When one would think about where to get fresh oysters, the Yukon might be one of the last locales on their minds. With that said, Whitehorse’s popular restaurant Wayfarer Oyster House is happy to say otherwise.
The much-celebrated concept originally started out as a catering company in 2014. After several years of success, co-owners Andrew Seymour, Brian Ng and Eddie Rideout opened their brick-and-mortar eatery four years later.
The following year, Wayfarer further helped to put the Yukon food scene on the culinary map when it ranked seventh on Air Canada enRoute Canada's prestigious Best New Restaurants 2019 list.
It is known, of course, for its fresh oysters, but the menu is also brimming with an array of sustainable seafood from B.C. and Alaska, alongside locally-sourced meats, housemade pasta, and more.
Wayfarer's name is an homage to Dutch visual artist Hieronymus Bosch’s painting, The Wayfarer. One can interpret the work as having to choose between the path of virtue (at the gate) on the right or of debauchery (in the house) on the left. Another meaning represents the prodigal son returning home from worldly travels.
“[The painting] translates to the North, as we are all wayfarers up here in a sense,” says Seymour. “In all, the intrepid traveller will always remember the meals they share and how they feed their hunger.”
Wayfarer Oyster House is available for in-person dining Thursdays to Saturdays from 5 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
