My wife and I have eaten here many times and always have great food and a good experience

I've been here twice in the past year, both during Happy Hour, and the food is not only very good but 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. read more

PATHETIC customer service! ! Stayed at the Dorchester Hotel (great service) my last night in Nanaimo (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. read more

My husband and I ended up trying this place because it was connected to the hotel we were staying in. The breakfast menu was limited but reasonable for the basic breakfast orders. French toast, Eggs, Benny and an egg breakfast. I don't remember seeing pancakes, which would have been a nice addition. The food itself was good, not anything too spectacular or bad tasting. The service was quick and fast, which is something you want in the morning most of the time. We came here twice so that says something. Just a basic brekkie joint. read more

Top Notch Burgers - Canadian Benedict with hash browns - Burgers Near Me - Nanaimo, British Columbia

Posting menu 2024/ may. Forgot to add the menu in my review. Expect to pay about $20-30 depending on drinks and food. Breakfast is very good read more

We stopped in for supper with our three kids (2 teens and a 10 yo). The menu offered something for everyone and the food was delicious with good sized portions. Our meals included: French onion soup, fish and chips, kids burger, chicken wings and the spinach salad. Would definitely recommend the fish and chips. We split the Nanaimo bar tort for dessert which was worth the calories!! The service was attentive and very friendly. They have several TVs which had the hockey game on which was great. Don't forget the peeps in the kitchen with the option to buy them a beer. Highly recommend! read more

The service was the shit's, the food was awful, the chef was drunk and hitting on my wife, should I keep going? This is something that Best Western should take a serious look at!!!! read more

I got the brisket hash, which was huge! It was loaded with crispy brussel sprouts, crunchy hash, melt-in-your-mouth brisket, cheese and poached eggs topped with hollandaise--oh and don't forget the arugula! A well-balanced and robust meal, wishing there was more sauce, but overall it was so delicious! Only things I didn't quite enjoy were the crouton-like toast and hard-poached eggs (I prefer medium or soft, very personal preference though). We also got the simple stack, which is a burger with double patties, cheese, and pickles. The burger patties were juicy and thick, buns complimented well. However, I do miss having the tomato and lettuce in my burger. I was kinda disappointed in the fries on this though, they were very oily and overfried. Service was attentive and friendly, would definitely be back to try more things! read more

Top Notch Burgers - Simple stack - Burgers Near Me - Nanaimo, British Columbia

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Great burgers. We sat at the bar, the bartender was very personable and gave us great service. It took awhile to get our food because they were super busy. He was very attentive and kept us informed. Nice bar area, very noisy so it's difficult to have a conversation. I would recommend this place if you want to grab a burger and a drink. They have large screens for watching sports. read more

A Bar environment, so a bit loud, the bartender was very nice AND attentive! Food took a bit long, as the place was packed. The burgers were great, and so many choices! I would go back. read more

We made a reservation many weeks ahead but after standing in the entrance without a greeting for an unusually long time, we were told that they accidentally gave our reservation away. Sucks because we were out for a special evening with our three kids who were visiting from out of town. Can't comment on the food because we weren't able to eat there. It was handled poorly and a big disappointment. Go next door instead to The View, it was great! read more

Absolutely horrific service just trying to get an overworked employer or employee behind bar obviously overworked, not quite sure, very unprofessional. Young waitress very pleasant. Had a party of six will not recommend to anybody to go. Can't comment on the food as we didn't get that far. read more

Thank you to Top Notch Burgers for accommodating my group of 5 on Easter Sunday. The kitchen was closed but stayed open for us. The service and food was fantastic! The portions are huge and tasty. I had the best cheeseburger I had in a long time. We will definitely go back when visiting Nanaimo. read more

This place is really Top notch. Names speaks for itself. Just got in from NY and ordered the slow roast short rib burger and calamari. Delicious. Recommend the kettle chips as the recommended side and the garlic aioli dipping sauce. The staff are extremely helpful. I would recommend eating up front at the bar. Bartender gal fixed me a cucumber gin and tonic that wasn't in the menu...thank you. Staying at the bastion hotel and they would have delivered. Staff was so pleasant decided to sit down and eat. Thank you!!!! read more

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My sister and I went for lunch while we were Christmas shopping downtown. I'm SHOCKED to see the review on this place I couldn't disagree more and I'm a real foodie... the food was INCREDIBLE so delicious, we had burgers and fries, and the price was so cheap! Way more reasonable than browns and other chain restaurants. Service was on point, we are already planning our next visit with our other sister and our husbands. Keep up the good work, it's in the title everything truly was Top notch! read more

From the friendly greeting as I entered the restaurant to the impeccable service throughout lunch, Mahala could not have been more friendly, helpful, professional, and attentive as a server. The food is exquisite -- freshly prepared, perfectly seasoned, and downright amazing. You have to try the seafood chowder -- certainly one of the best I've tasted ever. Cream based but not heavy and loaded with fresh seafood. It's a meal in itself. The burgers are touted as the best in Nanaimo and I can see why-- they are tremendous ... and I had the basic bare burger! I need to try all of the others now. This is not a place you visit once and cross off the list; this is a place that earns its repeat customers with food and service second to none. read more

Top Notch Burgers - a bowl of soup on a napkin - Burgers Near Me - Nanaimo, British Columbia

We went for lunch and we were so disappointed with the food. The burger was dry, chips were old, the ceasar salad was blah. We will not be returning! Too bad, the first time we went was great. read more

I know there are staff shortages but it takes 30-60 seconds to pour a beer for the guys sitting at the bar and no one else is there at the bar seats. There are other tables but he's clearing tables instead of helping us. This bartender hates us. read more

I can't comment on the food as we walked out after waiting for 45 minutes. It was not even busy, middle of the afternoon. After flagging the server, we were told we'd have to wait another 12 minutes as the cook dropped our burgers. Poor poor service. read more

It just wasn't vert top notch. It was a hot day and the doors were open, so we had to compete with the flies. The poutine was just not great... read more

I've been here to eat several times and the food is always great. Our server Katherine was the best server by far at this restaurant. Usually the service staff here awkwardly serve you as if they don't really want to be serving you. I get it I used to be in the service industry, but it's pretty evident here by the quality of service. So shouts out to Katherine for raising the bar. read more

Had a great dinner with some of the best burgers we've ever had, you definitely won't go home hungry either! Great service and a beautiful little restaurant. read more

The food was very good. The service less than satisfactory. We were there for breakfast. You would expect that the coffee would be monitored steadily. It was not. Disappointing. My meal was incorrect and had to be sent back while everyone else was half finished by the time I got mine. Finally, the tip was mandatory as we were a party of six. We were unaware of this "rule". I am a visitor to Nanaimo and will not be recommending this establishment at all. Now I need to learn about mandatory tipping. We spoke to the management and our concerns were not taken seriously. read more

We walked up to be seated and the hostess, Rihanna, was extremely rude. She talked down to us and acted like like we had never been in a restaurant. She called my Uncle rude for asking if we could wear our masks between tables (there were 7 of us so we had to sit at 2 tables) and got super defensive when he said he wasn't being rude. The whole experience just left a bad taste in my mouth. The food was average and our server was really nice but I couldn't get over our not so friendly welcome. (01/01/22) read more

I walked in to the hotel where they are located , the lectern at the front said "the view." The waitress came along and asked if I needed help. I said I was looking for Top Notch. She said "this is Top Notch." That's it. Ok I said , the sign says something different. "That's for the restaurant over there".she said. Nothing more again. So I asked to be seated. The only choice was a high chair table. I hate those. I know they have a patio and it is supposed to be nice , but it was not offered. I sat and was given a menu and water. Honestly maybe it was me. I was in a low mood due to low blood sugar , but if I am going to pay top dollar for food I would like a smile and a welcoming attitude, neither of which was on offer. I left. Went to Montana's. read more

If I could give this place -5 stars I would. The GM's attitude is aweful, the way she speaks to the workers is unprofessional. Maddi, the owner, extremely unprofessional. They treat customers as if they don't care and give them a severe attitude. My suggestion, don't waste your money or time here. Another suggestion, don't work there. It seems like the owner and GM don't have any consideration about their employees. Wow such an awe full experience. The only way to fix this issue is to get a whole new owner and staff! read more

We came in last night and sat at the bar. Hannah was an amazing bartender - friendly and helpful. Today I came back to get an appy, and the poor bartender was working alone and was slammed. Clearly they were not expecting it to be so busy. One by one, I watched staff who were not yet starting their shift to staff who were off jump in to help. On top of the great food - it's so nice to see staff so willing to help each other. read more

Went in for lunch on a Saturday because they advertisedtheyre voted Best Burgers in Nanaimo, and it was dead. Couple tables, that's it. Should be quick and easy, right? Wrong. There were two staff, a server and bartender, and both ignored us. Stood around for 10 min and the server finally sat us. No menus, no drink order. We finally got up and asked the bartender if we were supposed to order from him. Said no, turned around. ??? Sit back down and the irritated server comes back and asks us what we want. Just like that. What do you want. We ordered, and in 45 min, food arrives, packed to go. Wtf?? We didn't order to go, so we assumed they're closing or we've offended them with our presence. So we pay and leave. Food is dry and cold. Naked buns, ice cold fries and meat. No sauces or dips packed with anything. I'm sorry, but if I were the owner here, I'd want to know that my employees are actively trying to kill my restaurant. I'm not from Nanaimo, but if this is the best burger, I am worried about you all. read more