Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    The Modern Cafe

    3.5 (99 reviews)
    ModerateBars, American
    Closed 11:30 am - 9:00 pm

    Order The Modern Cafe Takeout or Delivery

    The Modern Cafe Bars Photos

    THE MODERN CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating
    Good for groups

    Recommended Reviews - The Modern Cafe

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Korean BBQ squid

    Calamari was excellent. The BBQ sauce was a nice twist. Serving size was perfect for lunch.

    Roasted Halibut Special
    Allie G.

    Pretty good for dinner! On a Thursday evening, The Modern wasn't very busy. The interior had exposed brick walls, some cool art pieces, and plenty of seating. For drinks, I ordered a mocktail that I can't find the name of now, but it was floral and refreshing - really good! For food, I chose the BBQ Duck Flatbread and my boyfriend got the Roasted Halibut Special. The BBQ Duck Flatbread was tasty and we ended up sharing it, since the portion size was pretty large. The Roasted Halibut Special was described as a rice bowl, but was really just the fish and some veggies on top of a scoop of rice. The fish was cooked perfectly and went well with the green sauce it came with. However, the rest of the dish wasn't as great, and ended up being less food than expected. Service was fast and friendly - would return to try more!

    Scallops and roasted beet salad

    Stopped for a late lunch before taking Harbour Air float planes back to Vancouver for Taylor Swift weekend. Loved the scallop appetizer and the beet salad. Nice spot good vibes tasty food

    Sable fish
    Lewis S.

    Great dinner, Grace was awesome and Conner was great. Try the Sable fish and the Nanaimo bar martini and cheesecake!

    Greg R.

    Good food. Excellent service. Ate indoors. The warm lighting and textured brick walls with art is cozy and inviting. No sports playing on a TV, a bonus!Definitely would go back with friends and family.

    Nanaimo Bartini
    Donna D.

    My partner and I got stuck in Nanaimo for half a day because of two ferries being at capacity. So what are two visitors to Nanaimo meant to do with extra time up their sleeve? Try all of the renditions of a Nanaimo Bar of course. We found a list and map online and Modern Cafe was our first stop as we needed a drink to reconvene with. We sat outside and enjoyed watching passerby. The restaurant itself is easy on the eyes, a building built in 1910, it features a neon sign. The restaurant has been in business since in the 1940's. Enjoying two Nanaimo Bartini's were a great way to kill some time. Especially with a wonderful host, Katrina! Thank you for making our visit so pleasant!

    a plate of food with toast, eggs, potatoes, and sauce
    Ricky C.

    I tried their full breakfast with honey garlic sausage and they did this dish quite well. It doesn't look like much because of how simple the dish looks, but everything was cooked nicely and the portion was just right. The one thing they could have made better was instead of adding one piece of sad spinach leaf on the plate for garnish is perhaps add a bit more salad if they wanted some more green on there. The waffles were also nicely done as well.

    Crabby Benedict
    Florence B.

    My boyfriend and I visited this restaurant for brunch during our mini getaway in Nanaimo and we were pleasantly surprised by how delicious their (brunch) food was! I ordered the Crabby Benedict and the hollandaise sauce was hands down, one of the best ones I've ever tried - it was creamy and flavourful, with a slight tanginess that made it taste fresh, yet light at the same time. I couldn't really taste the crab but it was alright since I was fixated on the sauce anyways. The potatoes were slightly burnt but the sauce that came with it masked that burned taste. I'd rate this dish a 9/10. We also shared the Seafood Chowder, and although we were big fans of the baguette, the soup itself was average. It had a lot of seafood bits but it tasted kind of powdery?? I'd give this a 6/10. Overall, I'd come here again next time in Nanaimo. Our server was also very friendly so I'd give the overall experience a 8/10

    Charcuterie
    Shawna L.

    Very "meh" experience coming here. We were seated at the very back of the restaurant away from everyone else, which was nice. Our server was very nice and attentive. The interior and exterior of the place is rather cool. Very spacious with lots of room between tables. We ordered the charcuterie and a poutine. The poutine was good but nothing special, and the charcuterie was a bit disappointing. There were not enough crackers for everything and the meat was sparse. There were a lot more pickled vegetables than anything else and I feel like it was unbalanced. I also got the raspberry lemonade and that was quite nice and refreshing.

    Lamb Shank
    Kim L.

    Don't judge a book by its cover. I first thought this was a bar based on its appearance and flashy lights, but it's actually quite a nice restaurant! Their lamb shank was the best I've had in a very long time. The meat was tender and literally fell off the bone. I love meat that's so soft, I don't even need a knife to cut it! 10/10 would eat again the next time I'm back in Nanaimo.

    The Old Soul

    See all

    2 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Mike L.
    1
    25
    15

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 2
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Julie B.
    112
    23
    4

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 months ago

    Nice restaurant! The service was good, and the ambiance was pleasant. They have some tasty food offerings for vegetarians.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Mike R.
    0
    18
    15

    10 months ago

    Home run.. i visited while on vacation and passing through to Victoria. I would recommend the mussels.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Amy M.
    2
    40
    3

    11 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Food was delightful and the service was fabulous, my cup was always full. I would highly recommend!

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Tasty food. Great vibe. The patio is quaint but you'll want an inside table. Bit breezy ... craft beers too

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Ant W.
    2
    30
    10

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    3 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Great place. Excellent food. Highly recommended . Would come back again. Tastefully prepared

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Chad H.
    22
    84
    28

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    15 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Page 1 of 3

    The Modern Cafe Reviews in Other Languages

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for Bars 205 times last month within 10 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    The Old City Station Pub - Wings and dry rub ribs, plus drinks.

    The Old City Station Pub

    3.6(22 reviews)
    0.0 km
    $$

    So... This is a bizarre review…read more.. The food, I have to say, was pretty good. Solid pub fare. The most enjoyable hot wings I've had at a pub in years. Nachos that were cheesy and loaded with toppings. Weird toppings maybe, and a very strange tasting salsa, but not bad... The ambiance on a Monday night is a little meh. Only about 6 tables seated in quite a large, voluminous space, made it feel a little vacuous. Maybe if they turned their lights down a bit the vibe might be a bit nicer. They sure like their decorative lights here.... The server was very nice. Pleasant, but could have come around to check on things a couple times more, especially since it was so quiet. Now, for the weird part... Toward the end of my nachos I lost my appetite when I saw a mouse scurrying on the floor. It was very daring and was exploring under tables right up to me. I notified my server and she said "oh we know, we try to catch them but it's difficult. I think we caught one a couple days ago. Yesterday I saw one run up the stairs. I'm sorry you had to see that. Would you like a box for your nachos?" Um, no thanks! I finished my drink while watching this mouse wander around a few more times, and ANOTHER mouse come out from the opposite side of the room. and decided it was time to leave. There was no other response from my server about this - I just paid my bill and left. I get that this is a port town close to water, but it seems like these folks probably need to get a bit more serious about pest control.

    I got a "mango smoothie" which at first tasted like water. And then when I sent it back for them to…read moreremake, it just tasted like mango flavoured water. I also have a friend that got served raw frozen fish. How do you even do those things that bad?!

    Photos
    The Old City Station Pub - Lots of lights! Could dim them a bit

    Lots of lights! Could dim them a bit

    The Old City Station Pub - Chicken quesadilla

    Chicken quesadilla

    The Old City Station Pub

    See all

    Lighthouse Bistro & Pub - Beef dip. The dip looked bad, tasted worse

    Lighthouse Bistro & Pub

    2.8(97 reviews)
    0.2 km
    $$

    SERVICE To start…read morethings off, the service was amazing! Me and the other ten people i came with were seated immediately and were given our orders from the menue within ten minutes of ordering. Our waiter was a very kind woman named Ashleigh who worked very hard to get our food out as quick as possible, and was lovely. Overall service: 10/10 FOOD The food our group ordered was well made and cooked to perfection. Four of us ordered the fish and chips, which were well cooked, and the general consensus was that the fish itself was pretty good. It was a tad bit to doughy, but overall was pretty good. The fries were great, however, the tartar sauce was very un- consista t and was served steaming hot, rather than cold. Overall, the fish and chips was a 8/10. The linguini was also well recived by the two people who ordered it, and there were no complaints from their end of the table. Overall, the linguini was a 7.5/10. The chicken tenders were some of the best chicken tenders ordered by the party member. The plum sauce was amazing and the chicken wasent too flakey or too Hard. Overall, the chicken tenders were a 9.5/10 The light house burger had very good sauce, and one of the best patties that our party member had ever had. It was the right amount of chewy and flavour, and was a overall 8/10 The nachos had a wide variety of sauces to select from including guacamole and salsa. However, the sour cream was quite bland, and tasted like you average Walmart sour cream. Overall, the nacho plate was a 8.5/10 RESTROOMS The mens room was well maintained and in fairly good condition. The laidies room however, was in poor condition, with the toilet missing the seat, and the stall duct taped off. The restrooms were in a separate area from the restaurant entirely, and required a pin on the door to access the hall in which the restrooms were located in, giving it a "restricted area" feel. The overall restroom experience was a 6.5/10 Some other last minute things to add include: Decent wifi access A lovely view of the harbour A Comfortable seating area Minimal wait time for seating FINAL SCORES Service: 10/10 Atmosphere: 9/10 Food: 8.5/10 Presentation: 8.5/10 OVERALL SCORE: 8.5/10 Recommend? YES

    What is going on!! Now a deep fried Cisco quality wing costs as much as an exclusive bc oyster!!…read more Theres more to the story, but that alone should give food for thought. Oh, and in the time we were there, over 1.5 hours, nobody came to fill the seats we were not allowed to sit in. -Totally understaffed. -worse than vancouver pricing.....its Nanaimo!! - Absolutely no interest in providing value for your$$ -I feel sorry for the staff but I absolutely recommend NOT going here - what a waste of a great space Oh, and I've watched it come to this ive 20+ years

    Photos
    Lighthouse Bistro & Pub
    Lighthouse Bistro & Pub
    Lighthouse Bistro & Pub

    See all

    Fox And Hounds - Little trinkets on ALL windowsills

    Fox And Hounds

    4.2(29 reviews)
    21.1 km
    $$

    The weather is warming up and after a morning of yard work, it was time for a cold one with lunch…read more Ordered the Deep fried pickles, Black and Blue Salad and the Plain Jane Burger along with cold beverages. The deep fried pickles are always good and crispy (we already ate 4 of them before taking a pic), this was the first time having the Black and Blue salad with chicken (absolutely delicious and filling, there was enough for two), and the plain Jane Burger is always good and fills the craving for a good burger. The service and atmosphere is great.

    English style pub is a cut or two above the rest, thanks to good food and a helpful staff…read more THE ROSES: If you're an Anglophile, Fox and Hounds is a great pub to visit. Wonderful olde English atmosphere. Very good selection of beers on tap. Staff is very helpful in setting up patrons with dishes that allow for dietary restrictions (like gluten intolerance). What I particularly liked is that they were able to make fish and chips for me that was panko breaded rather than battered. I know battered fish and chips is the 'English' way, but few restaurants this side of the Atlantic get battered fish right. All too often it's too much batter, or the fish is really greasy. I didn't feel like taking a chance, so the kitchen breaded my fish and it was really nicely done. The bread pudding is also a standout. THE THORNS: None worth mentioning. THE VERDICT: Fox and Hounds is one of those rare pubs that puts as much (or more?) thought into their food as they do their beer. It's a wonderful 'little bit 'o Britain' in the quiet backwater town of Ladysmith BC Highly recommend!

    Photos
    Fox And Hounds - The Black and Blue Salad with Chicken

    The Black and Blue Salad with Chicken

    Fox And Hounds - The Plain Jane Burger

    The Plain Jane Burger

    Fox And Hounds

    See all

    Oxy Pub - OXY PUB

    Oxy Pub

    3.7(6 reviews)
    0.4 km
    $$

    The Oxy is a classic! Although they sold the pool table to make it through Covid :( great staff,…read moreand great patrons full of stories! Food menu is good, but if you're over 50 and get the poutine, have some tums ready...

    My First Friend and I decided to check out Oxy last night. It used to be a venerable watering hole…read morein a hotel called the Occidental. We'd heard it had been renovated recently and wanted to see what it was like. Our waitress was very friendly and helpful, and got my FF's drink order spot on. We ordered a couple of half-price appys - onion rings and vegetable samosas - and a couple of entrees - a Reuben sandwich and a rib-eye steak sandwich. Everything that was deep-fried was a little too soggy with oil for my taste, and the Reuben could have used some real Swiss cheese instead of processed, but the steak was tasty and the fries were good. Standard pub fare, really, but that's not what folks come to the Oxy for. What they *do* come for is the atmosphere and camaraderie. There was a good mix of younger college folks with more mature types like ourselves, all very friendly and looking to have a good time. We specifically came for the karaoke and were not disappointed; the DJ was friendly and never overbearing, only singing one song himself, and his selection was the best I'd seen in Nanaimo so far. All in all, a fine time. Highly recommended, especially if you're looking for some karaoke on a Friday night. We'll be back.

    Photos
    Oxy Pub
    Oxy Pub - Wonderful staff and service here!!!

    See all

    Wonderful staff and service here!!!

    The Queen's - Gecko Band from Mexico playing to sold out crowd at Queens.

    The Queen's

    3.4(5 reviews)
    0.4 km

    I went here with a friend for NYE. We had to wait an hour at the door to get tickets the day if as…read morethe bar was closed the day before and we are not local so couldnt just wander by whenever to get them. We also overheard people talking in the line and saying that theres always issues with trying to get tickets ahead of time. That being said, the guy who answered the phone when I called earlier in the day was super nice. Service here is pretty good for a bar. The waitress was attentive and checked on our drinks regularly. The bartenders are quick and we never had to wait more than 5 minutes for drinks. The process are better than average. A double costs about $9, a single just under $6. The band, the Big Shiny Dudes, was decent for the cover charge of $25. The dance floor was a good size -- it never seemed empty nor too crowded. However, the seating could have been a lot more efficient and it would be better if they had more stools and high top tables instead of restaurant style tables that do not optimize seating. It would also be nice to have hooks to hang purses/jackets under tables, etc. The bathroom ran out of soap very early on and was never replenished although the paper towel eventually was. Location is ok, although definitely not in the nicest part of town. The kitchen closed before we even got in the doors, it would be nice to have the kitchen hours posted online so we would have known to get food beforehand. Or, for the kitchen to at least serve chips and salsa or fries, snacky things.

    Don't let the outside deceive you. The inside is charming and friendly. Staff are incredibly nice!…read moreService was great. They have food. We left before the band started, but the music selection was rocking. Cheers!!

    Photos
    The Queen's
    The Queen's
    The Queen's

    See all

    The Modern Cafe - bars - Updated May 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...