Union Street Grill

It was one of those spur-of-the-moment road trips when my wife and I decided to drive 90 minutes from Nanaimo to Courtenay to visit the Union Street Grill and Grotto. Our purpose: The Walnut Mushroom Burger. A vegetarian burger made with roasted walnuts, mushrooms & garbanzos, topped with sautéed mushrooms, lettuce, tomatoes, sprouts, & garlic herb mayo. As vegans, the mayo had to go. My wife added avocado slices. When it came time to order, I told the server that I wanted what my wife had but I wanted the yam fries not the regular ones. Both upgrades were extra in costs. This burger is not the normal burger making the rounds in other restaurants as a vegan burger, it is advertised as a vegetarian burger so some modifications may be needed to achieve what you may be used to at other venues. My wife added the avocado slices, something we have both done in other restaurants, but somehow I did not get that option and neither was I charged for it. But, it does make a difference, so consider it when ordering. It's a burger, so I would like to see a vegan cheese and mayo option as well. As far as the bun, we never enquired but we were told the meal was vegan Ok. Other remarks. We arrived later in the evening and the restaurant looked full. We were quickly greeted and seated at a table for two in a corner. It was a little tight, but otherwise ok. My wife was disappointed in one of the community washrooms because there was water on the sink counter and she had no place for her purse. She put it on top of the paper towel dispenser and after grabbing some paper towels to wipe up the water, her purse fell in the floor. In this day and age we're all concerned about germs and these washrooms are used by all genders, so a hook or two may be helpful. The overall experience was enjoyable and the staff friendly. My only complaint was the $7.00 charge for two sodas, though I guess we could have sat there longer and drank more. Would we return - absolutely. We're vegan, so the choices are limited, but they do have a gluten free menu.

Nice little lunch stop; food was good! Service took a while and so did the food.

My family and I (three adults, two kids) came here for an early dinner on a Sunday around 4:30 pm. It was nice and quiet and we had our order taken and food served promptly. I got the mushroom walnut burger and it was the best veggie burger I've ever eaten. It looked, smelled and tasted incredible! I will easily travel down island to eat here many more times. There was at least four other dishes on the menu I wanted to try and that's rare for me having dietary restrictions! Which by the way... They cater too! Vegan, gluten free... Eat here!