An absolute gem in Nanaimo!…read more upon the recommendation of a very good buddy, on my way to tofino, i passed by nanaimo for a hearty lunch in this family owned Vietnamese restaurant. Staff and owner very hospitable and welcoming! never in my wildest imagination did i expect to find excellent Vietnamese food the city of Nanaimo. this restaurant puts many Vancouver restaurants to shame. Their level of dedication to their craft is admirable and impressive. For appys...We started with fried wontons and the beef roll. My on my, the wontons were crispy-liciously goood! They were not your typical chinese fried wontons...the wrapper is paper thin and had a yellowish colour. And its because they used the spring roll wrapper to make It, making it super extra crispy. The pork filling was hot and juicy. Seasoned perfextly With a touch of cumin. One bite, and you will be in wonton heaven. the beef roll was truly a unique masterpiece. Whoever thought of putting a friend spring roll inside a salad roll and enveloping it with grill beef is a total genius!! You get a plethora of different textures and flavour profiles. With every bite, you get crunchiness of the spring roll, smokiness of the grilled beef, green leafy vegetables, and juiciness of the pork filling...all rolled into 1 roll! How could you possibly go wrong? Its a masterpiece like that of the mona lisa! We also tried the beef curry. Succulent pieces of beef slowly simmered rich thai curry sauce, Complimented by soft jasmine rice. Not a vietnamese dish, but executed with perfection. Curry was rich and robust. Quality coconut Milk and curry paste was used. Now..unto the pho!!! the ultimate test of an excellent Vietnamese restaurant is the PHO. More specifically, the PHO Broth! the PHo here is nothing short of spectacular! You can tell bec of 3 important factors. One, the aroma. Two, the clarity of the soup ( aka i how clear is it). And three, the taste! ( how deep the beef essence is!) This place exceeded expectations and passed with full flying colours! One sip of the broth, reminded me of vietnam. It was absolutely amazing! Head and shoulders above many restaurants in vancouver. Plus, no msg was used. We never felt Thirsty or craving tea. I could tell there was a lot of time, labour, and love invested into making the broth. No shortcuts! Just sheer excellence from chef. I feel very blessed to have been a patron of such fine vietnamese cuisine. Definitely a must try when in the city of Nanaimo. Service was quick and efficient. Will i repeat? As many times as i can! ;) Cheers! Happy eating!

The food is so nourishing. Service was fast and friendly. Restaurant set up was quite friendly…read morefor dining conversation as well as clean and tidy. 2 thumbs up. I will definitely go again.

Food is authentic and tastes great! Owners are nice and friendly too. We ordered the pork belly…read morewith salted veggies and the meet was very tender and well seasoned.

Ordered 2 meals for 1 for myself and my partner. Well let me just say, I didn't expect a restaurant…read morecould mess up chicken chow mein and sweet and sour pork so badly but they did. It was so disgusting, I had to throw it away as I was worried i would get ill. Do yourself a favor, and go somewhere else to spend your money.

97/100 I have been…read moretold my two very good sources that this is the best Chinese in town. Although I question the cleanliness of the establishment, I did enjoy the food. The couple is young and dedicated to making the best Chinese food in QB. I hope they make it!

Really good. Authentic. Clean. Friendly…read more We had many different dishes but the lemon chicken was huge with a perfect batter crust. Everything was fresh and yummy. The owner and his wife are really friendly and helpful although you may want to get an app that translates Mandarin into English. ;^) Give it a try you won't be disappointed.

This is definitely one of the best Chinese buffets I've ever had…read more The food was fresh, not overcooked, and flavourful. Highly recommended!

Worst restaurant meal I have ever had and I'm 66 years old. The buffet vegetables were drowning in…read moreoil, tasteless as were all foods on the buffet - everything tastes like fried or sautéed nothing. Exceeding overpriced. Utter garbage food. My advice is to not go anywhere near this place!

We finally had to find out what all the hype was about!…read more We kept seeing this Japanese restaurant get top ratings and heard it was really popular in Nanaimo, so we decided to try it for ourselves. Was it actually worth all the hype? We ordered the Sora Omakase Sashimi (8 types, chef's choice) along with a few other special rolls, and the sashimi was the real star of the show. The fish was incredibly fresh and generously thick-cut, with a great variety of premium sashimi. We were impressed by the creativity, generous portions, and presentation. Compared to other sushi places we've tried in the city, the quality and attention to detail here really made a difference. The prices are a bit higher than some other restaurants on the island, but after tasting the food, we thought the quality made it worth it. If you love sashimi, we especially recommend trying their sashimi options. There are plenty of premium choices. The restaurant itself has a modern-chic atmosphere, and it was BUSY. We saw a mix of locals, visitors, and a steady stream of takeout orders. Despite the crowd, our food came out surprisingly quickly, and the quality stayed top-notch. Whether you want a casual sushi night for two or a place to celebrate with a group, the menu has enough variety to please everyone. We came in wondering if the hype was real, and left understanding exactly why it's so popular. Honestly, Nori deserves the 5 stars from us. We're not the Michelin Guide, but we can definitely see why people are talking about it. Food: 5/5 Must Try! Service: 5/5 Kids: 4/5 Presentation: 4/5 Parking: 3/5 Tips: * Reservations are highly recommended. * Walk-ins are accepted, but be prepared for a potentially long wait during busy times. * The menu is extensive, so take your time deciding. * Great option for everything from date night to group celebrations. Would I Return: Yes ‍

Our waitress was amazing the food was DELICIOUS!!! I would recommend this place to everybody. I ate…read morehere with my family, and we all loved it!

Food is great ! Better by that little extra touch ! Service especially why we go . Is very chill…read moreand casual! With a beautiful view on Qualicum Beach ocean

Great restaurant with very good Chinese food. Their Singapore vermicelli was the best we've had in…read moreyears! It's a family run affair and they do a wonderful job. We highly recommend it!!

I am writing this review to share a very concerning experience that took place on June 17th between…read more12:00-2:00 PM at Driftwood Chinese Food in the Rutherford area of Nanaimo, BC. Two individuals I support attended the restaurant with staff, as they do regularly for a monthly outing. Unfortunately, from the moment they arrived, it was clear they were not being treated the same as other customers. Staff present reported that the servers seemed disengaged and reluctant to serve them. After the individuals went through the buffet line, staff at the restaurant immediately followed behind them and wiped down all the utensils, handles, and serving areas they had touched. While cleanliness is expected, this level of targeted cleaning did not occur for other patrons during the two hours they remained there, making it feel very intentional and directed specifically at these two individuals, both of whom use wheelchairs. Throughout the visit, they were not offered drink refills, despite witnessing other tables being checked on repeatedly. Their plates were never cleared, even as surrounding tables were consistently serviced. The difference in treatment was noticeable and deeply concerning. At the end of the visit, one individual had a single dessert tart remaining and politely asked if she could take it to go. The response from staff was unnecessarily harsh, stating that if they allowed that, "everyone would expect free food." This was especially upsetting given that the item could not be reused and would simply be discarded. Overall, the experience left both the individuals and staff feeling singled out and unwelcome. The treatment appeared discriminatory, particularly toward individuals using wheelchairs. One of the individuals has since expressed that she does not want to return, as she felt judged and treated differently because of her disability. I am sharing this review so others--especially those supporting individuals with diverse abilities--are aware of this experience. All customers deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. Based on this experience, I cannot recommend this restaurant.

All good food , easy parking and its our spot for Chinese food in Nanaimo. Xmas dinner will be…read morethere. Save some shrimp

Great food,great service, would recommend if you want authentic food…read more It was amazing

I love this restaurant! It is definitely one of my favourite restaurants to go to…read more I enjoy the food so much and the people are lovely.