You come to Nanaimo harbour, you go to Trollers. Trust me. The fish and chips experience right by the sea, water bobbing under the restaurant and a faint trace of salt on the air, gives an authenticity you won't find outside of Edinburgh. In a city by the sea, get yourself a fat cod piece inside a fake newspaper and imagine the fog will roll in as Sherlock Holmes has a crime to solve. It's the French Fry Affair, and my money is on Moriarty controlling a band of rogue seagulls. Beware, the fry birds in the area are egregious thieves who will brazenly pickpocket you at the first chance. We had to wave off an urchin of a finch trying to run away with our lunch. Dining is elementary, dear reader. Open May to October, Trollers dishes out crispy cod and halibut filets dipped in a thick, crispy batter with minimal grease and oil, heaps of French fries begging for vinegar, and creamy coleslaw I never bothered to taste. They have a killer salmon burger to slay your bored tastebuds with and actual beef burgers for those averse to fish. But give fish a chance: that's cod crispy, hot, and crunchy on the tongue. Sides include coleslaw, fries, onion rings, and quintessential British hits like mushy peas. My set all went for fries doused in vinegar and a shot of lemon, and pronounced themselves very full. Prices may seem a little on the steep side, but portions are filling and you get unparalleled views of the seaplanes taking off from a leaf-strewn bower on the water. Protip: They have free water, so save an extra lemon from your chips to flavour it. Damage: $30 for a salmon burger, one piece cod and chips, and two drinks. read more

Perfect Canadian meal. Step off the seaplane, walk a few yards to this floating restaurant and enjoy oysters, halibut and clams fresh off the boat. read more

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I was bit skeptical because of a few negative reviews here... But I really liked their food! My family and I had cod, halibut, oyster, shrimp and chips, and everything was very crispy and well-cooked. Staffs were very friendly as well. It is definitely not a 'cheap' place to eat, but overall we were very satisfied with their service and food. read more

The fish and chip were excellent! The Manager/owner was fun to talk to about where they sourced their fish. Evidently there is a boat by the name of the iron maiden that supplies them. Great location, thank you! read more

Kind of a cool setting. Floating on the docks eating fish. A pretty appropriate place for this type of food. Nothing special, no fancy this, or formal that. Just good old fashion food, while you look out over the marina. You will need to walk to the edge of the look out with the flags to see this place. Just walk down to the boat docks from there. read more

Troller's has a cute ambiance (floating in the marina) but has sadly hit a pitfall that snags many tourist-heavy venues: lacking substance. We had the 1pc halibut and 1pc cod with chips, respectively. We got an order of onion rings and a couple pops. It was...around $36? Little much. The batter on the cod wasn't fully cooked, although the piece was very large. the halibut was cooked properly but was smaller than the cashier said, leaving 1/2 of my party wishing they'd ordered a 2pc. Tartar was ok. Rings were ok. Overall I'm not that impressed, especially considering the reviews. I'll try some of the other local joints. read more

I had time to kill in downtown Nanaimo, so I took a stroll on the waterfront. I've passed Trollers many times over the years and finely decided to try out the food. I wish I had gone elsewhere. First the positives. The service was friendly and fast. The atmosphere on the dock was nautical, and the tables were clean. I ordered the one piece traditional halibut and fries. It came with a small portion of coleslaw and tartar sauce. The halibut portion was a fair size and it was cooked well, not overdone, just right. Unfortunately, the positives end here. There was no detectable seasoning on the fish, nor in the batter. The batter was heavy with oil and fried at too low of a temperature. There was no seasoning on the fries and they were mostly soggy or too well done, leftover from the previous batch. The coleslaw was predictable with no seasoning. The tartar sauce came right out of a jar complete with a tangy simulated flavour. BLAND is the word of the day here and I developed a stomach ache shortly after leaving. Fire the cook, keep the counter person! read more

Trollers Fish & Chips - Seafood Near Me - Nanaimo, British Columbia

Their fish and chips were good, but not mind blowing like some of the reviews I've read seem to suggest. I liked the fish at Pirate Chips just as much and their fries were a lot tastier. It is a nice place to visit though - right on the water. Nice scenery to look out on while you wait. read more

Nice location down near the marina. The staff were friendly and the food arrived quickly. My husband had the fish and chips and I had the crab cakes. Not much flavour in the crab cakes. My husband liked there was good fish to batter ratio. Glad we came, not sure we would go out of our way to visit again. read more

Trollers Fish & Chips - View from interior seating - Seafood Near Me - Nanaimo, British Columbia

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The freshest cod I've ever had. The restaurant is also located on prime real estate (right on the harbour). Definitely go here for fish & chips before any other place in Nanaimo. read more

Trollers Fish & Chips - Cod nuggets - Seafood Near Me - Nanaimo, British Columbia

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I can't remember if it's expensive or just Canadian, but the fish and chips are the best ever! We went twice during our stay in Nanaimo.

Love the batter, not too thick!! Quick service and great atmosphere! We all ordered halibut - so fresh and tasty. Coleslaw was a bit bland, but they are so busy it was super fresh and the dressing hadn't made its impact in the cabbage yet, everything else was fantastic. read more

This place has to be my new favourite restaurant for Fish and Chips! The fish is super fresh and when you bite down you can feel the crisp right between your teeth. The view is also very beautiful and the staffs are friendly. I will definitely come back in the future! read more

Trollers Fish & Chips - The best in Nanaimo harbour! - Seafood Near Me - Nanaimo, British Columbia

Delicious and decadent - poutine and halibut and chips. I'll come back again and again!!! read more

Trollers Fish & Chips - It was poutine o'clock when my sister and I ate here today. The poutine and the halibut and chips were both superb!! - Seafood Near Me - Nanaimo, British Columbia

Maybe it was an off day. Halibut and chips were average at best. Not inclined to return.

Super touristy place, we were excited to try the fish & chips since the reviews were spectacular. The outdoor seating area is beautiful and well designed. The clam chowder was runny, with hardly any clams in it. The crab cakes were delicious. The fish was greasy and overly battered, we got more batter than actual fish. We tried both the cod and the halibut, stick with the cod if you must go to Trollers. The staff are helpful and friendly. read more

Good place for fish and chips. The food was tasty, service fast and friendly, location casual. Ideal for seafood. Only complaint was that the fish had lots of unnecessary breading. I peeled it off and ate the fish. read more

Pretty good fish, great location, but a long wait.

Amazing.. loved the taste was really fresh and outdoors so the view was great! Would reccomend this place to anyone looking for some really good fish fry! read more

Good overall. Food was fast and halibut was not overcooked. Wife loved her cod. Price was a little much but what do you expect for the location. read more

delicious! I've had 3 different fish and chip places around Nanaimo since I got here 4 days ago and this is the best so far. And the cole slaw is actually delicious unlike most fish and chip places read more

Location is perfect but place is shabby. Still, the best fish and chips I've ever had!!!! Service is nice too, and the yam fries rock.

Excellent fish and chips. Great salmon. Order at the counter and get served on the table

Really good seafood cooked fresh. I love cod and chips and this is the place for them. They have many other selections. Light batter and good size portions. Great setting, right on the water. Can get really busy at times. I regret that they are only open during the summer as no where else in town compares to them. read more

Fish was excellent as usual. Fresh halibut yum! Service was good @ they're very polite. Had take out. No napkins or salt. Ordered yam fries and they were all stuck together. read more

Calamari was good but very disappointed with fish.We had the cod not cooked batter white and runny,what was cooked had no flavor. Would never go again. Ate early around 1115am not busy at all no reason for it not to be cooked. read more

Tried dinner here tonight. I ordered the grilled halibut with lemon and tartar with a side of coleslaw and my friend had the two piece cod and chips. Both meals were really good. My only complaint was that my halibut was over-seasoned with a dried herb blend and would've been better if it was just plain. Other than that, the food was good and the service was friendly. I would definitely eat here again. read more

Went to Troller's last weekend for the first time and had a great fish and chips. The staff were on top of things, ordering was smooth and the food was delicious. I ordered the cod nuggets meal for myself and the kids and everyone liked it -- crispy and delicious. Good bench seating outside with umbrellas, and a great location on Nanaimo's seawall. Close to the bastion, the shops and the marina. Also close to Penny's Palapas. We found this to be a great spot to take kids and have a nice fish and chips. read more

What a waste of time and money. I had the cod and chips and found it to be a tasteless mess of fried dough and even more tasteless fish. Have these people ever heard of seasonings. Never again. read more

Food was disgusting, unseasoned, and in edible. The halibut was prefrozen mush and the batter slipped right off. The cole lsaw was disturbingly sweet and the fries were undercooked and mushy. Overpriced mush completely, plus they charge 80 cents to refill sodas. read more

I've ordered halibut twice since the new owners took over.... I am passionate about food and flavour as it is my business and my pastime .... We also live right across the boat basin on Cameron Island..... I think the previous owners were somewhat connected to the halibut trade and these ladies knew what was going on as far as halibut and batter went..... The new owners are not part of this club; Both times after handling only the fish wrapping paper my hands were smelling very fishy,which should never happen.... I hope they learn more about handling fish, french fries and food .......It has to be a passion and it's easy to learn but you have to want to learn..People love this type of comfort food and they are willing to pay for it read more