Great food/great service!!! As always!! One of their best plates is butternut squash ravioli with prawns!!! Don't forget to ask for extra lemon sauce!!! read more

Good food, nice cocktails, great sunny deck made for a nice visit. Great service from everyone.

The food was awesome, our waitress was awesome and only waited for our seat for a minute or 2. Loved the atmosphere there. Definitely will be going back read more

Love the design of this cactus club location; it's spacious and has plenty of seating. It's quite different from the layout of the ones on the mainland. The food was delicious and the portions were good. Some of the dishes were better prepared compared to the ones in vancouver. I've also ordered takeout from them a few times. For takeout their portions varied every time, which is why I'm only giving them 4 stars. For example, one time my teriyaki chicken rice bowl only had 4 small chicken pieces but the next time it had 7-8 chicken pieces. This is also one of the only restaurants open every day in Nanaimo. It is also one of the only restaurants in Nanaimo that is open late every night. Parking 5/5 Food 4.5/5 Ambiance 5/5 Service 5/5 read more

Cactus Club Cafe - Canadian (New) Near Me - Nanaimo, British Columbia

My friend and I came here for a quick impromptu dinner. We had the best experience ! We got sat by Janielle and she was so sweet:). Clara C served us and we could not have been more taken care of! Our drinks and food were delicious read more

Cactus Club Cafe - Canadian (New) Near Me - Nanaimo, British Columbia

I've been there for happy hour, dinner and I've ordered take out. I've never been disappointed on any of the meals I've ordered. They know to poke holes in the take out dishes wear needed. That was a big plus for me. So, go ahead and order steak and seafood. You won't be disappointed. read more

On March 1, 2025, I visited the Cactus Club in North Nanaimo and was served a pot of mint tea that was visibly contaminated with oily globules and a thick greasy film. After a few sips, I realized something was wrong. I looked inside the cup and the teapot and was horrified. I experienced an immediate physical reaction to the greasy sensation in my mouth and on my lips. I alerted the manager, who documented the incident. I took photos and brought the remaining sample home, thinking that if I became seriously ill, I could bring it to the hospital for testing. The sample remains frozen in my freezer because, to this day, I still don't know what I was exposed to. I reported the incident to Island Health and requested that the sample be tested. No testing was ever done. Instead, I was told, without any lab analysis, that the substance was "just butter." That is not accurate. What I saw and tasted was not butter. It was a golden, iridescent film with clearly defined oily droplets, far more consistent with cooking grease or rendered animal fat, like chicken. I asked both Cactus Club and Island Health to take the matter seriously. I asked them to have the substance tested, to provide medical clearance, and to ensure proper food safety protocols were in place. To date, I've received no apology, no explanation, and no lab results. I was later told that teapots at this location are sometimes used for warming substances other than tea, but that this "special teapot" was mistakenly mixed with regular teapots. That alone is alarming, given the obvious risk of cross-contamination and harm to public health. I remain deeply disappointed by the lack of accountability and the breakdown in food safety oversight, even after reaching out to senior management. Until proper testing is done and the results are shared transparently, I do not believe this matter has been remedied in a way that protects future customers. I've attached photos so you can see for yourself what was in my tea. read more

See all

Delicious food and the service we received from Carmen D was great. loved the fireplace makes the experience cozy.

Food was excellent but what made it better was amazing waitress, Samantha Swan with her beautiful smile and fantastic service made our anniversary celebration so much better. Thank you, Samantha. You are awesome. Moin & Penny read more

This was my first time at a Cactus Club and overall, I really liked it. The restaurant was busier than expected on a Thursday night, but we got seated right away. They had a small mocktail menu, so we both ordered from there - I chose the Soul Revival and my friend got the Little Pearl. I absolutely loved the Soul Revival, which was refreshing but still had a little kick to it from the jalapeño. The Little Pearl was tasty but kind of difficult to drink, since the ice cubes would get in the way of the pearls (most ended up stuck at the bottom). For food, we started with the Tuna Stack to share, which was fantastic, and a good portion size for two people. I also got the Cajun Chicken Sandwich and my friend ordered the Blackened Creole Chicken. Service was a bit slow for the food (although very friendly), so we did wait a bit for the entrees. I really liked the Cajun Chicken Sandwich - flavorful, generous portion size. I managed to finish the entire sandwich but had plenty of fries left over. The Blackened Creole Chicken was also great, especially the creole butter on top. Overall, solid for dinner! read more

See all

Take a look at the pictures of the "tea" and you'll understand why they get one star. If I could give less, I would of course. Despite serious concerns about kitchen hygiene and protocols, even the top level management of this establishment is doing their best to not deal with the situation with integrity and ignoring my requests to have the tea tested. I can't imagine how a tea pot is allowed to be used for anything other than hot water and on top of that, get mixed up with regular tea pots where kitchen staff placed it. Professional kitchen managers should never have let this happen. I'll likely never know what I was exposed to because they refused to get the sample tested at a lab. read more

Cactus Club Cafe - Tea was served with globs of grease - Canadian (New) Near Me - Nanaimo, British Columbia

See all

The environment was GREAT, the food was delicious and our server and the cooks were THE BEST. Thank you for the amazing experience, me and my hubby had an amazing date night!! read more

My husband and I enjoyed a Saturday night out with my best friend and her husband. Our server was Jess and she was fantastic. Her bubbly, and charming personality made our dining experience so enjoyable. The food was awesome as usual. Cactus is our favourite restaurant in Nanaimo. I hope we get Jess again next time. read more

2.5/5, +.5 for service Well...it's the first time I've eaten at a Cactus Club establishment. I accepted the fact this is a chain place, so I set my expectations accordingly. Overall this place fell short in a few ways. I had the Tuna Poke Bowl, while my mom had the peppercorn steak. My food was fine. My mom's steak...the first one was well done. The second one was medium well, when my mom wanted no more than medium. She also felt overall the quality leaves a lot to be desired, especially considering it's supposedly Certified Angus Beef. Eventually the server decided to take my mom's steak off the bill, which was appreciated as she wasn't pleased at all with her meal. Again, this was my first experience with Cactus Club. Sadly it's probably my last experience unless I'm convinced otherwise. read more

Great Food! Quick and Delicious!!! Mikayla was our Waitress, Friendly and Courteous!!! Made our Anniversary One to Remember!!! Will Certainly be Returning! read more

Cool, classy and modern- woodsy eatery with a big deck. Staff is professional. Big menu. Came for lunch to find it was Happy Hour 2-5pm...big HH menu. We came by boat and did a Costco run...this was close to Costco. Very pleasant surprise. read more

Cactus Club Cafe - Grand interior - Canadian (New) Near Me - Nanaimo, British Columbia

See all

Excellent food, friendly and professional staff. Prices are reasonable though a bit on the high side but the quality makes up for that!

Always consistent food, no surprises. Staff very young but extremely friendly. Again gf items on the menu.

The parmesan chicken was amazing! Definitely worth revisiting! Next time I want to try the Wagyu beef carpaccio.

Cactus club makes great food and often has good service. The restaurant is quite loud, so if you are going there to chat it's not ideal.

Had a wonderful birthday dinner with my wife!! Service, drinks and food was prefect!!

This was don't judge a book by its cover. great menu very poor executions I had the butternut squash revolution that was 8 half stuff with no sauce felt short changed the wine we wanted was not available and only offered more expensive alternative. the key lime pie was the worst ever no key lime in custard and crust was hard butter . it was the worse 150 for two we spend on the island never again read more

The service was amazing and the food was great the wing were crazy good at I had a fun time with my family

Very constant in attentive and professional service. We are couples would often go out together and since 2 of us are vegans, we loved the fact that there was a plant based menu and the waitress was more that helpful in explaining items for us. Would definitely recommend and will return with my friends. read more

Always reliable until it isn't. The standard fair is a perfect business model for success. Make a simple meal to be able to prep early with simple ingredients with low difficulty of assembly and hire cheap line chefs to punch out clockwork dishes with low margin of error. A number of us had the Thai green curry dish. It was very bland and over cooked. It wasn't worth complaining about because I'm pretty sure no one had the pallet to distinguish between a flavour correct green curry and one that wasn't. It was terrible as were the over cooked vegetables. Ok it was fine, just not good. The thing that bothers me is no one ever asks how it taste, as though they are instructed not to. They are very good at picking up the plates and asking if you need anything but that one it seems they'd rather not discuss. I still like Cactus Club, I guess it's my fault for assuming they could pull it off. Next time I'll stick to the burgers, the steak and the simple idiot proof pasta. read more

Big Cactus Club fan. I have a hard time ordering anything other than the Blackened Creole ChIcken. Always so good. The service is always top notch and the energy in that place contagious. The dinner menu is also top notch. So many great dishes to choose from Great selection of drinks on the bar menu as well. Local craft beers and creative cocktails. read more

Worst place in Nanaimo to go to. I had a lot of hopes like everyone of us, when we go to Cactus but the nether the servers nor the management would even try to make your visit worth it. To give you context they got whiskey on the rocks wrong and denied to change the drink when I told them that it had water in it. They will make you feel small and not value you. I would highly recommend not to go there ever. I would give them negative stars but can't because the app won't allow me. Ps. MY experience makes me feel that may be all the good Reviews are bought by giving discounts or free drinks because no ways this place deserves any positive comments. read more

In Parksville everything closes at 8pm so we had to drive to Nanaimo for something open later and Cactus Club it was. We don't go to CC often, we feel we can find better for food for cheaper prices in Van however, my husband absolutely loves the butternut squash prawn ravioli dish, so we tried it! They are currently doing a winter special, appy, entree and dessert for $40. He got that while I went for the Kobe beef meatballs and spaghetti. My spaghetti seemed mushy, maybe overcooked and the meatballs, the outer edges were dry. That being said, it still tasted good, especially when I just felt like comfort food. The prawn ravioli was delish too but lacked the truffle flavour my husband loves. Service was great and friendly. We don't think we'd return to this particular CC. read more

Cactus Club Cafe - Prawn butternut squash ravioli - Canadian (New) Near Me - Nanaimo, British Columbia

Please please add more ice to your water you have such good food and service but you water always comes warm with one piece of ice!!:( it is every time too!! Such an easy fix!'n read more

We were heading to the ferry and were looking for a place to eat when we spotted this restaurant. Given its modest location in a shopping center, I was surprised how upscale this chain restaurant was with an open floor plan, raised bar, stone fireplace and large patio. My wife and I decided to share a grilled tuna club - local seared rare tuna, tarragon tartar, bacon, cilantro, pickled ginger on a ciabatta roll that was served with skin on fries. I really wished we were hungrier because I would have ordered a 2nd one. Delicious! read more

See all

We went for lunch. The service was quick and efficient. We had the quinoa salad and the spaghettini with meat balls. Both were very good. A bit pricey but nice atmosphere. Posted photo with both dishes. read more

Cactus Club Cafe - Quinoa salad. Spaghettini and meat balls. - Canadian (New) Near Me - Nanaimo, British Columbia

I really enjoy the atmosphere at this Cactus. Food is generally quite good, though overpriced for sure, and drinks are consistently fine - is avoid asking for anything too complex, especially if they're busy. We've never had stellar service here, but it's passable for sure! You could definitely do worse in North Nanaimo! Recommend their happy hour, it's the best in the area. read more

Great cactus club here. The food is consistent and great as usual and the staff are super nice.Highly recommend this spot.

Good food and service. Slow to get a table for four and not nearly full at five o'clock on a Saturday. A little on the "hip" side for older folks. Very noisy. Normal conversation was difficult. A diverse, but limited, menu. Good wine list, decent beer selection and limited cocktails. Very nice outdoor patio. Somewhat pricey. A fairly solid 3 out of 5. read more

Amazing food, fun atmosphere and even better service. Our server was Kassandra and she was great. She was knowledgeable, friendly and efficient. She gave us great recommendations and really made sure we were comfortable and happy. I haven't had such attentive and competent service in years and she was a breath oh fresh air. I've been dining at restaurants all over the province and she was one of the best servers we've ever had. We will be sure to ask for her by name every time. Managers give this girl a raise!!! We love it here and will definitely be back. read more

I haven't been back in 2 years. The washrooms are always out of toilet paper, toilet paper on the floor, one of the sinks is missing a hot water tap, the doors need to be painted. Very Run down! Blinds in the bar area are broken (still) My friend from Vancouver made a comment "wow! This actually feels like a white spot!" Food is always good tho just wish the management would put money into this establishment for regular up keep. read more

Very nice decor and ambiance. Super friendly waitresses and decent tasting food = winning combination. Being from Toronto I didn't expect to find a nice trendy place like this in Nanaimo.... read more

I loved the ambiance of this place. We got there early and seating was easy. The food was absolutely delicious and the deserts umm. Took my family here, (their choice). Only thing not good was that it got REALLY NOISEY and you couldn't hear the person talking across the table from you. Why do people talk so loud? It was so crowded at the front entrance when we were leaving we had to squeeze through the crowd. Obviously a popular/trendy place. read more

Visited Sun April 2 for dinner Pros -Beautiful decor, great place to take a date or someone special -Tuna stack tasted amazing! It looks like a circular tower and you scoop the tuna onto a flat wonton cracker. -Bellinis, if you like slushie drinks. -Lonetree Cidar -The manager noticed that our server was busy and was able to take our order. Cons -Way too many items on the menu 50 items! Focus on a few things that you're good at. -The place was packed on a Sun night, expect service to be a bit slow. -Fajitas were ok, chicken was a bit burned. -We got the crispy yam fries special for $8, they tasted like plain old french fries with aioli. McDonalds fries are honestly better. I told the server Ryan to tell the chef to delete this item from the menu or improve the item Damage - $53 pre-tip Protips -Half-price apps after 9pm After being contacted by their Customer Relations staff member, they personally mailed me a gift certificate. Wow, I am thoroughly impressed as no restaurant has ever done this before. I am very willing to come back to Cactus Club and try them again. Can anyone verify if they have improved their crispy yam fries? read more

Great place in Nanaimo! We had a party of over 14 people and we were seated fairly quickly, given such a party, that came in two different groups! The waitress for polite and took our orders right away. Due to the large size of our party, given a few toddlers as well, the staff was pretty patient and got the appetizers out in time and seemed like everyone got refills!. The mains took a while, as expected but came out pretty good. Only one person had the order mixed up and he had to wait for a bit but not a big problem! We were just looking for a lazy sunday meal! read more