The lovely K picked the place for our lunch today. Not often she misses the mark, but she almost…read morehad a swing and a miss here. It's bare bones in the decor department, with the wooden floors showing a fair amount of wear and tear. The kitchen service was quite slow, with our three meals taking quite some time considering the place was almost empty. The fryer is someone friend, but the items we ordered were over cooked. The menu has plenty of chicken items on it, but we were informed upon sitting that they had no chicken, other than wings. K ordered the wings, and when they landed she asked for some dip, which never materialized, though our server did come by and mention it after we had finished eating. She mentioned she asked the kitchen for it, but then Buddy in the kitchen sneezed and had to wash his hands, at least he did that. In the time he washed his hands the dip was a forgotten memory. My veggie sandwich was ok, but the cream cheese was very evident overpowering the rest. The sliders were ok according to our guest, but identifying the fried additions took a while to identify. The washrooms were very clean, which was a positive. I can't imagine being there when it's busy, you'd wait an eternity for your food I fear. Not a redo for us, sorry.

Conveniently located off the Hwy between Nanaimo and Ladysmith, Cassidy Country Kitchen was the…read moreideal place to stop for a quick breakfast. I was served quickly and was very satisfied with my breakfast sandwich and potatoes. Friendly service too. I will definitely drop in again when passing by.

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.

PATHETIC customer service! ! Stayed at the Dorchester Hotel (great service) my last night in…read moreNanaimo (Jun. 24) and stood at the entrance waiting for 1 of the 2 waitresses to acknowledge me. Neither of them did. After 10 minutes, the bartender (kudos to him) ended up seating me with the menus and brought up the extended Happy Hour. The "blond" waitress whose section was where I was seated, showed up with a glass of ice water and said "I'll be back". For the next 30 minutes, she repeated walked back and forth past my table, intentionally avoiding eye contact, and even thought it was more importance to wipe down 1 of her 2-seater pub tables than to return and take my order. After 30 minutes, I walked out, was provided the restaurant owner David P's personal email by the front desk (they apologized) and emailed him my experience on Jun. 26. He's never responded ! ! I can only presume that he's the one whose set the standard (or lack of) for how his waitstaff conduct themselves. I've had many breakfasts at Top Notch and the morning staff have always been fantastic. But after this experience, I'd strongly recommend that Dorchester guests and non-guests check out the better quality restaurants in the area (Modern Cafe, Gina's, Minnoz Restaurant in the Coast Bastion). The customer service and food are both far-superior and you'll never have the bottom-tier service experience at those options.

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?!

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 !

Very pleasant service. Fried salmon was quite greasy. Ribs were OK, could have been meatier. Shrimp…read moretaco was small but good. Way too many fries. The $65 surf and turf for two is a decent value. Clean restaurant with reasonable prices. Would have been four stars if the salmon wasn't so greasy.

Great shakes and antique mall within, I love the decor. Decent burger and fries but was a bit…read moresurprised when it closed at 6pm on a Saturday (it was hot in June but maybe not quite peak season so most business is mid-day?) I've not been to Lake Cowichan since childhood but this place matched the summer vibe more than anything else I saw, I'd recommend it just because it is good but give it bonus points for nostalgia.

The diner has a very cute interior. The one taking order is very friendly! We were struggling to…read morechoose which pizza, so he offered to do half and half. The pizza was great. It was flavorful and full of toppings. The poutine is ok. I just prefer crunchier fries, but I like how they gave generous amount of cheese. This is a good stop near lake cowichan for lunch. Their specialties are the burgers and the milkshake though.

Zack's Lounge is known as a cozy favourite spot for many…read morelocals who stop to enjoy a bite to eat, a chin wag & a fine bevy (or two). The atmosphere is welcoming, the food is good & staff are friendly & efficient. Their location in the of Ladysmith is ideal & the patio is a nice alternate space for customers to sit & enjoy their time @ Zack's. Cheers" Lisa B

Food 10/10 service the same. Always stops on he way through to Vic from Ukee…read more Sprouts chicken n tostadas. Caesars are banging

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.

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.