Wow! Amazing!! It's a real treat when you unexpectedly come across a Gem like this Restaurant My wife and I love good Mediterranean food and have had many wonderful meals of such but this one tops them all !! Every aspect of this meal was executed brilliantly It wasn't just dinner it was what we look for in a great experience and our server was a big part of that she was great ! The Atmosphere is old world beauty so comfortable and relaxing even with all activity and conversations Right from the first bit of our baked oyster to the final bit of the ekmek it was incredible and I don't use that word about food often Even the owner goes from table to table checking in and a free liquor a nice touch Just make a reservation and go experience this wonderful place for your self !!! read more

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We showed up without a reservation and they squeezed us in on a very busy night. This is obviously a very popular place and family run. Staff was professional, the owner greeted and welcomed us as we arrived and when we left. Food was outstanding! The lamb was delicious and well seasoned, sides very tasty and the baklava fresh and a great finish to the meal. It's not cheap, but well priced for this level of atmosphere, service and quality of food. Highly recommend...but probably best to call ahead and get a reservation. read more

We started off with an order of Melitzanosalada, which was probably the best melitzanosalada I've ever had. Creamy, savory, and just delicious. Also, the presentation of the pita bread was unique. Toasted, basted in olive oil, and sliced into 3 sections like "spears". Overall, a great appetizer. At the behest of our lovely waitress, we ordered the #1 Combination Platter because it had both the roast lamb & moussaka, two things I wanted to try the most. We also made one substitution - instead of calamari we asked to replace it with garlic prawns. The roast lamb was fall-off-the-bone, but not super flavorful. The moussaka was (surprisingly) a bit sweet, which wasn't the flavor profile I was expecting. The dolmades weren't great and the spanakopita was not impressive. Having said that, the garlic prawns were STELLAR. If I were to come back here, I'd order the garlic prawns with rice and extra garlic sauce. It was incredibly tasty and very satisfying. read more

On our way to catch the ferry back to the mainland we needed a good meal. Boy, did we hit gold. We were early and the place was empty except for a large table. They asked if we had reservations and when we said no they showed us to a table and told we have one hour. No worries we were there for an appetizer of garlicky eggplant dip and one main to share. The roast lamb dinner was great, the meat was savoury and fork tender alongside well done rice (I hate it mushy) and roasted potatoes. A fresh Greek salad with good (not chalky) feta. I could even taste the quality of the olive oil used was better than average. I can't forget to mention the fluffy pita bread, so handy to sop up those lamb juices. Are you drooling yet? We are making this a must have every visit to the island. read more

Really cute aesthetic in a house turned restaurant. Owner was friendly. Servers were nice although in the weeds so service suffered a little bit because they were down a server. Food was good and it had 3 vegetarian options. Saganaki was $18 and then up-charged $3.50 for the pita bread to go with it so that knocks a star off. read more

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Wow....great service great food Upon walking up to the restaurant at 6pm on a Tuesday you see it's in an old heritage house and the vibe was excellent but was already full and hopping with dinners We walked in without a reservation ( reservations are needed ) and they found a spot for us. We ordered the whipped feta appetizer then prawn/scallop souvlaki special Absolutely awesome both dishes we really enjoyed the food and experience Highly recommend read more

Astera's Greek Taverna - Prawn/Scallop Souvlaki - Greek Near Me - Nanaimo, British Columbia

We have eaten at Astera's Greek Taverna twice and have not been disappointed. We arrived by boat, and walked a short distance through the trail and park, to Old Quarter. Astera is located in a lovely home, with plants around and little touches. The wait staff is friendly and knowledgeable. The menu is varied and tasty. We loved our tasty Moussaka meal. We will return. read more

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Our go to place for family events. Always delicious food and fabulous, friendly service. Love this place! read more

Astera's Greek Taverna - Greek Near Me - Nanaimo, British Columbia

What a wonderful dinner! We were impressed with the cozy, warm interior, friendly staff, and delicious flavors. We'd visit again in a heartbeat! read more

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Well there's a reason this has so many 5 star reviews for so many years. They do what they do well!! Make a reservation for this lovely place. It's cozy but not cramped and the service is beyond excellent. This was a special treat with some wonderful friends. The roasted lamb was fall-off-the-bone amazing. We also had a few shrimp appetizers which were incredible. So much attention to the flavor details. Very Wow! read more

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This small restaurant serves good size portions of really tasty food. I had the house specialty, roast lamb, and it was delicious. My wife had the chicken souvlaki and it was great. Everything on our plates was tasty and nothing was left over. Be sure to make a reservation. read more

We happen to stumble upon this restaurant while driving around. We decided to try it out, had no idea how popular it was. We did not have reservations but the owner was so accommodating and got us in immediately (we went early on a Friday night). We were seated immediately and were told that we had an hour and 15 mins (plenty of time). The food was amazing and the wait staff were so attentive, knowledgeable and super friendly. I highly recommend this restaurant if you are ever visiting the area. Best Greek food we've had in a long time. Thank you to all of you at Astera's. read more

I went here last year and have thought about it periodically since my visit. This place is amazing! I was lucky enough to stumble across it when looking for restaurants to go with my family . The grilled octopus special was amazing!!! Every dish I tried was great , including the dessert. The owner is nice , and I like the vibe in there. I would recommend this place to anyone in Nanaimo. read more

Authentic Greek vibes in the heart of Nanaimo! If you're craving tender, flavour-packed souvlaki and the creamiest tzatziki of your life, Asteras is the place to be. Located in the charming Old City Quarter, this hidden gem serves up traditional Greek dishes in the coziest atmosphere. Everything we tried was a 10/10. Pro tip: Don't leave without trying their tzatziki. It's THAT good! And, make sure to reserve before going on weekends because they tend to be packed. Parking 4.5/5 Food 5/5 Ambiance 5/5 Service 5/5 read more

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The waiters were humorous, attentive and conversational; finding out that it was family owned and operated. The food was insanely delicious, the best Greek food I've ever had in my entire life! Just walking into the restaurant I knew it was going to be good food, it was very clean and new-time modern vibe. read more

This place is great, I totally get why there were rated the number 1 restaurant in Nanaimo. The food is excellent and very reasonably priced for the amount you get. The service is amazing and the staff is so friendly. The restaurant is adorable, it's an old renovated house and has limited seating, so make sure to get a reservation early. read more

Food and service is wonderful! Healthy and delicious. Lots of yummy vegetarian options too. Will definitely be returning.

Hands Down Best Greek Food I have ever Had! You can taste the love in the food and the attention to detail. The atmosphere feels warm and loving like a family. Attentive staff, everyone working together, beautiful really :-) Had both the specials for appetizer and Main course, Chef's Kiss to both. read more

Beautiful little gem tucked away in a Victorian property downtown. Great service. -- we ordered pita bread, Nagasaki, and a spot prawn appetizer special. The bread was top notch - crispy, great texture. The sauce on the prawn special was just heavenly. Dip the bread in it - wow! Two of us ordered moussaka and a third ordered Alfredo fettuccine. Alfredo sauce was spot on. Great flavour. The moussaka - it was OK, but I wouldn't call it great. The flavour and texture doesn't really stand out for me. The restaurant treated us to a dessert on the house. I love that. It was really really good too - I'm not sure what it is exactly, some kind of cream on top of honey drizzled filo dough strips. Overall we liked it and would go back. read more

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Food was amazing but the service was better! Love the conversion of a house into a restaurant. Very unique. Make a reservation. read more

Astera's Greek Taverna - Combo platter #1. Feeds two but really three. - Greek Near Me - Nanaimo, British Columbia

One of My All-Time Favorite Dining Experiences..., A Must-Visit on the island of Nanaimo! As someone who travels often and dines at restaurants around the world, I rarely hand out 5-star reviews..., but Asteras absolutely deserves it. From the warm atmosphere to the attentive servers and incredible food, everything about this place was outstanding. The owner personally came to my table, something he seems to do for every guest, and asked if I knew the specials. I told him everything looked great, but being from Chicago (home of some of the best food anywhere), I was hoping for something memorable. His response: "I will prepare a great dinner for you." And wow... he delivered. He brought out a plate of roasted lamb and seafood pasta..., both of which were phenomenal. The roasted lamb was without question the most tender, juiciest, and flavorful I've ever had. The seafood pasta was equally impressive, packed with incredibly fresh seafood and rich flavors that didn't overpower the ingredients. From start to finish, this meal was unforgettable. I'll absolutely try to make read more

Astera's Greek Taverna - Greek Near Me - Nanaimo, British Columbia

Out favourite restaurant in Nanaimo! And all our guests that come from different provinces always are looking forward to come here! Always welcoming atmosphere, food is amazing, delicious, try lamb, shrimps and desert with custard! Mmmm read more

With the lovely K out for dinner with clients I was dining solo, which is always an adventure. Astera's didn't disappoint in the food, ambiance or speed of service. My chicken souvlaki was plentiful, nicely cooked and came out quite quickly. For $26 however I would have expected the pita to be included, but it was and extra $3 for two pieces. I passed as I wouldn't have been able to eat both as well as my meal. The house wine was tasty, and I am certain I got more than my half litre, but who would complain. Emily took great care of me, stopping in to top up my wine and make sure I was well cared for. The other staff was also very helpful, and the owner stopped in a couple of times as well. Next time we are in Nanaimo we will have to stop in as K loves lamb chops. read more

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Took our staff out for a Xmas lunch and everything from service to food was absolutely spot on!!

Our server was wonderful, fast and very friendly. My table mates food was good but I got the bottom corner piece of moussaka - dried out and stale - framed by about a half kilo of huge, thick cut tasteless carrots. At first I thought they were yams (I like neither). I also received about a half cup of salad. read more

Astera's is located inside a residential house that has been remodeled to a restaurant. It keeps it's warmth and welcoming atmosphere with the help of the friendly staff and amazing meals. Highly recommend reservations as they fill out quickly and get quite busy. We came by early on a Wednesday (like the moment they opened) and was lucky enough to get seated with a generous time limit. Listen to the specials, as there may be something that catches your ear (and your stomach). We had the shrimp appetizer special, pita bread, roasted lamb and the chicken pasta special. The shrimp appetizer was amazing, basically tons of shrimp in a feta a tomoto sauce and the size of a meal so there was plenty to share between two. Roasted lamb is slow roasted until it falls off the bone and served with a pile each of rice, potato, greek salad and veggies. The pasta was amazing also, but we couldn't finish that much food so had a whole box of take away at the end of the night. Our server even gave us some restaurant recommendations when she heard we would be travelling to Tofino later on. Such nice people! Great atmosphere, amazing service, delicious food and large portions. Couldn't possibly ask for more. read more

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Really delicious Greek food, on par with some of my favourite Greek restaurants in Vancouver and Toronto. The restaurant is super busy, so I'd highly recommend making a reservation a week or two in advance. They have a lot of tables and staff, but even then it took us quite awhile to be seated despite our 8 pm reservation. A couple of parties that arrived before us were seated first, for some reason. Service is very friendly - they are just super busy so things can move slowly. The food came relatively fast as well. We opted to sit in their outdoor patio - it's very spacious and pretty with the lights. We ordered the lamb souvlaki and fried calamari dinner. The lamb was super tender, flavourful and had a delicious grilled taste. Although I asked for the souvlaki to be done medium-rare, it came a bit more medium, yet it was still very tender so I didn't mind. The calamari were crispy and not too oily, and there was a generous portion. Both dishes came with rice, Greek salad, roasted potatoes, tzatziki, and carrots. The Greek salad was very good and had lots of feta. I was not the biggest fan of the carrots, and the roasted potatoes were okay. The rice was a bit disappointing, normally I find Greek rice to be super flavourful but Astera's rice is pretty bland. However the other parts of the dish are flavorful enough to make up for it. If I ever visit Nanaimo again, I'd definitely aim to visit Astera's again! It's totally worth the hype. read more

Astera's Greek Taverna - Lamb souvlaki dinner $24 - Greek Near Me - Nanaimo, British Columbia

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Have been here several times and always an enjoyable experience with great food. Loved the shared platters.

One of the best restaurants in Nanaimo. Authentic Greek food in an adorable character house. Make a reso or you will wait in the hall. I warned you! read more

The staff was excellent. It was our anniversary and we love the presentation, the amount of food and the atmosphere. read more

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Amazing service! Best Greek I have had in years. Wish I lived closer so I could go here all the time! The atmosphere was wonderful, traditional and just a great experience. 100 percent recommen! read more

Best restaurant experience of my life. Food, ambiance, location, wine etc.. The food tasted home made and was absolutely perfect. Gorgeous location, cozy and upbeat lively restaurant experience. The food was top notch. To top things off.. the owner greeted us at the end of our meal and gave us all free dessert which was completely unexpected. We were a large party. read more

We had a wonderful meal last night at this beautiful restaurant. The food was delicious, and the ambience and service were top notch. The owner was very friendly and made a point of making sure everything was to our satisfaction. We will be back soon. Recommend reservations, as the place was packed at 5 pm. read more

Thank you to the staff for accommodating us without a reservation and for their top notch hospitality. I envisioned taking home half my meal because portions at Greek restaurants are quite generous. Let's say I ate the most seasoned lamb in my life and the Greek salad tastes like no other, it was perfect. The decor of the restaurant was cozy and nice for any occasion, I will definitely find my way back. read more

Absolutely nothing wrong with this place. Food was real good and the place was hopping. Nice folks helping out. Lookers. Busy busy during the busy times. read more

Food is always delicious and ambiance lovely Especially love the ekmec and oysters All souvlaki so tender and tasty read more

Food was cold , service was the same. Asked for bread it came with the meal , supposed to come before the meal. Probably won't be going back

We arrived without a reservation at 6:45pm and needed to wait about 20 mins for a table. A lot of people had finished dining around 7:30pm, and the restaurant emptied out some: plus the noise level fell a lot. The service is friendly and attentive without being intrusive or pushy. The meal was excellent: we had mixed mezes to start and then variations of souvlaki. Good value. read more

Astera's Greek Taverna - Special seafood souvlaki main course - Greek Near Me - Nanaimo, British Columbia

Great food and great service! Delicious seafood souvlaki and super tender lamb! The calamari was amazing too! Will be back! read more

Astera's Greek Taverna - Delicous prawn and scallop souvlaki and my husband's roasted lamb was super tender! The calamari was great also! Will be back! - Greek Near Me - Nanaimo, British Columbia

If you want Greek, this is the place to go. I've never been disappointed. Great to see an owner take so much pride in his restaurant. Built in an old home, its ambiance is amazing. Not only of the fire authentic, it's plentiful. Def a must go read more