The Nest Bistro in Nanaimo

All staffs were very friendly and food were amazing

A great little find downtown. Our dinner and drinks were delicious. Excellent service as well.

I asked the server to bring me something to surprise me and she came back with the Potato Crusted Salmon. More precisely, it was a wild BC Sockeye, tarragon cream, vegetables, gnocchi.That dinner was incredible. I enjoyed each bite. I highly recommend. Prices represent a fancy place.I also had a Bloody Ceasar, and it was also very very good.If youre thinking about going, just go, and enjoy!

The food was amazing as was the wine. We had great service and enjoyed our evening on their deck.

A gem of a place. My gal and I went for dinner while in town for work. We wanted a steak and found this great spot. The food was fantastic and the service was excellent. Our waiter was a fine young man with a quick wit and personality to match. The chef puts out delicious creations,the cheese cake was crazy good too! We will be back. Thanks for doing it right!!! Bravo!

The food was amazing with great service. Highly recommend for a great dinner when in Nanaimo.

Amazing little restaurant with a great patio! Delicious food and very fun menu!

Hours posted are not correct. Went there when it said they were open, but they were closed.

As a very picky eater I must say that this was an incredible experience! The food tasted absolutely great 5/5 (especially their sambuca prawn spaghetti). Serving size 5/5. Environment 5/5 sitting outside on their porch with grape vines makes me feel like Im in Italy. And our server was great too 5/5. Finally, the price is so good! ONLY AROUND $25 Per PERSON!! This is easily one of the best dining experiences Ive had.

we have been going to the Nest for many years, every time we are in Naniamo, we love the service and the food is phenomenal

Another date night, another amazing restaurant here in Nanaimo!Tonights food tour was Nanaimos second-best (La Stellas got new competitionItalian restaurant, The Nest.We started with a bottle of Nelson, BCs own Cactus Red, followed by butternut squash ravioli and crab arancini, and followed it up with the truffle risotto and sambuca prawn spaghetti, and finished it up with 20 year old Port and a chocolate ganache pyramid and homemade ice cream.Words escape me. I cant pick my favourite dish, although sadly the arancini was not as good as La Stellas. But the rest? A triumph! Thanks for an amazing meal and another beautiful date night!

Only gets a one because you need to rate. Word to the wise-if you don’t have a reservation you will get turned away at the door. No other time offered, zippo! Disappointing

They made a mistake but the server helped us fixed the situation with a smile! The pizza was not that good, but the risotto to die for!

We really loved the atmosphere and the service. Above average service by Brodie! He was knowledgeable and prompt. Unfortunately the food just wasn’t that good. We had 5 different dishes and all of them were just ok. The price you pay for these dishes isn’t earned. It’s too bad because the staff are friendly and the atmosphere is great. Just the food wasn’t that good

Food was absolutely wonderful. Service was excellent. I would definitely come back.

The only reason I give it a 3 is your server should take a few lessons in serving. You not in school any more, change your “don’t care attitude”. You are out in the big world now. Try smiling and better manners. That’s why your tip reflected you service. Good food:

Came here on a whim for a pasta craving with my boyfriend. When I say this was the best pasta I had ever had in my entire life, I’m not kidding. I truly believe every food lover needs to experience this place. I am in love… 10/10 and will definitely be coming back.

Superb restaurant, great food, knowledgeable and helpful staff.

A nice place! The gnocchi was very excellent, highly recommend getting the gnocchi. The wine list included a lot of local BC wines and was very reasonably priced. The best part is the view, Even though the view is not facing the ocean it is still a very beautiful view of mountains and the city

The food was excellent, the ambience is very nice and the service exemplary. Sarah is a very attentive server. It is a quaint restaurant with very pleasant staff. Highly recommend.

I think this the best restaurant in nanaimo. A bit on the fancier side, but they deliver. Sambucca prawns are amazing.

Service was friendly restaurant looked immaculate but unfortunately the food was disappointing...Ordered the chicken parm soggy and just taste of salt pasta with shrimp still had the tails on had to dig them out and get my fingers dirtyThe amount of pasta sauce drowned my plate friendly staff but unfortunately the food is lacking for what we ordered.Maybe it was an off Night as the reviews are high but for a late night valentines dinner for me and my wife that never go out was disappointing

Wonderful food with beautiful, truly local, ingredients. Great knowledgeable staff who really care about what they serve and you knowing all the effort that went into the menu. Chef is owner and it is truly his passion project.

We booked a party of twelve in December 2021 and had an amazing time. The service was good considering the demands we placed on them and seeming to be short staffed. I had gnocchi with mushroom sauce and was blown away by all aspects of the dish. I cleaned my plate. I’ll most definitely be retuning in the future.

Yet another amazing celebration at the Nest made even more memorable with Master Sommelier Miche serving up his wine knowledge and suggestions. Their delectable Italian menu always leaving us in awe and coming back for more. Highly recommend and don’t forget to order the Tiramisu for dessert!!

We decided to go out for a nice birthday dinner, we havent eaten out in over a year due to covid and financial difficulties over the last 2 years.Ordered pasta and a medium/well done steak ($30 steak meal)Received a steak, the size of a deck of cards MAYBE, about 4 peices of cooked zucchini and a pile of risotto. But, we expected small portions.My husband cut into the steak and the plate immediately filled with blood, risotto was now red, whole plate covered in blood, not very appetizing to someone who wanted a well done steak. Someone else might not mind.Received nothing but attitude after speaking to the server (blonde ponytailed femaleand we didnt think we should have to pay for it as it wasnt how we asked and only had one bite. She did ask if we wanted something else but it was so unappetizing and the other meal was getting cold.They still wanted to charge us $10.00..After this, we were abandoned at our table, then stood by the door to pay...finally the server walks over, doesnt say a word, thrust the debit machine at us. We still tipped her a full amount but now wish we had NOT. Not even a thank you from her for coming in.Restaurants need to realize that they are not the only ones suffering the consequences of covid, us hard working people who cant afford to go out on a regular basis expect better service especially from a place in town with such RAVE reviews. What a disappointment.We will not be back, and word of mouth travels much faster than google reviews!

The Nest Bistro has always been a favourite of mine. The atmosphere, service, and food is always above expectations. We visited last night and brought a friend from out of province to treat her to one of the nicer restaurants in town for her last night and birthday. We were all super impressed as usual! I highly recommend the truffle fries!

Perfect mix of formal and fun -- service is always outstanding. Solid wine options and local beer combined with an Italian-inspired menu is a winner--and whatever you do, save room for the rotating cheesecake option or the in-house-made ice cream sandwiches!

We have eaten at The Nest many times and have always had great service and great food.The review by Thomas B does not reflect the restaurant’s food or service, they are critical of The Nest following the rules that have been set in place by the BC government and by not following those rules could mean fines and closure, then we all miss out on a great local restaurant.If you have an issue with the current rules don’t take it out on the restaurant, your issue is with the government and lowering the rating of a great local restaurant does not thing to support local business, it just does damage.

The Nest is hands down one of the best places to eat in Nanaimo. It offers beautiful views overlooking downtown, amazing local and organic choices, and the food is absolutely delicious. The last couple of times I went I had the butternut squash ravioli, so I guess thats my favourite thing to order :I moved from Nanaimo to Victoria at the beginning of the lockdowns. The Nest is a place I definitely miss! Im looking forward to visiting again.

Had a wonderful time here with my family that I decided to come back again with my mom. My family is coming to visit again this weekend but we will be cooking at home since one of the people in our party is not vaccinated this restaurant will miss out on the business of our entire party for years to come. Its nice to know that if our government asked certain minorities to put stars on their chests that restaurants like the nest would be complying. Have fun with your 30% drop in business The free market speaks

Great service and Amazing food!It’s a good idea to make a reservation as this small restaurant fills up fast. And it’s obvious why it’s so popular! The servers are very friendly and efficient and the food is absolutely delicious! We love The Nest and highly recommend it!

Very friendly, welcoming and warm staff. Intimate and engaging space, very comfortable! And the menu is delicious! Excellent arancini, spectacular prawn spaghetti! Recommended.

Delicious pasta, I had the shrimp pasta with garlic bread, my boyfriend had the risotto and it was honestly the best risotto Ive ever had

My fiancee introduced me to this restaurant for a date night and it was amazing! Cozy little spot and the food was incredible. Get the warmed olives and cheese bread!! Makes my top 3 with Asteras and Cuckoos for Mediterranean cuisine!

Really enjoyed Valentines dinner here. Cozy atmosphere and a nice evening view. The food was excellent and my partner and I enjoyed the 3 course Valentines dinner. Service was very friendly.

Fantastic food (and is the only place in Nanaimo I can think of that has risotto on the menu). The service is great and the staff genuinely friendly. Its a relatively small restaurant, so it can get busy.If I was forced to come up with a list of best local restaurants, the Nest would be in the top 5.

We dined at The Nest Bistro last night and thoroughly enjoyed it! I have been there several times now but my partner had not. We were celebrating a special occasion and chose “The Nest” as we wanted to “dine”.We started with the seafood trio appy, which was absolutely delicious! The crab cake was well seasoned and then fried, the prawn skewers were crunchy, tasty and delectable as was the squid all dipped in the tasty sauces provided.Next we had a side salad with house dressing that was lovely and fresh. After that we ordered two bread sticks that I would highly recommend! They were a very tasty treat!Then we had our mains. We both ordered the Flat Iron Steak, rare but just past blue rare and did they deliver! Thank you! Our steaks were cooked absolutely perfect! My partner ordered the roasted potatoes and mushroom risotto as his sides. The little potatoes were perfect and tasty but the risotto was a dream come true! It was creamy and smooth with the wonderful rich flavor of mushroom. Nicely done guys! I ordered the fried gnocchi and roasted vegetables. The gnocchi was the ONLY disappointment of the evening. It just lacked any anything. It was just little pieces of fried dough with no real flavor. Maybe that’s how gnocchi is supposed to be, but I didn’t really care for it... on the other hand the roasted vegetables were wonderful and tasty.For dessert we ordered the lemon cheesecake with blueberry sauce. It was delightful and rich and tasty and everything a cheesecake should be but up a notch with their blueberry coulee.It was a memorable meal made all the best by our wonderful server Danielle. Thank you so much for your attention to detail, kindness and experience. You made our evening the wonder it was!

Everything about service had been thought through and we felt very well looked after and safe. Danielle, we could see was full of smiles wearing her well designed face shield, and was a cheerful and attentive server. She helped us choose from the very reduced, but carefully selected menu, a delicious locally sourced and house cooked meal.

Came here for my ladies birthday and i think it got me bonus points. Delicious food, well plated, perfectly seasoned and great service (our water glasses never ran out once). We will return again! They have a lovely intimate patio to enjoy on a warm summers night. We thoroughly enjoyed our meals. Quiet intimate and romantic

It was a happy accident that we reserved on the night of The Nests 9th anniversary. Service was excellent, food and atmosphere were very comforting, and the mac and cheese was out of this world.Our server went out of his way to get us sangria despite it not being on the anniversary evening menu.Thank you so much for having us!

Really great place. Peacefull and holy moly the food. I got a new york steak and my wife the crab cake.... delicious... the nhoc is great. And service excellent.

We have been to the Nest several times since moving to Nanaimo a couple of years ago. Bistro style fine dining isnt very common in Nanaimo, fortunately the Nest is an excellent choice.We have mostly had the lamb dishes. The lamb is excellent and they always have great sides, unlike many similar restaurants that give you something simple you could easily make at home like mashed potatoes. Service is friendly and prices are reasonable.

Went there tonight for dinner. Food was OK but not great. I had the seafood trio appetizer. Shrimp, all 2 of them, were about 1/4 the size the server said they were, tasted the same as the calamari which was just coating and the crab cake was mediocre. Their special of cod seemed to be frozen not fresh. However, the server was very good. The entrance from outside and once you get into the restaurant is abysmal. Dark & dreary. They probably lose a lot of customers due to the look of the restaurant.

We came here for our staff Christmas party. Food was amazing! Our waitress was hilarious and did an awesome job. Food is very reasonably priced for the excellent quality you recieve. Will be back!

Went here twice in one week. Only cause it was walking distance.Couple of good things on menu but their kichen seems stretched. Nothing fab.Going here at night us a gong show. Outside lighting us bad. Bring a flash light.Their wine list is stretched too. Never have anything listed.The only fab thing is the view. When you reserve make sure you get the window tables or else go somewhere else.

What a treat! We went out for a celebration dinner and really enjoyed our meal. Server was lovely and knowledgeable about the menu. We had the nest ceaser salad which had a surprisingly nice spicy kick to it. My boyfriend is not a salad guy and loved it. We both had the hand made gnocchi. I had the gnocchi with truffles cream sauce and added the house made sausage... my mouth is watering just thinking back to this rich delicious meal. My boyfriend had the alfredo sauce with chicken added also really good (mine was better). We hardly had room for it but we had peanut butter chocolate pie at the end and we both could not stop eating it. I think my only negative would be the decore. Looks a bit like they forgot to put away the christmas decorations but who doesnt love christmas? Also the area we were asked to wait for a table felt a bit like a storage spot with boxes seems like wasted space where they could have more tables or increase the cocktail list and if you have a long line offer peope a nice place to enjoy a cocktail as they wait? Just a thought! We will definitely be back!

My drink was awful, it was a grapefruit fizz that had zero fizz and tasted like watered down rose. I ordered the salmon, everything was luke warm. The food came out so fast I was shocked, I mean in less than five minutes. I suspect items are cooked then re-grilled on order, which is fine but hot food should be hot.Both my dish and those at our table were sort of plopped on the plate. The only thing I really liked was the sauce. The food wasnt terrible and no one complained but I would never go back based on the poor service alone. I suspect it was just our waitress as other staff treated customers much better

Have always wanted to try this place but now am sad it took so long! This place has wonderful, atmosphere and food. Oh my goodness it was absolutely delicious! I will definitely be coming back! Thanks for the amazing food!

Excellent food, great ambiance. Good selection of drinks and reasonably priced for a higher end restaurant. Will return for sure