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The Schooner Restaurant

4.1 (143 reviews)
ModerateSeafood

The Schooner Restaurant Photos

THE SCHOONER RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Moderate noise
Good for groups
Outdoor seating

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a bottle of beer and glasses
Poonam S.

We loved everything about Schooner's! We didn't have a reservation but they made us feel comfortable and found a lovely cosy seat for us. Very warm hospitality. Our server was so friendly and humorous. We loved him! We ordered: - Appetizer: spicy prawns - $19.50 - Main: Seafood boil for two - $82 - Local beer - $10 Total with tip (20%) was about $137. Food was great! Loved the prawns - the sauce was addicting! Their fresh warm baguette is everything you'd want with the sauce! The seafood boil was simple yet packed with flavours. It was light on the pallet, which we liked. We will definitely be back when visiting Tofino again! Thank you for such a great dining experience and for being fabulous!

Liz L.

You can't come to Tofino without eating seafood. I've been on the island for a few days now. We went to The Schooner in Tofino. It's a 75 year old restaurant. We ordered three courses for two. Oysters nami nori, fried oysters. With honey wasabi mayo, special sauce and tobiko, delicious. Warm goats' nut salad Hazelnut + cheese, raspberry vinegar salad classic seafood boil for 2 Super fresh, with salmon, halibut, cod, clams, mussels, shrimp, crab legs, corn and potatoes in the soup, with homemade bread is really delicious, even drank all the soup! The overall feeling is good, but the $95 seafood for two is too small, in the end, two people ate more than $160 plus tip!

This was our first time here but came with people who have loved it in the past. We tried to get in on a Wednesday at 4:45, when they opened. It was tough because they had a line of hopefuls waiting, but Whaylon managed to seat us. Everything for the evening was booked. And no wonder! The food was amazing and the atmosphere was relaxed and welcoming. Justin, our server, was upbeat and knowledgeable about the menu and helped us make our selections. He checked on us frequently and added his insight throughout our meal. Two of us had the Admiral's plate which had 6 entree size portions of favorites. Two of us had the Halibut Bawden Bay, which was stuffed with crab, baby shrimp, Brie, jack cheese, and scallions. All came with rice and vegetables. We shared cheesecake and crème brûlée and were happy with both. We all were very impressed and loved every bite. If you are ever in the area, make sure to get a reservation early. You will not be disappointed.

Admiral's Plate
Takeshi K.

3.7/5 After some surfing, we were really craving some nice seafood so we were glad that we booked this place prior to arriving on the island. When we arrived, there were a few walk-ins that were denied since they were fully booked. The people working on the floor were nice and attentive. Since we wanted to try a bit of everything, and fill our stomach up with some good seafood, we got the Admiral's Plate. This was accompanied by some herb scented basmati rice and some summer vegetables, which were a great addition to the seafood. Grilled Salmon: These were cooked VERY well. The sauce that went with it was also really well put together. Blackened Cod: The sauce was really well made. It went well with the fish and I wish it came with more sauce though. Halibut Bawden Bay: My partner really liked this one. The stuffing inside the halibut was well put together. Baked Oysters: I was very excited for this but I felt like the sauce and cheese really overpowered the oysters a bit. And the oyster tasted good, but felt like it was a bit overcooked as well. Garlic sauteed prawns and scallops: The scallops were really well made and cooked so perfectly. We loved it a lot. Mussels & Clams: It was good. Nothing special and didn't really taste the Thai curry but it was good. Crab Legs: They were tasty but the garlic butter that came with it had less garlic and more salt and my partner felt the same way. It came in a small bowl over a candle which was a nice touch though. . . . Now onto why I rated it a 3.7: - The Admiral's Plate imo is NOT worth the price. Charging $180 for 2 is not worth it for the amount of stuff you get. And if it's a food for 2, I didn't understand why they were uneven number of things for some of the dishes. If there's an abundance of pieces, I get it but for the things you can count in one hand, there should be even numbers for people to be able to share imo. For example, there were only 3 crab legs instead of giving half of the crab (4 legs). There were also 3 scallops, and 3 mussels to share which didn't make too much sense to me. So while the food was good, it was expensive for what it was and the quantity was also uneven. - I wish they had seafood scissors. I had asked for them since the crab legs came with crab crackers and seafood picks. But they didn't have them. Half of the crab legs were soft so it was impossible to use the crab crackers since the juice just came out when I tried using them. So I had to use my teeth and fingers to try and peel the pieces. - Not that important but another nice touch would've been if they gave us a wet napkin or a finger bowl when we were done. It was nice that they had a finger bowl but we did have to ask for them.

The Admiral Steak
Tanisha B.

We came here for our final dinner in Tofino. Their front sign says 'Steak.Seafood.Cocktails' so we were expecting those things to be great. I tried one of their cocktails- the longer island and it was delicious! I only wish they had a few more cocktail selections and this is the only one that really appealed to me. I had a beer as my second drink. As our appetizer we had the spicy prawns and man, were they spicy! Although so spicy, they were so so good! I don't usually eat spicy things and my lips were on fire after these but it was worth it because they were also super flavourful. we each ordered a steak as our main- I ordered the Admiral which was pricey at $65 but it came with prawns, crab and scallops so I figured it would be worth the money. I order my steak cooked medium- if it's too red I cannot enjoy it but I had confidence they would cook it properly since it's something they specialize in. My husband had the peppercorn steak which he ordered medium rare. Unfortunately, when we received our dinners, we realized the chef had mixed up the levels- my husbands steak was medium, almost well and mine was medium rare. This was super disappointing but when I told the waitress she did offer to put mine back on the grill for a while. I declined stating that we could just share each others steaks. She comp'd our 2nd round of drinks to make up for the mistake which we really appreciated. Unfortunately, my dinner also did not come with that much seafood- the amount of crab was not much at all and I only had 2 scallops. In my opinion, the dish should cost more like $50, not $65. It's overpriced for what you get. However, aside from the mixup and the lack of seafood, the food itself was absolutely delicious and our waitress was lovely. She was extremely personable, attentive, and did everything she could to correct the issue. I will note that the peppercorn steak my husband was divine- the sauce is the bomb and the dish is priced well for what you get. The sides for both steaks are the same veggies and potatoes and were well seasoned and cooked properly. think we will return in the future to give this place a second chance.

Baby back ribs, halibut bawden bay, wild mushroom ravioli, and long boarding salmon
Jeanne C.

The schooner has last seating at 9:30 and closes around 1 am. The interior is pretty cool as they have a tiny ship inside the restaurant. The salmon and halibut were delicious, I loved the flavours. The baby back ribs were too saucy. The passionfruit long island cocktail didn't have much passionfruit taste but was nice and sweet.

Smoked Salmon on cedar wood
Ola H.

My dinner at Schooner was by far one of my best meals ever I ordered the smoked maple salmon as an appetozer and it was wow. Ordered the salmon and steak for our dinner and they were mouth watering perfection. We then ordered Chocolate Pecan and Creme Prulee and equally delicious. The service was excellent and was quick although the restaurant was full on a Friday night. They are jus perfect and i highly recommend

Catface Seafood Pasta. Excellent!
Bill S.

74 years in business with the same family. The food is fantastic. The staff is friendly and efficient. It is best to make a reservation. This place is very popular for a reason.

Long Island iced tea with citrus and mango

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Big Daddy's Fish Fry - We had the fish and chips. Two with poutine and one with the coleslaw.

Big Daddy's Fish Fry

4.0(52 reviews)
0.2 km
•$$

Came hoping to try the shrimp cakes but looks like they've updated the menu since the most recent…read moreone was posted online, and they don't have those anymore. I got the lingcod burger instead. While the price tag looks expensive, it the burger came with three nuggets of fish, which was more than fit on the bun - I took one off and ate the burger with just 2 pieces, and fish was still spilling out. Besides the fish, there was also a heaping of slaw and arugula on the burger. It was delicious - the fish was tender and flaky and the slaw was really good. The bun didn't fall apart even with a ton of stuff on it. The fries were standard shoestring fries and they were kind of greasy. I got a side of habanero hot sauce to dip them in and that was pretty good. It had a decent kick but not extreme heat. Dips are kind of pricy at $1.5-2 for a small cup, but ketchup is free at the tables. How it works is you order and pay at the entrance, take a buzzer and seat yourself, and get your food at the counter when the buzzer goes off. The older lady taking orders was very cheerful.

Very nice spot for a quick meal in town, ambiance is lively and outdoor sitting only, has a very…read morecasual feel which matches the food. Service was friendly and quite fast The fish was very fresh, delicious and flaky with a great fried crust. Only downside is the fish portion could be a bit bigger since its only 1 piece. The highlight of the meal were the fried prawns though, good portion size, perfectly cooked and so fresh. Next time I'm in tofino this is what I'm getting.

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Big Daddy's Fish Fry
Big Daddy's Fish Fry - Lingcod burger w/ side habanero hot sauce

Lingcod burger w/ side habanero hot sauce

Big Daddy's Fish Fry - Fried prawns and fish and chips

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Fried prawns and fish and chips

Wolf In The Fog - The duck was perfectly smoky with a nice shuttle berry flavors too

Wolf In The Fog

4.2(353 reviews)
0.3 km
•$$

We didn't have reservations but we arrived right when the restaurant opened at 5:00 p.m. and they…read morewere able to seat us right away. We got a beautiful spot on the patio and I loved how they had heaters to keep us warm. We started with some appetizers and they were absolutely amazing. I especially loved the octopus. For means we got the salmon which was a daily special. Everything was cooked perfectly and the flavors were amazing. ​​​​​​​​​

Wow! We had a reservation for Wolf in the Fog our last night in Tofino and it couldn't have been…read morebetter! The entire place felt elevated but cozy - our table was upstairs under beautiful wooden beams and big windows overlooking the town. The vibe was lively but not too loud on a Tuesday evening. Service started out wonderfully and we regularly received fresh table settings between courses, however we had a switch in waitstaff later in the meal and it was incredibly slow at the end. No big deal since we weren't in a rush but something to note that it could be hit or miss. The food, on the other hand, was 100% on point. We ordered the potato crusted oyster appetizer and I was blown away - innovative and delicious. For my main, I got the halibut in a curry sauce that was just perfection. My friends tried the sea board, seaweed salad, and scallop gratin, and loved all of it. This meal was a highlight of our vacation.

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Wolf In The Fog
Wolf In The Fog - Highly recommend getting this. Perfect texture for octapus.

Highly recommend getting this. Perfect texture for octapus.

Wolf In The Fog - Smoked white fish dip and homemade chips and fish cake.

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Smoked white fish dip and homemade chips and fish cake.

Great Room - Small starter sourdough bread with butter

Great Room

4.6(12 reviews)
5.9 km

Knowing the western side of Vancouver Island is known for great seafood options, we selected the…read moreGreat Room to try some! The hostess was was very nice and gave us a table with a view (which I'm sure would have been striking if it hadn't been dark unfortunately). Still, we ordered prawns and a 1/2 dozen oysters to start off with a bottle of Blue Mountain Sauvignon Blanc. (i wasn't nervous about the oysters as the north pacific is clean for raising them). For dinner my partner opted for the chicken platter that she really enjoyed; lots of fresh components and interesting small side portions. I had the scallops and pork belly that I have never had before, but would absolutely have again here. Add this restaurant to your list whether staying in the lodge or not. I agree reservations are a good idea unless you plan to go in an off time.

Dined at the Great Room as part of our 3 day amazing stay at Long Beach Lodge Resort. They are…read moreavailable for brunch, Happy Hour, and dinner with reservations highly recommended. We came for dinner and the view of Cox Bay is unbelievable! We got to watch the sunset and it was incredible. Too bad they don't have an outdoor patio but considering the rain, wind, and storm weather in Tofino, there's probably a reason why. Decor and ambiance is cozy, elegant, airy, and timeless elegance. Service here is attentive and warm. We ordered the house made bread to start (small comes with 6 pieces) with sourdough and charred leek butter. This was really homey and comforting. I ordered the Shrimp Carbonara for my entree and my partner got the Crispy Chicken sandwich. The shrimp carbonara take on the dish is served with udon noodles, shrimp, smoked black cod, butternut squash and topped with soft egg in a miso butter, garlic, chili, and parmesan sauce. The dish was hearty, filling, flavourful, yet not too heavy. It really hit the spot and I enjoyed it quite a bit. My partner enjoyed his huge Crispy Chicken sandwich and was thrilled that they had enough hot sauce on the chicken for some kick. Come for the views, food, or service - you can't go wrong. They also currently have a special multi-course for under $50/person from 5pm to 6pm.

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Great Room - The view

The view

Great Room
Great Room - Sourdough & fried polenta

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Sourdough & fried polenta

The Schooner Restaurant - seafood - Updated May 2026

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