We love this place! Their burgers, fries, onion rings, milkshakes are epic!! I fed them to my…read morehusband when he was in hospital!! Staff are awesome!! If you want to eat there they have some picnic tables outside and it's sweet, installed by my Rotary Club!!

there's something about a road trip that makes me crave things like milk shakes, fries, onion rings…read moreand burgers but being a vegetarian (that makes exceptions for bacon) means i often have few options when it comes to hole in the wall places. not so with pkls! i came in thinking their burgers were all beef and i was primed to just get onion rings or fries and a milkshake but i did a complete u turn when i realized there were beef, black bean, chicken and impossible burger options! i opted for a nathan's single to go and took it two blocks away where i ate next to the beach. [although i'm writing this review for a burger place i'll just say that snickett park is a great place to enjoy your take out of the weather is right.] this is definitely a take out place but the group of guys before me got handed their burgers and literally started chowing down before they had walked away so not sure if they were inanely hungry or overly excited about the food they'd ordered. there was a steady stream of what looked like locals coming in and placing orders right before noon so i'm going to assume this is a place that is on the radar of people in town when they get a certain hankering. for me, it served the purpose and it was tasty. i was back on the road after some time down at the water but if you're going to be in the vicinity of sechelt or passing through and need some all american menu items, they can help you out. one star off for the handwritten menu that's difficult to read and make sense of in places...i think that could be improved upon.

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.

Really enjoyed our meals. Some unique items on the menu. A bit pricey. Lovely waitress!!! I want…read moreto try the caesar with "snacks" attached. Check out their menu!!

What a fantastic little find. The staff are positive and engaging. The coffee is to die for…read more They don't skimp on the onion rings. Their soup is thick and hearty. But that lamb burger! The best! Make sure you stop here for a meal when going through Parksville.

Visiting the area and stopped in for dinner. We ordered three different burgers and all were…read moreexcellent, so good we came back three days later. The fries are great as are the mocktails. If you can get in before 5pm burger for 1/2 price. Highly recommend. Great service both visits

Pretty good burger joint…read more I had an ahi tuna special - with crispy wonton strips, great flavour and texture. Garlic truffle fries with aioli sauce went great with it. Everyone else loved the burgers. My son had the Big Dipper which he loved - au jus style. Would come back if one is in a burger mood.

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.

We found a great brunch spot before starting our trip!…read more We were in Nanaimo looking for a nice brunch spot before starting our Vancouver Island road trip, and Gabriel's Gourmet Cafe really hit the spot! We liked how easy the ordering system was. You pick up a menu, choose a table, decide what you want, and then order and pay at the counter. They give you a number, and they bring your food and drinks to your table. It's straightforward. The fresh, local ingredients stood out, and we would recommend this place if you want a tasty and filling meal. The portions were just right for our big appetites. The atmosphere was so relaxed we almost wanted to stay longer. We'd recommend starting the Nanaimo road trip here. Food: 5/5 Must Try! Service: 5/5 (hybrid-service) Kids: 3/5 Presentation: 2/5 Parking: Metered street parking is available throughout the surrounding neighbourhood. Tips: * Inside & outdoor seating available. * Great stop before heading out to explore Vancouver Island. * They have G/F and Vegan options. Would I Return: Yes

Awesome fresh food with great service. Probably my favourite place to get brunch in Nanaimo.read more

This is my second time there! It's a bit pricey but worth it. Staff is wonderful and gave my son…read morewater while we waited. The milkshakes were good but pricey. I ordered the king with a raspberry margarita and it was great, my blue cheese slider was a bit dry but tasty, the wings and other sides were hot and crispy. The other burgers and fries were delicious, my husband said it was the best burger he's had. the only thing I would change is one of the patios was so hot and the umbrellas didn't add enough coverage so a large tent would be better.

Met some friends here for dinner after a wonderful dinner the night before at another local place…read moreserving far different fare. The interior is very plain, and somewhat looks thrown together, and that's ok. It's not trying to be anything other than what it is, no apologies. When your claim to fame is a dinner, or lunch, on top of a Caesar in a glass, you are kind of throwing up your middle in defiance aren't you. The service was good, everything was well taken care of. The food itself is good and quite abundant. K's wings were very nicely cooked and quite plump. The sauce was meh, but that's a personal choice. The taco salad, which we shared was quite good as well, but the taco chips could have been of a better quality, or better yet made in house. My beef dip was pretty good, not fatty at all which is a turn off for me. Fries were abundant, but the au jus needed a helping hand. Our guests had wings as well and a hot chicken sandwich. Both were quite good as well. I could have seen a five star, and it was quite close, just not quite there. We'd go again though next time we are in Parksville!

We had a great meal from start to finish Chris really took care of us & you can see he really works…read morehard to be of service The fish tacos were great and the hot wings were spot on as well I loved that they had Dark Matter on tap Will definitely be back again when in town next time Thx Chris We really enjoyed our dinner !!

We were in Parksville for a quick getaway and came here one day for lunch. It wasn't busy when we…read morecame so we got a booth. The server was friendly and took our order pretty quickly. We had the lemon pepper wings, some Baja fish tacos and Maui burger. The fish taco was really good, the fish was flaky and had just enough sauce that it didn't feel dry. The burger was good too but we like the taco more. The wings were crispy and not too tangy ( lemony ). There's lots of parking as it's at one end of a strip mall/Canadian Tire/Oceanside Arena.