We finally had to find out what all the hype was about!…read more We kept seeing this Japanese restaurant get top ratings and heard it was really popular in Nanaimo, so we decided to try it for ourselves. Was it actually worth all the hype? We ordered the Sora Omakase Sashimi (8 types, chef's choice) along with a few other special rolls, and the sashimi was the real star of the show. The fish was incredibly fresh and generously thick-cut, with a great variety of premium sashimi. We were impressed by the creativity, generous portions, and presentation. Compared to other sushi places we've tried in the city, the quality and attention to detail here really made a difference. The prices are a bit higher than some other restaurants on the island, but after tasting the food, we thought the quality made it worth it. If you love sashimi, we especially recommend trying their sashimi options. There are plenty of premium choices. The restaurant itself has a modern-chic atmosphere, and it was BUSY. We saw a mix of locals, visitors, and a steady stream of takeout orders. Despite the crowd, our food came out surprisingly quickly, and the quality stayed top-notch. Whether you want a casual sushi night for two or a place to celebrate with a group, the menu has enough variety to please everyone. We came in wondering if the hype was real, and left understanding exactly why it's so popular. Honestly, Nori deserves the 5 stars from us. We're not the Michelin Guide, but we can definitely see why people are talking about it. Food: 5/5 Must Try! Service: 5/5 Kids: 4/5 Presentation: 4/5 Parking: 3/5 Tips: * Reservations are highly recommended. * Walk-ins are accepted, but be prepared for a potentially long wait during busy times. * The menu is extensive, so take your time deciding. * Great option for everything from date night to group celebrations. Would I Return: Yes ‍

All aspects are wonderful. The food is exceptional and service and ambiance are perfectread more

Great food,great service, would recommend if you want authentic food…read more It was amazing

I love this restaurant! It is definitely one of my favourite restaurants to go to…read more I enjoy the food so much and the people are lovely.

Before ending our camping trip, we stopped by this cute Japanese restaurant before our ferry. The…read morerestaurant is very spacious and clean with modern decor. There wasn't a lineup when we got there, so we were seated right away. Their menu has lots of options of different rolls, udon, sashimi etc. Because it was lunch time, we ordered some bento box. I ordered bento box A with California roll for my daughter, and chicken udon for myself. My hubby ordered some sushi taco, and a Ubuild bento box. The food came pretty slow, which was strange. There wasn't a lot of customers when we got there. The bento boxes were pretty fresh with good portion. The sushi taco was a little yummy, however, the deep fried seaweed is on the greasy side with lots of batter. I was a little disappointed with the chicken udon, it was pretty standard and the chicken was pretty soggy. However, nothing beats a hot bowl of soup in a rainy day. Overall, we still enjoyed our meal. Not sure if I will go back, but I'm glad we got to experience it.

This was our second time eating here, we had mid expectations. We ordered two bento boxes to share…read more The deep fried components tasted like old fryer oil. Which was 90% of the bento box. When we told the waitress we didn't like it she took it away and just brought us our bill without offering us anything else. There was no discount or compensation. We left hungry and sad.

I feel a bit conflicted about leaving a review for a single novelty dessert, but I specifically…read morecame here looking for this one-of-a-kind item! And I haven't seen many other people reviewing it either. So here's a review for others like me. If, like me, you were going to Nanaimo and decided to look up the Nanaimo Bar Trail, you may have seen that the Noodlebox here offers a "Nanaimo bar spring roll." What a cool idea, right? I absolutely had to try it, but we'd already had a big breakfast, so my sister and I popped in here for a quite bite just to try the dessert. And they very kindly gave us three of the spring rolls instead of two, which is a plus! Unfortunately, though, the spring roll tasted... basically nothing like a Nanaimo bar. And I know it's a spring roll and it's going to be different, but this was a spring roll filled with banana and a sprinkling of spices. The custard dip was nice and the portion size was good, but there was nothing chocolatey about it at all, and the overwhelming taste of banana made me wonder if they were just taking a banana dessert spring roll and calling it a Nanaimo bar spring roll. So, while this sounded cool on paper, I did end up feeling that, while it was tasty, it wasn't at all what I had been hoping for. Overall the Noodlebox location seems nice and the staff were friendly, so I can't fault them anything else. I do think I'll make a point to return here for lunch next time I'm in Nanaimo, just so I can give the rest of their food a genuine shot - but we were on a wild dessert quest, and sadly, this point on the list didn't really deliver.

Service was good but the food was horrible, no flavour but oil and Medium spice was way too hot.read more

Love this location, taste is usually consistent and portions are huge. I like all the customization…read moreoptions when ordering

First time at the noodle box and it was excellent. The people were so nice as well. I have enough…read morefood for two more meals. Excellent prices. Come and check it out.

The staff is fast and welcoming…read more We ordered edamame, avocado maki, veggie sumono salad, yam tempura and tofu don bowl. The serving sizes were great. We had tons of leftovers. Downsides: Both times we've been the table size is hilariously small. Like a polly pocket sized table. Not ideal for more than 1. I also had a mild allergic reaction after dining. So worth noting for the sake of safety. Despite ordering all veg. Fish definitely was on a knife or a cutting board somewhere. As a regular veg sushi orderer this is always a risk, but only the second time it's happened to me.

Nice little Japanese place in Nanaimo. I've been coming to Nanaimo for work in the past few months…read moreand have tried a couple Japanese places. This one is definitely one of my favourite. The lunch bentos are great value! The food is made well. And the service is great. Food comes fairly quickly. Definitely come here for lunch.

This restaurant serves mostly Japanese cuisine (although not authentic) as well as Pho at the same…read moretime. Owned by a nice korean family. The ramen were frozen ramen packets you can buy at the grocery stores and the soup was definitely not pork bone soup simmered for hours. They did try to make some fusion taste and it was ok but because of the lack of work needed to make this, it should not be priced similar to real ramen. Also comes with a button mushroom disguised as a shitake mushroom. The udon soup was on par with other japanese restaurants since the dashi stock is fairly easy to make. The portion is very huge and the taste is not bad. The tempura was fried nicely. This one is priced fairly. Since Port Alberni lacks authentic Japanese cuisines, this is all they have. Taste-wise is ok for a fusion palate.

What a great little spot. They have pho and ramen everything was good. Our family enjoyed it.read more

The service was exceptional, and every bite and sip felt like a little piece of heaven. After…read morenearly every dish, we found ourselves looking at each other saying, "Wow... oh my God, that's amazing." The pork belly bao is generously sized and easily shareable. The bun was incredibly fresh, light, and pillowy, while the pork belly was melt-in-your-mouth tender with the perfect balance of richness and tang from the kimchi. The pickled vegetables added a bright crunch that tasted incredibly fresh. We started with the salmon tartare, and it was phenomenal! Rich, buttery, bursting with flavor, and so good we were literally fighting over the last bite. And the scallop? Order one for each person. Seriously. It's far too delicious to share. It had just the right amount of heat, leaving the perfect lingering warmth that immediately made us want another. Do yourself a favor and give yourself enough time to work your way through the menu, because every dish we tried was outstanding. Each plate was thoughtfully curated, beautifully executed, and cooked to perfection. I like to call it the C³ trifecta: curated, created, and cooked. Without question, this is some of the best food we've had in a very long time. We can't wait to come back (when visiting) and continue eating our way through the rest of the menu.

Drove down from courtenay to meet with a friend to go to the…read moreCity & Colour show and she suggested the Block as she had been before. Ambiance was great - super warm and welcoming which was magnified by the host. Super lovely. Then the wait staff. Whoever is hiring/training is doing a great job! Not drinking right now but the cocktail menu was super tempting. Every menu item sounded great. We got some help on ordering from our servers and Tanya picked ones she had enjoyed before. We also sat right beside the pick up window so it was fun seeing food come out! The food was fantastic. See pictures for what we ordered. Not sure if I can remember the names of everything but it was a perfect combo!!

This review is based upon my ordering takeout. I made a special request off the menu and they…read morehonored it. I recommend checking & opening the containers before leaving the restaurant, however. I asked for vegetables to be cooked until very soft for my elderly mother's weak teeth. They were not cooked soft. Perhaps communication error. Nice family-run place. I am used to Chinese-American cooking, which this is not. It seems authentic Chinese. A mandarin-speaking couple was dining in while I was there. Prices were higher than what I was used to for Chinese takeout. But I am new to the area and this is an upscale neighborhood. If you have a yen for Chinese food, give it a try!

I love this restaurant. The food is authentic Chinese food not "renovated" mixed Chinese style and…read morewestern style food

This is one of my all-time favorite and most authentic Japanese restaurants! I've been coming here…read morefor at least 10 years, and they're always consistently excellent. This time, I stopped in for lunch and had the vegetarian bento, it was amazing. My fiancé had a pork ramen, which is also incredible here. The restaurant is small and cozy, so I'd recommend making a reservation if you're coming for dinner, as it does book up. They're always super attentive about my peanut allergy, I've never had any issues, and they don't seem to use peanuts in the kitchen! I've celebrated birthdays here and recommended it to so many friends and family over the years. It's an absolute favorite, and I'll always keep coming back!

If you find yourself on a Rainy day in Nanaimo, you could do worse than sit down to a bowl of Ramen…read morehere. The soup was very flavourful with beautifully chewy noodles and rich broth. The food is really nice here the service is very friendly and prompt. Lots of ample parking on the street, however, if you need to walk a little there is though a charming courtyard.