We tried 8 Nanaimo bars from different shops in Nanaimo and Serious coffee was our favorite hands…read moredown.

The sandwiches and baked goodies are consistently exceptional at this location, plus great customer…read moreservice. It's a smaller property but it's always packed so maybe that just makes it seem smaller. Easy access off island highway. I would recommend going out of your way to grab coffee and lunch at this location. There is patio seating so if the weather is nice you can sit outside! Nice.

What a nice little cafe in North Nanaimo. The staff were so friendly and fun. They make everything…read morefrom scratch. I had the Yam Soup and Roasted Veggie sandwich and it was delicious. I would so go back!

Loved this café--the vibe, antique interior, and food were all excellent. Portions were generous…read moreand well worth the price. We tried the Lox bagel, and Double-B, everything was delicious. and the staff were friendly and helpful. Would definitely come back! Food: 5/5 | Service: 5/5 | Atmosphere: 5/5

So, I HAD to have a Nanaimo bar while visiting Nanaimo. Decided on this cute coffee house for the…read moreexperience. $5.50 for a small bar is rather steep but then I remembered it was in Canadian dollars and that made me feel slightly better! Now I think I'm hooked on these dessert bars. I didn't really think that I would like it, but it was delicious. So was my chai tea latte. We stayed in the store, so our experience included some pretty eclectic cups, silverware and plate, but that seems to be the vibe here at The Vault. The barista was all smiles, too.

the most less than average coffee I've ever had…read moreowners are horrible and hours are terrible for this place don't waste your time

Fun place to sit down and enjoy a cup of joe. They had books for you to browse and a private space…read morefor meetings. Fun decor that continues the name of the place.

It's a coffee shop in a ferry terminal. The seating is the waiting room for the foot passengers…read more You are paying more due to location. As you are a captive audience. The snacks are ok. Sandwiches, muffins, Nanaimo bars, etc. but over priced. The coffee is good, I have no complaints and the service was friendly and fast. If nothing else you can get a hot cup of good coffee.

Unfortunately the coffee was incredibly watered down to the point where I thought I may have gotten…read morethe wrong order.

When in Nanaimo…read more.. We decided to check out several spots to taste Nanaimo bars while in town, and Javawoki was by far our favorite. Rich, creamy and not overly sweet. Truly a 5 star bar (though wish it had been a little larger)

Quaint, cozy, so friendly and a fantastic mocha. The owner was super nice and carried on a good…read moreconversation. The Nanaimo bar was really good, I wish it was double the size. Wasn't much more than a bite or two. I could have stayed for more coffee but I already had three cups!

We visited Drip Coffee for breakfast and found it pretty busy on a (late) Friday morning. The…read moreinterior was small, but cozy and well decorated, and service was friendly. I ordered a Salted Maple Latte off their season drinks menu, and an Avocado Toast. The latte was fantastic - the "salted" flavor was really strong and didn't get overpowered by the maple, which I loved. The Avocado Toast was larger than I had expected and very well made - so filling, with tasty feta cheese and cherry tomatoes on top. I also bought a Ginger Cookie on the way out, which was huge and really good. Overall, big fan of Drip!

Love drip coffee! Delicious coffee and healthier food options. Right across from…read moreDeparture bay beach. They are a little pricier but worth it

We stopped by Cafe Today on a Friday afternoon, when it wasn't very busy. The interior was…read morespacious, with minimal decor and plenty of seating. The patrons seemed to be mostly regulars, and service was fast and friendly. I decided to try the Korean Style Latte and my boyfriend got an Americano. I generally liked the Korean Style Latte and found it was decently strong/caffeinated. However, it was slightly too sweet for me. Would return to try other items though!

First time here , saw all the great reviews and just had to check this gem out . Such a great…read morelittle place , not many tables inside but lots of choices on menu with great prices and such friendly staff . I had a ham Swiss sandwich which was very good and my friend had an English muffin with ham, egg , cheese and tomato. ( this sandwich was loaded with ham spilling out of muffin. Will be back for sure

WOW!! Awesome coffee,…read more Awesome staff, Nice surroundings, And the BEST SANDWICHES EVER!! At reasonable prices!! Will be back as often as I can, and everyone I know in the area will be hearing about this place. OWNERS: please keep up the great work!!

I was travelling home late in the day, and was hungry, since I had been driving for a while, and do…read morenot like "fast food" because of all my allergies. I stopped at this Cafe to see what they had on their menu board, and saw that they made sandwiches. Perfect! The tuna sandwich was the best and biggest I have had in a long time. It also hadn't been sitting in a display wrapped in plastic, but the friendly worker made it fresh and wrapped it in a paper sandwich wrap. This will be one of my "go to" stops from now on when heading down island.

The best Nanaimo Bar we ever had. It was delicious and to die for!…read moreMy sister bought some extra take back home (Toronoto). They are still delish after couple of days.

I heard from multiple sources that Red's Bakery serves the most mediocre Nanaimo Bars in Nanaimo,…read morebut since we were in the area (and a couple of other places were closed the day we were in town), we decided to walk on over. Red's has a kind of small town bakery feel, with old-fashioned almost eclectic decor, perhaps 60s/70s retro. Unlike some of the other bakeries, they prepackage some of their desserts in plastic, so it's difficult to tell how fresh they are. I suppose Nanaimo Bars keep well in the first place. We ended up trying Nanaimo bars from three different places, with my notes for Red's as below: Nanaimo Bar ($6) - This Nanaimo bar is much taller than the other two, probably around 50% taller than bar 3 and a full double of bar 2. It cuts very smoothly without much flaking off. The crumb base underneath is smooth, indicating that the coconut fibers are well blended to reduce strand length. It's almost like an Oreo base, with heavy Dutch processed cocoa flavor. There should be nuts mixed in, but they are crushed so finely that I can't really tell what nut is used. People on social media complain about the bottom layer, but I actually love it. For the other layers, the top icing is really sweet. It has a heavily roasted chocolate flavor and by far the darkest in color. The middle layer just tastes like standard icing. It's sweet but I think less so than the other bars. (4/5) Interestingly enough, I enjoyed the Nanaimo Bar from Red's more than both other bakeries. I think it's pretty good in quality and while sweet, has the heavy cocoa elements of the cookie base to help balance things out a bit. Washroom - I didn't see any available for customers.