We had my mother's 96th Birthday lunch here. The food was excellent with a wide variety of choices…read moreeven for the vegetarians in the group. everyone was very happy with their meals. They happily accommodated our group of 12 with a reservation for lunch in a separated room and all the food came out at the same time which is often tricky with a larger group. As for the staff, our servers were terrific, efficient and friendly. Prior to the day Robert replied to emailed questions very quickly and made the whole event very stress free. I honestly can't recommend this restaurant enough.

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.

Great food and nice atmosphere. We enjoyed our first time to the delightful restaurant. The gardens…read moreour so beautiful and very welcoming.

The place is cute, but your really paying for the ambiance. The food is very average, the beef dip…read morewas more like heated up deli meat and tough to chew, and my partner had the burger and described it as so greasy is kept sliding out of the buns. The service is friendly but if you're not willing to wait you'll probably have to sit inside on a nice day.

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?!

Wow! I'm in awe of the place! The food is excellent! The seafood chowder has actual fresh piece of…read morescallop, smoked salmon, two piece of fish, clams and mussels with grilled garlic bread! Too good to be true! And brisket burnt ends r so amazing top! They also have amazing beer! Glad we found the place!

Excellent food value, wonderful service, beautiful patio, and the back section with grass and…read morepicnic tables is perfect for kids and pets The beer is really good, and I think this is a must stop when traveling on the island. Absolutely worth the trip from Nanaimo or Parksville, one of the best places I've been to in the area.

We lived this little pub on the ocean. First time sat in the restaurant, second time on the outside…read morepatio. Service could be better but the seafood risotto I had was delicious. Would go back!

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!

While we had only cocktails and an appetizer, we would return. The House made pork and apple…read moresausage rolls with a mustard dip were really tasty, and they made a good Black and Tan. Service was outstanding and prices reasonable.

The only reason I said maybe is it has quite a limited type of menu obviously it's English/British…read morefood, which has its highlights but I find it's more like comfort food, which is great for the rainy cooler season. If you don't get attacked by the wasps in the late summer the outdoor picnic table area is sensational. Give it a try just be aware of the menu and it might just be your cup of tea ha ha

English style pub is a cut or two above the rest, thanks to good food and a helpful staff…read more THE ROSES: If you're an Anglophile, Fox and Hounds is a great pub to visit. Wonderful olde English atmosphere. Very good selection of beers on tap. Staff is very helpful in setting up patrons with dishes that allow for dietary restrictions (like gluten intolerance). What I particularly liked is that they were able to make fish and chips for me that was panko breaded rather than battered. I know battered fish and chips is the 'English' way, but few restaurants this side of the Atlantic get battered fish right. All too often it's too much batter, or the fish is really greasy. I didn't feel like taking a chance, so the kitchen breaded my fish and it was really nicely done. The bread pudding is also a standout. THE THORNS: None worth mentioning. THE VERDICT: Fox and Hounds is one of those rare pubs that puts as much (or more?) thought into their food as they do their beer. It's a wonderful 'little bit 'o Britain' in the quiet backwater town of Ladysmith BC Highly recommend!

A GORDON RAMSAY NIGHTMARE! - Way overpriced for mediocre pub…read morefood - The rubbish looking outdoor exterior is your first clue to go elsewhere - arrived at their accepted reservation time - 30 minute wait to be seated, no apology or welcome offered - showed to a nasty table, moved to another - took 40 minutes to get a round of drinks - took food over an hour to show up - food served barely hot on cold plates - dirty washroom Never again. There are many better competing pubs in the area. We went to one the next day. It was glorious. Now you know.

This place is a must go to. The climb is truly worth the view! The service is fantastic. The food…read moreis delicious and the view is spectacular! I had the grilled chicken sandwich and salad with the house smokes vinaigrette and my husband had the steak Philly and poutine. Both extra delicious.

A good spot for a meal, the biggest selling point being the views. The food was fine. We enjoyed a…read morecouple hours here during a lunch in August. PARKING Parking was tight but there was turnover and everyone in our group got a spot without waiting. THE WAIT No wait for a group of 12 at 2pm on a Sunday of a long weekend in August. Our table was on the patio, with beautiful views. Note - no dogs allowed on the patio. THE SERVICE Our server was fast and super friendly. THE FOOD * Kids butter noodles and chicken tenders/fries - 4 stars. Kids loved them. * Hemingway cocktail - 3.5 stars. Light, refreshing, quite sweet. * Caesar salad with shrimp - 3.5 stars. 3 pieces of shrimp that tasted very fresh. Dressing was quite heavy. * Ruben with Poutine - 3.5 stars. good but light on the meat. A lot of mayo. Bread was quite oily.

I'm not much of a pub girl, but this was worth the boat taxi ride. It's an experience!…read more This summer we took the little boat taxi to Protection Island, down the ramp on the corner of Front Street and Promenade Drive in downtown Nanaimo. There was a line up of people there and a sign, so it was easy to spot. It runs every hour and it's $12 cash (double check on their website). I had fish & chips which were really good. I sampled some of the spinach artichoke dip which was also good. The drinks were definitely five star, especially on a hot sunny day.

I gently went to the Dingy Dock pub with a group for lunch…read more I ordered the Spinach Elote Fusion Salad as it sounded very tasty. It was the worst salad I have ever had from a restaurant. There was a small amount of baby spinach leaves, 12 kernels of corn that had no spice or any flavoring to it, 7 black beans, NO edamame, a miniscule amount of feta cheese that you could hardly see, one small sliver of pickled onion and 2 drizzled of some kind of flavorless creme. The dressing was more like oil than a citrus vinaigrette. This cost $20 !!! It was tasteless and greasy. My colleague had the same salad, took 2 bites from it and left it, as it was that bad. Others in the group had the dock chowder, that was reported as really bad, with nothing identifiable in it. Some people didn't finish their chowder. I certainly won't be returning and will let family and friends know of my experience. Dingy Dock owners, if you are going to run a restaurant, please take pride in serving enticing and tasty food, that people enjoy and will want to come back again for.

Lovely, friendly service and a delicious meal on Gabriola, a beautiful island near Nanaimo.read more

The pub review A little pub in the middle of Gabriola…read moreIsland, looks like your typical rough-around-the-edges spot... and then the food comes out and you're like wait, what?! So good.