An Eater's Guide to Tofino, BC
Welcome to the end of the world!
Apologies for the hiatus, friends, but I’ve been too busy stuffing my face with oysters and fish to write anything at all. I’m returning from a month spent sharing a shipping container with my best friend on the beach in Tofino—every day punctuated by a surf check with a coffee in hand and a visit to the fish store (shoutout to our gal Heather at the Tofino Fish Store)!
In Tofino, the salt in the air wakes you up early and sends you to bed late. The smells are stronger - salt, rotting seaweed, pine tips. I’m convinced the view from the town out to Clayoquot Sound is the most beautiful scene in the world. If you take a kayak tour, you may even spot the Meares Island cows, whose ancestors were abandoned 100 years ago and who now live off seaweed, monitored by the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation community. I’ve heard the meat of the cows is incredibly salty.
This is my second extended trip to Tofino - the first being when I was 20 and lived in a ramshackle tent with my now-husband in a place called Poole’s Land, where we traded rent for time working the mushroom farm—yes, those kinds of mushrooms. Back then, we mainly ate leftover pizza from the restaurant where I worked. That summer was when I discovered that eating pizza for breakfast, lunch, and dinner won’t make you phat (as long as you’re 20, on your feet 12 hrs a day, surfing at least once, and biking everywhere you go).
In more recent years, I’ve been able to extend past the pizza and try almost everything Tofino and Ucluelet have to offer. The list below is, in my opinion, the best way to maximize your time and money when food shouldn’t just be fuel for your next hike or surf, but a way to uncover a place and peer into its ecosystem.
A Perfect Day of Eating in Tofino, BC
Every morning at 9 a.m., Beaches Grocery sets out fresh muffins that steam when you split them. The flavours vary day to day, but the base muffin recipe stays the same. Here’s the move: drip coffee, still-warm muffin in hand, and a quick drive to North Chesterman to catch some baby waves.
Brunch after the first surf of the day means a stop at Tofino Roasting for a latte and then a breakfast sandwich from Adriana’s (get there before 11am to catch it). A focaccia sandwich is Tofino’s equivalent to a SoCal burrito—it’s eggy, cheesy, and unapologetically messy—I love to add grilled broccolini for a little extra substance and texture.
Afternoons call for a beach blanket and a spread, and Picnic is where you stock up. Stinky cheese, kelp sausage, good crackers. A plastic container of castelvetranos and housemade red pepper jelly from the fridge. Grab a few smoked salmon bellies and oysters to go at The Fish Store—just remember your shucking knife and maybe a lemon or two. The thrill of almost cutting your hand open is part of the fun.
Eat your bounty at the beach and then go for a second surf of the day (sitting on a surfboard with your feet in the ocean and the taste of salmon in your mouth is a peak experience) or take a quick hike to walk off the cheese and then head to Ombré for happy hour while the sun still stretches long across the patio (4–6). The full cocktail menu sits at a ridiculously cheap $9, beer for $5, scallop crudo for $9, sourdough and cultured butter at $3—run, don’t walk. On Fridays they do a half dozen oysters for $11. Heck, it’s almost cheaper than getting them at the fish store.
Skip dinner service at Ombré and head to their big sister restaurant, Wolf in the Fog, for dinner. All the cocktails are masterful but the cedar sour is a rite of passage—smoky, tart, somehow grounding. The menu is the best Tofino has to offer—guaranteed your fish was swimming yesterday. My best bite of my whole month was fried cod collar with cilantro mayo.
No offense to the pastry chefs at Wolf but dessert is skippable at this point in time - head downstairs to Tofino Licks for a SOBO Key Lime Pie soft serve (if you know, you know).
This was a perfect day of food in Tofino—you will sleep well tonight, guaranteed.
Other Notable Mentions:
For a pint and a snack with friends, Tofino Brewing Co. and Toki Doki are a one-two punch: cold beer in hand, okonomiyaki pancake on the table, laughter spilling louder than the music.
There’s Basic Goodness Pizza, run by a former model (and my former boss). This is Italian-style pizza at its finest, worth the wait for its blistered crust cooked by hand-chipped local cedar in a wood oven.
Jeju, a family run spot where the food is thoughtful and plated beautifully.
SOBO (which stands for sophisticated bohemian - incredible restaurant with a mid name) was an institution of Tofino food culture. Although the restaurant is no longer in service, if you have a hot plate (or a stove) at your rental, you can buy a pint of SoBo Salmon Chowder from Gaia Grocery. There’s nothing better post surf.
On a solo evening during sunset, an esquimalt vermouth based martini and a side of fries at the Wickaninnish Inn (arguably the best dining room in Tofino) is an impeccable main character moment.
After a surf at Florencia, head to Kikan, one of Ukie’s newest additions. Even if you don’t really feel like driving out to Ukie, go. The owner will feed you hot tea if you order in the rain. Get a sesame honey cookie to go.
At Cedar and Salt, Chef Brandon will bring you an hearty, slow-cooked BBQ pork sandwich on house made focaccia which will keep you full through two meals or more.
As someone who’s not a huge advocate of fine dining, I can’t wholeheartedly endorse a trip to Pluvio. If you have an extra $500 burning a hole in your pocket then absolutely go - I had the best bite of salmon I’ve ever had during the set-menu meal I had in May, and the service was extraordinary. But in my opinion, you can spend half as much at Wolf and leave just as happy.
Tacofino is the place most people will tell you to visit when you go to Tofino. It is the original and the best location of the BC chain so worth a stop, but only post-surf, and ONLY if you order online before you go - don’t be a kook and wait in the line. I recommend the fish burrito and ahi tuna taco.
Tofino’s magic isn’t in grand gestures—it’s in how it slows you down. The food always seems to find its way to you at just the right moment. Take the long way home. Stroll to Tonquin Beach to stretch your legs and eat the last of your Picnic snacks. Make a mental note to pack a better shucking knife next time. Before you head out of town, buy some smoked seaweed flakes from Naas Foods to bring a bit of Tofino home with you and sprinkle over a rice bowl, avocado toast, really anything goes. Before you hit the Nanaimo ferry, swing through Wildflower Café in Port Alberni—you’ll want something to hold you over until you come back.
Because you will come back. Probably sooner than you planned.
Thanks for reading and enjoy your trip!!
xx
Charlie
Mouth watering … booking my ferry immediately!