11 Best Restaurants in The Gulf Islands, Vancouver Island

This small restaurant in the woods has garnered all sorts of accolades since it first opened in 2014. Here chef Jesse McCleery, who spent a winter in the kitchen at Noma in Copenhagen, focuses on locally sourced food and unusual ingredients presented in the most imaginative ways. This takes farm- and ocean-to-table to a whole new level. The nightly format is now a seven-course prix-fixe tasting menu (advise staff of any allergies at time of booking) and reservations can book up months in advance. Enjoy the sunset through the trees from the deck of the rustic house—if it gets chilly, use one of the cozy blankets to wrap up. In the backyard, chef Melanie Witt has set up the low key Charmer Pizza which is open Thursday to Sunday evenings.

Fresh local ingredients and made-from-scratch fare keep regulars and visitors well fed at this family-run spot on Ganges' waterfront boardwalk. Here chef Shawn Walton takes it up a notch with, for example, duck confit with pear-and-Gorgonzola ravioli, or beef tenderloin with port demi-glace. The art-filled interior is welcoming, and on warm evenings the marina-view patio is positively romantic.

The Ganges location of this popular local organic coffee, which is sold all around Vancouver Island and Vancouver, is the flagship café and roastery where it all began in 1996. Stop by for an organic brew and tasty treat. A bag of their fair trade coffee also makes a thoughtful gift to bring home.