tofino
In outdoor-orientated Tofino, it’s easy to justify a doughnut for breakfast, and the best place in Tofino to procure one is at Rhino. Toss a coin to…
Vancouver Island
This old-fashioned Oregon Trail–style wagon now serving as a food truck is set in the grounds of the historic Percy farmstead a 10-minute walk along the…
Vancouver Island
Anglophilia is alive and well in this diminutive timber-framed restaurant where fish-and-chips and mushy peas are served against a backdrop of model ships…
