How to eat your way around BC's Sunshine Coast in 24 hours

Daryn Wright/Daily Hive

When you grow up in a place that is nearly constantly covered in grey clouds, it’s only natural that you’ll start to seek out places that sound sunny.

But despite its name, the Sunshine Coast isn’t always sunny.

Sure, the area faces southwest and does tend to enjoy more sunny days as a result, but if you head there in the winter, chances are you’re still going to be greeted with grey skies and, very likely, some rain.

Daryn Wright/Daily Hive

Another thing that happens when you spend too long in one place is you start to itch for newness – new experiences, new environments, and, invariably for us, new dining experiences.

The nice thing about the Sunshine Coast is that, despite having to take a ferry there – locals will be quick to remind you this does not mean that it is an island, as it is actually a peninsula – it makes for a very quick visit for those visiting from Vancouver and surrounding areas.

Hop on a 40-minute ferry ride and soon you’ll find yourself in a place where oyster shacks brush up against grey-blue harbours and the general store serves ice cream as well as serves as the local post office.

Daryn Wright/Daily Hive

The area feels charming in the way that the Gulf Islands feel charming – imbued with an enduring artistic spirit from those who came over here to escape big city life, and with a deep connection to seasonality that feels uniquely coastal.

During a recent visit to the Sunshine Coast, we had the chance to escape the winter gloom of the city and get a taste of the burgeoning food scene on the Coast.

With only 24 hours in the area, we were lucky enough to join the tour Gourmand in Gibsons: A Private Food and Wine Experience to find out just how much eating and drinking you can do here in a short span of time – turns out, it’s a lot.

Here’s your guide to eating and drinking around Gibsons Landing and Roberts Creek on the Sunshine Coast in just one day.

1 pm – Burgers and milkshakes at Molly’s Reach

Molly’s Reach | Daryn Wright/Daily Hive

Daryn Wright/Daily Hive

When you’re driving into Gibsons Landing from the ferry terminal, one of the first things that will greet you is the huge “Welcome back!” signage on the front of Molly’s Reach, the iconic restaurant created after the fictional restaurant of the same name that served as a central fixture in the CBC show The Beachcombers.

Molly’s Reach, though plucked from fiction, is a real place, and its burgers are not to be missed. You’re probably hungry after travelling, so stop here first. The fried chicken sandwich is massive and crispy, and the milkshakes are nostalgic and perfect in the way that classic milkshakes always are.

5:30 pm – Olive oil cocktails at Sunshine Coast Olive Oil Co.

After settling into our accommodations – a converted loft apartment rented through Airbnb and located right above Beachcomber Coffee – we met up with the rest of our group to meet the guide to our culinary tour, Douglas Bevans.

Bevans, who is also an artist, is tall and knowledgeable and endlessly interesting, and before he takes us to our first destination, he tells us a little about the history of Gibsons, its colonization, and how the area has changed drastically over the past several years – which includes a massively growing food and beverage scene.

Daryn Wright/Daily Hive

Our first stop is at the Sunshine Coast Olive Oil Company, a treasure trove of rarefied oils, vinegars, and condiments. Here, perhaps unexpectedly, we have our first cocktail – a combination of lemongrass gin, rosemary olive oil, and suyo cucumber white balsamic vinegar – a grassy but tart, strangely refreshing drink that makes us think about olive oil in a whole new way.

6:30 pm – BBQ carrots, beetroot salads, and smoked salmon at Brassica

Daryn Wright/Daily Hive

Brassica is next on our stop, and the community-to-table restaurant – which only just opened in October 2022 – certainly does not disappoint. The dishes here are served family-style, and we’re treated to plates of BBQ carrots with dill, marinated beetroot salad, and smoked Sockeye salmon with créme fraiche and warm potato bread.

Served with a glass of pinto gris from Naramata’s own Daydreamer Wines, this meal is not only fresh and delicious, but it’s somehow deeply inspiring, too. We leave dreaming about farmer’s market produce and ugly carrots and all the ways we can celebrate what’s seasonal and local.

7:30 pm – Lamb meatballs at Drift Café and Bistro

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Just a short walk up the hill is Drift Café and Bistro, a West Coast-focused restaurant housed in the town’s former telephone operating building. We’re told that this building is so old, the kitchen is actually located downstairs and dishes are brought up via dumbwaiters – a selling point that we now wish was a lot more common.

Here, we dine on the entrée of the food tour – lamb meatballs served with chili oil and buttery castelvetrano olives, alongside a glass of red wine. We’re very full by this point (and a tiny bit buzzed), but there’s one more stop left in the evening so we’re not slowing down yet.

8:30 pm – Mezcal and churros at Lunitas Mexican Eatery

Daryn Wright/Daily Hive

By shortly after eight, we walk back down to Gibson’s oceanfront, where Lunita’s Mexican Eatery serves as the final stop for the night. Here, we sip cocktails with mezcal and tequila – like the strong but sexy Rosarita with Sombra Mezcal, Sons of Vancouver Quadruple Sec, grapefruit juice, agave, and coarse sea salt – and switch gears to the sweeter side of things.

This spot, which has a killer view of the marina and ocean, offers desserts like churros and Mayan Chili Chocolate Pot de Creme. We’re tempted to stay for more drinks because they’re all so good, but the knowledge of an early breakfast sends us to bed instead.

9:30 am – Beet Benedicts at The Gumboot Cafe

Daryn Wright/Daily Hive

Before you leave the Sunshine Coast, we strongly feel that you need to pay a visit to The Gumboot Cafe in Roberts Creek.

Though not part of the Gourmand in Gibsons tour from the night before, this little spot serves up some killer breakfast options, is open every day, and also happens to have a display case jam-packed with tempting sweets. Think halva shortbread, caramel bars, cupcakes, vegan power balls, and more.

Daryn Wright/Daily Hive

Before wrapping up our 24 hours here, we fill up on the Gumboot’s Buddha Benny – an eggs Benedict served on a beet patty with miso tahini sauce and pickled cabbage – before grabbing some of the cafe’s treats for the reluctant ferry ride home.

Bonus stops: Sunday Cider and Smitty’s Oyster House

Daryn Wright/Daily Hive

While we didn’t get a chance to hit up every restaurant, brewery, cidery, distillery, and cafe on the Coast (there are a lot of them!), there are two spots we’d recommend adding to your itinerary. Sunday Cider is located just off the Sunshine Coast Highway and is a picture-perfect stop, especially on a sunny day.

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The cidery offers pours to stay on its sprawling garden, where picnic tables and stretches of grass offer ample seating, as well as bottles and cans to-go. We love this spot for its punchy, rotating ciders with names like Acid Life and Twice is Nice.

Smitty’s Oyster House is located in Gibsons Landing right on the waterfront and has one of the nicest patios we’ve seen. Head here for the salty sea breeze, oysters (duh), and the freshest seafood around.

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12 pm – Ferry ride home

If this trip taught us anything, it’s that 24 hours on the Sunshine Coast is not only possible, it actually, magically, feels like longer. Time slows down here for a bit, letting you indulge in more than a little local fare, sip some sunny beverages, and soak up some of that sunshine the name promises – if you’re lucky.

Daily Hive was hosted by Sunshine Coast Tourism and Sunshine Coast Art Tours for experiences mentioned in this article.