Culinary Retreat

One of the goals during the development of the Wickaninnish Inn was to create a distinctive restaurant and bar to be renowned throughout Canada and North America.

The stage was set with a glass fronted post and beam building on top of a rocky promontory, housing the 75-seat oceanfront Pointe Restaurant and On-the Rocks Bar & Lounge. The location of the restaurant is unique, as our guests look out to 240 degrees of oncoming waves of the open Pacific Ocean and panoramic sweeps of spectacular Chesterman Beach.

But it was the appointment of culinary talent that led the Pointe Restaurant to achieve the goal in record time. Within a short period of time after opening, the Wickaninnish Inn had become one of Vancouver Island’s prime destinations for gourmet diners from all over the world.

Chef Jim Garraway and Ike Seaman, the Restaurant Manager, have elevated the west coast dining experience, bringing guests a distinct version of West Coast Canadian cuisine, showcasing fresh coastal foods, the farm–fresh ingredients of Vancouver Island, and the finest wines of the Pacific Northwest.

Jim Garraway’s commitment to seeking out local suppliers of fresh food products has brought the best from Vancouver Island’s fishermen, crabbers, mushroom and berry pickers and oyster farmers to the guests of the Pointe Restaurant. His dedication to bring only the freshest and best ingredients to the table has made the Wickaninnish Inn one of the best places to enjoy locally grown organic greens, rabbit, venison and Oyster Jim’s famous selection of shellfish.

After less than a year in operation, the Pointe took a silver award for Best Out-of-Town Restaurant in the 1997 Vancouver Magazine Critics' Poll, bronze in 1998 and silver again in 1999. In 1998 and 1999, it received Where to Eat in Canada's highest rating of three stars. One of only thirteen restaurants so rated in the country.

A visit to the Pointe for breakfast, lunch or dinner is a must for all visitors to Tofino, whether guests at the Inn or not.