This truly is a gem! Honestly in 40 plus years I have never been disappointed with the food or the service. And even tho it can get busy at times (I recommend making reservations) the restaurant itself never feels crowded, great ambiance. read more

The Bold Knight - The martini flights are amazing! - Seafood Near Me - Nanaimo, British Columbia

See all

this place has been around for over 40+ years and everytime i go to it the food is always great and the customer service is fantastic...pretty expensive though...good place for taking your spouse/partner out to an anniversary dinner or date read more

Blink as you're driving by on the highway and you'll likely miss this place. The way the parking lot is designed you're likely to think "car dealership" and you'd be incorrect. The Bold Knight has been around for a long time, and the interior tells that tale. Our service was top rate, and accomplished by the entire team of wait staff. The food was good, my tenderloin nicely medium rare, although the lovely K's New York was definitely a little overdone on the medium rare. My rice pilaff was good as well, but the salad that comes with the meal was very spartan. My suggestion is either remove it as included, or beef up the amount of vegetation. It's not good when you see more plate than salad. Lastly the warmed dinner rolls (also included in the price) were to die for. read more

I've driven past this restaurant sitting alone on the side of the highway for 40+ years but never stepped inside until recently. I figured that any restaurant that has lasted this long must be good and I really wanted this to be an amazing experience. Unfortunately, it fell far short of my expectations. First, my steak was grossly undercooked. I prefer the temperature of my steaks to be medium-rare but this was rare to the point that blood was pooling on my plate. This is a steakhouse so I was surprised that they couldn't cook a medium-rare steak to temperature. Second, the lobster was overcooked and so salty it was inedible: 6 ounces of salty rubber. Finally, the meal itself was quite dear. Comparable in price to The Keg but at a quality standard roughly 40% of The Keg. Nothing was ordered that I couldn't cook better myself, which is not the ideal outcome when dining out. I'm glad I went once to satisfy my curiosity but I most certainly won't be back. read more

I just had one of the most underwhelming dining experiences of my life. I've driven past The Bold Knight countless times and have often heard it referred to as the fine dining spot in Nanaimo. So, for our anniversary, we decided to finally give it a try. Unfortunately, things went downhill from the moment we walked in. We weren't greeted upon arrival and were left awkwardly standing at the entrance while three staff members moved around us without acknowledging we were there. After a few uncomfortable minutes, a hostess finally appeared and seated us -- right next to the entrance, despite us making a reservation weeks in advance. The first thing that stood out was how casually the staff were dressed. For a place that brands itself as fine dining, t-shirts, shorts, and even socks with sandals felt completely out of place. To their credit, we were brought waters quickly and our drink order was taken promptly. The drinks were actually quite good -- I had a Cabernet Sauvignon, and my partner ordered a Longwood Lager. When the waitress returned to take our food order, it felt rushed. I chose the sirloin steak with lobster. The "lobster" portion was barely a tablespoon, severely overcooked, and rubbery. My steak, ordered medium-rare, came out rare, dry, and suspiciously like it had been cooked from frozen -- it was incredibly tough to chew. Everything on the plate was cold, poorly presented, and lacked any real flavor. Even the bread that was brought was bland. For the price paid it's sad to say that the blend vegetables were the best thing on the plate at a steakhouse, and even then there could have been more veggies. My partner asked for extra seasoning on his steak and it was still quite flavourless. No one checked in on us during the meal, we weren't offered another round of drinks or water, and there was no mention of dessert. When we finished, the server returned with a flat, "So just the bill then?" For a place that's marketed as a premium dining experience, this was incredibly disappointing on every level. read more

Came here for an anniversary celebration and we were not disappointed. We all had steak cuz we were told they had the best steak and they were right! The cut of the steaks were amazing and they were cooked perfectly! They come with roasted veggies which were carrot and zucchini with a couple broccoli, and a baked potato. You also get a salad but that's where they can improve. You get a plate that has a small handful of lettuce. We laughed actually at the amt we got. However if u upgrade to a Caesar u get a healthy amt of lettuce. The Oscar topping on my steak was also tasty but they give u a very small amt of hollandaise sauce so I asked for a side as well. You also get buns to start and man they were fresh! If u like Caesar's get their flight. It's fun and quite tasty. I also tried the nanaimo bar martini but it was way too sweet for me so I gave it to my MIL. Service was a bit slow; we were there for 2 1/2 hrs but didn't mind as we were able to have a good visit. I def recommend this place for steaks!! read more

The Bold Knight - Steak Oscar. So yummy! - Seafood Near Me - Nanaimo, British Columbia

Building and decor a bit out dated Burger was over cooked, lobster tail cooked perfectly The lobster and shrimp macaroni was good, lots of meat in it. Good size portions Oysters were great. Got bead afterwards though. Would have been good to soak up the tasty sauce And don't be in a hurry lol The A/C however must be broken today The heat was unbearable made it very uncomfortable couldn't wait to leave. read more

Food was excellent! Service on point! And the decor was right up my alley - an updated 70s steak house vibe. Brought back memories of going for dinner with my dad when I was a kid. Loved this restaurant. Will be back for sure. read more

We go there as a family every 6 months on our vacation to the island. Excellent food, great atmosphere and so relaxing for us . The waitress never disappoints. We love this place . read more

Omg I this restaurant. A little hidden gem in Nanaimo, this place has incredible seafood including fresh oysters in shell and everything from the drinks to desert are outstanding! I feel like it's a place straight out of the 60's with the vintage decor which is so cool. The servers are really friendly and I definitely recommend coming here with a friend or a group. The place is huge but still has privacy. read more

Absolutely terrible staff. Poorly trained children working the front door. In a half empty restaurant I was unable to get a table for two. Brutal , will never return. Shame on them. read more

Loved it! We were told at a nearby RV Park where we were staying at to try it out. From the looks of the outside we might not have stopped otherwise. But we were treated to one delicious meal A filet mignon done to perfection with sautéed mushrooms on top, tender and juicy. My husband had the prawns and they were scrumptious. Even the bread baked potato salad were all exactly as you would expect. Service was great. My husband even had the apple pie for dessert and he never eats dessert, he finished it off. And the price was right. Would highly recommend it read more

4.5 STARS My steak was cooked perfectly!! Hats off to the chef! We stopped by here to grab dinner before taking the ferry back to Vancouver. The restaurant decor was a throw back to the seventies. But it was clean. Our server was pleasant, friendly and accommodating. I had the top sirloin steak and lobster dish, a.k.a. surf and turf. As I said, my steak was cooked perfectly. It was medium-rare, but more rare than medium. The lobster tail meat was extracted from and placed on top of the shell. The lobster meat was sweet and firm. My daughter ordered the bbq baby back ribs. The ribs were tender and tasty. But, I think they precooked the ribs and finished them off on the grill. I guess ribs are not their specialty. My wife had the seafood linguini pasta dish with a tomato-based sauce. It was good and tasty. Price-wise, it's the same as any steak house. Most steak combo dishes are in the upper 20's and low 30's. Finally, I appreciated our server for understanding our situation. We had to be at the ferry terminal by 7:30 pm. So, she had our food brought to us promptly and didn't waste any time getting our bill together. read more

See all

Super fancy and good service restaurant. The steak is amazing! I gave it a 3 because we waited an hour for our food and the pasta I ordered was still a little hard. read more

The Bold Knight - Tortellini, and steak dinner in the back - Seafood Near Me - Nanaimo, British Columbia

Yummy dinner. Fresh rosemary buns. So soft. Delicious juicy sirloin and crab legs amazing

Just had probably one of the best steaks of my life. Exceptional meal for our whole party of 7.... never an empty glass, hot fresh bread kept coming and the ladies were so pleasant. We all had different items off the menu and everything was perfect! We also shared the best Calamari and coconut prawn appies and both were excellent. We like the Keg but the Bold Knight never disappoints :) read more

I want to thank the fantastic staff for going over and above for out meal. We were in town to spend time with our father who was in the ICU. He had requested steak and lobster and my Dad said that was the best steak he had ever had. They had the take out all ready to go and everyone's meal was fantastic. I highly recommend you partake in the great food and your I incomparable service. read more

This is our go-to restaurant when we feel like a good meal and friendly service. This is one of the last restaurants that still gives you bread and salad with your entree, it's a nice plus. John makes the best sea food chowder that I have ever tasted; and I've had lots up and down our coast, Oregon, Vegas (actually known for its outstanding seafood....weird) and more. John cooks a fantastic steak, and my wife can't get enough of his breaded prawns. The staff at Bold Night is always top notch, well trained and attentive to your needs. If you're looking for a great meal at reasonable prices served by friendly staff, look no further. As the other review states, the decor is a throwback to the seventies; but everything old is new again...right? read more

Fall feature is steak and lobster Oscar. Steak was cooked perfectly, the portion of lobster was large and the sauce left me wiping my plate. Staff was very friendly and attentive. Definitely somewhere I will revisit the next time I'm in town. read more

This restaurant is one of those hidden gems that only the locals know about. It is hidden along side the South Island Highway between Nanaimo's Downtown core and Southgate Plaza. Driving by you would never guess that the inconspicuous little building on the northbound side was one of Nanaimo's premier restaurants! The Bold Knight offers a wide variety of steaks and seafood (see website for full menu). That are from my experience, always cooked perfectly. My girlfriend an I enjoyed a quiet, private dinner that, while was a little on the pricy side, left us very satisfied. If you are in Nanaimo and looking for a great meal, I strongly recommend this restaurant! :-) read more

I have been driving by here for years, my husband and I decided to try finally try it. I was SO happy we did and very pleasantly surprised. We started off with Calamari, I followed with the Seafood Platter. It was amazing, presentation was very pleasing. The seafood was SO fresh and tasty. The prawns, lobster, crab, scallops were so plump and tender. It came with a a hot butter "tower" to dip the Seafood in. We came in around 5pm on a weekend without a reservation. Yet we were welcomed in (next time I'll make a reservation) The wait staff were very friendly and attentive. I think they may have had extra staff for the weekend as dirty dishes were promptly collected. The decor was nice, the atmosphere very pleasant. We had a Wonderful time. We WILL be back. read more

The Bold Knight a throwback to years gone buy walking into this venue the decor is something to be desired very late 70's I'll call it bavarian/medevil sadly does no justice to show just how good thier lunch as well as thier dinner menu really is . the staff here sometimes not as attentive as one might hope for are maybe too casual about thier service . this venue prides itself on thier steaks and seafood I am one who loves a good filet mignon and this place beats the hell out of the keg for price and quality this for sure. I order blue rare and seldom do any seem to get it right . well in nanaimo here is were i go for a great steak and crab still I have been here many times now and have sampled much of thier fare to find it always consistant and amply plated if you are looking for a place for a family meal , specail dinner thier is something for all to choose from Granpa to the kids the pasta dishes as well are enjoyable seafood weather it be the crab or the scalllops have always been more then exceptable main dishes include all the fixings one would usually wish for prices comparable to a evning out at your local keg chain without the ala carte to inflate your bill at the end looking forward to eating thier for lunch or dinner ,and here I am confidant I will not be disappointed in whatever I might order read more

We usually go Once or twice a year, we went last Thursday for my sons birthday and we were all very disappointed. There was eight of us none of her meals were spectacular and for the price they should be. The ladies washroom definitely needed a little bit I love, paint peeling on the walls etc. but I thought I'd splurge and have the filet mignon, Not even worth $15 never mind $42 read more

Been going to this restaurant since it opened.Went the other night worst meal ever,steak way over done,baked potatoe was cold,lobster was raw.Dont know if they have new cooks?Starting to look for a better steak house. read more

I got the beef souvlaki, it was ok but it was way over cooked and hard to eat. Also the veggies that came with it were under cooked and it hurt my butthole afterwards. read more

I have to start off by saying to John the owner I am sorry you have ever gotten any bad reviews on your food as they are bologna your food was amazingly tasty. It was a classic offering of steak and sea food the night we were there. The mushroom caps were done to perfection and the way they are meant to be made. My New York strip was the best tasting I have had in a long time nicely aged and hand cut. The portion was more then I could eat. My wife had the sea food platter which was very good as well. Everything from the starters, salads, sides and mains were great and a very nice selections for the kids menu both of ours opted for the ribs which they very much enjoyed. A big thank you to the staff they were very attentive as well. If you are going to be anywhere near Nanaimo make sure you go and enjoy this classic steak and seafood restaurant with its classic menu and you won't go wrong! read more

June 2010 The Bold Knight (Trans-Canada Highway, Chase River, Nanaimo BC) The place is so bad it gives bad a bad name. Having driven by this cherub-bum pink and tricycle-blue cinderblock for years, we finally threw conventional dining wisdom down the garbarator and went for dinner. Sometime, even when your brain is screaming, "Stop now. You can save yourself. Turn and run!" you still cross the threshold, and, like a portal into a bygone era bad dream, it is suddenly in 1978. Don't look down because that is also the last year the carpeting was changed. The walls are a jousting match of Arthurian knights, complete with crossed swords and shields, hoisted on a backdrop of mottled (is that mould?) textured flock wallpaper. There were other diners. That, stupidly, gave us hope. Seated in a booth upholstered in burled Carpathian genuine imitation leather, we looked at each other, and the absurdity of our situation, and started to laugh. Then we looked up. The ceiling is a cosmos of gold flecked mirror and, in his best Austin Powers accent, my Brit friend Ian crooned, "Shag me baby." More laughter. Then we waited, and waited, and waited. Three tables. Three waitresses, but still we waited. Finally water arrived. After 15 minutes. Then the menus; papyrus from the crypt of a Greek Steakhouse circa 1980. Shock and awe. First at the items listed (when was the last time you've seen escargot in garlic butter with mozzarella cheese...if ever?), and then the prices. WHAT?!? Five star prices in a dime deli. Ian the Brave ordered popcorn shrimp and I had oysters Rockefeller. His shrimp, when they finally arrived (cold) were miniscule indentured shrimp incarcerated in handcuffs of cornmeal clay served with Kraft mayo. My oysters, although advertised as Fanny Bay, likely came from a salt water swamp near the BP oil spill in the Gulf. Spongy watery spinach blanketed the meager oysters and to further the injustice, Canadian asiago cheese was mounded on top and then the whole mess was cooked to within an inch of its life, thus creating a trampoline texture to the outer surface. Then our respective glasses of wine arrived. 30 minutes after ordering them, having reminded our waitress 3 times. It was warm red wine, likely stored beside the stove. Whatever it was supposed to be it wasn't. It was cruel and red. That's as far as we got. Then the main event. My meal was ribs. Overcooked with about 15 centimeters of coagulating syrupy-sweet ketchup sauce and, this really is the best part, a baked potato wrapped in luminous gold flecked (to match the ceiling no doubt) tin foil. Ian's Alaska crab has been frozen during the last ice age, defrosted and cooked quickly, thus leaving the extremities warm but the inside ice cold. His steak, he did admit, was okay and cooked medium rare, as ordered. He too was gifted with the gold wrapped baked potato and proffered, via a 5- sectioned serving vessel (did they find it in a garage sale?), sour cream, chives, faux bacon bits and ketchup. Egad! Oh yes, and long-ago steamed broccoli stems - can't forget those. Nothing of what was ordered was finished. We had to ask for our bill repeatedly and then gave up, went to the front cash, and as much as we wanted to pull a "dine and dash" paid an outrageous amount for tragically unhip nauseating food and service. It will be a bold night in hell before we'd venture through those doors again. read more

We drove by the Bold Knight last night and decided to pop in for dinner. It was late, 8:30 pm on a Saturday night. The place was packed with a Christmas party in the back. We were seated in the front. The steaks and seafood were excellent. The steak was tender. Our meal was filling. The bread was warm. It was exactly what we were looking for. I had the sirloin with the oysters Rockefeller and hubby had the NY steak neptune with seafood hollandaise and asparagus. No appys or dessert required. We saw the deserts though and they looked decadent. The atmosphere is a bit dated. read more

I found this restaurant using the yelp app, we were going to go to the Keg but decided to see what other steak places were available in Nanaimo. The solid rating swayed us! Excellent service first if all. Family owned an operated and on it's second generation. Our only critique was it took an hour for dinner. We did have a small salad and bread basket in the meantime. Food was very good. We were offered a desert to make up for the wait. We shared the chocolate eruption. The cake itself was dry but the molton filling and vanilla icecream were very good. Would try again. Alot of food so go hungry! read more

Awesome food! Excellent steaks & seafood and a calm & peaceful setting, not like "The NOISY Keg" restaurant!

Maybe this is good by small town standards, but the food was mediocre, overpriced, and unimaginative. I would rather spend my money buying a nice steak and then cooking it at home. read more

We went to this restaurant on recommendations from friends who also accompanied us. Charming and accomplished servers, decent priced wine, white tablecloths, pleasant room but the food was disappointing for the price. read more

Recently a group of us went to the Bold Knight for dinner and it was a disappointing and frustrating experience. It was at least 20 minutes before we were even given menus and another 20 minutes before our orders were taken. Water glasses were not refilled and one person had to ask for coffee 3 times, despite 4 employees standing by the front counter doing nothing. The restaurant was not busy, but we waited a very long time for food. We were appalled that we were given one little bun for each group of 4 people. Some of the dinners were good but some were inedible, with one person getting beef so tough it couldn't be chewed. No one came by to ask how the food was and when we left, the plates hadn't all even been cleared off the table. Considering the prices, we expected better service and better food. We will not be returning to this restaurant. read more

Food was well worth the wait and price. Staff were chatting and ignoring us in back room when we went to pay, could have left buy waited fifteen minuets before we were allowed to pay. read more

We arrived to find the restaurant mostly empty on a Thursday night. We started with a litre of wine and some Cocoanut shrimp. The white wine was nicely chilled but the shrimp were rather small and dry. The steak was average but the presentation lacked any imagination. The chicken parmigiana was tasty but needed some nice pasta or veggies. Only hot sauce they could bring out was Tabasco. Some nice Thai chilli sauce would be a good addition to the shrimp dish. The salad at the start had fresh radishes but the lettuce tasted old. As we left after spending $135 we realized we were the only customers and it was only 8:45pm. read more

First time there - service was slow......only one other table occupied. Took 15 mins for drinks to hit the table, appys and entrees were mediocre at best. Place is dull, tired and old with an air of neglect. Not recommending, will spend my hard earned entertainment money elsewhere. read more

Will never go back again. My daughter and I went to celebrate. She ordered crab which is her favourite. One of her crab legs the meat was green. The entire leg this nasty green blue mold colour. Looked like it was filled with blue cheese. When I totally freaked out they offered me a free desert. Are you kidding me! Oh believe me I have pictures to back up claims. read more