I had been looking forward to dining at the Lighthouse while planning our trip to Nanaimo, so we went there for dinner our first night. I'm sorry to say we were very disappointed in our meals. We ate out at on the outside patio and worried the whole time that the table might collapse. I wanted to order the crab, but they were out, having served the last one minutes earlier. :(. My husband ordered the seared tuna, which was over cooked. read more

I went here with my coworkers for lunch and sat outside in the pub. The food was good, but to say that the service was ATROCIOUS is an understatement. We pre-ordered our meals as we were on a lunch break, and one meal (a salad!) didn't even arrive until the entire table had already eaten and we had to leave. The order had been requested to have been cancelled about 5 minutes prior but the server brought it out anyway, and then acted incredibly annoyed when we turned it away. The servers didn't check in once to ask how the food was, to fill drinks, etc, and we actually had to flag someone down just to cancel the meal that never showed. After the meal I asked to speak to the manager, (Nick K.) who was incredibly apologetic about the entire situation. He gave me his business card and said to email him and he would send us a gift certificate or reimburse our meal (as the individual who paid for our meals had already left). I emailed him about half an hour later. And then 5 days later. And then 5 days later. And never got a response. Do. Not. Go. Here. This place is poorly run, the servers (and management) are rude and do not care if you leave unhappy. I have lived in Nanaimo my entire life and I will not go back here and would never recommend this place. Nick if you read this, I would still welcome you to make amends and follow through with your original promise. read more

My girlfriend had her birthday dinner with about 12 people. We weren't sure if this restaurant was going to be the greatest option because we hadn't been there for years but we were able to make a reservation with short notice around Christmas time so that's why she chose this place. It ended up exceeding expectations! We had a private table which was nice, and the food was delicious with really good presentation and great service. Definitely would recommend for any occasion, family dinner, nice date night or even a large group. 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

Went in for lunch earlier today. Service was prompt and friendly. Specifically wanted to find some clam chowder on a chilly, wet Nanaimo day and was not disappointed. The clam chowder is thick, creamy, and silky with perfectly cooked potatoes, a generous amount of clams and it was seasoned perfectly. The only complaint was that there wasn't enough of it served on the side with a very well made clubhouse and perfectly done calamari. The clubhouse itself had thick cut turkey, bacon cooked just right and a bit of peppery spice from the chipotle mayo which was a nice surprise. The calamari was cooked to perfection and lightly breaded with a generous amount of garnish in the form of red onions, tomatoes and lemon zest. This restaurant has improved drastically since the last time I went there several years ago. Thank you Lighthouse Bistro for being a future go to for clam chowder comfort on rainy days! read more

Excellent atmosphere on the patio and great service. I was a little underwhelmed by the seafood salad although the crispy salmon cake on it was delicious. Reasonably priced. My friend had the mussels and the broth was divine. read more

What a wonderful night out! Everything from the bacon lager mussels, seafood salad, linguini vongolese to trio cheesecake was beautifully presented and full of flavor. We were served attentively and pleasantly and were impressed to witness pride in their restaurant as great care was given to polishing every wine glass behind the bar. Lovely surroundings as it is situated at the Harbour, amazing scenery from the windows on all sides. The bistro is definitely perfect for a romantic dinner out for 2 or a special dinner at any time with adult family. We will be sure to be back the next time we are over from Vancouver! read more

Loved the location, so much potential, but the food and service leave something to be desired. Granted it was an extremely busy weekend, therefore I can forgive the tardiness of the waitress, but everything went downhill after that anyways. First, I loathe corn in a restaurant so I asked for a salad substitute, and the waitress informed me she would have to ask the manager. She never returned to inform me I'd get my request or not? I hate being left hanging with a menu in hand. My meal arrived with the requested sub and it was not tolerably great. A Bistro on the waterfront ought to know how to cook a salmon fillet. It shouldn't be dry as a desert. Lastly the bill, initially I was not only being charged extra for the baked potato the meal comes with, but full price for the meal and the substitution. After another "I'll have to ask the manger' wait time I had the bill straightened out and left with a memory to never return. read more

Tasteless and overpriced. Tourist trap. Items on the menu were unavailable. Ridiculously small portions. The tuna in the taco was so small All I tasted was the taco shell read more

I've been to the lighthouse on a number of occasions. The food is mostly good, although I would not recommend the fish tacos. When I had them they were made with ahi tuna and the fish was good, but they really weren't tacos. The tuna sat on top of coleslaw in a taco shell - very bland - not like an authentic taco at all. But the worst thing there is the service. The service has never been great, but on two occasions it's been terrible. I can accept that sometimes things go wrong, but when a customer has a valid complaint and it's shrugged off there really is no excuse for that. One time my husband and I had nachos and there was a piece of wood in them. We complained and showed our server the piece of wood (looked like part of a pencil!) and she just shrugged it off and said "I'll tell the chef" - and we were billed the full amount. Then recently I went with some friends at lunch time. I wanted mussels but the full order was $17 - a bit pricey for me for lunch, so we both ordered the appetizer mussels which came with soup, fries or salad for $12.50. We both ordered a salad and were asked if we wanted green or ceasar. We both ordered ceaser. It was a very small order of mussels and a tiny bowl of salad. Before tax the bill came to $18. When we queried it we were told that the appy mussels were $15, and the caesar was a surcharge of $3. We both said we were sure our menu said $12.50. I told the server that if I'd known there was only a $2 difference in price, I would have ordered the $17 one or had something else. We also said that we should have been told that the caesar was an extra $3 when she offered it to us. No matter - she shrugged her shoulders and charged us the full amount. Barring making a big fuss, we paid up, but I've vowed that twice is too many and I will not go there again. read more

The seafood pasta was superb! The server was awesome and so was the view. Not sure why there were so few customers when we were there, but I wouldn't hesitate to go back. read more

Overlooking the dock it was pretty.:) fish n chips (cod) good..:) coconut prawn was delicious..:) chowder excellent!!:)

The Fish Tacos had hair in them and when sent back had hair in them still. I decided to not eat after that. My friend ate and his food was OK. We were not given an compensation for the disgusting hair in our food. We were charged fully for our drinks and his food. I made a Facebook post stating this and was contacted by a Manager of the Restaurant offering apologies and a gift card. This was the summer of 2016 and I am still waiting for the gift card to arrive. Lets just say if you have an issue while on premise speak to the manager as the wait staff are clueless. read more

This is, by far, one of the best restaurants in Nanaimo. I eat here often. The service is exceptional, despite the recent management and menu changes. The patio is just awesome, upstairs and down. With a outdoor kitchen as well!! The view is beautiful. You can observe the seaplanes taking off, downtown Nanaimo, the island cliffs. \sometimes you might get lucky enough to see some marine wildlife. The food is delicious! and afforable. Some of the menu items are not as good as when it first opened, d/t new management changes. But still big serviings cooked perfectly. I would highly recommend this restaurant, be it the pub or bistro, to anyone. read more

A must try while in Nanaimo. The food is delicious, friendly staff, and beautiful views.

We had a wonderful view of the harbour and the servers were very helpful. I had the special for brunch. Meatlovers omelet. The hashbrown paddies were rock hard. The toast was dry. The fruit and omelet were good. My friend had cold soup that was sent back but never did reach the temperature soup should be. I probably won't eat there again. Too bad because they have the most wonderful setting. read more

The only thing that's just ok is the service, the waitresses are friendly!. Had lunch here Sunday 24th, ordered the fish & chips and my wife had the chicken tacos. Food was just ok a bit bland, had better fish at local bars near my home (a long way from the ocean) went back again for dinner because they told us they had a different menu, it was the exact same menu only the the front page said Dinner and the prices were $5.00 more! Even the cocktails were were expensive! I ordered the Bison burger and it came with a rare centre. Had this not been a frozen patty (you could tell) medium rare might have been acceptable if I ordered it that way. Had them take it off the Manu and finished our undersized over priced drinks and left. Stayed in Nanaimo for a week and never went back! There are a ton of better places close by. read more