Very Good Day Trip Idea: Eating and Vintage Shopping Your Way Through Nanaimo

Who would have thought that Nanaimo was a treasure trove of vintage shops and tasty eats? Not this guy! Usually considered to be nothing more than the place where B.C. Ferries docks if you’re headed to Tofino, I’m here to tell you that Nanaimo is actually worth stopping in.

It makes for an especially fun n’ cute day trip: you can leave your Vancouver apartment at 8 a.m., spend the day exploring downtown Nanaimo, and be back home by 5 p.m. Think of it like the easiest work shift you’ll ever have.

Getting to Nanaimo

Ditch the car and hop on the Hullo ferry, which conveniently picks up passengers in Coal Harbour and drops them right in Nanaimo in about an hour. From the dock, it’s only about a five-minute drive to the downtown core, and Hullo offers free shuttles to and from throughout the day. Feeling fancy? Opt for Hullo’s Premium seating, which offers priority boarding and disembarking, as well as comfier seats and free bottled water. Feeling extra fancy? How nice for you! Take a Helijet like the baller you are.

The best coffee options in Nanaimo

Coffee drinkers should check out Serious Coffee, which has multiple locations around the Island, including one in downtown Nanaimo. This unpretentious spot sources high-quality Arabica beans from all over the world, and the results are bold and rich and delicious. This cafe is lacking in aesthetic, but sometimes you need to forego the vibes in order to get the really good stuff, and this is one of those times.

There’s also Brix and Mortar SocialHouse, which is quickly becoming known for its excellent lattes, whether it be London fog, chai, or lavender (also, the vibes here are on point, with the space feeling like a little French cafe).

Where to grab lunch in Nanaimo

A must-have lunch can be found at Black Rabbit Kitchen: a trendy spot located about a seven-minute walk from the downtown core. Order one of the rotating mocktails (the “margarita” is a great choice) and settle in with dishes like the butter lettuce salad with grated Parmesan, pistachios, and a lemon dressing (when I tell you that I will be thinking about this salad for weeks, I am not exaggerating); scallop crudo with dashi, citrus, and chili; beets with smoked buttermilk, endive, and a hazelnut praline crunch; and fried chicken with hot honey and a zesty slaw. After eating, be sure to poke around the adjoining general store, which has an array of cute art prints and trinkets.

Tracking down treats in Nanaimo

Located in the same building (and owned by the same people) as Black Rabbit is White Rabbit, which is a great spot for a post-lunch treat. The cafe bakes its own sweets, including gluten-free and vegan donuts, along with a classic Nanaimo bar.

Nanaimo actually has a Nanaimo Bar Trail, which is a surefire way to get a sugar high (and explore some of the city’s best bakeries and cafes). Located a short walk from White Rabbit is Bocca Cafe, which offers an array of versions—including classic, peanut butter, salted caramel, mocha, and vegan. (What even is a Nanaimo bar, you ask? A very fair question, and even after eating two in the same day, I still had to Google the answer. Turns out that this no-bake layered dessert square is made with a cocoa-coconut-Graham-cracker bottom, a custard middle, and a chocolate ganache top. The jury’s out on exactly who created it and when, but it can be traced back to at least 1952.)

If a donut crawl is more your thing, stop at Milk Jam—but do so early, because they tend to sell out by midday (I learned this the hard way).

Vintage shopping (and more!) in Nanaimo

When it comes to vintage shopping, Nanaimo is a true hidden gem. Instead of in Vancouver—where there are shops aplenty, but many are selling stained Carhartt T-shirts for $90—Nanaimo’s vintage stores have some incredible finds at very fair prices. (Consider the fact that I found a made-in-Canada Roots sweatshirt for $40, and my friend found two suede jackets for under $100!)

Be sure to check out Rumours, Lucky Cloud and Funk Revival, which are all within walking distance of each other. And for things that haven’t been pre-loved, there’s Archer and Arrow, which sells brands like Saltwater Luxe and Sage the Label, and This and That, which stocks everything from Baggu to Atelier La Vie.

After shopping, head for a dose of culture at the Nanaimo Art Gallery, which is a small but beautiful space, with entry by donation (and a cute gift shop, too).

This is not all to say that Nanaimo is some sort of Pleasantville—it’s certainly not (and really, what place is?). The city has been hit incredibly hard by B.C.’s toxic drug crisis, with fatal overdoses jumping by over 400 per cent in the last four years.

At the same time, it’s also one of Canada’s most inclusive cities: Pride Week is Nanaimo’s biggest event of the year, and the tourism board even boasts a map of gender-inclusive washrooms. Queer-owned spaces like Singh James Gallery are helping the city reinvent itself—as are local influencers like Tod Maffin, who recently posted a viral TikTok video in which he invited Americans to visit his hometown for a day. More than 2,000 people filled out his online form stating their interest in a trip north, he told CBC, though it remains to be seen if anyone will actually show up. And sure, it would be nice if Americans started spending their tourist dollars here—but British Columbians should, too.