Lighthouse Bistro & Pub

Very expensive for what you get
23.50 for 2 piece halibut and chips
Very small protions and tastses like cardboard
Was not fresh and was very over cooked
Would not recomend to any one
Only good thing was the 20 percent off cupon i recieved from sunshinecoast air

My girlfriend had her birthday dinner with about 12 people. We weren’t sure if this restaurant was going to be the greatest option because we hadn’t been there for years but we were able to make a reservation with short notice around Christmas time so that’s why she chose this place. It ended up exceeding expectations!
We had a private table which was nice, and the food was delicious with really good presentation and great service. Definitely would recommend for any occasion, family dinner, nice date night or even a large group.

Ambiance: Nice.
Service: Meh…
Drinks: Watered-​down.
Fish Tacos: Tasteless
Wished we’d walked a little further from the marina to look for something better.

I can only assume this pub has undergone some changes in the past year because I have no idea why it has bad reviews! It’s in a perfect location with amazing patio space. There’s a wraparound patio, a 360 degree BBQ patio and an upstairs balcony, all with great views of the harbour. We were here on a Saturday and had no trouble getting a table, plus the waitress was extremely pleasant and lightning quick at bringing our food and drinks. The drinks selection is amazing and very well priced — tons of cocktails for less than $ 6 and draft beer for around $ ⁵⁄₆. The amber ale was sooo good, but sadly I can’t remember what it was called. The chicken and brie sandwich was good — not fantastic, but perfectly good pub food. All in all, couldn’t have asked for a much better experience.

Wrap you head around this, Beautiful harbourside deck on the water, you choose to have a drink on a nice sunny day. Wait that Beautiful outdoor deck is not actually a bar? That beautiful outdoor deck is actually a outdoor kitchen. So you go up stairs to the inside actual «Pub» Oh no bar only tables? Add to that a ratty carpet and you wander out in sober defeat. I may have given this place two stars except when I ordered a beer and a coke I never expected the coke to cost $ 3.50!!! WTF? So no outdoor bar at a waterfront bistro/​pub and hockey game prices for a pop makes this place a must avoid.

It was good. Nice presentation, fresh food, reasonable value The Pub was pretty busy with «after work» people from docks/​businesses watching sports and drinking beer. We opted to eat downstairs in the BIstro away from the pub. Had a great time introducing, Jennifer, Sarah and the rest of the team to FoodSpotting.

This lovely place is right on the water in Nanaimo Harbor. Nanaimo has done an outstanding job of developing their waterfront transforming it from grubby and ugly to dazzling. There is a long seawall path for walkers and joggers that is well used.
The Lighthouse has a pub on the upper floor with the Bistro down below. For sunny days there is an outdoor dining area which, sadly, was not available the evening we were there.
We were greeted by Katie who also seated us and was our ever so pleasant server. It was hard to concentrate on the menu with the dazzling view which featured boats of every size, sea planes, eagles and everything else you would expect in a busy harbor.
We both opted for the Seafood Hot Pot which was a disappointingly small serving but absolutely delicious. Salmon, scallops, and shrimp along with some thick Shanghai style noodles all swimming in a dazzlingly tasty broth with curry and coconut… very tasty! The hot pot was served with a mini loaf of very fresh, warm bread and was $ 22
I opted for a cup of their clam chowder which was, as advertised, very buttery and thick… possibly too thick? It was very tasty and full of clam goodness and the clams were tender not rubbery. I would have wished that it was a bit warmer.
They have a fairly good wine list with local wines and imports. We broke with tradition and tried a Hardy’s (AUS) blend of Riesling and Gewurtztraminer which was a reasonable (for BC) $ 23.
Great food and a lovely spot for a Friday dinner in the Hub City! We can’t say enough good things about our server, Katie, who is working her way through nursing school. If she’s half as good a nurse as she is a waitperson she will have some very happy patients!

Walking around the harbor we came across this great restaurant. We were there on Tuesday 9 – 17 and the late lunch waitress was wonderful, she looks a lot like Blake Lively. We had some clam chowder and i had the amazing salad with candied pecans, Parmesan and balsamic vinaigrette. My guy had the cedar plank salmon and everything was wonderful. We sat and watched the sea planes come and go. GREAT afternoon. Highly recommended.

The food is mediocre at best which makes it somewhat over-​priced and pretentious for what you get. Not to mention the background music which I think was supposed to add to the ambiance was just aweful, aweful, aweful! I do not recommend this place at all. I want to say more about it but it just isn’t worth the effort. It could be great given its prime location but it just isn’t!

Before hopping on the ferry back to Horseshoe Bay, we stopped here for lunch.
First, the atmosphere is amazing as you are right on the water surrounded by beautiful parks and buildings and there is a huge patio with options to sit in the shade or in the sun.
I had the «manly» salad which, as our server pointed out, was not a very PC name. (Plus, if anything I would have called it a «girly» salad as I would think more females than males would order it). But whatever it was called, it was essentially a cobb salad that was one of the most beautfully-​presented salads I have seen. It came with very generous portions of ham, chicken, hard-​boiled egg, julienne cucumber, tomatoes, cheese and shrimp over a bed of lettuce. The «avocado dressing» was essentially guacamole and really added some extra flavour to the salad. Awesome!
Our server was very friendly and accomodating once we told him we were catching a ferry, even though they were busy because it was Mother’s Day.
I was very happy with the experience overall and would love to hit up the patio here again next time I find myself in Nanaimo.

bad service, mediocre food.
My server brought my tea without any sugar/​milk when I had asked in advance for it. When I glanced back to see where he was, he was eating his breakfast with the only other server. My thoughts were, «The place is empty except for 4 diners & they chose to eat at the same time at a table right in our view?»
If you only have 4 customers — you treat them like gold. We were neglected.
A pet-​peive of mine is when toast is served dry — as it was at the lighthouse bistro. & oh, the butter HARD.
The bacon was so undercooked I couldn’t eat more than half of it. I’m usually not picky about runny eggs — but I ordered over-​easy & got white-​runny digustingness.
Pretty disappointing start to the new year!

Not bad, not great, this place was good for a late-​night snack.
We had a big group of hungry travelers, and the waitresses did a pretty good job of handling us as we trickled in from the hotel. The food came in shifts (understandably), but it took a little long and it was hard to get the waitstaff’s attention for refills and the check.
The food itself was good – again, nothing to drive across the city for, but good enough to make us leave feeling pretty good. I didn’t have any, but the seafood aficionados said the marine fare was good.
I’d eat there again but would probably try another spot first.

Loved the location, so much potential, but the food and service leave something to be desired. Granted it was an extremely busy weekend, therefore I can forgive the tardiness of the waitress, but everything went downhill after that anyways. First, I loathe corn in a restaurant so I asked for a salad substitute, and the waitress informed me she would have to ask the manager. She never returned to inform me I’d get my request or not? I hate being left hanging with a menu in hand. My meal arrived with the requested sub and it was not tolerably great. A Bistro on the waterfront ought to know how to cook a salmon fillet. It shouldn’t be dry as a desert. Lastly the bill, initially I was not only being charged extra for the baked potato the meal comes with, but full price for the meal and the substitution. After another «I’ll have to ask the manger’ wait time I had the bill straightened out and left with a memory to never return.