Dining

At the west end of the Sooke basin is Markus's Wharfside Restaurant. Markus Wieland, chef/owner, works wonders with seafood, lamb and free-range chicken. The pretty blue restaurant overlooking the habour was certified in 2009 as a culinary destination by the Culinary Tourism Society of British Columbia.

Waterfront Dining

The Smoking Tuna (Beecher Bay Road near the gates of East Sooke Regional Park) is a summer spot known for its creative menu.

Point-No-Point, about 30 minutes west of Sooke past French Beach on the West Coast Road, offers fusion-style lunches, dinners and traditional English afternoon teas in a charming cottage overlooking the Juan de Fuca Strait.

Bakeries & Coffeeshops

Organic breads and ultra-chewy baguettes make the Little Vienna Bakery Café (6726 West Coast Road) the town's source for artisanal baking. Best bet to partner with a coffee: the schnecke (pronounced "shhh-neck-ah"), a buttery Viennese twist on the cinnamon bun. A few dozen metres/feet closer to town is the Otter Point Bakery and Tea Room (Saturday brunches a specialty).

Three good coffeehouses are open in the town centre: Stick In the Mud (a cool nook on Eustace Road with killer baked goods, award-winning baristas and etch-o-sketch gear for idle hands); Serious Coffee (in the Sooke Centre next to Village Foods); and the Reading Room Café (attached to the bookstore of the same name in the Evergreen Mall).

Diners & Pubs

Substantial pub grub, good beer, and lively crowds are the norm at such local institutions as the 17 Mile House (an 1894 coaching inn near the East Sooke turnoff on Highway 14).

The Alternative Kitchen near Sooke's downtown stop light is a popular breakfast and lunch hangout. One favourite spot for daytrippers is Mom's Café. The cozy booths at this vintage roadhouse are a great spot for burgers and pie. Nearby, the Stone Pipe Landing features a casual fusion menu. Good burgers and exceptional milkshakes are available at Homers (next to the highway at Sooke River Road).

Ethnic Options

Sushi On the Sea serves fresh-rolls in an eight-seat boat moored in the habour on Friday/Saturday nights, and throughout the summer from a take-out booth in the courtyard of the Stick in the Mud.

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