NANAIMO - Their food trucks are hard to miss and their freshly made tacos are creating a buzz wherever they park.Tacomania's pork carnita tacos is a top-rope splash of flavour and attracting considerable attention and has quickly become a staple of their fresh, local menu.Owner Ken Jones said much like all of their tac...

NANAIMO - They have only been open for a couple of months, but a restaurant specializing in wok cuisine is already a popular local spot. Wok Stars, located inside Country Club Centre, is a vision from head chef and owner Paul Smoljanovic who describes his dishes as "Asian fusion street food with a North American p...

NANAIMO - It's two pounds of the finest produce available, squeezed into a single-serve bottle packed with nutrients.Cold Press Juice's detox green has gone from their least popular offering to a signature item flying off store shelves relying on a blend of kale, spinach, celery, romaine lettuce, parsley and cucumber.&...

NANAIMO - Wine and rib lovers unite! The Old City Station Pub has a new dish that is right up your alley. The new owners of the Old City Station Pub in Nanaimo's historic downtown core want to preserve the historical sense while serving modern-day dishes.Their blueberry reduction ribs are one of their latest creations,...

NANAIMO - You read it right, it's avocado and lime...in a pie.The usual, eye-brow raising combination blending sweet and savoury is the concoction of Chemainus' Pie Me Pies, a small husband and wife-run business serving up fruit and cream pies from the Secret Garden on Willow St."My husband's the number one joker,...

NANAIMO - It's the mother of all chicken sandwiches with just enough heat to make you sit up and take notice.The Absolute Unit burger from Ladysmith's Zack's Lounge is exactly what the name promises: a jaw-unhinging, freshly cooked, perfectly crispy, crunchy and juicy burger. Chef Nishad Orpe said it's built around Zac...

NANAIMO - An English style pub experience home to a range of tastes has become an institution in Nanaimo's Old City Quarter neighbourhood.Milton Street Public House has operated under the watchful eye of owner/operator Robert Wilkinson for the past seven years, offering pub favourites and an ever-changing list of featu...

NANAIMO -Offering authentic and healthy Vietnamese cuisine with beautiful views of the marina, Sealand Pho is one popular spot. One of their most popular dishes is their Sealand house special noodle soup, paired with their Sealand special sub., according to owner Donny Tran. "We put chicken broth, beef broth, gril...

NANAIMO - It's a dessert which leaves you wanting not quite another piece, but just one more bite.The sticky toffee pudding at Minnoz Restaurant & Lounge in the Coast Bastion Hotel is a new spin on an old English favourite, combining classic date and toffee flavours with a citrus infusion.A cake base is made up of ...

NANAIMO - A local vegan restaurant is reimagining a typically meat-heavy Greek favourite with plant-based options.Eve Olive's greek goddess plate combines hummus, a Greek salad with their house-made feta, lemon rosemary roasted potatoes, house made pita, with the option of a chicken-less skewer or their gluten-free bee...

NANAIMO - Don't call this charcuterie...this is art.Newly launched Coastal Boards and Bites are looking to change what people think of when they think of charcuterie, using fresh and local ingredients to put a new spin on traditional cured meat and cheese platters."Charcuterie is basically meat, pork products,&quo...

NANAIMO - As part of a revamped, re-energized menu, the Nanaimo Golf Club has turned to some unique combinations to provide duffers and diners alike an unforgettable experience.Bryce Forsyth, executive chef, said an appetizer featuring traditional Vietnamese flavours has proven to be a hit with customers."The coco...

NANAIMO - A popular local coffee favourite is branching out and seeking inspiration half a world away.The Buzz Coffee House's new Rutherford Rd. location also came with a change to their inside decor and menu, drawing on trends in Australian coffee houses for its food and drinks menu.Their folded egg breakfast combined...

NANAIMO - Your sweet tooth won't know what to do once you step into the charming Sweet Spot Bake Shop. The display case is nearly overflowing with delicious treats, everything from Nanaimo bars, cheese cake in Mason jars and cookies, with muffins and donuts arranged delicately on top. Everything available at the Parksv...

NANAIMO - Every pizza served at La Stella Trattoria has its own unique story. Each pizza is different from what came before, from how the dough is tossed by the chefs to the heat it receives in the pizzeria's eye-catching wood burning oven. Jordan White, chef de cuisine at La Stella's Wesley St. location, said using a ...

NANAIMO - If your only pierogi experience is a mass-produced, frozen, pillow of potato and cheese you're doing yourself a great disservice.The Hungry Rooster Kitchen on Bowen Rd. is serving up fresh, authentic Polish pierogies on a daily basis, where you can taste the generations of experience behind each one.Their com...

NANAIMO - One of the region's best restaurants has gone back in time to provide a unique and spectacular dining experience.Flames are routinely visible from The View Oceanside Grill's location in the Dorchester Hotel in downtown Nanaimo courtesy their showstopping seafood flambé.The combination of prawns, clams ...

NANAIMO - It's a plate piled high with fried goodness that is well worth the drive.The French Creek Marine Pub has perfected their version of a fish and chips, highlighting fresh halibut filets, home-cut fries and a tangy in-house made tartar sauce.Available in one piece (3 oz) or two piece (6 oz) portions, the dish sc...

NANAIMO - There's enough flavours on the Mambo Pizza menu to sate you during any mood or food craving. You can even get your extra-large pizza split into four quarters if you're indecisive. The 18" Mambo Pizza is legendary and regularly hailed as a reason to venture downtown. The slices are wide but still easy to ...

NANAIMO - A blend of some unique ingredients has created one of the Island's most impressive chicken burgers.The A-B-C Burger at Extreme Eatery in Parksville is a great balance between sweet and salty, pairing a breaded chicken breast with candied bacon and an apple slaw. It's piled high on a toasted brioche bun and to...

NANAIMO - A local food truck is proving the adage "good things come in small packages," one delicious slider at a time.Sip and Slider's Little Big Dill is a mouthful with a local beef patty sitting atop fresh cut lettuce, tomato and onion. Mozzarella cheese is melted on the beef with dill pickle chips and a f...

NANAIMO - Longwood Brew Pub and Restaurant's blackened chicken avocado salad is a mountain of a meal, piled high with fresh and in-house made ingredients which come together to create a beautiful, healthy and filling plate.Shane Hagan, Longwood's executive chef, said the salad has become so popular, it's taken over the...

PARKSVILLE - Despite not being open for very long, Masala Hut in downtown Parksville is quickly developing a reputation for some of the most authentic flavours of India on central Vancouver Island.In the same flavour neighbourhood as the ever-popular butter chicken, Masala Hut's chicken madras is a flavour-packed curry...

NANAIMO - A classic Mexican dish served at Nanaimo's famous pink house on the hill brings all the spice and heat you'll want for a fun time out with friends. The chipotle dinner at Gina's Mexican Cafe has been served for decades and is one of the most popular items on their sizzling menu. It's served with either chicke...

NANAIMO - A popular coffee-infused beer is a fine friend at a great party without giving you an over-caffeinated kick. The White Sails Brewing Regardians Coffee Ale is a staple of White Sails' taps, first brewed years ago and tweaked to perfection in the last three years. The beer was crafted in close collaboration wit...

NANAIMO - Wolf Brewing's Sour Howler is a west coast twist on a traditional beer. It's a crisp, refreshing and tart beer perfect for summer. Wolf brewmaster Kevin Ward said they wanted a sour beer that wouldn't turn away all but the most hardened sour drinkers. "It's not a face twister, it's just very tart. In Ber...

NANAIMO - Just because a beer is dark doesn't mean it's heavy. The Luna Porter available on tap and in cans at Cliffside Brewing has the quintessential dark tones of a porter but a medium body, meaning it's a refreshingly light drink. Cliffside head brewer Andrew Eubank said the Luna is perfect for every occasion. &quo...

NANAIMO - Summer arrives all year every time you crack a can of Berried Alive. It's become a staple of Longwood Brewery, with tart, fresh and fullsome berry flavours which tickle the tastebuds and sends a refreshing shiver down your spine. Longwood brewmaster Harley Smith said it speaks about every aspect of summer. &q...

NANAIMO - The top seller at a popular Nanaimo restaurant always keeps the customers coming back for more. The Miyagi magic prawns from Firehouse Grill bring the spice, with panko-breaded flash fried prawns tossed in a scintillating in-house molten mayo and spicy sauce served on a bed of sushi rice. Even the kimchi sala...

NANAIMO - You can't get a more authentic farm-to-table experience than at the Mahle House in Cedar. A small farm was originally on the property providing some fresh vegetables and greens but the current owners have expanded the options by moving the farm off the property to their rural lot also in Cedar. Head chef Luke...

NANAIMO - If you've ever stared at a restaurant menu and thought "I want lunch AND dessert at the same time," then this food truck fusion might hit the mark.The title dish from Nanaimo-based food truck Donairnutz features exactly what the name implies."It's the mini donuts with donair meat, which is a be...

NANAIMO - Few things go together better than a hot summer's day and a delicious, cold treat.Cold Front Gelato delivers on the second part of that perfect pairing with a wide range of flavours including two of their most popular: mint chocolate brownie and a plant-based sea salt chocolate.The mint chocolate brownie near...

NANAIMO - You won't leave hungry after visiting Katerina's Taverna in Lantzville, where one dish stands out as its most popular.A Dinner for Two at the authentic mediterranean restaurant on Lantzville Rd. in the heart of the district's village core was created because customers wanted a little bit of everything.The fea...

NANAIMO - A savoury mac and cheese hits the spot at Craft Fare in downtown Nanaimo, where comfort food meets premium craft beer.Owner Brett Standerwick said the "Bacon Burner" mac and cheese was an immediate favourite when they opened in October, 2019."In the first month we saw sales of that item go righ...

NANAIMO - It's a new spin on a classic dish so fresh you can taste it.The new poke bowl found on the Gabriel's Cafe menu brings together fresh ingredients from local farms and fisheries to create a scintillating and delicious meal. "Our poke bowl uses as many local ingredients as possible," co-owner Gabriel S...

NANAIMO - Part feast, part eggs benedict, fully flavoursome.Coco Cafe and their famous breakfast bowl offers up a simple and delicious take on the classics of eggs, sausage and hash browns."It features our homemade hollandaise sauce, we make all our hash browns in house as well," Jasmine Dorion, Coco's cafe m...

NANAIMO - If you compared a good meal to a nice, warm hug then the 24-hour braised short ribs would be one from your mom.Slow cooked, delicately treated and beautifully presented, one of the newest dishes on the Ricky's Nanaimo North menu is a winner."We get it in big slabs, cut it up and butcher it all ourselves,...

NANAIMO - Big Wheel Burger is more than a cheeseburger chain. Big Wheel's popular Nashville hawt chickpea burger paired with Buffalo fries brings the heat and filling satisfaction of a plant-based burger."It had the best feedback, it was just a good option, we threw it on the menu and its been going really well si...

NANAIMO -Ironworks Cafe and Creperie serves up a popular savoury dish which wasn't originally intended to land on its regular menu.The restaurant's greek chicken crepe combines chicken breast coated with greek seasoning, tomato, cucumber, red onion, feta cheese and tzatziki sauce.Owner Dina Stuehler said their customer...

NANAIMO - Some people try to share the Smokin' George's Porkinator but most can't. "Most people just down it," restaurant owner George Kulai said. "They get their teeth into it and they just go." The sandwich always has homemade pulled pork and bacon with a scintillating sauce and mayonnaise. Meats ...

NANAIMO - Ladysmith is known for many things however its most famous claim to fame might be Old Town Bakery and their world-famous cinnamon buns.The pillowy-soft, generously iced, flavour-packed bakery bombs are usually the first thing locals recommend trying when visiting the central Island.Kate Cram, one of the famil...

NANAIMO - A renowned burger ordered roughly one thousand times has been finished just once.The legendary K2 Mountain Burger at Mrs. Riches Restaurant in Nanaimo is so big people who order it typically end up bringing most of it home.It has been served up for more than three decades at the popular Fraser St. eatery.Two ...

NANAIMO - Piccadilly Bistro's take on a classic appetizer is a showstopper, combining earthy bite-sized mushrooms with a plethora of seafood.The ensemble draws an instant 'wow' from those who order it and has become a highly-popular signature item for the casual dining bistro."It's piled high with the shrimp, the ...

NANAIMO - A burger and the pub go hand in hand and it's a marriage The Quarterway Pub has perfected.Done poorly, a burger can turn off clientele from trying anything else on the menu. Done well and a simple cheeseburger can speak to the care and attention a restaurant puts on its food.The Quarterway Pub is the latter, ...

NANAIMO - When going out for a nice meal, the Bold Knight restaurant is always one of the top recommendations. The classic surf and turf meal of an 8 oz. sirloin and 4 oz. Canadian lobster tail has been on the menu since the restaurant opened more than 40 years ago. The Bold Knight's staple of steak and lobster is a lo...