Bodhiciously good!. I remember back when I was in college during the late 1970s and the American Southern slang word "bodacious" started coming into vogue for something that was very good. Bodhi's Artisan Bakery is also very good, so I rate it as "Bodhi-cious."
If it hadn't been for doing some scouting on Urbanspoon, we never would have stopped here on our jaunt through Vancouver Island because Bodhi's is at a rustic building in an out-of-the-way (to us, at least) stretch of highway north of Nanaimo. But as other reviewers suggest, it's worth a trip for the high quality of the baked goods. My pain au chocolat was both firm-textured on the pastry but showing the multi-layered character of croissant dough that has been properly worked and folded. My wife liked her almond Danish (more like a puffed-up, glaze-topped almond croissant, only without any filling) so much that she bought another one for the road.
We also got a baguette for the road, and chatted to one of the bakers who was there. He was proud to say he crafts them in the purist way -- only flour, yeast, water and salt. I prefer French bread with a bit of levain for that sourdough taste, but Bodhi's baguettes have good texture and an honest, simple flavour. If we didn't live a two-hour, $80+ ferry ride away, we'd try more of their ample selection of other breads.
Delicious. Everything I've tried here is delicious! They have great sandwiches, brownies, cinnamon buns, coffee and of course their breads are amazing! You can tell everything is made with high quality ingredients!! It's not that expensive either.
Best and finest quality !. This bakery cannot be compared to Cobs or other chain type bakeries, as the organic flour used here is freshly ground on site, using their own mill... And all ingredients used are natural. There is no comparison to using fine and all natural ingredients , which will result in a slightly higher price point. Worth a bit more for exceptional quality and added nutritional value , in my opinion. There are no short cuts or cheap ingredients used at Bodhi and the tasty results are a special treat to find in Nanaimo. Well worth a trip to North Nanaimo for these excellent breads, pastries, cookies and sandwiches. This is the best bakery in Nanaimo.. Using wholesome ingredients with skill and passion.
If you go there for nothing else, do yourself a favor and try a Pumpkin Spice Muffin. They are amazing, full of flavor and moist, tender, and delicious. More expensive than in a gorcery store, but they taste fantastic.
Worth every penny. If you enjoy grocery store baked goods, or mass produced bread (can you say preservatives?) you will think Bodhi's is expensive and maybe not worth it to you.
For my family, we are definitely willing to pay for the experience and creativity of a great baker and pastry chef! We have tried many of their loaves, our favourites being the multigrain and various sourdoughs (red fife, whole wheat). The maple granola bread makes wonderful french toast. Also, I limit my trips there to stay away from their amazing cinnamon sticky buns (I have no will power if I see them in the display.) Great sandwiches pre-made for lunches too. I often freeze the fresh loaves for future use and they taste great after thawing.
Wow. The bread is just great - some people complain about the price... well one cannot expect a hand built Rolls Royce quality (well baked or double baked small batch artisan bread ) for the price of a mass produced galoppy (underbaked mass produced chemical bread) - and there are places where one can have a complete breakfast under $5.00... where the buns taste like recycled cardboard! One can buy cheap bread that never go stale... I must add that there are two bakeries in Nanaimo that also produce good four star bread at a fair price, but I would not call it five star artisan quality.
Absolutely Fantastic.. The best bakery in Nanaimo. Nice texture and good price for their baguette. Their sandwiches are really good. Chicken with swiss cheese, avocado, tomatoes, lettuce on a nice chewy ciabatta bread, so delicous and at $5.00 for the sandwich you can't beat that price. Bran muffins are nice and moist, good coffee too. Their pastries and cakes are very fresh. Busy place. Gem of a bakery.
If you have a hankering for sourdough bread, best make a beeline for Bodhi’s Artisan Bakery, on a leafy Nanaimo street. They make a good half-dozen varieties of sourdough, including a garlic asiago and an olive. They also produce fine cheese scones, pumpkin muffins and dripping cinnamon buns, if you’d like a sumptuous treat to go with an excellent espresso, crafted from Cowichan Valley Peaks Coffee beans.
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