The View Oceanside Grill

No wait time, easy to read menu, and great service. We order steak with mushrooms, fries, and…read moreveggies. Also a sushi pizza with the pulled pork. So yummy live the fried bread rice in the pizza and the steak was yum! Not very crowded so not very loud but it was great.

We walked into Firehouse Grill with no prior information and had the absolutely best meal in weeks!…read moreThe menu is surprising--including cornbread muffins and jambalaya! We ordered burgers--best burgers we've eaten in a long time. Amazing food, prepared and quickly out of the kitchen. Beautiful presentation. Service was perfect. Chef (owner?) came out to meet us and we learned his history, including time spent in New Orleans where he learned how to prepare cornbread and jambalaya. Interesting note--we'd asked for restaurant recommendations and this one had not been mentioned by anyone. Honestly, don't know how the other places could beat Firehouse Grill for service, selection, and taste. Next day, sitting in Vancouver, we talked about riding the ferry back to Nanaimo to eat here for a second time.

Sushipizza

Steak with mushroom sauce

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Jambalaya

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

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Off The Hook

4.1(19 reviews)

3.1 km

We went for lunch and decided on halibut fish and yam fries and cod fish and chips…read more The batter on the fish was light and crispy not your traditional beer batter. I came with house slaw and tartar sauce. We really liked the slaw because it was tossed in a sweet vinaigrette instead of mayonnaise. The only thing I would say is that they should watch their music playlist. We actually joked about it to the waitress.

Nice atmosphere despite being in an out of the way place. We were thrilled that the fish and chips…read morewere gluten-free and they were amazingly fresh and good with great tartar sauce!!! The hamburger not so much ...not much flavor nobody wanted to finish it ...gluten-free roll should've been buttered and toasted. Cocktails and gluten-free beer were excellent server did not know why everything was gluten-free would've liked to appreciate that. But, a fun meal !

Halibut tacos. Excellent!

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Pacific Katsu Chicken Bowl

Trollers Fish & Chips

3.8(73 reviews)

While walking by the harbourfront, we saw this nice little place and we wanted to try it. Cod fish…read moreand chips was delicious, I wish the cod serving was bigger. Seafood chowder was yummy too. The staff were amazing so that made it even better.

We learned about Trollers by talking to a Canadian family who comes to Nanaimo on holiday every…read moreyear; they make sure to visit Trollers several times each visit. So of course we had to try it! Both the salmon and the halibut fish and chips were amazing! Crunchy, flavorful, light and not greasy. Would love to live closer in order have them again! The location in the harbor, casual atmosphere and seating were ideal, and we enjoyed a stroll along the harbor after our plentiful and delicious lunch, dining, literally, on the water. It's a floating restaurant, how fun is that?!

Menu

Fish and chips Halibut

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The front of the restaurant

Minnoz Restaurant & Lounge

3.7(30 reviews)

We stayed at Coast Bastion Hotel and after walking all day, it was nice to have a place to eat…read morewithout leaving the hotel. Yes, they were pricey but the food was delicious. We ordered crab cakes and top sirloin . Service was awesome.

Second time in this hotel restaurant inside of a week. Both nights had large crowds attending a…read moretheatre event around the corner. Not surprisingly they were very busy. That said, we were there for both "slammed" situations, and endured little, to no, service. Our server last night had no answers to our menu questions and spent entirely too much time leaving us to ask someone else. Specials, fish of the day, etc should be a part of the offering that is well known and sold by the wait staff. We find hotel chain restaurants to be sub-par in general, but this Coast hotel disappointed twice inside of a week. The space is nicely appointed, but we found the folks that followed us in were looking to watch the hockey playoffs at 8 PM. Should be prime dinner/date night out. Overall, so average, which you are not looking for out of a Coast hotel situated a few hundred meters from the ocean.

Foyer at the Bastion Hotel

Crab cakes and top sirloin

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Vermicelli Asian salad , seared tuna

Penny's Palapa

3.3(50 reviews)

0.2 km

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

Adorable little spot on the water. It probably gets a little chilly because the chairs have a…read moreMexican 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.

Penny's Palapas!

Pork Pastor Tacos

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Signage off Port walkway

Astera's Greek Taverna

4.6(178 reviews)

0.5 km

This place is great, I totally get why there were rated the number 1 restaurant in Nanaimo. The…read morefood is excellent and very reasonably priced for the amount you get. The service is amazing and the staff is so friendly. The restaurant is adorable, it's an old renovated house and has limited seating, so make sure to get a reservation early.

Well there's a reason this has so many 5 star reviews for so many years. They do what they do…read morewell!! Make a reservation for this lovely place. It's cozy but not cramped and the service is beyond excellent. This was a special treat with some wonderful friends. The roasted lamb was fall-off-the-bone amazing. We also had a few shrimp appetizers which were incredible. So much attention to the flavor details. Very Wow!

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The exterior is funky but welcoming.

Top Notch Burgers

3.1(27 reviews)

0.0 km

I've been here twice in the past year, both during Happy Hour, and the food is not only very good…read morebut affordable. We did have one hiccup, but I've addressed that with the management of the hotel, and will look forward to visiting again and seeing if there's any improvement.

My wife and I have eaten here many times and always have great food and a good experienceread more

FRESH START Breakfast with fixings and yogurt/granola. Yogurt was very thick and creamy.

Canadian Benedict with hash browns

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The Modern Cafe

3.5(99 reviews)

Discovering another gem in downtown Nanaimo Modern café is nestled in a heritage site built in…read more1910. They bring a fresh twist to classic comfort food using locally sourced ingredients. We stopped by for brunch and indulged in the Modern Acai Berry Bowl ($16) and the Modern Breakfast ($18). Whether you're in the mood for brunch, lunch, or dinner, this all-day dining lounge has something for everyone. Don't miss out on this unique spot! The Modern Cafe 221 Commercial St, Nanaimo, BC V9R 5GB 11:30-9pm (open till 10 on weekends) Food Parking 4.5/5 Service 4/5 Ambiance 5/5

I was visiting Nanaimo for the first time and had brunch here with a large group, it wasn't super…read morebusy and I appreciated the service. I thought it was a decent brunch place however felt that the dish was a bit heavy -- big portion though. The duck while there was a decent amount in the hash, didn't have anything special to it and tasted like a regular pulled meat. I did like the addition of pineapple as that was something I hadn't seen before and the potatoes were pretty good! Overall, for the price point ($26), it's definitely not a go-to for me if I lived in the area however it's a nice spot to visit if you're on the island for a getaway.