Review The View Oceanside Grill - Nanaimo

I'm still dreaming about The View Seafood Mac & Cheese. My friends and I were visiting from the Mainland for one night and The View was one of the top places that showed up in a Google search for dinner options. Having read all of the glowing reviews we decided to give it a try and I'm so glad that we did! Our server was so lovely and friendly. The ambience is beautiful, I just wish it were a little warmer as the place we sat towards the back of the restaurant was quite chilly. We ordered the Calamari and Prawns Gratin for appies and then split the three entrees: Seafood Mac & Cheese, Linguine Capesante and Seared Halibut Risotto. Everything we tasted was incredible! We were sad that we weren't more hungry and unable to finish everything. That was some of the best Mac and cheese I've ever tasted. We had a lovely evening here and I would highly recommend a visit if you have the time. Definitely recommend booking a re so ahead of time though as the earliest we could get a table was 8pm. I'll just be dreaming of these entrees again until my next visit.

I ordered the Lamb Sirloin ($29), which comes on a bed of scallion whipped potatoes and seasonal vegetables, topped with Dijon mustard. Flavor-wise this was delicious! Really enjoyed the sharp Dijon with the lamb! I felt parts of the lamb were too rare though, making it quite chewy. Otherwise it would've been a perfect dish! My partner ordered the Beef Tenderloin Schnitzel ($30) after seeing a nearby table order it. It was so good!! I kept nibbling on his dinner! I really loved the spaetzle, it was chewy and flavorful. The schnitzel was crunchy and the parmesan with the panko crusted definitely elevated the flavors of the dish! Did I mention this was a very generous portion size?? Only thing out of place was that some parts of the beef were a bit thin, so it was too dry after frying. Overall very satisfying and tasty dish though! Also took a picture of my friends Alaskan King Crab and Lobster platter ($80) he said it was generous in portion and fresh! Looked really good 😍 This was a delightful dinner, aside from waiting 80 minutes for food (hence the loss of one star). Service was friendly and attentive, food portions were good, I'll be back for sure to try more stuff!

Our server Shaina was amazing. The food was phenomenal. Drinks were good and the atmosphere very cute. The seafood flambe was very filling and the sauce is delicious :3 I was surprised how well the Ricards (liqourice flavored liqeur for the flambe) went with it all. Highly recommend. Dress up, have fun!

Absolutely outstanding. I cant tell you in a few short words how amazing the food was at the View. The flambe is really cool, but every dish had flair and panache and flavor and ... yum! Friendly service, very reasonable prices and I know I'll be back! Update: try the Bavarian cream pie! It's outstanding!

Salmon Oscar, prosciutto wrapped lingcod, seafood flambé, scallops, calamari, mussels and clams. Fantastic food and very friendly service. I was staying in the hotel attached to this establishment while working in Nanaimo and ate here three nights consecutively. 10/10 I would recommend this place. I will definitely return one day!

Truly enjoyed our first visit to The View, and we will be back again and again. We had the calamari, seafood flambé and Moroccan lamb and loved every morsel. Our server (Natalie - hope we have this right) was delightful, great service and helped make our 25th anniversary a memorable night!

The food was delicious. The service was excellent. Perfect ambiance for a date night or a night out with family. Usually very busy, recommend making reservations. Will definitely go back when in town.

This restaurant exceeded all my expectations. Food was superb, service was excellent, and the atmosphere was lovely. Our server Rebekah was personable and attentive. Even though it was a Tuesday night, they were very busy and there was a wait to get in. Food also took some time to come out but it's not a problem for us at all. Just meant more time to enjoy our dinner! HIGHLY recommend - sesame crusted tuna - 2 big slabs of tuna cooked to perfection. The salad was fresh, and the rice was aromatic with coconut $24 - MUST try the Oscar add-on to any entree! (cream sauce shrimp, scallops and crab) it was extremely creamy, flavourful, and an excellent addition to rice. $9 - crispy skin salmon Oscar - this one is great because it already comes with the Oscar ($9 a la carte). The salmon was tender and wasn't overcooked, which is very rare Thank you for the pleasant experience and would definitely be back if in town again :)

My husband and I are visiting from Vancouver and decided to check this place out. I like the decor and the setting, but the restaurant was quite cool in temperature with a bit of a draft. One of the TV’s over the bar wasn’t working properly and the electric fire place, which is a main decor feature of the bar, has a bit of a delay. There isn’t an established drink menu yet, so would have liked to see a cocktail menu and a slightly longer wine list. The wine I did order was quite good (house cab sav). It took awhile for someone to take our drink/food order and when the waitress finally arrived, she didn’t introduce herself. Water was not brought to the table and we had to ask. We unfortunately waited 30 minutes for our meals and complimentary bread and butter during that time would have been a nice touch. The owners did notice we were waiting a long time for our food and we were actually offered a complimentary drink. When the food did come, it was surprisingly quite good. I had the salmon and my husband had the pork tenderloin. The sides could have been a bit warmer in temperature. I suspect they were waiting a bit for the main entrée meat and the sides got cold. We had multiple people come by our table to see how we were doing and apologize for the wait. Overall, the food was definitely enjoyable and there appear to be some great things on the menu. I do think however, a lot of ‘little things’ that add to the complete dining experience need to be improved. With a few tweaks, as mentioned, I think this could be a great place. It’s obvious the owners really care about the restaurant being successful and desire to provide good food and service, so hopefully with time, it will be an excellent dining experience. Worth giving another try.

Oh my gosh where to start. I wanted somewhere with a wonderful View and enough space for friends to celebrate my 40th birthday. The owner, staff and cook made the experience so amazing. I would highly recommend the whole experience to anyone looking for a wonderful space to celebrate something special.

Food is incredible and the staff top notch. Can't wait for the patio in the spring and summer �

Just had lunch there...best burger I have had in years and my husband said the seafood chowder was excellent.....it was full of large chunks of salmon, shrimp and clams. Drinks are only $5. Beautiful atmosphere and the service was great. Will definitely be going back there!

So Great!! This place finally has life to it again! Drinks are well priced. Food was fantastic and service was outstanding! Can’t wait to try the brunch!! HUGE thumbs up for moving the bar to the other side and having more tables waterfront! New fav restaurant in Nanaimo!!

The food was cooked to perfection and well presented. Reasonably priced entrees are difficult to find and one of the best bangs for the buck I’ve had in a very long time.

Amazing service from Alicia and delicious food! Would 10/10 recommend.

Great food and good service. Patio had a great view of the fireworks too.

We celebrated our 25th Anniversary at Beach Fires - it was fantastic! Great atmosphere, delicious food and the service was awesome. What a lovely evening - we will definitely return.

The food was good. Service was a tad slow but they were very busy as it was Sunday brunch. I was dismayed to see each small table had in the middle of it a small bowl with a pathetic looking fish in it. Not a happy fish swimming about in a nice tank with oxygen pumped in, but just a pathetic half dead looking fish. Not a good way to 'decorate' a restaurant in my opinion.

Great atmosphere! Great food! Great prices! You won't be disappointed...

Fabulous taste of France with a WestCoast twist! We will certainly come back from the mainland as soon as we can. Thank you for the wonderful feast!

I would really love it if you could eliminate all the straws you put in every single glass of water you serve. not only is this a wasteful practice, (straws being one of many disposable plastic items that are ruining the environment) but it feels unprofessional for the restaurant you are trying to be. Your food is great, it needs some work in terms of getting to the table before it's cold, (table side service can do that) and a lack of a bar menu (even a print out of the wines you have) was a big disappointment for the price of things. But mainly it was seeing the servers put a straw into every single water glass being served that was REALLY difficult to see. It's a wasteful practice and totally unnecessary. please rectify.

Very good and interesting food creations. Reasonably priced wine!...only complaint is that it's not very appetizing (not to mention humane) to have a half dead fish in a small bowl on each table. I'd lose this policy from your business or be reported to the SPCA

Delicious food. Excellent service. Delightful atmosphere. Will frequent this spot for sure.