I was only in town for three days, but ended up coming to this lovely restaurant twice during my…read morestay. Apparently the owner chef has been there for more than 10 years. The food quality was outstanding and service was top-notch. I highly recommend.

We came here for the Reuben and were not disappointed! Thankfully we decided to split the sandwich…read more(with fries) and added the Little Gem salad. Wow! What a great combination and great flavours! Plenty enough for lunch for two people. The meat on the Reuben was so juicy and flavourful and the Little Gem salad was amazing. We throughly enjoyed our meal. The service was great; quick, friendly and welcoming. I would definitely come here again when back in Nanaimo.

The waitress was so mean to a customer. Unprofessional…read moreand we left and will not be back. Management didn't stop at the waitress for belittling the customer.

Not really impressed. We ended up here due to the missing two ferries. We needed somewhere to pass…read moretime, have lunch (plus a drink) that was close enough walking distance to the ferry terminal. Out of the two pubs nearby, this one had more of a vibe going. Note to self, maybe that's not how I should make future food decisions... We were greeted and seated pretty quickly. But after that, it was like we had to wave done someone to place our order. They have a big cocktail menu, we ordered a Caesar and a Blue Hawaiian. To me, pub meals tend to be on the extra large portion size, so the two of us opted to share a Celtic Shepherds Pie with a Caesar salad. It took a while for the food to come out. Everything was just alright, the Shepherds Pie was definitely living on the salty side of life. If there wasn't an issue with the ferry schedules, I'd have no reason to be there. And I won't be making the same mistake twice.

This is my favorite after work pub in Nanaimo. The staff are…read morefantastic and provide a relaxed but entertaining environment. Wednesday and Friday are wings nights with Friday hosting a musical poker bingo that is very fun while having a good challenge, the host for this is fantastic at his job. Food is moderately priced with the best quality coming at night, from 3 pm to close. With daily specials. With a huge selection of local beers on tap this place will definitely quench your thirst for what ales you.

The Windward has a decent pub burger (comes with cheese, bacon, and sauteed mushrooms) for around…read more$12. Food is basic, and alright. I've never stayed in to eat because I felt slightly uncomfortable around the "regulars." They have frequent poker (?) nights and as someone that definitely looks gay/different, I've gotten a lot of looks.

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?!

Visiting the Dinghy Dock Pub is more about the experience than the pub itself. We took the ferry to…read moreProtection Island (cash only if you pay on the ferry, but you can pay by card at the pub), but saw many people arrive by boat and kayak. The interior of the pub was full of nautical decor - anchors, old diving equipment, wood carvings, etc. We ended up sitting on the patio, which had a beautiful view of the water. For drinks, I got a canned Mojito Mocktail - very tasty and refreshing. We also ordered the Classic Poutine to share. It wasn't the best poutine of my life, but still good and very filling. Service was fast and friendly, and the ambiance was excellent. Would return for the vibes alone!

Offers a unique experience for sure! The interior is decked out in the most charming nautical…read moredecor, with cozy, homey vibes that make you feel right at ease. I loved the quirky touch of salt shakers made from empty beer bottles--definitely adds to the pub's character. However, the food didn't quite live up to the atmosphere. The fish and chips were a bit dry, though the fries were crispy and tasty. The seafood poutine was okay, but nothing spectacular. Still, the coolest part was being on a floating pub--it's a fun setting that's hard to beat. While the food wasn't amazing, the overall experience makes it worth a visit if you're in the area!

We've stayed in the neighbourhood a number of times in downtown Nanaimo and have read about this…read moreplace a few times. Finally took the plunge, and really wish we hadn't, and certainly will not again. Our server was quick to seat us, took good care of us, gave us some insight into the menu items, and generally speaking was great. The view from the top floor part of the Lighthouse is great. Overlooking the marina and sea plane dock in downtown Nanaimo, there is plenty to see, and plenty to watch, it should be a licence to print money. Sadly to food was atrocious, in both taste and the visual. Looking at it as it was as delivered, we should have left right then. The salad that I chose with my beef dip was terrible. The mixed greens part had black ends, and black slime on it. I tried picking through it, and finally gave up and didn't touch it. The dip for the sandwich was thick, very dark and had what looked like the part that sticks to the pot while it's reducing. The meat colour looked a little off as well. K had the wings and clam chowder. The wings looked like they had been sitting for quite a few hours in a bowl on the counter prior to tossing them on the plate. The cut veggies had also been out for a while, she had to cut each end off the celery. The soup was hot, but had no flavour. I could go on, but you get the idea, don't go to this restaurant for food. Have a beer enjoy the view and eat elsewhere. The photos attached say a lot!

We wanted a restaurant on the water with a view. This restaurant has that…read more We were seated and then no one came to give us menus or take our order. Finally, after having multiple employees walk past us, someone stopped and asked if we had been helped. They apologized and we got water and menus. We ordered a local wine which turned out to be the only item we ordered that was good. We ordered clams for an appetizer. Those were basic and nothing special. They were out of oysters which was our first choice and the waitress recommended the clams. We ordered fresh halibut fish and chips for dinner. The fish was way overcooked and dry. We were only traveling through so we will not be back. We recommend you find another location for dinner if you are traveling through.

My First Friend and I decided to check out Oxy last night. It used to be a venerable watering hole…read morein a hotel called the Occidental. We'd heard it had been renovated recently and wanted to see what it was like. Our waitress was very friendly and helpful, and got my FF's drink order spot on. We ordered a couple of half-price appys - onion rings and vegetable samosas - and a couple of entrees - a Reuben sandwich and a rib-eye steak sandwich. Everything that was deep-fried was a little too soggy with oil for my taste, and the Reuben could have used some real Swiss cheese instead of processed, but the steak was tasty and the fries were good. Standard pub fare, really, but that's not what folks come to the Oxy for. What they *do* come for is the atmosphere and camaraderie. There was a good mix of younger college folks with more mature types like ourselves, all very friendly and looking to have a good time. We specifically came for the karaoke and were not disappointed; the DJ was friendly and never overbearing, only singing one song himself, and his selection was the best I'd seen in Nanaimo so far. All in all, a fine time. Highly recommended, especially if you're looking for some karaoke on a Friday night. We'll be back.

The Oxy is a classic! Although they sold the pool table to make it through Covid :( great staff,…read moreand great patrons full of stories! Food menu is good, but if you're over 50 and get the poutine, have some tums ready...

A terrific place, with great people and food. My go to place to relax and enjoy the environmentread more

This neighborhood pub that also serves food will not let an almost 19 years old eat lunch with his…read moredad. Very unfriendly. A family group wanted to go here. But because one family member wasn't allowed, we went somewhere else.

This place is so cute!! The owner Kenner is adorable!! He was actually running to and from the bar…read moreto bring drinks. Best service and very quaint. We only ordered the Poutine since we had lunch before but it was great. Beer was cold and drinks are hand poured. So fun!

Nice little pub by the ferry to Nanaimo! Waitress was very nice and got us an umbrella in case it…read morestarted sprinkling rain.

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! ^_^