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6. Sea Monster Noodle Bar

Cam Young is a Victoria native who has lived in Tofino for awhile and had a passion for Asian fusion, so he opened Sea Monster Noodle Bar in 2015. Sea monster tentacles are painted on a wall in the red and white dining room. A plant-lined patio with picnic table is a pleasant option in warmer weather. Noodles are the big draw, and I’d recommend Dan Dan, wheat noodles tossed with Szechuan tahini sauce, chile oil, ground pork, gai lan, noodles, cilantro, cucumber, and peanut. Pork soup is available dine-in only, and it’s worth sitting for a spell to devour their murky gochujang pork broth loaded with udon, braised pork shoulder, pickled Napa cabbage, and scallions. Salmon is the way to go with poke, co-starring onion, seaweed, a mountain of guac, cucumber, ginger-scallion, furikake and tobiko served over brown rice. Steamed buns are also pretty good, with meaty pork belly, Korean barbecue sauce, and pickled peach edging seared albacore tuna with Sriracha mayo, pickled carrot and daikon, and cilantro.

MUST ORDER: Dan Dan, Poke with Salmon, Pork Soup

7. Tacofino

Kaeli Robinsong and husband Jason Sussman have built Tacofino into a popular Vancouver taco chain, but the couple got started in Tofino with a truck that parks in back of the gravel lot behind a surf shop and the Tofitian. A logo of praying hands holding a taco signals your arrival at the truck, which welcomes a steady stream of customers to communal picnic tables and orange chairs. Their signature fish taco stars flaky tempura ling cod, chipotle mayo, crunchy cabbage, and mild salsa fresca in a flour tortilla. Chicken gringa is another solid option, teaming grilled thighs with cheese, sour cream, and salsa. For dessert, Tacofino carries local Slick Licks popsicles. They sold out of raspberry basil, but still had Mexican chocolate and strawberry banana.

MUST ORDER: Fish Taco, Slick Lick Popsicles

8. Tofino Brewing Company

Tofino Brewing Company is on the south side of town in an industrial park (natch). The tasting room touts a wood bar and high-top tables overlooking a brewhouse that uses Pacific Northwest hops to fuel core beers like Tuff Session Ale, Blonde Ale, and Kelp Stout brewed with locally harvested seaweed. Surrounding environs also inspired Spruce Tree Ale and surfer-friendly Dawn Patrol Coffee Porter. Bonus: Tofino Brewing Company fills growlers.

MUST ORDER: Craft Beer

9. Tofitian Café

“The swords with which we slay” are a surfboard and fishing pole, which cross atop a skull on the Tofitian’s logo. This bakery-cafe dates is the bohemian village’s closest business to Pacific Rim Highway. The Tofitian operated as a hole-in-the-wall from 2002 until the winter of 2016, when they expanded greatly. Now they have a patio with umbrella-shaded picnic tables, indoor and outdoor counters, and an upstairs bakery. Their soft morning scone was fresh out of the oven, with an egg in the middle, spinach, cheddar, herbs, and tender potato chunks. Chocolate croissant was pretty flaky, featuring chocolate batons and powdered sugar. Almond croissant was also good, filled with almond paste. They also put a white and aqua Victoria Arduino espresso machine to good use, brewing Fernwood beans from Victoria.

MUST ORDER: Almond Croissant, Chocolate Croissant, Coffee, Morning Scone

10. Wolf in the Fog

Chef Nick Nutting, Jorge Baradiaran, and Andre McGillivray went fishing near Tofino and saw a wolf emerging from the fog. In 2014, the partners debuted Wolf in the Fog in a stylish, two-story structure in downtown Tofino. The downstairs cafe and bar is more casual. If you can, head to the upstairs dining room, where an imposing driftwood wolf assesses the bustling scene. Snacks included corn-fried cod cheeks with sorrel mayo, English peas, pickled red onion; and hot-smoked char salad with romaine lettuce, egg, capers, garlic, and almond crumb. Local sockeye salmon was in season, and the restaurant put the fish to great use. I enjoyed their special fried salmon head with crispy skin, rosy, oil-rich flesh, chile soy vin, burnt corn miso emulsion, a nori dusting, and side of furikake showered sushi rice. If you’re dining with family or a group of friends, I’d highly recommend Plates to Share, particularly that terrific Tofino salmon. A silky slab of seared, medium-rare fish joined red cedar jus, mushrooms, farro, melting garlic cloves, and shallots on a large platter.

MUST ORDER: Corn-Fried Cod Cheeks, Fried Salmon Head, Tofino Salmon

BONUS: The Crab Lady

If you’re staying in a place with a kitchen, be sure to visit The Crab Lady at 900 Campbell Street on the drive into town. Just look on your right for an orange and blue crab sign haning from a wood fence. This local legend has been setting crab traps fro over 24 years. Two-pound crabs cost 20 Canadian dollars apiece, a bargain for so much sweet meat.