Could not be happier that the Arbutus Lounge exists (and the distillery) in our town. This place…read morerivals the best quality cocktails I've had in major cities, and when you factor in the INCREDIBLY low price, it truly can't be beat. From the classic martini to the weird and wonderful Where the Wild Things Are, and everything in between, the drink list is unique and exciting with something for everyone. The mixologists are amazing, and they even have board games and snacks available. They also do a happy hour, but I can never get there in time so can't speak to it. By far the best kept secret in Nanaimo!

Just discovered this place! Awesome craft cocktails from a serious mixologist. Never even knew this…read moreplace was here, as it's kinda hiding out of sight on a bit of an industrial park road. Nice cozy eclectic atmosphere with herbs and flowers drying all around. The cocktail menu is lengthy and def has something for everyone. Each drink has a chart letting you know sweet, herbal, boozy, etc. Not very busy on a Friday night, I imagine people haven't discovered it just like we didn't! Check it out!

Duncan's best-kept secret just set the gold standard. From the moment we walked into the Old…read moreFirehouse, it felt like we were stepping into a vibe that hits that rare, perfect note: elevated but unpretentious, energetic but intimate. Huge shoutout to Owner-turned-Mixology-Mastermind Jeff, who absolutely crushed it behind the bar -- every cocktail and mocktail was a handcrafted work of art that could hold court in any top-tier city. We're talking serious flavour fireworks here. And April -- what can we say? Her service made us feel like VIPs who owned the joint. She read the room, anticipated every move, and wrapped the whole evening in the kind of hospitality you can't teach: pure instinct, heart, and grace. The food? Next level. Every bite was a flex of flavor and presentation. The kitchen is clearly playing in its own league, balancing creativity with pure culinary muscle. Combine that with an ambience that feels like cozy meets cool, and you've got an absolute home run. If you haven't experienced Firehouse Grill yet, fix that immediately.

Excellent eats and great service. Interesting specials, and a cozy vibe. No notes. Friendly and…read moreattentive staff.

Omg!! First time ever being there. Service was great and our…read morewaiter answered all our questions about the menu, Food was phenomenal!! No wonder there is always a wait time to get on. I highly recommend this restaurant.

We have had many great Sunday Brunches. Staff are wonderful and so are the drinks and foodread more

Highly recommend for a relaxed bar atmosphere. We're not big drinkers but we were drawn in by the…read morelive music, decided to stop and have a drink. The lady behind the bar (owner, I believe) chatted with us about books and gave drinks recommendations. It's a tiny spot, but it's super cozy.

Cute cottage cocktail bar on the island. First stop on our college girls reunion trip and it did…read morenot disappoint. The ambience is cozy with a little nautical flare. Bar seating & a handful of bar top tables located inside. Self serve water crafts and a whole menu of fun cocktails and light bites with locally sourced items. The So Long Summer was a refreshing drink. The owner chatted with us and gave us the run down of all items harvested today. Blueberries being one of them, score! Definitely a must pop in to start off an island vacation.

Love the place very friendly and good serves the owner is a a hoot a great person I recommend it…read morehighly give it a try and tell her Leo says Hi

Had SO much fun!! Delicious cocktails, clean comfortable space, and the staff are the best. Thanks…read moreto Jason for taking care of us on our night out in Nanaimo! We had the best time! Love forever! ^_^

Stumbled upon this place via Yelp (thanks fellow Yelpers) when we were in town for a cruise. So…read moreglad that we found it as the establishment was a gem. The owner and staff were so welcoming / made our dinner even more special. Restaurant has classy, modern, and hip decor. There's also a bar area for drinks. We had several of their pasta dishes and all were very good. Nice selection of wines, which we enjoyed with our meal. We had a large party (9 people) and they did a great job of serving us - meals came out quickly and efficiently. They really added to the specialness of our group vacation.

I met a friend here last night for an early-ish dinner. Made a reservation for 5:30pm and the…read morerestaurant was practically empty, save for a few diners outside on the patio and one or two occupied tables inside. The interior was super cute but small/intimate. This would be a good place to go on a date night as the volume inside wasn't deafening; you could easily carry on a conversation with your dining partners (surprisingly, I can't say this about many restaurants lately - especially in Yaletown!). The center of the restaurant is occupied by a bar-island. You'd think with a name like "Alchemy" that they'd be known for their cocktail concoctions here but, IMO, this cute place is more of a pasta/bistro/pub than a cocktail lounge. Their alcoholic beverage menu seemed more run-of-the-mill standard to me. Here are the positives: -the staff here are AMAZINGLY nice and attentive. Like, SO nice and friendly! -there's a pretty fast turnover time between ordering and receiving your foods and drinks. -as mentioned above, the restaurant is cute and intimate, there's a nice patio, and the interior volume is very reasonable. -they have a really good happy hour menu, and it's every single day, from 3-6pm. -they have a daily special, including "pasta Monday", where every pasta dish costs $17.95. -their everyday menu is pretty varied with quite a few options for "pub" food (i.e., pasta and pizza, chicken wings and burgers, and mains that include steak and salmon and chicken). Their desserts look pretty decent, too. (The creme brûlée sounds particularly good!). We were there for Happy Hour, so I got a glass of excellent pinot Grigio and my friend ordered a Malbec (or two!), and we shared a Margherita pizza and some tortilla chips with artichoke dip. The presentation of the chips and dip was amazing (a neighboring table had ordered this dish and it looked so good, we had to order it too). And both the pizza and the chips and dip were really good. Really good. The only reason I'm deducting a star is because there was a dirty napkin on the floor by my feet. That was kinda a turn-off for me. The rest of the table and restaurant were very clean. It was just this one dirty napkin. (I took a photo, attached). (Wish there was a way to just deduct half a star TBH). This was a fun local place, with very reasonable prices for good bistro-like fare, and the staff here was fantastic. I'd definitely return.

TL;DR: Yes, it's a tiki bar. That's about as far as it goes…read more Drinks: Coming from someone with a rum shelf and a closet of tiki mugs, this was thin. Very limited rum selection, nothing distinctive. The menu reads like flashcards: Trade Winds, Trader Vic's Grog, Saturn. Correct, competent. Vibe: The ambiance is fun and well done. It checks the boxes, but it doesn't push past them. What could be better: Depth. The rum program feels bare, and there's no sense of curiosity. Bottom line: If you don't know tiki, you'll probably have a good time. If you do, have a daiquiri and move on. My review matches what the locals say - Yup, it's a tiki bar.

Great ambiance, good friendly service, a private karaoke room, and stellar cocktails, what more…read morecould you ask for. If I lived here I would definitely become a regular.

Copper Otter provided one of our best meals on Pender Island after a full day of exploring and…read morebefore catching the ferry. The restaurant felt upscale yet comfortable, with a welcoming mix of locals, visitors, and families. Service was friendly and attentive. We sat in a booth near the entrance with a clear view across the lively dining room. The drinks weren't especially memorable, but the food was delicious. My dining companion described the seafood linguine as one of the better meals of the trip, while my Smashburger lived up to its reputation. We were too full for dessert, but perhaps next time. Enjoy!

Awesome smash burger experience! Staff so helpful and knowledgeable. Best restaurant interior on…read morePender.

Nice place to visit. Great cocktails. Unfortunately their products aren't up to snuff. I bought…read moretheir Lavender Gin at a local liquor store. It is the worse hard liquor I have ever bought. Lavender?? No, just some slightly amber gin that I can't even mix with anything. Whitley Niell makes a great Parma Lavender Gin that I first tried in a cocktail in Portsmouth UK. It isn't sold in Canada anymore unfortunately and was only for a short period. That was the reason I snapped up the Roots and Wings gin but I am resigned to using it for cleaning. I did try some of their other products and only the Abisnstine impressed me. I would have loved to have given a great review of their liquor but that wasn't possible. Drinking their cocktails is a different thing as they have a great mixologist. My advice- visit them, get a sample before buying, and buy only what tastes good to you. Everyone has different tastes.

Was at Fort Langley for lunch so figured I should stop by here on my way home since it was less…read morethan a 10min drive away. It wasn't busy at all when I arrived. I was the only there since it was 1pm on a Monday after all. Was about to grab to an Old Fashion after looking at their online menu, but was then told that they did flights so that's what I got. The flight; You choose six from a list of about 15. They do primarily vodka, but they do have some whiskey, gin, and even am Absinthe. I was very happy with all 6 and would order them again. I won't really go into any detail about each spirit since everyone has their own preference when it comes to alcohol. What I can say is that their Old Fashioned Spirit was my favorite. The service: The person working at the time was really friendly and helpful. Willing to answer questions about the spirits and make recommendations. The distillery: It's small and due to Covid Protocols they're only accepting 6 people in the building; however, they have a lot of outdoor space to enjoy. Their pick-up truck bar is the most eye catching so that's where we sat. I'd 100% come back here and if I lived in Langley I'd probably make this place one of my go to hangouts.

Amazing food, lovely setting!…read more We stayed the weekend at Inn at shop Bay and decided to start the weekend off with dinner in their restaurant. We started with a drink in the bar, which was delicious. Handcrafted margarita. For dinner we had Oysters, muscles, salad, magalista, scallops and halibut. My husband cannot stop raving about the flavors on the scallops. The scallops were cooked perfectly. The halibut was too notch. I don't know what the creamy sauce was on the side of the dish but it was absolutely phenomenal. The service was spot on. What a lovely place for a romantic evening. Thank you I'm at Ship Bay for the amazing food

The food was delicious and the service staff was nice & Friendly! The ambiance was relaxing. I…read morewould have given this Inn restaurant a 5-rating. But one mushroom dish that we ordered was very salty. Their prime rib special was so delicious and priced right. I highly recommend this place. Nice and cozy!