About Tree House Café
The Tree House Café sits in a small heritage cottage on Purvis Lane in Ganges village, right next to Mouat's. The building dates to the 1920s and has had a long string of lives: it was the island's first electrical generating station, then a home, a smokehouse, a crystal shop and a music school before becoming a full-service restaurant and coffee bar in 1996. Its outdoor terrace sits under a plum tree, which gives the café its name and its summer atmosphere.
Food is made from scratch. Breakfast and lunch are served every day, and dinner runs Thursday through Saturday, with a Burger and Beer Thursday menu, a children's menu, and takeout for picnics. Posted hours are 8am to 4pm Sunday through Wednesday and 8am to 8pm Thursday through Saturday.
In summer the café is best known for Music Under the Stars, now in its 28th year. In 2026 the series ran from May 11 to September 18, with a performer on the terrace almost every night from 6 to 9pm. It is a relaxed way to end a day on the island.
Lavender & Black, an organic lavender and helichrysum farm, is a short drive from Ganges, and Sacred Mountain Lavender is about 15 minutes south near Fulford Harbour, so the café makes a natural lunch or evening stop on a lavender day.
What to do
- Have breakfast or lunch on the terrace under the plum tree
- Hear live music nightly from 6 to 9pm, mid-May to mid-September
- Come Thursday for the burger and beer menu
- Order takeout for a picnic on the island
- Pair with lavender farm visits near Ganges and Fulford Harbour
Season, hours and prices
- Season
- Open year-round; Music Under the Stars nightly from mid-May to mid-September (2026: May 11–September 18)
- Hours
- Sunday–Wednesday 8am–4pm; Thursday–Saturday 8am–8pm (as listed October 2026)
Tips for your visit
- Dinner is served only Thursday through Saturday outside the summer music season.
- Summer evenings with live music are the busiest time on the terrace.
- There is a children's menu for families.
Pair it with a lavender farm
Lavender & Black · about 10 minutes away
Lavender & Black is a short drive from Ganges, so lunch on the terrace fits easily before or after a farm studio visit.
Getting there
Questions
When is live music at the Tree House Café?
Music Under the Stars runs nightly from 6 to 9pm in summer; in 2026 it ran May 11 to September 18.
Does the Tree House Café serve dinner?
Dinner is served Thursday to Saturday; breakfast and lunch are served every day.
Where is it?
At 106 Purvis Lane in Ganges village on Salt Spring Island, next to Mouat's.
🗺️ Part of the guide Things to Do Near the Lavender Farms of the Lower Mainland & Southern Vancouver Island, British Columbia
Checked in October 2026 against the business’s own website and local tourism pages. Hours and seasons change, so check with them before you go. How we check listings · Is this your business? Claim it free
