A restaurant without a well-curated playlist is downright boring. We’re lucky, then, that many Vancouver Island restaurants know how to put together a good mixtape. For this edition of The Playlist, we turned to Robbie from Shed Tofino to get the scoop behind their 900-plus-songs playlist.
“I’m bias but our playlist is gold. It’s nice to be at work listening to tunes that you’re actually into, adding rad tracks as you go. The playlist is like my baby; I put a lot of time into it. I’m adding more tracks as we speak. I think the playlist is so long because I’m always looking for new tunes; I love music, so the playlist benefits from that.
We also have a great tape collection going at Shed. The idea behind it was for the cooks and back-of-house staff to play tapes throughout the kitchen while they work. They play their own music, while up front, we have a well-guarded playlist for the front-of-house staff and diners.
The main Shed playlist is an eclectic mix of music from all genres. Picture yourself on a road trip, making your way along the west coast from Vancouver Island to California—that’s the vibe. The playlist is constantly being worked on and adjusted by one of the managers. It’s now 900-plus-songs. So, basically three days of music. There are some real nuggets in the list I’m turning over, but if people want the real gems, they’ll just have to come into the restaurant.
Because the playlist is so long, it doesn’t relate to a single item on the menu—it’s all of it. You’ll find something for everyone; our menu is varied and so is our playlist. But if we had to choose who to see play live at Shed, it’d have to be either Elton John, Tom Jones, Bruce Springsteen or Rod Stewart—they’d all be amazing to see play here.”
What’s Playing at Shed
“Close to Me” — Lake Street Drive
“Man Funk ” — Guts (feat. Leron Thomas)
“Return of the Mack” — Mark Morrison
“Is this Love” — Bob Marley (Montmartre Remix)
“Oh My” — James Quick
“Young Turks” — Rod Stewart
“Let me Clear My Throat” — DJ Kool
“Flying Overseas” — Theophilus London (feat. Devonte Hynes and Solange Knowles)
“I Wish”— Skee-Lo
“Boombastic” — Shaggy
“The Magnificent Seven” — The Clash
“King of the Rodeo” — Kings of Leon
“Escape (The Piña Colada Song)” — Rupert Holmes
“Drinking in L.A.” — Bran Van 3000
“Here Comes the Hotstepper” — Ini Komaze
“Wagon Wheel” — Old Crow Medicine Show
“The Distance” — Cake
“It’s Tricky” — Run-D.M.C.
“Soul Sacrifice” — Santana
“Baby Hold On” — Eddie Money
Listen to the Shed playlist over on our Spotify account. It’s best paired with their Salmon and Kale salad (for a taste of the west coast, too).
Shed Tofino
461 Campbell St, Tofino
