Editorial picks, not sponsored
13 places chosen for being distinct rather than for being everything: dockside fish, farm-to-table rooms in the Cowichan Valley, Tofino kitchens and a few serious Victoria dining rooms. Filter by where you are staying and what the evening is for.
3 of 13 restaurants
Waterfront resort dining room
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The dining room at a small resort on Discovery Passage north of Campbell River, with a menu built on local seafood and a view of the channel the whale boats work. A quiet, comfortable dinner after a long day on the water.
Floating patio restaurant
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A Mexican restaurant on a float in Nanaimo's boat basin, all patio and umbrellas, open in the warm months. The most enjoyable lunch on the Nanaimo waterfront, a short walk from the whale-watching offices.
Dockside takeaway
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A shipping container on a wharf in the Inner Harbour serving sustainably sourced fish and chips, tacones and chowder to a queue that forms before it opens. Eat on the dock with the seaplanes landing beside you.