This lovely place is right on the water in Nanaimo Harbor. Nanaimo has done an outstanding job of developing their waterfront transforming it from grubby and ugly to dazzling. There is a long seawall path for walkers and joggers that is well used. The Lighthouse has a pub on the upper floor with the Bistro down below. For sunny days there is an outdoor dining area which, sadly, was not available the evening we were there. We were greeted by Katie who also seated us and was our ever so pleasant server. It was hard to concentrate on the menu with the dazzling view which featured boats of every size, sea planes, eagles and everything else you would expect in a busy harbor. We both opted for the Seafood Hot Pot which was a disappointingly small serving but absolutely delicious. Salmon, scallops, and shrimp along with some thick Shanghai style noodles all swimming in a dazzlingly tasty broth with curry and coconut...very tasty! The hot pot was served with a mini loaf of very fresh, warm bread and was $22 I opted for a cup of their clam chowder which was, as advertised, very buttery and thick...possibly too thick? It was very tasty and full of clam goodness and the clams were tender not rubbery. I would have wished that it was a bit warmer. They have a fairly good wine list with local wines and imports. We broke with tradition and tried a Hardy's (AUS) blend of Riesling and Gewurtztraminer which was a reasonable (for BC) $23. Great food and a lovely spot for a Friday dinner in the Hub City! We can't say enough good things about our server, Katie, who is working her way through nursing school. If she's half as good a nurse as she is a waitperson she will have some very happy patients! read more

Lighthouse Bistro & Pub - Seafood Hopot - Seafood Near Me - Nanaimo, British Columbia

Great view, friendly staff, great fish and chips, lots of beer on tap, large wine selection and a full bar. The calamari is a must have!! Best in town. read more

We liked it. A shorrt walk from our hotel, the best western, and we sat in the bar area which was comfortable and had great views We had the beer on draught, a glass of wine (ordered Chardonnay but it tasted very sweet) Oysters Rockefeller Chicken wings with Thai chili It was all good read more

Two recent visits to the Lighthouse, one to the pub and the other to the bistro, have been simply okay - no more, no less. Next time I choose the Lighthouse as a destination, it will be for the fantastic location right on the water or a live jazz show in the pub. On my first visit, I opted for the Lighthouse burger with cheddar for an additional couple of bucks, bringing the total of this average burger to around $18. It was decent, but nothing special - the usual well-done and somewhat dry patty, iceberg lettuce, one or two flavorless tomato slices, melted cheddar, and condiments. On my second visit, the Oyster Po' Boy and its nice crunchy bun was better, but with only three oysters and a ho hum tartar sauce instead of the usual remoulade, the $18 price was again not a great value. An added inedible in the side salad put a bit of a damper on the meal and made me question basic hygiene standards in the kitchen. My partner's clam chowder had plenty of fish, but unfortunately, the undercooked flour in the roux offset the flavour of the seafood. And again, at $10, not a super deal. After trying these simple menu items, which might be considered true tests of what a restaurant can do, there is nothing that would make me want to explore any of the other items from their menu, especially higher priced dishes. Unfortunately for beer lovers, the Lighthouse's wine selection is superior to their limited craft beer selection. The three beer choices were Hoyne Dark Matter stout, Longwood IPA, and Longwood Pilsner, with Merridale draft cider thrown in for good measure. Personally, I'll stick with the IPA from now on, as the other two aren't personal favourites, and the Merridale cider I chose was totally meh. As far as a pub for a decent selection of local craft beer goes, the Lighthouse is pedestrian at best. Service on both occasions has been okay, but nothing special. If you're looking for a fantastic location, the Lighthouse has it in spades, but expect to pay a bit of a premium for it. And kudos to the owner for being a big supporter of live jazz in his pub! As far as the food and beer goes, though, they miss the mark for me. read more

Decent food and service for a basic pub with a great location. Overall would describe this restaurant as adequate - meets the need and not too pricey. read more

Just down the street from the homeless Tent City is a touristy little harbor area with great potential. However when we stopped by, many of the shops were empty or closed or not that interesting. We were going to try the fried seafood shack on the harbor but seating seemed limited so we headed further up the sidewalk to the Lighthouse. No one seated outside on a beautiful August day. No one to greet us inside either. We followed a sign to the bar area and asked if we could seat ourselves, and were guided to a table at the window. 2 caesars, a dozen wings, and the mussel special which was beautifully presented but not very flavorful. Maybe the Chef's day off. Server seemed none too excited for customers. Considering there were maybe 2 others at that moment, she may have just been focused on clocking out and getting the hell out of there. Seemed like the restaurant would be great when full, maybe some entertainment, etc. We probably just hit it on an off day. read more

Food is okay. Location is prime. Service sucks! I've been there twice, and both times I'd said I'd never go back. This is a great location, just need a restraunteer to bring in good food and great ideas to utilize the location read more

We decided to give the service another chance, because the food has always been good. Service on the 30th of March was excellent despite the server being over worked. I do note that the ladies behind the bar were very interested in their own conversation, which if I were the manager would change. The band " The Brickyard Boys" were fantastic! Thank you for improving your service! I would like to thank the young lady from the restaurant downstairs, whom I have unfortunately forgotten her name. I am a cigar smoker, who forgot to take a lighter and she gave me hers. Without reservation I might add. This is service beyond the call of duty. Bravo!! Until the 5th review:).... read more

Go for the view. The service was good but I had the fish and chips and the fish was burned on the ends. The coleslaw was warm which was disgusting and it tasted very off. The fries were the same fries I get everywhere I go. Because of the view I gave three stars. Anywhere else and it would be two. The older waitress was great , very professional. Go here to drink and if you order the food just lower your expectations and enjoy the view. I'm guessing this is another case of an absentee owner who figures he can open up , pay his staff as little as possible and watch the money pile up. Well not my money thank you very much. read more

We were greeted by, I assume, the owner or manager who took our request (accommodating a party of over 20) with enthusiasm. The band was a little too loud for any conversation but played well. The food was okay as pub food, as we did not go downstairs to the bistro that was supposed to be a little higher caliber, All in all a friendly fun place to spend a few hours. read more

What a find! I had smoked salmon wrap appetizer and a Salmon Burger with a Caesar salad. Just what I was hoping to find at a place that has access to the best of BC salmon. Oh so fresh and perfectly cooked! Popularly priced for this level of dining and the views of The Harbor can't be beat! Can't touch this! read more

bad service, mediocre food. My server brought my tea without any sugar/milk when I had asked in advance for it. When I glanced back to see where he was, he was eating his breakfast with the only other server. My thoughts were, "The place is empty except for 4 diners & they chose to eat at the same time at a table right in our view?" If you only have 4 customers - you treat them like gold. We were neglected. A pet-peive of mine is when toast is served dry - as it was at the lighthouse bistro. & oh, the butter HARD. The bacon was so undercooked I couldn't eat more than half of it. I'm usually not picky about runny eggs - but I ordered over-easy & got white-runny digustingness. Pretty disappointing start to the new year! read more

Absolutely the most delicious dinner. The sashimi was beyond fresh, the oysters were the best I've ever had, the mussels were amazing (chef gave Todd the recipe for the broth) and we had our first Nom Bar.....stunning meal. Our server Nataling could not have been sweeter. read more

Before hopping on the ferry back to Horseshoe Bay, we stopped here for lunch. First, the atmosphere is amazing as you are right on the water surrounded by beautiful parks and buildings and there is a huge patio with options to sit in the shade or in the sun. I had the "manly" salad which, as our server pointed out, was not a very PC name. (Plus, if anything I would have called it a "girly" salad as I would think more females than males would order it). But whatever it was called, it was essentially a cobb salad that was one of the most beautfully-presented salads I have seen. It came with very generous portions of ham, chicken, hard-boiled egg, julienne cucumber, tomatoes, cheese and shrimp over a bed of lettuce. The "avocado dressing" was essentially guacamole and really added some extra flavour to the salad. Awesome! Our server was very friendly and accomodating once we told him we were catching a ferry, even though they were busy because it was Mother's Day. I was very happy with the experience overall and would love to hit up the patio here again next time I find myself in Nanaimo. read more

Ambiance: Nice. Service: Meh... Drinks: Watered-down. Fish Tacos: Tasteless Wished we'd walked a little further from the marina to look for something better. read more

Our ladies wine group had a great time last night at the Lighthouse Bristro. There were 25 of us and they were able to accommodate us upstairs in the pub. The servers were run off their feet but were excellent and accommodating. It was a lovely evening and the view of the cruise ship leaving the terminal was spectacular. The food was excellent. See you again. read more

Not bad, not great, this place was good for a late-night snack. We had a big group of hungry travelers, and the waitresses did a pretty good job of handling us as we trickled in from the hotel. The food came in shifts (understandably), but it took a little long and it was hard to get the waitstaff's attention for refills and the check. The food itself was good--again, nothing to drive across the city for, but good enough to make us leave feeling pretty good. I didn't have any, but the seafood aficionados said the marine fare was good. I'd eat there again but would probably try another spot first. read more

Decided to take my wife out for dinner and a few drinks to celebrate getting our yacht returned to the water. We walked into the Lighthouse Pub part of the establishment and found a table. My wife sat down and I went to the washroom. When I returned and sat down at the table, one of the two staff members behind the bar made eye contact with me but neither bothered to come to the table to bring a menu or ask if we wanted drinks. At this point, my wife told me that a waiter had already walked by without acknowledging her presence. We sat there for a while longer and were ignored by all three staff so decided to go up to Gina's Mexican Cafe - a great little spot that we're familiar with not far away. We got up and walked out. As we exited the pub, the pretentious little twerp who ignored my wife while I was in the washroom poked his head out the door and asked what the problem was. We told him and instead of apologizing or offering to make sure we were served right away he made excuses and when that didn't appease us he insulted the way my wife was dressed. We went there because we had been there before for lunch and found the food to be expensive but acceptable. We will never go back because any place that insults their customers should not even be in business. There is no dress code posted, yet they apparently did not want to serve us because we weren't dressed to their wait staff's standards. Four thumbs down! Clearly yachtees are below their standards. Maybe they should relocate away from the waterfront. read more

Service was okay, food was mediocre, view was beautiful. We had pita with hummus and tzatziki and calamari. Neither were memorable. We ordered our beers before our food and we did not receive our beers until after we finished our food......... read more

Lighthouse Bistro & Pub - Bucket of beer - Seafood Near Me - Nanaimo, British Columbia

Had the nachos which were the worst I have ever had. Hardly any topping and cheese. How hard can it be to make a decent nachos?

this place used to be good now it just sucks. the waitress who works here has no idea about the ingredients and flat out lied there was no meat in the soup. she threw in a free beer at least but it left us a bad impression after. read more

ZERO STARS. Just went in to the Lighthouse PUB & Bistro. Same door going into both. No differentiation of entrances or separation. We are tourists and we heard the Oysters Rockefeller were good, from friends. Website and sign hanging at the entrance advertised 2 for 1 appetizers in the pub from 4-7. When we asked after ordering drinks we were told 'the pub is closed for the summer for renovations '. Asked the manager Thom and showed him the sign hanging 10 feet away, and the website. He said 'sorry, pub is closed, can't do anything or honor the special' asked again, he said 'nope, I'm sorry folks!' VERY VERY poor customer service by MANAGEMENT. If the customer service is that bad, I sure didn't want to stay to try the Oysters Rockefeller. read more

Lighthouse Bistro & Pub - Seafood Near Me - Nanaimo, British Columbia

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Service a bit slow. Food was ok but not awesome. Didn't take long to hit $100 tab. I'd still go back great views. I'll be back up in the lounge when reno is done. read more

The lighthouse bistro is a dump. It's dirty and expensive for no good reason. We ordered margaritas ... What they brought amounted to lime juice with ice cube. I ask why not crushed and frothed as they should be, she answered "we don't' have a blender" NO BLENDER? How about mentioning that first. To make matters worse, they wouldn't provide straws for the drinks we ordered, they are busy saving the world from straws while pissing off cash customers. We will never go back there again. I will tell everyone and anyone about how crappy that place is. The drinks, in which we detected no alcohol were $27 for three. And the service was not good at all. read more

Nice spot for lunch in Nanaimo, very relaxing atmosphere with a great view of the harbour. I tried the cajun chicken sandwich which was delicious. Perfect spot to grab a bit before you head onto the float plane or go kayaking. read more

The view is beautiful but food is expensive and does not taste fresh. There's not a lot to choose from on the menu. I would for sure come here again to have a soda overlooking the water but for food, I don't think so. read more

Wrap you head around this, Beautiful harbourside deck on the water, you choose to have a drink on a nice sunny day. Wait that Beautiful outdoor deck is not actually a bar? That beautiful outdoor deck is actually a outdoor kitchen. So you go up stairs to the inside actual "Pub" Oh no bar only tables? Add to that a ratty carpet and you wander out in sober defeat. I may have given this place two stars except when I ordered a beer and a coke I never expected the coke to cost $3.50!!!!!!!!!!!! WTF? So no outdoor bar at a waterfront bistro/pub and hockey game prices for a pop makes this place a must avoid. read more

Great view, slow sloppy service, chain like food. Not much love here by the kitchen, beer selection ok. Not a lot of local wine selections and over priced. Don't recommend eating here. But on a nice sunny day or while you are waiting for a flight this place is perfect. read more

The food is mediocre at best which makes it somewhat over-priced and pretentious for what you get. Not to mention the background music which I think was supposed to add to the ambiance was just aweful, aweful, aweful!! I do not recommend this place at all. I want to say more about it but it just isn't worth the effort. It could be great given its prime location but it just isn't! read more

Excellent! The service was excellent, the feed was great and we loved the view! The local beer and wine topped off a wonderful meal. Best of all was our server! read more

I can only assume this pub has undergone some changes in the past year because I have no idea why it has bad reviews! It's in a perfect location with amazing patio space. There's a wraparound patio, a 360 degree BBQ patio and an upstairs balcony, all with great views of the harbour. We were here on a Saturday and had no trouble getting a table, plus the waitress was extremely pleasant and lightning quick at bringing our food and drinks. The drinks selection is amazing and very well priced - tons of cocktails for less than $6 and draft beer for around $5/6. The amber ale was sooo good, but sadly I can't remember what it was called. The chicken and brie sandwich was good - not fantastic, but perfectly good pub food. All in all, couldn't have asked for a much better experience. read more

Walking around the harbor we came across this great restaurant. We were there on Tuesday 9-17 and the late lunch waitress was wonderful, she looks a lot like Blake Lively. We had some clam chowder and i had the amazing salad with candied pecans, Parmesan and balsamic vinaigrette. My guy had the cedar plank salmon and everything was wonderful. We sat and watched the sea planes come and go. GREAT afternoon. Highly recommended. read more

Dismal service and mediocre food. The views of the harbour and islands are nice but not enough to bring us back to eat. Had to find someone to pay so that we could leave and find desserts elsewhere. read more

Fantastic Best seafood in town, service was great, and the view WOW. Staff were well trained and attentive, manager( silver fox), runs a tight ship. read more

Very expensive for what you get 23.50 for 2 piece halibut and chips Very small protions and tastses like cardboard Was not fresh and was very over cooked Would not recomend to any one Only good thing was the 20 percent off cupon i recieved from sunshinecoast air read more

Went on my bday was the worst food was over cooked over priced and a total disappointment

Being a celiac is easy at this restaurant because they have a separate menu and the choices are very good. The prices are good too and the atmosphere couldn't be better. Sit and look out onto the harbour where you'll see the float planes landing. read more

Good food but very disappointing service. Ordered a pasta dish and after asking twice for some parmesan and being told both times, "Right away" it never made it. Also had ribs, very tasty but sticky and no finger bowls or wet naps. Had to ask three times for them and finally got some after meal was over. Waiter kept denying any part of this was his fault, blamed kitchen. Won't return. read more

My husband, nine year old daughter and I have been coming here for years. This was our favorite restaurant in Nanaimo until today. We originally sat indoors, but asked to be moved outdoors as staff were talking loudly and using profanity, and they could see my daughter. The alcoholic beverages and the food have been downsized in proportion for the same price and not of the same quality. They have a kids menu, which has also been extremely minimized and we paid $15 for a dish of a few rainbow noodles with a few pieces of chicken. The waitress was not overly enthused to serve us and even asked me if I could "help her out and do her a favour" by giving my daughter her meal when she could have easily walked around me to place my daughter's meal on the table. If you have a food allergy, I would not suggest you come here. The waitress said that she would put my order on the bill and "see what happened". The atmosphere is really nice with the seaplanes and boats. You will be disappointed with the food and the service. We will not be returning to this restaurant, which is extremely sad as we always came here for special occasions. read more

We had a fantastic lunch overlooking the marina. The waitress was very friendly and prompt. She asked us questions and we talked about the Thursday market. Food tasted great. I had the seafood salad and it was great. The only thing was there was a ton of dressing on it which took away from other flavours. My mistake - next time I would ask for it on the side. read more