Chemainus Culinary Guide
Chemainus has a bunch of pretty murals. Are they neat? Absolutely. Did they save this small mill community after a decline in the forestry industry in the 1980s? You bet they did. Should you do the mural tour while you are there? Of course. But beyond the majestic painted walls in this picturesque seaside village is an amazing culinary scene. This town of under 5,000 loves to eat and has a surprising selection of unique, diverse and quaint restaurants. Spending a day in Chemainus will not disappoint even the most fervent foodie; here's a round-up of some great culinary stops to fuel your mural-viewing adventures!
Coffee Shack
10862 Chemainus Rd
Husband-and-wife duo Samantha and Joseph love coffee, and it shows at their beautiful shop that is just a five-minute drive from downtown Chemainus. For such a small community, it feels like you are stepping into a big-city coffee bar with modern architecture, beautiful long wood tables and a serious espresso machine. In fact, their Italian-made Victoria Arduino Black Eagle machine is one of only two in Canada (the other one is located in Halifax). But fancy machinery aside, this welcoming business is a wonderful place to grab a gourmet coffee. They source locally roasted beans from various companies including Black and White Roasters in Duncan and Fernwood Coffee in Victoria. The Maple Africano is a house specialty and you must try some of their baked goods, especially their scones. And good news: they are opening another location in Langford soon!
Ma Maison
10445 Chemainus Rd
Owner and Chef Lauren Cartmel has created a welcoming restaurant with Ma Maison. Located in an old train station, the interior is bright, cozy and stylish, and truly non-pretentious. Raised in Ladysmith, Lauren jumped into a chef career right out of high school and then worked in high-end restaurants in Vancouver and also in London under Chef Gordon Ramsey. She opened Ma Maison in 2019, inspired by some of the restaurants she frequented during her stint cooking in Los Angeles. The menu is seasonal and changes frequently but has become well-known for their daily quiche, their fresh farm-to-table salads and beautiful baked goods. I was particularly intrigued by their small but mighty wine list with some local favourites like Emandare Vineyard out of Cowichan and Rathjen Cellars from the Saanich Peninsula. They are open Monday to Friday 10:00am to 3:00pm, but do keep your eye out for her monthly chef dinners and her growing catering career.
Thai Pinto
9875 Maple Street
When I mentioned to a few foodie friends that I was going to visit Thai Pinto, they immediately lit up. Now I know why. Truly one of the nicest people out there, Art is the owner of Thai Pinto, a local favourite serving authentic Northern Thai cuisine. Art was a professor in Thailand who eventually settled in Chemainus after traveling Canada coast to coast. He settled on Vancouver Island mostly due to the weather and first opened a restaurant in Coombs before opening Thai Pinto in 2017. The classic Pad Thai was recommended to me but Art mentioned some of his favourite dishes are the Bad Gra Pao (number 11) and the Khao Soi (number 21). Currently Thai Pinto is only open for take-out.
Soul’s Toast
2873 Oak Street
I found out about Soul’s Toast through a Nanaimo-based Facebook foodie group, and I have already visited a handful of times because it’s just that good. Soul, as he’s known in Canada (Korean name Taehyun Kim), is serving popular Korean street toast in a tiny space in the Old Town part of Chemainus. Street toast is a popular salty-sweet egg sandwich sold by many street-food vendors in Korea and is typically served on white bread and filled with unique fixings, fresh chopped cabbage and a variety of sauces. Soul’s Toast opened in April 2021 and so far has a small cult following. Come hungry—the sandwiches are huge! The Angry Egg Toast has a fried egg, cheese, pickles and a crunchy hash brown inside. I am partial to the Shrimp Toast with a fried egg and a homemade shrimp patty that has a tempura batter fried to perfection and topped with a house-made spicy mayo.
Pie Me
9748D Willow St
Located in a beautiful courtyard filled with flowers and quirky topiary lies Pie Me, another Chemainus food business that opened during the pandemic. Owners Pat and Laura McFadyen consider this shop their retirement plan, and although they have only been open for a little over a year, they have been dreaming of opening a pie shop for the past 35 years. Pat is a self-taught baker who always enjoyed baking for her kids and friends, and now she bakes for the community. Pat makes traditional flour-crust pies like apple and pumpkin, but where she truly shines is with her cookie-crust pies, like the lime and avocado pie with a chocolate cookie crust, or the banana cream with a graham cracker crust. They have limited hours in the winter, but you can find them open almost daily in the summer or year-round for custom orders.
Yellow Sub Machine
Various locations
The Yellow Sub Machine is a hard-to-miss, bright yellow food truck that spent most of the summer down at Transfer Beach. Owners Murray and Marina Kereliuk used to own the Odika Cafe, an award-winning fine dining cafe in town, but the pandemic forced them to sell and adapt to a new concept—a food truck. They make everything from scratch and get their bread custom-made from Utopia Bakery Cafe. The Veggie Delight is a staple on the menu and a big seller featuring roasted eggplant, homemade caponata, marinated peppers, artichokes, fresh mozzarella and arugula. They also have a weekly special; on the day I visited I tried the Spanish chorizo sub with queso fresco, shredded lettuce and a green sauce. Over the winter you can find them at the Antique Barn just off the highway.
Owl’s Nest Bakery Bistro
9752 Willow St
Cici Shen was a student at the University of Alberta before she travelled to Canada and fell in love with the weather and welcoming nature of Chemainus. She took over the Owl’s Nest Bakery Bistro from the original owners in 2020 and basically kept everything the same—because you know what they say: if it ain't broke, don’t fix it! They are most known for their eggs benny dishes and specialty coffees like the unique beetroot latte. The most popular benny on their menu is the bacon avocado topped with decadent hollandaise and fresh pico de gallo salsa served on a homemade focaccia bread. They serve breakfast all day until 3:00pm.
Pho Triple 7
9779 Willow St
Finding really good pho in a small town is a treasure, and Pho Triple 7 does not disappoint. Recommended to me by Emily Weeks of the Chemainus Chamber of Commerce, we sat down to chat about the future of Chemainus (hint: it may involve the entertainment giant Netflix) and to slurp on warm, comforting pho and Emily’s go-to dish, the Bun Thit Uop Xa va Gha Gio, otherwise known as the B3: vermicelli noodles topped with roasted pork, peanuts, fresh cilantro, carrots, daikon, and served with a crispy spring roll and dipping sauce. This family restaurant is definitely worth a visit.
Chemainus Bakery
2875 Oak St
Located in the heart of Old Town and attached to the busiest shop in town (the Chemainus Thrift Store), this institution has been operating for well over 30 years. They are pretty classic—no bells and whistles here, but oh my, the donuts! Baked fresh daily, the classic glazed are a dream and the jelly donut is exquisitely soft and pillowy. They are also known for their sausage rolls and fresh baked bread. 
Riot Brewing
101A, 3055 Oak St
I intended to chat with owners Aly and Ralph at this award-winning brewery for a quick 30-minute interview—and ended up spending two hours with them! They have stories—and I mean stories—to tell. Some are heartbreaking, like their business declaring insolvency in 2019 even after a massively successful opening. Some are hilarious, like Ralph’s accidental fame in Korea due to filming a segment about their beer for Korean TV (they equated it to a Simpsons Mr. Sparkle scenario). And some are personal, like how their friendship has endured over 35 years through some very tough times and some very fun times. You should stop by yourself and say hello because Aly and Ralph can be found behind the bar daily and they literally knew every single person that was inside the packed brewery the day I visited. I was even offered a bed to sleep on above the brewery but alas, I had to get back to Victoria. Next time.
This list only scratches the surface of the food scene in Chemainus, but a gal can only eat so much in a day, even if that gal can really pack it in. Other local restaurants worth a mention are Invitation Indian Cuisine for their butter chicken, Captain Andy’s for the cod burger, Sushi Kuni for some great authentic sushi, Willow Street Cafe for their daily soup, Sawmill Taphouse and Grill for some stellar pizza, and The Haida Way Restaurant for their famous chicken curry. Needless to say, if you are headed to Chemainus to visit the murals or their famous theatre, I highly encourage you to go on a self-guided food tour of this friendly town.
