We were hesitant to enter the restaurant upon seeing that it's situated in a hotel. Hotel…read morerestaurants are often over priced, in my opinion. However that was not the case. The Breakfast Nook was reasonably priced and we were very satisfied with our orders. We both chose the steel cut oats, mine with berry compote and hers with fruit. We were getting tired of bacon and eggs so this was just right. The service was well above average with servers who seemed to be pleased to greet and serve us. Our coffee cups were kept topped off. The cafe was full after we were seated. That may be because it's fairly close to the ferry to Horseshoe Bay. Parking was free but on the street. It may be more of an issue to park on weekdays, but there were ample parking spaces for us on this Saturday. We would definitely recommend this restaurant for your breakfasts and lunches.

Hidden gem Very happy with food and service…read more Great place for brunch or lunch. Will be back my next trip to town

I've been here twice in the past year, both during Happy Hour, and the food is not only very good…read morebut affordable. We did have one hiccup, but I've addressed that with the management of the hotel, and will look forward to visiting again and seeing if there's any improvement.

PATHETIC customer service! ! Stayed at the Dorchester Hotel (great service) my last night in…read moreNanaimo (Jun. 24) and stood at the entrance waiting for 1 of the 2 waitresses to acknowledge me. Neither of them did. After 10 minutes, the bartender (kudos to him) ended up seating me with the menus and brought up the extended Happy Hour. The "blond" waitress whose section was where I was seated, showed up with a glass of ice water and said "I'll be back". For the next 30 minutes, she repeated walked back and forth past my table, intentionally avoiding eye contact, and even thought it was more importance to wipe down 1 of her 2-seater pub tables than to return and take my order. After 30 minutes, I walked out, was provided the restaurant owner David P's personal email by the front desk (they apologized) and emailed him my experience on Jun. 26. He's never responded ! ! I can only presume that he's the one whose set the standard (or lack of) for how his waitstaff conduct themselves. I've had many breakfasts at Top Notch and the morning staff have always been fantastic. But after this experience, I'd strongly recommend that Dorchester guests and non-guests check out the better quality restaurants in the area (Modern Cafe, Gina's, Minnoz Restaurant in the Coast Bastion). The customer service and food are both far-superior and you'll never have the bottom-tier service experience at those options.

Excellent, reasonably priced breakfast that was delicious and served quickly. Great place to eat…read more Lots of available parking.

Food 5 Service 4.5…read moreAmbiance 4.5 What a view Family business doing a great job to carry on Alice's memory

We had a great meal from start to finish Chris really took care of us & you can see he really works…read morehard to be of service The fish tacos were great and the hot wings were spot on as well I loved that they had Dark Matter on tap Will definitely be back again when in town next time Thx Chris We really enjoyed our dinner !!

We were in Parksville for a quick getaway and came here one day for lunch. It wasn't busy when we…read morecame so we got a booth. The server was friendly and took our order pretty quickly. We had the lemon pepper wings, some Baja fish tacos and Maui burger. The fish taco was really good, the fish was flaky and had just enough sauce that it didn't feel dry. The burger was good too but we like the taco more. The wings were crispy and not too tangy ( lemony ). There's lots of parking as it's at one end of a strip mall/Canadian Tire/Oceanside Arena.

The business is under new ownership. We have been going there for many years . It's definitely not…read morethe same without Raymond and Bonnie and their daughter and son . We gave it a try , it wasn't what it used to be . Probably won't be going back . The new owners have big shoes to fill . I wish them luck and hope that they can step up their game .

A great family run local restaurant in Chemainus. While visiting my brother, my family came here…read morefor dinner one night. It was really busy, so there was a big of a wait for a table, but it was definitely worth the wait. They have an extensive menu with lots of different types of options, as well as daily specials. I had the halibut burger. I loved the dill mayo, and the halibut was perfectly breaded and fried. I had it with a side of onion rings. For dessert I had the peach pie. It was to die for. The crust gave me memories of my grandma. The service was very friendly. You could tell this place was a staple of the community with people coming in for take out orders or paying their bills and the staff knew all about them and their families. I look forward to eating here again when I visit.

We stayed at Coast Bastion Hotel and after walking all day, it was nice to have a place to eat…read morewithout leaving the hotel. Yes, they were pricey but the food was delicious. We ordered crab cakes and top sirloin . Service was awesome.

Second time in this hotel restaurant inside of a week. Both nights had large crowds attending a…read moretheatre event around the corner. Not surprisingly they were very busy. That said, we were there for both "slammed" situations, and endured little, to no, service. Our server last night had no answers to our menu questions and spent entirely too much time leaving us to ask someone else. Specials, fish of the day, etc should be a part of the offering that is well known and sold by the wait staff. We find hotel chain restaurants to be sub-par in general, but this Coast hotel disappointed twice inside of a week. The space is nicely appointed, but we found the folks that followed us in were looking to watch the hockey playoffs at 8 PM. Should be prime dinner/date night out. Overall, so average, which you are not looking for out of a Coast hotel situated a few hundred meters from the ocean.

Service is friendly and quick. Unique place to eat. Food is very good and priced right. We loved…read moreour meals.

Smallest portions I have ever had at a dinner. Way over priced and it didn't taste good at all…read more Service was ok and the ambiance was mediocre. Left unsatisfied and hungry with wallet drained.

We found a great brunch spot before starting our trip!…read more We were in Nanaimo looking for a nice brunch spot before starting our Vancouver Island road trip, and Gabriel's Gourmet Cafe really hit the spot! We liked how easy the ordering system was. You pick up a menu, choose a table, decide what you want, and then order and pay at the counter. They give you a number, and they bring your food and drinks to your table. It's straightforward. The fresh, local ingredients stood out, and we would recommend this place if you want a tasty and filling meal. The portions were just right for our big appetites. The atmosphere was so relaxed we almost wanted to stay longer. We'd recommend starting the Nanaimo road trip here. Food: 5/5 Must Try! Service: 5/5 (hybrid-service) Kids: 3/5 Presentation: 2/5 Parking: Metered street parking is available throughout the surrounding neighbourhood. Tips: * Inside & outdoor seating available. * Great stop before heading out to explore Vancouver Island. * They have G/F and Vegan options. Would I Return: Yes

Awesome fresh food with great service. Probably my favourite place to get brunch in Nanaimo.read more