I recently spent a week test driving the Honda CR-V 2023 outside driving thorough the Pacific Northwest visiting various cafes and restaurants between Vancouver and Seattle.

Visited Makeworth Coffee Roasters in downtown Bellingham that is situated in a beautiful historic building with original wood floors with natural light that has been updated with a modern and intentional design approach to bring natural warmth to the Pacific Northwest setting. I got a Cold Brew coffee to go which kept me caffeinated towards Seattle.

Once I got to Seattle I visited one of my favourite bakeries in the area, Macarina Bakery just a different location this time around. They have such a great selection of house-made baked goods and breads. I got a Orange Hazelnut Pinwheel which was a yummy treat.

Next it was over to the Ciudad Grill in South Seattle for lunch as it had been many years since my last visit; the restaurant specializes in flavours from the East and vibes from the West. Here I had the Flatbread and Hummus as an appetizer and then the delicious Grilled Tahini Marinated Chicken as my main.

I also visited one of the newest bakeries in Seattle Ben’s Bread Co. that bakes up delicious breads, brioches, cookies and so much more in the Phinney Ridge neighborhood. I loved both the Savoury brioche with tomato jam and goat cheese as well as the Blue corn cookie.

The CR-V car has a roomy front area and this year’s version of the CR-V has grander proportions and more passenger space. The car interior has an attractive design inspired by the Civic compact car and is complemented by modern tech, including an infotainment system with an available 9.0-inch touchscreen that has wireless Apple CarPlay which I used frequently.

As I headed back on the highway Northbound, I stopped in Bellingham at Fiamma Burger for a Peanut butter & Jam Milshake as their shakes memorable. This downtown burger focused emporium is my go to spot often when I am in the area.

The back row in the car is very spacious and comfortable and one of the exciting features in this model is the reclining back seats with an extra 0.6-inch of rear legroom compared with the outgoing CR-V. There is also 36 cubic feet of cargo space behind the second row.

Back on the highway for about a 20 minute drive Northbound I stopped in Blaine for some dinner at Que Onda Oaxaca Cuisine where I had their Chicken Mole platter that came with complementary tortilla chips, along with beans, rice and hot tortillas. I also had a refreshing Lime Cucumber drink.

I really enjoyed the Honda CR-V 2023 was a great car to drive in outside of Vancouver to try some great eateries as well.

By: Richard Wolak

Disclosure: Honda Canada provided me with the 2023 Honda CR-V for a week to test drive, and photograph.