Review Columbia Bakery - Nanaimo

Great tasting food when you can get it. Ensure to get there before 10am as they don’t usually make enough desserts daily to meet demand, and depending on who you get, most of the staff are a bit rude. 5/5 food, 1/5 service, overall 3 stars.

Writing this based on a conversation with my mother who buys bread there. Products are very good but counter staff ....well, rudeness upon rudeness! Questions are answered with raised voice "NO!" and other irritated monosyllabic responses and my mother said she felt like she had been slapped in the face for just placing a simple order. Everyone understands staff shortage but for heavens sake, don't take it out on longstanding patrons!

4 generations of my family have been coming here for the last 50 years. From my Opa to my 2 young daughters, it’s always a pleasure to go in with the comfortable atmosphere and unchanged recipes. Thanks for the hospitality over the years🙏

Simply amazing... try the vanilla slice or the strawberry tart! Grab something to go or dine in. There is a lot of space to enjoy a sandwich, baked masterpiece and tea or coffee with your friends and family. A Nanaimo gem.

Pastries are good but counter staff are surly. When I ask if they had strudel was told "NO". When I asked if they would have any later answer was "I have no idea"...

Went there with my German friend. We loved it so much. Great service and selection of breads and sweets. Very friendly staff. Cosy atmosphere. Will visit again!

Still has covid protocols in place. Allowed me to phone ahead to place an order for pickup. Friendly service and affordable prices. Some of the best pretzels I've ever had.

Amazing Pretzels. Drop by every week to pick up a few. I absolutely recommend giving them a try. Very yummy.

You've heard of the Soup Naz... uh.. angry guy? Poor service, baking undewhelming. This place is kind of like walking into a Seinfeld episode so I encourage everyone to go for sheer entertainment value. Rude staff tell you where to line up and how to pay while barking orders to their staff in the back. Come see the panic and stress as you enjoy a multitude of underwhelming, unfocused baked goods. A redeeming quality is the decent assortment of imported European foods. Columbia bakery is the first hit when you Google "mean bakery Nanaimo." Not a bad schtick if you spin it right, like this place: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wieners_Circle <br/><br/> #angrybakery #rudebakery #meanbakery

Poor customer service. The majority of times I've been here, I've left feeling very bad due to bad service. Today was the worst of all: a girl with a Monroe piercing served me, and I had just started ordering and she snapped at me, and was very impatient. I am avoiding this place because it's not worth it. I don't get how anyone, let alone multiple people can be so mean to others..

BeeSting is delicious!!!. I tried one of their BeeSting's well actually 3, they were fabulously delicious and the ingredients all tasted real!. So fresh (made daily) and light and not too sweet!!! I haven't tried other food there but contrary to some other comments found the staff helpful and friendly.

I have their bread and pretzels mostly. I phone to order the bread and they are very kind. I have been scolded one time for waiting in the wrong place but I like food and their support of the community so I continue to support them too. Some of the staff could use better people skills.

Horrible service. You never know where to line up and get scolded when standing in the wrong place, nothing is labeled so if you ask for a sandwich you must describe it to a T or heaven forbid the staff will snarl at you as you ask to show her which one. Label your product please, it would do you good. On a humerous note- there is this wooden box for sale $160. A sticky note is taped directly on the box. Yes I'd love to buy your expensive box that you crudely taped the price upon. Please do something about the service as the food itself is great

Going down in quality and service...what service?. Have been here many times and the quality seems to be declining. Their prices are reasonable but the size and taste of everything seems to be declining. The bread I have bought many times was dry and ended up getting thrown out. The staff (with a couple in particular...you know who you are) made me feel like I was interrupting their day. I will just make the drive to ladysmith for my breads and goodies. Sorry to see a good bakery ruined by poor service and old products.

Always great buns and pretzels. We also have had special orders from them for German vinegar. Every time we visit the island we always stop in for treats. Our folks live on the island and use them weekly.

Rude staff! Awful service.. The last good review was from March 25th 2011 for this bakery. There is a good reason for that. As the last review stated, the staff there is rude and condescending. I have gone there many times in the past year because I really love there pretzels. They have a good selection of sweets and breads and it would be a family favorite, but I'm always afraid to get stung by the the staff there. The owner, who I have seen working there only once, is very sweet and nice. The other staff women there are awful.<br/><br/>Long story short, my relatives from across the country were visiting BC for the very first time. I took them there on their second to last day to buy nice treats for dessert. The women there were obnoxiously rude, the worst I have ever seen. The moment spoiled part of my day, and I will never go back there. Columbia Bakery offers good bread and disgusting costumer service.

Poor service. Very poor service, borderline condescending. Will not be returning.

Shortening is NOT butter. We recently bought a birthday cake after it was recommended as "the best bakery in Nanaimo". Everyone was extremely disappointed, and we ended up throwing most of it in the garbage - unusual for some of us who will eat just about anything. The cake was dry and the "buttercream" frosting is made with sweetened shortening. It tastes and has exactly the texture you would expect from that. I would never order another cake from them. You could get a better and cheaper product from an in-store bakery at a grocery store.

Sweet!. Easy to drive on by since it's a busy street and all, but try going in and you'll be hooked on it!

Columbia Bakery. They make there money by turning out an incredible volume of food. There is usually a lineup and the staff are very friendly. The pastries and desserts are all excellent but don't miss out on the Sandwiches and Savory pies. Great product and great value.

Best bakery in nanaimo. Have been going to this bakery for many many years and it still has the best glazed donuts in town. I highly recommend dropping in.

Definately the Best Rye Bread on the Island.. Everytime we are in Nanaimo we come to this bakery for their delicous rye bread. We used to order their pretzels, however, the last few times we've been disappointed with them, they don't taste like the german good pretzels anymore. They do offer a nice variety of german imports and their pastries are very tasty.

Love that bakery.