I love this little cafe. Excellent food, especially the veggie bowl. Amazing mocha, great matcha…read morelattes, super friendly staff. Clean bathrooms and cozy atmosphere overall. Good place to meet with friends, relax with a book, or work remotely.

It is such a nice place. They are kind food is mostly fast t ok come out. All the food is supper…read moretasty some of there most popular is the chicken pesto sandwich or the traditional breakfast. The service is quit nice. The business is growing so much and all there spots are nice the staff have a lot of patience and it just a good spot to go

Great Croissants/Pastries at prices way lower than others in town. The coffee is amazing too, and…read morealways so friendly! Has a very cozy atmosphere for hanging out. Highly recommended.

Well, Daniel's bakery has evolved into a wonderful meeting place with the best savoury and sweet…read morebakery selection in the valley while still creating their magnificent sourdough rye bread. Drop in for a latte and an organic raspberry and almond creme croissant and you will leave delighted. get there while there is a selection, because when he opens the door there is always a lineup to greet him. Try this coffee shop and bakery it is excellent.

OK, this bakery rocks! If you are going to or passing through lady smith, this place is worth a…read morestop. We were walking and saw a huge line so we continued walking, and then came back and the line was still long! We wanted to get some pasties and coffee so waited patiently (about 10-12 mins) in line. They have such a huge collection of pies, tarts, sausage rolls, croissants, cookies, breads and cinnamon rolls, etc. We couldn't decide what to get and don't want to go crazy as we had bought pasties earlier on from elsewhere, so bought two different cinnamon buns and a latte. The poppy seed and cream cheese cinnamon buns were incredible! Latte was delicious! Haven tried the rhubarb and strawberry cinnamon bun yet but looking forward to it tomorrow! There are limited tables and seats inside but it's crowded. The staff are friendly and the regular locals are amazing! We had a chat with the lovely folks in the line and they were recommending what they love, which was pretty special! I'm giving five stars because they deserve it - their food, drinks and hospitality.

The peanut butter cup cookie was sooooo peanut buttery! Also highly recommend the cinnamon bun and…read morethe appleberry crumble. The chicken pot pie and steak and mushroom pie were delicious as well! Definitely stop by and grab something if you're ever in the area. You can tell it's a well loved bakery by the lineup!

The selection of tasty, gluten free pastries was great. Customer service was very friendly and…read moreaccommodating.

Very nice and clean, popular for certain. Staff was knowledgeable and helpful and brought ordered…read moredrinks to our table. The ice cream shop was open next door and connected for seating but idk if that is a constant or just an occasional thing. Not a ton of orderable food options but lots of packaged ready-to-go items and a few bakery goods. I got a raspberry cheesecake fir around $6 and enjoyed throughly. Water in reusable cups was provided, everything seemed to be reusable or compostable aside from saran wrap which is a nice touch and always appreciated. Nice to pop into and look around at the local goods (lake cowichan milk and Shanti chai for example sold here).

Easily one of the most popular spots on Vancouver Island…read more The sun peaked out in January and everyone and their mom visited Shirley Delicious Cafe. To be honest, I completely understand why. This cafe is a step above the rest. The inside is cozy, with a cabin-esque vibe and clear ceilings in their dining room for an indoor-outdoor feel. Despite the line of 20+ people, Shirley Delicious worked like a well oiled machine. Their menu included breakfast, lunch, and even a flight of soup (which I so desperately wanted). I ordered their date pastry, a hot caramel latte, and breakfast sandwich with avo. Each item was absolutely delicious. This is also a great location to shop for island goodies. Their storefront is filled with jams, sauces, metal working artwork, etc. Can't believe they can pack so much goodness into four little walls!

This was truly an amazing find! Tucked in the forest, this cafe is definitely delicious!…read more Definitely get here early as there could be a line out the door! We lucked out, thankfully. You order and pay first, then find a seat inside or outside. Ample seating options. For drinks, they'll call your name and you pick it up at the counter, while they will bring you your entrée. We came for breakfast, so I had a croissant BLT Harvati sandwich and a latte. My friend had a vegan wrap and a latte as well. The whole indoor feels like a greenhouse once before and transformed to indoor cafe. There are tons of metal welding artwork around and many little retail shopping corners inside. My croissant did not let me know, it was so delicious! They also have a small coffee/ice cream/grab-n-go trailer outside. Overall it's a nice place for breakfast or lunch! We tried coming back again, but the power went out so we weren't able to order anything AND have cash. Guess I'll have to come back to visit!

Everyone knows how amazing Francis Bread is, but here's another great review. Excellent food,…read morefriendly staff and a very beautiful inviting ambiance. Highly recommend!

Such a great bakery with tantalizing choices. We came in the late morning and were craving savoury,…read moreso we got a Jalapeno Smoked Cheddar Twist and a focaccia sandwich. Both were delicious! Service was prompt and friendly. There are some tables within the bakery, a few benches out front and then tables all around the building, supporting the different food vendors in this complex. We also came back a few days later for a Japanese pop up out of Francis Bakery. So cool to offer up this space for different purposes.

Three different times I stopped for take out & all were lovely supper experiences. My friend & I…read morereally enjoyed the pizza from here (a first for both of us in 2025 during the Cowichan Valley Dine Out event meal features). I also ordered pick up for just myself another time. Lots of dessert & pre-made meal choices. Even if you're just stopping for something to drink, you'll enjoy browsing through the little shop. They're focused on Italian specialty items but have a mix of other goods there too. Staff are always friendly & are very patient with my packing logistics so I can carry everything myself while using my cane. There's seating inside & on the patio. I'm yet to go early enough in the day to enjoy the patio or on a nicer weather day but I do appreciate the very sturdy ramp up to the restaurant/shop doors & patio. Decent amount of parking too. Quick to drive to from Duncan & I first noticed this place when I took Lake Road for different views. Immediately off the main road but pay close attention to google maps (or whatever you use) when you're driving to the restaurant. As you see the sign & restaurant after you should be slowing down to turn into driveway. By my third visit, I knew what to look for & I didn't have to circle back. Looking forward to stopping here in 2026 & trying more items off the menu.

OMG!!! People, I have to tell you about the spaghetti here at Grove Hall Farm. Honestly, this was…read morethe best spaghetti I have EVER eaten. Wowwwwww! I want more. The young man Dorian who helped with the order is the sweetest human. I am coming back for more. Give this place a shot!!! It ROCKS!

The best Nanaimo Bar we ever had. It was delicious and to die for!…read moreMy sister bought some extra take back home (Toronoto). They are still delish after couple of days.

I heard from multiple sources that Red's Bakery serves the most mediocre Nanaimo Bars in Nanaimo,…read morebut since we were in the area (and a couple of other places were closed the day we were in town), we decided to walk on over. Red's has a kind of small town bakery feel, with old-fashioned almost eclectic decor, perhaps 60s/70s retro. Unlike some of the other bakeries, they prepackage some of their desserts in plastic, so it's difficult to tell how fresh they are. I suppose Nanaimo Bars keep well in the first place. We ended up trying Nanaimo bars from three different places, with my notes for Red's as below: Nanaimo Bar ($6) - This Nanaimo bar is much taller than the other two, probably around 50% taller than bar 3 and a full double of bar 2. It cuts very smoothly without much flaking off. The crumb base underneath is smooth, indicating that the coconut fibers are well blended to reduce strand length. It's almost like an Oreo base, with heavy Dutch processed cocoa flavor. There should be nuts mixed in, but they are crushed so finely that I can't really tell what nut is used. People on social media complain about the bottom layer, but I actually love it. For the other layers, the top icing is really sweet. It has a heavily roasted chocolate flavor and by far the darkest in color. The middle layer just tastes like standard icing. It's sweet but I think less so than the other bars. (4/5) Interestingly enough, I enjoyed the Nanaimo Bar from Red's more than both other bakeries. I think it's pretty good in quality and while sweet, has the heavy cocoa elements of the cookie base to help balance things out a bit. Washroom - I didn't see any available for customers.

We LOVE Hanks!!!…read more When we arrived just a little before 9am on a Saturday morning, there were about 10 people ahead of us and about another 5 waiting for their order. The place is truly a bakery haven! They have so much stuff, from croissants, quiches, pies, sandwiches, sausage rolls, cookies, breads, danishes, scones, cakes, etc! We found it so difficult to choose but went with their sausage rolls, quiche and latte. The staff were so friendly and wearing their beautiful warm smiles. We drove out to Mill Bay and had our breakfast by the water, it was magical with the sunshine. LOVED the sausage roll; so moist and flavourful. The pastry was so flaky and I'm not even kidding when I say I wanna go back again tomorrow!!! The quiche was also delicious. It had lots of potatoes and was very filling. Again, the pastry was delicious. The latte was also nutty and velvety! Such a beautiful experience! Parking was tight but we found one shortly after we arrived. Hanks have parking stalls reserved for its customers, so be sure to check and park at the right spot. It is free.

This place makes good bread. They are located in Duncan. Highly recommend. Their cakes and pastries…read morewere good too. I ate them before taking a photo. shoot....