Location: Nanaimo
Top Restaurants in Nanaimo
Where to eat Seafood food in Nanaimo: The Best Restaurants and Bars
Reviews on Seafood food in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada. Vancouver Island's second-largest city is a picturesque oceanfront town with fabulous mountain views and a busy harbor. Home to events like the harbor's Bathtub Race, the city of 75,000 offers outdoor opportunities from full-moon kayaking to golfing. Boat-fresh seafood graces tables at an ever-increasing number of restaurants. This gateway to island adventures is easily reached by fast ferry or floatplane from downtown Vancouver or by scheduled ferries from Horseshoe Bay and Tsawwassen.
Things to do in Nanaimo
10. Bold Knight Restaurant
Overall Ratings
3 based on 106 reviews
Reviewed By tetsanomad
I was a fan of my chicken cordon bleu .... but the salad dissapointed me ! Stole a bite of grilled tiger prawns from my hubby's plate.. they were SUPERYUM !! kind of regretted not ordering them ! Had to wait for drink service though ! Got my drink after reminding the waitress twice !
9. Maggie's Seafood Market - Fish and Chips
Overall Ratings
5 based on 12 reviews
Reviewed By milburnski
Got off the ferry from Vancouver looking for lunch. Went to TripAdvisor. My criteria was seafood, not too close to the ferry terminal, willing to pay for quality fish, fancy surroundings not so much.Maggie's Seafood Market hit all the buttons. Located in a strip mall, which is not big deal as Nanaimo is basically one long strip mall, but not too easy to see from the street. "In GPS we trust." One of those places that probably sells more fish than meals, they had a good selection of fresh and frozen seafood.The is a basic "plastic basket" of food on a formica tabletop kind of place, and not inexpensive, so you know when you order that you're either getting ripped off or you're paying for good fish. Trust me, it's all about the fish at Maggie's.I had the halibut fish and chips, wife had the crab cakes. Both perfect. As other reviewers mentioned, the fish was succulent and the breading light and crispy, just the way it's supposed to be. The crab cakes tasted like actual crab and plenty of it.The fries good, coleslaw excellent. The only thing missing was a beer, they don't have a license.I noticed she had homemade chowder in the freezer, bought some for dinner which we warmed up later in the campground. Not cheap, but we were rewarded with some of the very best ever, perfectly seasoned, and chock full of clams and mussels. This is not your typical restaurant chowder where you get a base of clam juice and maybe three actual clams if you're lucky. When the two of us were done, we had a whole bowl of shells.These are good people, working hard to put out a quality product at a fair price, who deserve your support. I for one, will go back, might make a point of going through Nanaimo just so I can.
8. Pirate Chips
Overall Ratings
3 based on 205 reviews
Reviewed By MS350
First of all we ordered the Haddock Fish and chips. The fish pieces were generous and not greasy. Fries were good. The only downside is they were out of coleslaw and didn't offer anything as a replacement. Extra fries? Would have been nice! The waiter talked us into trying the deep fried Nanaimo Bar. Boy, are we glad we did! It was served with whipped cream, ice cream and chocolate sauce and 2 spoons. It was delicious!! Would definitely go back just for dessert!
Where to eat Japanese food in Nanaimo: The Best Restaurants and Bars
7. Beefeaters Chop House and Grill
Overall Ratings
3 based on 209 reviews
Reviewed By Merle B
This is longstanding restaurant that is very close to our b.c. Ferry system and overlooks the Newcastle channel and the marina. It has a good menu and reasonable prices. I usually go for their daily roast beef special . My husband likes their salmon. The atmosphere is good, the staff are great and overall it is a very nice spot for lunch or dinner.
6. Lighthouse Bistro and Pub
Overall Ratings
3 based on 464 reviews
Lighthouse Bistro & Pub Fresh Local and Sustainable. The Lighthouse is the place to meet your friends and colleagues for some of the best food the West Coast has to offer. A variety of unique, fresh seafood, sushi and other dishes are served up in both th
Reviewed By drtgfnz
Went here for a late lunch. Seated quickly and water provided. Waited for drink order to be taken and even longer wait for meal order. Staff friendly enough but as this was not a busy period, more inclined to have their own social time behind the bar. Food okay. For a holiday weekend, âjust okayâ may not be in their customers best interests. One nice touch, without being asked, server created a bill for each couple at the table. Thought afterwards this might have backfired had assumptions been made!
5. Minnoz Restaurant & Lounge
Overall Ratings
4 based on 226 reviews
Reviewed By Rick K
Had a bussiness breakfast meeting. Should have stuck with toast and coffee as they were good. Three of us wanted soft poached eggs. All three were over cooked, how do you miss all three. Told the server and was offered to have them done over. Since I do not like wasting or throwing out food I ate my breakfast.The coffee was really good and the toast was toasted to perfection. Next time I will cook my own eggs at home.Hello RickI am sorry to read that your food was not satisfactory. I have mentioned this to the kitchen in order not to make the error in the future. We really appreciate your feedback.
Most Popular Healthy food in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada
4. Firehouse Grill
Overall Ratings
4 based on 348 reviews
Reviewed By Sylvia B
I'm glad I didn't read the reviews before going because we would have missed a great meal. We'd dithered about where to go for dinner and decided to try The Firehouse Grill because we'd never been there. We were greeted and seated promptly at a table for two. When the booth next to us vacated we asked if we could switch and were accommodated without hesitation. Coffee and refills were served promptly and our server (petite girl, pony tail - didn't get her name) was extremely observant of our needs and very friendly. My husband selected from the Sushi menu, a choice I was hesitant about since this is a Grill House. However, not only was his selection artistically presented, it was also delicious. Who'd have thought. I opted for the Californian burger with grilled chicken breast instead of beef. It came with a spicy crab topping and cucumber and avocado. It looked a little barren, but it was very tasty. We topped of the evening with the Firehouse Cheesecake. Since I love coconut, this was the perfect choice. Again, presented nicely and flavorful. If the standard of service and food we experienced this evening is the norm, we would definitely go back. I strongly recommend you give this place a try.
3. Dinghy Dock Pub & Floating Restaurant
Overall Ratings
4 based on 617 reviews
The Dinghy Dock Pub & Restaurant has been an attraction in Nanaimo, British Columbia since 1989. The expansive views, relaxed atmosphere and great pub fare make us a popular destination year round. We are the only registered floating pub in Canada making
Reviewed By Beersnbites
Thereâs nothing like The Dinghy Dock. After a ten minute ferry ride from Nanaimoâs inner harbor to Protection Island, youâre on a floating pub with a spectacular view of Nanaimo and area. Unfortunately, not everything the pub offers lives up to its unique location.Iâve been here a few times over the years, and on this occasion, it was to see an amazing acoustic concert by Nanaimoâs blues sensation David Gogo. Kudoâs to the owner for bringing in such great live music!We arrived for supper, and hereâs where things started to slide sideways. The shared Crispy Cauliflower appie ($12) was okay, my Cobb Salad ($19) a little less so. The anemic white chicken pieces, guacamole instead of the usual avocado slices, meh ranch dressing, and flavorless tomato slices that were probably flown in from Mexico in the midst of tomato season did nothing to elevate this salad to something special, the ample pieces of bacon and blue cheese being its saving grace. I finished the salad doubting that any of the individual ingredients had been prepared in-house. My partnerâs cheeseburger (about $16) suffered from a reportedly dry patty, and my friendâs Herb Roasted Halibut ($23) was again overcooked and perched beside a virtual mountain of shredded carrot, all atop some salad greens. He wasnât impressed.A reasonable selection of beer is offered with Longwood, Hoyne, and Driftwood being the main brews. Prices are average at around $7 for a sixteen ounce glass. Cocktails and a small wine selection are also available. Service started okay and became non-existent as the evening wore on, with waits of up to a half hour for drinks. Granted it was busy because of the concert, but this place is often busy on good days when the patios are open. An undrinkable glass of a go-to craft lager from a fresh cask (wrong cask?) had to be returned to the bar after we couldnât get our serverâs attention. That said, our initial appie order was replaced without issue after it showed up drizzled in a creamy parmesan sauce we had requested on the side.Iâll be back for David Gogoâs great annual acoustic show next year, but not before then. If youâre looking for a nice ferry ride to a unique pub in a stunning five star location, definitely check out the Dingy Dock, but expect two to three star food and service on a good day.
2. Troller's Fish & Chips
Overall Ratings
4 based on 293 reviews
Troller's offers a wonderful outdoor dining experience. Troller's is open from April 1st until Thanksgiving Sunday. Closing time varries through out the season, we are generally open till Dusk.
Reviewed By Chris B
A good place to get fish and chips on the water although not the best views and always seemed very busy . Friendly staff and a little expensive. Not many places to sit . Customer behaviour wasnât good ! Some rude American tourists put pressure on 2 young girls to get their table from them and another young American couple refused to let a dad and Daughter sit next to them on a table for 4 ! Needed to take a BC chill pill I think as itâs a fish and chop eatery not the ritz ! Would recommend and hopefully you get nicer neighbouring customers.
1. The View Oceanside Grill
Overall Ratings
4 based on 149 reviews
We are a casual fine dining restaurant located oceanside with tremendous views in beautiful Nanaimo. We offer new and old trends using local ingredients in a scratch kitchen. Our bar contains some of the finest local beers and wines. Our dining room boast
Reviewed By lindenCR
Found this little gem quite by accident but sure glad we did! Atmosphere is lovely, the staff (and there were only 2 working the night we were there!) were extremely friendly, attentive and knowledgeable about the menu, and the food....OMG...the food was out of this world! Hubby had the dinner special (rib eye with prawns) and said it was one of the best steaks he'd ever had! I had the summer carbonara and it was the best pasta dish I've ever eaten! Portions are large, everything is fresh and the prices were extremely reasonable! We'll definitely return to this spot when we're next in Nanaimo to try more delicious offerings on the menu!
Where to eat Mediterranean food in Nanaimo: The Best Restaurants and Bars
