Breakwater Bistro
An oceanfront stop beside the breakwater for brunch, lunch, and dinner.
The last table before the Pacific, where the patio runs out and the breakwater begins.
The closest you can eat to the Ogden Point breakwater without getting your feet wet. It opened in autumn 2012 in the old Ogden Point Cafe, a James Bay fixture for nearly two decades before that, so it has always belonged to the dog walkers and the after-work crowd more than the cruise ships docked next door. The patio is the reason: afternoon sun, heat lamps for when the strait turns cold, the Olympic Mountains across the water. It feels like the neighbourhood's front porch onto the sea.
The move
The clam chowder is what regulars come back for, one reviewer calls it the best they have ever had, plus a glass of wine on the patio as the sun drops behind the Olympics. From roughly June to October, the seasonal Kraken food truck does local fish and chips, with a gluten-free halibut version if you ask.
Go when
A sunny weekday afternoon, the patio in full sun before the dinner rush. Time it with a breakwater walk on either side. Friday from 7 to 9pm for live music.
Known for
Perfect for