From land and sea: Vancouver Island’s
ingredient-driven food scene

Greater Victoria

If your memories of British Columbia’s capital city are of cozy pubs, lingering afternoon teas and vintage “Tudorbethan” architecture, well, you’re not wrong, but that’s not all there is to Victoria’s vibrant and exciting food culture. This thriving, tech-forward city is surrounded by farmlands that feed a fiercely loyal farm-to-table dining scene. It’s led by restaurants such as Olo, Agrius, and 10 Acres Bistro, which even has its own farm. Spinnakers Gastro Pub is Canada’s original brewpub, and one of many craft breweries in Victoria, including several along the “Beer Mile” near the Inner Harbour.

Cowichan Valley

From Victoria, the breathtakingly high and winding Malahat Highway emerges into the sheltered Cowichan Valley, whose name in the local Indigenous language means “the warm lands.” Venture off the highway and you’ll find yourself travelling on narrow, twisting, tree-shaded roads past family-owned farms and wineries like Blue Grouse Estate, with its elegant Pinot Noirs, and Unsworth, with its appealing bubbles and farm-fresh restaurant.

You will also discover Deerholme Farm, where celebrated chef Bill Jones offers foraging classes and themed dinners straight from the garden. Stop by Merridale Cidery, with its hearty all-day brunch and stuffed-to-bursting sandwiches, as well as bakeries and fish and chip joints in the historic seaside village at Cowichan Bay.

Comox Valley

The farther north you travel on the Island, the wilder, more rugged, and more remote things become. The food scene changes, too. Although the Comox Valley’s 400 or so farms grow everything from blackberries to bison, this area is perhaps better known for seafood, thanks to its numerous aquaculture operations as well as commercial and sport-fishing ventures.

The cold, clean waters around the twin cities of Courtenay-Comox produce a bounty of shellfish, especially the small, sweet, deep-cupped kusshi and robust, briny Fanny Bay oysters. Meanwhile, up the highway, Campbell River is justly considered the “salmon capital of the world,” and while many visitors come here to catch the pink-fleshed fish, many others prefer to enjoy it baked, grilled, or battered in the city’s many seafood eateries.

Of course, seafood also features prominently on the menus of Courtenay-Comox’s cluster of fine farm-to-table (and boat-to-bowl) restaurants, which include Locals Restaurant in the historic Old House, the chic new Oceans 7 at the Kingfisher Oceanside Resort & Spa and Il Falcone, where traditional Italian fare is made the way it’s supposed to be: with ingredients grown nearby.

West Coast

The mountains that snake down the centre of the island protect the eastern communities from the storms that brew over the Pacific Ocean, leaving the west to face the relentless rain and wild wind full on.

Luckily, all that wet weather makes the wild things grow, and the rainforests around Tofino and Ucluelet are abundant with wild mushrooms, Nootka roses, spruce tips, and cynamoka berries. For chefs here, foraging often replaces farming as a source of ingredients—and that includes seaweeds, gooseneck barnacles, and sweet, tender Dungeness crab from the local waters.

Quirky, artsy Tofino has long been known for its food scene, thanks to famed hotspots like the Wickaninnish Inn, SoBo, and Wolf in the Fog. But recently, its bluer-collared neighbour Ucluelet has become a dining destination of its own, with Pluvio Restaurant and Rooms and Heartwood Kitchen serving elevated cuisine with a casual approach.

But no matter where you are on Vancouver Island, something delicious is growing nearby, and someone is already planning to make it into something even better. Word to the wise: arrive hungry.

Please note that many of the restaurants listed above are at various stages of opening—some have limited hours, others offer take-out only, and some are open for full service. Call ahead to reserve your seat at the table.