Food, drinks and service were amazing, as always! Our post-regatta stop when in Nanaimo

Adorable little spot on the water. It probably gets a little chilly because the chairs have a Mexican blanket draped over. Bring a jacket. I don't think they take reservations, we came early for dinner and it was fairly busy. Parking was easy at the Public Parking lot. I loved the salsa verde on my enchiladas. And people mentioned the red salsa with the table chips. Mighty delish. My friend enjoyed her burrito as well. Friendly staff. Washrooms are back over the ramp and in a freestanding little building. Ask the hostess for the key. read more

Penny's Palapa - Enchiladas Verde - Seafood Near Me - Nanaimo, British Columbia

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The service was good it was very ambient environment. The food was not very spicy and you know like very typical of Mexican food in the north. read more

We came here for a family birthday. Service was fast and friendly and the harbour side view in warm weather was relaxing and cozy. We had a number of dishes. We started with table chips, normally I'd not mention this but the salsa was fantastic. We then added the Layered Black Refritos Bean Dip. This appetizer shared dish was quickly consumed. Everyone loved it and we almost asked for a second serving. I ordered the Enchiladas Verde, which was outstanding. I topped the nights dishes with a Spicy Pineapple Margarita, sweet slightly spicy (to me) and a perfect complement to the waterside dining. I can't wait to return, and have a a few dishes on my hit list for the next round. read more

Penny's Palapa - Seafood Near Me - Nanaimo, British Columbia

Great little place on the transient moorage at Nanaimo Port Authority. Food was tasty and the margarita was delish! A little chilly but blankets were provided! read more

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Perfect location for the best summer vibe. Spicy pineapple margarita was superb. Enchiladas were good. Quesedilla was very thick and apparently amazing. Other friend said Pork Pastor were great. read more

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Great margaritas and awesome vibes, Pennys makes you feel like you are visiting Mexico for an afternoon read more

Penny's Palapa - Water view from the restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Nanaimo, British Columbia

Amazing shrimp tacos--full of flavor and perfection, black beans were delicious as a dip on chips, great side salad. Honey citrus tea was delicious read more

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Great food and service! Staying at the marina on our boat for the night. A friend who lives nearby recommended Penny's. Will come back again for sure! read more

We enjoyed our dinner at Penny's while visiting Nanaimo. I ordered the halibut tacos with zesty yogurt, black beans and rice & hibiscus iced tea. The tacos were good, and also came with Mexican corn. I prefer my fish tacos with large slices of fish, though, which makes it more recognizable than chopped. But the flavor was good, the service was stellar & it's in a terrific location. Prices seemed a bit high, but given the location this isn't surprising. read more

Penny's Palapa - Halibut tacos - Seafood Near Me - Nanaimo, British Columbia

Location. Location. Location. This place in on the pier and when the weather is good, there are few prettier places in Nanaimo. The food is acceptable and the service was pretty good actually. The prices are commensurate with being on the docks. Its a great place for lunch, but don't come for the food. Come for the views. read more

Penny's Palapa - View from dock table - Seafood Near Me - Nanaimo, British Columbia

SUPER CUTE spot on the water! Great atmosphere, good food, friendly staff. Food was a bit slow but we were a large group. Definitely would come back. ^_^ read more

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I got take out twice here while mooring at the marina. I had the pork pastor tacos, halibut tacos, and ceviche. The tortillas were terrible, generic, crappy, mass produced tortillas. Both corn and flour tortillas. The contents of the pastor taco was ok. I had this on corn tortillas and the tortilla was breaking. The halibut was tasty, but the sriracha mayo was a little overpowering. I had this on flour tortillas. The flour tortillas must be stronger, because it wasn't breaking and contents spilling out. In general, way more cilantro and some decent salsa, in addition to at least heating up the tortillas would make these tacos 10 times better. The ingredients of the ceviche were good - shrimp and halibut. The flavor was a little boring. There was little beyond lime juice. It was nice that the rice / beans could be subbed for a very decent salad. Also, came with chips. Always nice. I don't feel particularly strongly about eating here more times, but it *is* convenient! read more

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Location is great! Service was kind, prompt and personable. Tortilla soup is tasty but the enchiladas and burrito were really bad. The margaritas were also not good. We would not recommend. read more

Fun place. Food is average. The location makes it fun. Would recommend the margaritas!

Great service, poor quality of food. Expensive prices for lunch or dinner spot. Nothing special for Mexican cuisine.

This is a 3.5 rounded up with the benefit of the lovely ocean setting and kind service and excellent company! I've actually been here before, my cousin who lives in Nanaimo likes it for the ambiance and fish tacos and loves to support a woman business owner and I love all those things too! And I think if you stick to the fish tacos you are in great shape. I had a squash dish that was ok but not more than that. The rice and beans on the side were a bit bland to be honest. But you're basically on a boat in the harbour, small and bright and cozy, and there are blankets and heat lamps if you get a chill. Super prompt and friendly service too! Well worth the rounding up! read more

The customer service here is terrible. This place was recommended to us because of the margaritas. My husband and I stopped in to give it a try and after looking at the unauthentic tourist menu, we opted for just drinks and chips and salsa. We were met with an attitude and a comment by Meaghan that they don't allow drinks only. BUT this time they would allow it because they weren't busy. Gee thanks. My husband wanted to leave but I talked him into staying. Meaghan brought us our chips and salsa and I was so disappointed by what was placed in front of us. Bagged chips and salsa that was questionably fresh. Really? If you're going to charge $5.50 for a few chips and two tiny plastic ramekins of salsa at least make something in house. The side of guacamole looked like it had been squeezed out of a bag and was underwhelming in taste too. Then Meaghan brought out the Hibiscus Lime margaritas and they were fabulous. So much so, that we were going to order another round. However, after sitting for over 15 minutes without service my husband said "do not give this place any more of your money". I agreed. She didn't even bother to check on us once after dropping the drinks off. When she finally noticed that our drinks were empty she then asked if we wanted another round. Nope. I paid the bill and we left. Disappointed. Skip this place if you're in town visiting. There is better out there. read more

This was our sixth visit in two years and we were very disappointed. The service was okay - nothing really bad but nothing of note either. I ordered the special chilli lime prawn salad and my friend ordered the enchiladas verde. As usual we got the complimentary chips and salsa but the amount of salsa in a disposable cup was disappointing. The margaritas were not as good as we remember them to be either and they seem to have gone up in price dramatically. My salad was tiny and the prawns were not tasty and they were TINY. There was a tiny scoop of rice on my plate and some avocado. The enchiladas were okay but the amount of rice and corn was very tiny. My bill was $36 for a tiny salad and one margarita. Way too much for that meal! Likely won't be returning. read more

Penny's has replaced their roof with one that invites the sun to bless you while you enjoy your Halibut Taco (3 to a plate, with a side salad) and, of course, an icy Lime Margarita. Today's specials included the Halibut, which made my decision an easy one. Service was outstanding. My only (slightly) negative observation is that the new roof made the acoustics pretty bright, but the food, drink and service were so good I didn't care. Kudos (again) to Penny's for another outstanding experience! read more

I'm from SoCal, where there is an abundance of Mexican restaurants to choose from. Penny's is arguably the best Mexican/Spanish food my wife and I have ever had. Everything is fresh made, except the chips. The seasonings are subtle, different, and delicious. The presentation is beautiful. The location is in the harbor on some kind of floating platform. Open air and quite nice. My only negative was in regards to the service. While the staff was quite cordial, we got the feeling that because we split an entree we were taking up space. When we asked for more salsa there was a subtle reluctance. That aside, we would definitely come back again if in the area! read more

I used to eat here a lot more regularly. I took my fiance here and raved how great it was. Well... things change apparently. Took about 45 minutes to get a table, the servers were pushy and rude. Blended margaritas came out totally melted, coronas were served without lime. The food was terrible, bland and the tortillas were stale. Chips were from a bag. The table beside us (who was seated and ordered after us) received their food first. When we asked for our bill the server attended to other tables needs and then took her time to get back to us. Our bill was about $90... I will not be returning any time soon. read more

Solid, but i'm still hungry. Was once here for lunch takeout and it was delicious. Went back for dinner tonight and had the oysters in cornmeal. Delicious, plump, served with greens and potato salad. Unfortunately there were only 4 oysters but they were delish. I'M SO HUNGRY THOUGH! sigh read more

I have tried it a couple of times recently and the quality of the food has improved. Bring a light jacket or sweater as its right on the water, they do have throws if needed. read more

What a lovely little restaurant with top quality food. The ingredients were fresh, the food very tasty and the service top notch! Highly recommend Penny's Palapa read more

Yum! And what crazy wonderful atmosphere. I had Alberta guests visiting for the day. Hopping on a sailboat was out so the next best thing ... hop onto Penny's Palapa floating restaurant! It's all outdoor seating and practically every seat has an amazing view of the harbour! We went there on the Sunday of the BC Day long weekend & I was sure we'd have to wait in line but we just waltzed right in. I knew the fish tacos come highly recommended so one of my friends ordered that & the other got the chicken taco. They were going to share. But the fish taco was so scrumptious it was tough to keep the peace. I had the special for the day (I don't usually do that because it can be an unwise move) but my lightly seared salmon taco was wonderful. The side salad wasn't much to rave about as it was just basic quick mixed greens -- not really a match for the Mexican atmosphere / dishes / flavour. It might have been nice to have some veggies of greater texture & flavour either as a side or in the salad. I'm not a big eater so the portion was fine for me but small amount of salmon by most standards. Maybe you want to get appies. Penny's, sadly, is not open in the evening & never has been. Their facebook page is somewhat helpful for checking out hours before heading down there. read more

Penny's Palapa - fish tacos + cold beer = summer! - Seafood Near Me - Nanaimo, British Columbia

This review is for the take-out menu. My partner and I decided to tried every taco on the menu between the two of us. I was kinda disappointed there wasn't a salsa/topping on the veggie or chicken tacos. The sprinkle of fresh tomatoes and onion didn't do it for me. It might have been better if I paid extra to add cheese because I just found them a bit bland. The veggie taco was especially boring. We both really prefer the tacos at baby salsa. read more

Great restaurant on a beautiful location with wonderful service! Tacos are delicious, but my favourite are the enchiladas. Great to stop by for lunch or dinner and the lime margaritas are unbeatable. Definitely recommend it! read more

Fresh and a little beyond the standard burrito bar fare, but loses some points for higher than expected cost relative to quality. It is literally floating right in Nanaimo harbour so the setting is kind of fun but be prepared to put up with engine fumes from the passing boats. read more

Terrible quality control and portion control. Way over priced tourist Mexican food. Owner no longer cares, good cold beers though, great setting, hectic service. Small overpriced portions. read more

Went here in the summer, the server was not friendly, service was slow ( and it was not busy) , and the food was mediocre . I wouldn't go here again, i would pick Gina's over it any day. The only thing I enjoyed was being on the water. read more

Written by my daughter, Alena: What a memorable meal! I loved everything on my plate. If I had a bottomless stomach I would eat 100 servings of what I ordered! read more

Went with my sister and our kids. The server was very slow getting our order, so my sister's little one became fussy (he was hungry). She was on her way out to take a walk with him while I order and we get our food, and a man that looked like restaurant manager/owner asked us to leave because 'that is distracting'. NOT FAMILY FRIENDLY!!! read more

Penny's Palapa - Seafood Near Me - Nanaimo, British Columbia

We have been enjoying the delicious food at Pennys Palapa for the last 3 summers. I have several favorite dishes, which makes it rather difficult for me to choose from. My Husband LOVEs the Huevos Rancheros for a late breakfast, but my choice is usually a fresh fish or chicken dish. For dinner, there is a daily special as well as the incredible menu. We find ourselves there at least twice s a week and ALWAYS bring any company we have. Everyone is SO IMPRESSED and the plates are always eaten clean! We LOVE the ambiance on a summer evening , the music, the food, our gracious servers and of course Penny and Franz. After a winter enjoying the best of North Scottsdale AZ, we look forward to our evenings at Pennys in Nanaimo. It is truly an asset to our quality of life in Nanaimo. I would recomend it to anyone. read more

This is a great place to take guests as it's right on the water. The food has an authentic, gritty quality to it - not like texmex.

Food was good, service was horrible. Nothing outstanding about the dishes or the waitstaff. Never saw the girl who seated us and gave us our drinks after that.. a diff lady delivered the food and we asked for another drink or even just water and got a blank stare and a walk away with no reply whatsoever. Probs won't ever go back since it was also overpriced/under portioned for the quality compared to other places in town. read more

Absolutely fantastic fresh fish dinner. Highly recommend, lovely staff, lovely atmosphere. The meal we had was the snapper and the halibut, it came with delicious molinera sauce, homemade black beans, a healthy rice, salad, and corn. It was a well balanced meal, very fresh and healthy. read more

This was a fun little place! We visited while on vacation. Was a little tricky to find but once we did, I loved the ambiance. Blankets on the chairs for cool days. Open air eatery with attentive staff. My meal was a little zippy for me but tasty. Great margarita read more

Overpriced with a waiting staff that need better training. The food was not authentic Mexican. The setting was lovely and they provided Mexican blankets if you needed warmth. Nice touch. Nice people but... read more

Looking for a nice out of the way place to eat? Do you like eating on the water? This place is for you. It is on a floating deck on the wharf. It is all outdoor eating. Very small probably ten tables. We went for lunch and I do have to say it was very good. Both my son and I had chicken burritos. It was a solid chicken breast inside a wheat tortilla, around $15.50 each My wife had the enchiladas suizes ,,around $15. my daughter just had a cheese quesadilla and they charged 13.50 for,cheese and tortilla, Didn't think that was not right at all. We also had a side of chips and a small salsa $5 and we are from Southern California and we like our guacamole, but here a side is $5 she did throw in some chips at no cost. The service was very good. Just a little pricey, but heck we are on vacation. read more