Movin’ on up
Cascadia is the little sister of ReBar, owned by Victoria food guru Audrey Alsterberg. Glass display cases arranged on an ancient timber floor are crammed with both sweet and savoury items. Starting as the bakery for this over-crowded downtown location, Cascadia quickly became a destination in its own right. Less of an arty hipster hangout than her older sister, this cafe is a place to grab a quick coffee and a light but healthy snack when on the way into or out of downtown, or while shopping for furniture in the trendy Herald Street neighbourhood.

Take a break in the middle of the action
Tall stools line the coffee bar that looks out the window over Government Street. The few other tables and chairs are of a kind that can be found in the Ikea catalogue. The bakery hums with activity and customers often must dodge the delivery dollies that come and go all day. Despite the sparse seating there is a homey feel to the place, and the food, as one might expect given the lineage, is tasty, healthy and well prepared.

Daily bread and more
As a bakery, Cascadia is probably most famous for its fresh baked gourmet breads. Proven varieties like the rosemary garlic foccacia and stone ground wheat loaves can be found in many local markets, but a trip to the source is necessary to get more creative daily specials like marbled sun dried tomato or kalmata olive loaves. Many of the dessert dishes that are offered in the ReBar location, such as strawberry rhubarb Danish squares, fruit crumble, fresh pies, and pumpkin squares, are also prepared and sold here. They have two daily quiches and two daily soups as well as sweet and savory galettes — both must try items. As with ReBar, most items are vegetarian or vegan friendly.