The word is out: Tofino has arrived as prime travel destination for BC, for Canada and the world. As dining destination, it measures up with excellence in cuisine from fish and chips to the best fish from the Pacific done up with gusto. Expect a variety of restaurants serving the works from pizza to sushi in town, highway cafes dealing burgers and burritos and luxe resort dining rooms.
A foodie destination in itself is the modestly named Beaches Parking Lot. It's home to the Wildside Grill, a ramshackle takeout and patio that's cornered the market on fish and chips. No wonder: Proprietor Jeff Micus is a salmon fisherman. He offers fresh-cut Kennebec fries and a choice of salmon, halibut or lingcod sizzling from the deep fryer. Jump at the lingcod with its firm white flesh and surprisingly rich flavour.
TacoFino
But the "parking lot" isn't finished yet, not by a long shot. It's also home to TacoFino, a superstar fast-fooder turning out dee-lish, inexpensive Mexican fare from a truck wagon. SoBo, one of Tofino's top restaurants, got its start from a purple truck on the same property. Pork burritos and fish tacos command line-up crowds.
Chocolate Tofino
Still the parking lot goes on: For dessert, beeline to Chocolate Tofino for homemade, handmade purist chocolate addictions. And, oh, those truffles: Will that be Clayoquot blackberry buttercream, espresso infused ganache or lavender?
Lunch in Tofino
In town for lunch, don't think twice: At SoBo - stands for "sophisticated Bohemian" - chef Lisa Ahier turns out maybe the best cornmeal-crusted, deep-fried oysters on the planet. She crusts oysters with nutty-tasting hempseed. Then she drizzles them with tequila and lime. Then she sides them with avocado-jalapeno sorbet – sweet and salty, hot and sour, smooth and crunchy.
Wickaninnish Inn
Along the wild Pacific coast, two of Canada's finest resorts ply visitors with cuisine. Because this is the coast, that means fish and seafood. The Pointe restaurant at the luxe Wickaninnish Inn doesn't rest on its wraparound view of thundering Pacific rollers. Its seafood chowder says all, a splendiferous concoction of clams, prawns, bacon, sweet corn and chili oil.
On it goes with wild Pacific salmon poached in olive oil and sided with spinach risotto, grilled Pacific octopus, and sublimely, sablefish – the most delicate fish in the ocean – taking on Asian accents with a ginger-tamarind glaze and jus of Sichuan peppercorns.
Long Beach Lodge
The restaurant at Long Beach Lodge has its own smashing view overlooking the surfers' paradise of Cox Beach. Think lunch of island mussels and clams sporting Southeast Asian airs of lemongrass and kaffir lime. Or the juicy bison burger that looks to France for its garlic aioli. At dinner, think fish, fresh oysters, BC spot prawns, wild Pacific salmon. Unless there's no saying no to Cowichon Bay Farm duck breast sauced in blood orange.
For more information on where to eat out, drop by the Pacific Rim Visitor Centre at the Tofino-Ucluelet junction or the Tofino Visitor Centre at 455 Campbell St in Tofino.
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