Could not be happier that the Arbutus Lounge exists (and the distillery) in our town. This place…read morerivals the best quality cocktails I've had in major cities, and when you factor in the INCREDIBLY low price, it truly can't be beat. From the classic martini to the weird and wonderful Where the Wild Things Are, and everything in between, the drink list is unique and exciting with something for everyone. The mixologists are amazing, and they even have board games and snacks available. They also do a happy hour, but I can never get there in time so can't speak to it. By far the best kept secret in Nanaimo!

Just discovered this place! Awesome craft cocktails from a serious mixologist. Never even knew this…read moreplace was here, as it's kinda hiding out of sight on a bit of an industrial park road. Nice cozy eclectic atmosphere with herbs and flowers drying all around. The cocktail menu is lengthy and def has something for everyone. Each drink has a chart letting you know sweet, herbal, boozy, etc. Not very busy on a Friday night, I imagine people haven't discovered it just like we didn't! Check it out!

This Is one of the best restaurants I have been to in nanaimo. The decor is awesome. The couches…read moremake me feel at home. The service is the best I have ever had. Yes the menu is huge, but it's a good read! Paul was amazing, instead of picking off the menu he just asked what kind of meat I wanted and he did the rest. The kangaroo was amazing! Everything was so well prepared! Tip: try the Pharaoh cocktail, sooo good. Also I don't like coffee but when I have it it's with cream and sugar.....stay for coffee at the end of your meal, with no milk, it's a blend of 3 different beans and it's so yummy! The previous review on this place should be erased... How can you even put a review on a place you didn't even go into, live a little! yes the menu is intimidating but Paul makes it easy. Try it, u won't regret it!

This is by far the WORST restaurant I have ever been to. Allow me to recount …read more.. My friend took me here because she had been told by a few people that it was a Nanaimo gem. We walked into the 'restaurant' and were immediately greeted by an unpleasant odor. The room was decorated with both office furniture and mismatched sofas from the 80's. We were a little surprised, but decided to take an office chair by the window. Paul (the owner) greeted us and gave us some plastic menus as well as a few copies of his poetry books to browse. In between fits of giggles, we couldn't help but notice that the entire room was covered in dust, dirt and food particles (some of which I had to wipe off my seat before taking it). We sort of shrugged and thought 'well maybe it's one of those quirky places that are slightly sketchy but serve the most amazing food' ... Paul insisted that we choose a meat; lamb, chicken, beef or pork, and he would make us a special curried dinner. He brought over glasses of ice water crusted with food particles, some of which floated amongst the ice cubes and our glasses of wine, also sprinkled with a few complimentary crumbs. We managed to fish out most of the debris and take a few sips when our food came. My underdone and very pink lamb swam in a pool of watery instant rice while my friends' beef took some serious elbow grease to cut through and even more to chew. The veggies were covered in jarred salsa and peppered with a generic italian seasoning mix. After peeling off the VEGGIE STICKER from my yam and taking a few tentative bites, I decided to switch and try the noodles. Rice and noodles!? Yup. They were covered in this strange mayo, peanut, mustard sauce and totally inedible. There were but two choices: RUN or, ask if we could have our bill, gently explain that the food was abysmal and leave. We chose the latter and after still being charged $30 (my friend is a very kind person and paid as I opened my mouth to say we weren't paying a cent) we RAN!! I would like the epilogue this novel by saying that I do know what I am talking about, food-wise. Seven years in the service industry will do that, and although I can be a bit food snobby, I love to experience new and interesting food, even if the atmosphere is a little grotty. This was scary. Avoid at ALL costs

Just went to the bar for some drinks and listen to some live music. Had 3 different whiskey drinks…read more Bartender, wish I remembered his name, nice dude, recommended the Winters Calling. Love it. Then had a Whiskey Sour and finally The Grand Desire. Nothing came close to that Winters Calling though. Very unique drink. Also got to sit and listen to some of the most angelic voices I've heard in a long time. It was a nice, chill place where I could escape for a bit. Definite highlight on my trip from Seattle.

The Pacific Lounge is a great place to meet friends and coworkers near the heart of Victoria. The…read morelounge is replete with tons of cozy loungers and is illuminated as such that u may carry on discrete conversations while enjoying a beer or single malt. Despite the convenience of this being primarily a hotel bar, I would recommend this for locals seeking a waypoint as they make their way to the abundant local culture - be it the parliament building, bay, or BC museum.

I absolutely love this place. The service is amazing and the vibe of the room and atmosphere is…read morealso amazing. I have never had a bad experience. Always, always accommodating and the best place to hang out and relax with great music and drinks as well. I can't say which server is my favorite by the way because I love them all equally. Great place for a business or client meeting as well. It definitely impressed me!

I had come here a a few years ago with a few people. We were probably about 5 people…read more I really like the layout of the place. Very beautiful and clean. However, I wasn't a fan of the service. The staff were rude and we were forced to order an extra hookah that we didn't want (as one person wasn't gonna smoke) just because they had a rule that it was 1 hookah for every 2 people. Plus it wasn't exactly low cost either and the extra hookah we got wasn't that great.

Gosh, I am not sure how to go here with our experience. As far as the Bayside goes there were good…read morethings, a few not so good, and maybe one or two real head scratchers. The signage to even find the place in the dark on foot (we walked from a neighbouring hotel) and by car could be better. Once there, plenty of parking (mental note) and a welcoming entrance. Our server was funny and engaging, but perhaps a little flippant. He also had to go back into the kitchen numerous times to check if they had things that were on the menu. They make gyoza in house, and it is one of my favourites. 6 PM reservation and they are out already with barely a soul in the place. Our beverages were pretty good, so we soldiered on at ordered our entrees one grilled halibut, one seafood pasta and two bbq ribs. Once the food arrived I was surprised at how small the halibut was given the price. That was nothing in comparison to the two that ordered the baby back ribs. Normally they fall off the bone when the professionals cook them, not this time. It was fork and knife time to get them off the bone which is totally wrong. I could go on, but you get the idea. I doubt we'd come back. Shame to have a place on the water and then serve food like that.

We recently stayed at the Bayside and truly appreciated the ability to bring Pippi, an elder…read moreChihuahua/Doxie mix! They were very accommodating providing dog bed, bowls and a welcome gift which included house made dog cookies! Prior to our arrival, Shannon called to alert us to the fact that their onsite restaurant would be closed Christmas Day and that she had sent a listing of local establishments that would be open (which we were truly thankful for!) We truly enjoyed the views (spectacular mind you!) and their courteous nature! Rooms were comfy and spacious and the cafe and restaurant were equally satisfying! Housekeeping was highly attentive and the in room amenities were well-selected! The staff of the Bayside are some of the best - kind, attentive and truly responsive! The only negatives worth noting were the lack of "puppy potty locations" most (located to the back of the parking area) were muddy and not very accommodating and the staff in the cafe were unfamiliar with certain style lattes (which will come over time) other than this, great stay, truly affordable and appreciated by all of our family!

TL;DR: A worthwhile cocktail bar with the right mood and…read moresolid execution. Setting your expectations correctly is key here. Drinks: We had four cocktails between the two of us. All were good and well made, but a couple felt slightly out of balance, keeping them from hitting the excellent tier. Service: Attentive, professional, and engaged. The bartender knew what they were doing and kept things moving smoothly. Vibe: Dark, old-school, and moody in the best way. You quickly forget you're in a hotel once inside. Comfortable and easy to settle into. What could be better: Tighter balance and consistency in the cocktails. A small refinement would make a noticeable difference here.

A cozy cocktail bar with great drinks and appetizers. The service was outstanding. We enjoyed the…read moreSpanish Croquettes with a Cottage and a Negroni.

Got a little thirsty so decided to drop by at the lounge. I ordered the Fruit Shrub which consists…read moreof seasonal fruit, sugar, vinegar and soda. Very refreshing. Very courteous service and a lovely place to rest my feet after the museum.

We love coming here every time we come to the island. Which has been a few times a month these last…read moreseveral months! We love sitting on the couch by the fire or in the lounge by the windows overlooking the bay. I love the appetizers...especially the oysters and the lettuce wraps. They also have a couple of lively barrel aged beverages. They normally have a barrel aged Manhattan (The Manhattan project) and a barrel aged Sazerac. So good! The burger is great too. Juicy and delicious. Also the steak salad. Really good! Have a great time and tell them Tim sent ya! ;)

My first time trying out Karma Lounge over the weekend. Super easy to get to - I took transit so it…read morewas an easy walk from burrard skytrain station. Overall, it was a beautiful and clean restaurant. The vibe felt like a modern fine dining restaurant with a twist (except the twist was it had club like vibes - young crowd, DJ, etc). Great service which was wonderful. The food was delicious. I tried the Chinook Salmon. I feel like it could do with a bit of a sauce or some extra flavour but other than that, I really enjoyed it.

We spent a fair amount of time in the Karma Lounge at Paradox! Over a few days, we tried multiple…read morecocktails and food items. The burger was AMAZING, the hot/cold dips was a culinary delight, and we were amused and so happy to order toast and be able to make it into a pb&j! The staff here was always friendly and helpful, and we enjoyed talking to both the day and night shift! The lounge has a dj and we loved all the Taylor Swift themes! Great experience!

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?!