SOBO - Tofino

Whenever possible I order chowder. There's an art to making a good one and SoBo has the gift. Highly recommended.

We travel to Tofino numerous times a year and stopped at Sobbo frequently over the years . It was actually one of my favourite restaurants , unfortunately it has disappointed me every time I went in the last 2 years . I mean every time ! And I thought oh no it’s a service issue everyone has staff difficulties. The owner was very rude to us on my birthday a few years back , when we pointed out our food has not arrived after 45 min she reminded me that it was not fast food . In front if all my friends! The waitress forgot to put our order in . Our meal was free so I thought ok still worth trying . Arrived next time to a very rude male server who is French . My family at the table is from a France , they are used to rude service and yet they were appalled when they asked for a paper straw for their son he told them we don’t use straws here . The host had straws in her apron and offered him one! Last time we went I order à caesar drink with special Sobo garnish . It was absolutely awful. The garnish was an old slice of lime . The drink was watery and gross. The food was below par . The owner was sitting at the table next to us and wore a very dirty tshirt full of food staines. Disappointed to no end !

This place couldn’t have been better! Our B&B host suggested Sobo but mentioned that they closed at 5 pm. We’d had a busy day hiking and had missed lunch so arriving at 4 meant we could have “lupper!” Our server appeared to be genuinely interested in her job and always approached our table with a smile and was friendly. Usually, I pass on drinks but noticed that they offered unsweetened ice tea. It’s rare to see that on a menu in Canada. It was definitely the best unsweetened ice tea that I’ve ever had and I’ve ordered it often in Florida. When I asked, I was told, the chef Lisa made it with her own loose teas. We moved onto the salmon chowder. Yummy. We ordered a slice of cornbread to go with it and one slice was enough for us to share. We’d ordered the mushroom pizza to share as well and in my mind, I was expecting it to be good but not great. It was fantastic. Loved it. We passed on dessert as we had not finished the pizza but my hubby, who rarely passes on dessert brought us each a cookie for later. Mine looks great but I haven’t tried it yet. He had his cookie almost as soon as we were back and when I asked how it was, he replied with a very happy: crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside and LOTS of chocolate! Our host asked if we’d tried the Key Lime pie and we hadn’t but he says it is fabulous. So, the server was great and the food was great. Finally, the ambiance was lovely. There was a fairly neutral colour palette. Some interesting wood pieces and a collection of art prints that I assumed was by an indigenous artist were the final touches for making me feel happy and complete……A lovely peaceful space! Thank you to the chef and our server. I think if this restaurant was open for longer hours, they might earn more positive reviews and would be further up in the ratings. Nothing wrong with where they are or with their food, service and decor. As I said at the start, this place couldn’t have been better. (Cost $71 before tip and included one alcoholic beverage.

Second visit after a break of a few years. Wonderful lunch of fish tacos. Hope we are back again soon.

Had a quick lunch here before heading out of town to catch the ferry home. I can highly recommend their Thai Chicken. The chicken thighs were seasoned perfectly. Their taco is loaded with fresh fruits. The miso slathered broiled oyster is so good we had to order a second round.