Darwin's Cafe Temporarily Closed

Tofino 's a slice of heaven, pretty much no matter where you go. But the Botanical Gardens has always been a regular stop on my regular trips from Vancouver to the end of the road. It 's the sweetest nook to read a book, learn about local flora, or get to the Inlet 's shore. I had heard recently that the Cafe had a new head chef and that they were re-introducing a full breakfast/lunch menu. I ordered the Havana (add: eggs) and it was spectacular! My friend ordered the salade Niçoise and it might have been even better (however possible). Beautifully presented. Fresh greens and edible flowers from the garden. The eggs from their humanly-raised chickens. And the most perfect steaks of tuna, which I assume (or, would like to assume) were locally and ethically sourced. I wish I had taken a picture of her salad, but it 's a device-free space so I was hyper conscious of my 'black mirroring. ' I am shocked to be reading in other reviews that people are upset by this... no Skype or phone calls, in particular... I mean, YOU. ARE. IN. A. PROTECTED RAINFOREST!!!! Take advantage of the natural noises and ambiance! The cherry table cloth was the cherry on top! Adorable!! Thank you, Charles :P

I visit Tofino a couple of times a year, and stopping at Darwin's Cafe is always a part of my trip. The botanical gardens are fascinating. The Cafe is beautiful, with an amazing selection of reading material. The Darwin Cafe is a must see for Apes of all ages. I heard they have recently improved the food, I will update my review once I've had a chance to try it!

We had the red curry soup, lemon kospie and coffee. everything was delicious! They also have another vegan dish on the menu that we don't get. the vegan dishes are marked on the menu and all drinks can be made vegan with soy or mandel milk. the hours here are a little deceived, they are open to sunset I believe, but the kitchen is only open until 3. so after 3 they can still get coffee and cake. I would also recommend to visit the botanical gardens in front of location, really beautiful and picturesque

Simple cafe with vegan options like soup and smoothies and Almond milk for hot drinks. I went at a ten o clock after breakfast so I didn't eat anything just grabbed a drink. I would like to warn visitors that are vegan like myself that there is a dead puffer fish almost trophied in the cafe and I found it quite disturbing, some others might to. However if you are in the botanical gardens for a day out I'm sure this would be great for lunch as they had a really nice looking vegan Thai curry soup with lentils and spinach so really it is your call!

The cafe is lovely, however the ownership has changed in 2014 and is no longer as vegan or gluten-free friendly as previous reviews mention. They could not say for certain if the bread was vegan but it is not gluten-free. Still was able to veganize some menu items but not worth going out of the way for an easy vegan meal.