Our Bistro
Bistro at Merridale
Merridale's Bistro is a perfect place to stop for lunch as you travel up Vancouver Island. It features local cuisine, a large patio overlooking an orchard, and apple cider hand crafted just steps from the Bistro's kitchen.
Located in the middle of a working cider farm, this unique Vancouver Island restaurant combines cider pairings and seasonal menu items inspired by nearby Cowichan Valley farmers, Vintners, and cheese-makers.
The restaurant has two eating areas. You’ll find the main room with its traditional fieldstone fireplace and spacious tables. The main restaurant also features a granite cider tasting bar−perfect for a cider and some conversation while your lunch is being prepared. Guests can also enjoy their meal on the large covered patio where you will find plenty of outdoor space to sit with friends, sip coffee, or sample ciders and local wines.
Evening fare varies with the season, but live entertainment and gourmet pizza can be enjoyed every Sunday night of the summer. Just a few steps from the patio, you’ll find our authentic European-style bakery−featuring an outdoor brick oven, renowned for the taste and texture it lends to pizza, artisan breads, and French desserts.
After lunch, you might enjoy a short stroll to the Merridale orchard pond, the romantic centre of many Vancouver Island weddings hosted at Merridale.
Don’t forget to ask about Merridale’s cider flights, a tasting of six distinct ciders which has been designed to introduce you to the rich range and different traditions of cider making in one sitting. English, French, Scotch−even a taste of the ancient Viking-style Cyser. This is a history lesson most enjoy taking. Or try your tastebuds on one of our fortified or spirit flights. Spirit connesieurs and fans will appreciate the fact that our spirits are made or blended on site following age-old methods of distillation and created in the true artisan fashion.
Meals at the Bistro
We are currently closed for holidays and renovations. When we re-open you will see a new outdoor cookhouse and a new menu focusing on BBQ Burgers and ribs, brick oven pizzas, house made smoked meats and lots of options for our vegetarians.
See you on February 14th for Valentine’s dinner or February 15th when we re-open 7 days a week in the bistro and farmhouse store.
Recycling at Merridale
Here at Merridale, we proudly participate in active recycling.