Reviews of Modern Cafe (Restaurant)

Kenneth Lindemere

We don’t go out for dinner often so this was a special treat, My mom ordered pork belly and it was almost all fat. I had the seafood linguine with little flavour and the pasta was clumped together, the waitress said sorry it was because it was homemade. My daughter had the veggie Mac and cheese and it was ok but said she wouldn’t order it again. I did tip the waitress as she wasn’t the cook and she was pleasant. But for an almost 80$ (alcohol free) dinner we won’t be going back any time soon. We were very disappointed.

Tina Lavallee

The server was very good and attentive. The crab benny was delicious and the chowder cup was also delicious and very big for a cup portion. The ambiance and location is also very relaxing and central. I would have given a 5 star rating but my soup was almost cold, but that's an easy fix had I sent it back. We didnt have time for that though

Vanessa

None of the four staff members were wearing masks which is concerning given that they handle food. The berry crumble barely had any crumble, it was almost like eating jam. Granted it tasted good, just don't expect it to be like a normal crumble. The pumpkin muffin was ok, didn't really taste the pumpkin and it was more on the bitter end. Could be better balanced. Blueberry scone was my favorite, it was moist and tasty. I personally didn't find many appealing vegetarian breakfast options. The ones they have are more for lunch.

Hoan-Vu La

The terrace was enjoyable. The staff and nice and discreet. The food is good but not great. Generous portions. The french fries are crispy and tasty. Although the poutine cannot be compared to something you would find in Quebec. All in all, it's a place we enjoyed.

Hm No

The creme brûlée is delicious ✨ the staff is friendly and fast

Connie Chau

We regularly go to this place for the charcuterie alone, and it hasn't disappointed us once. We prefer to order one board to share, as there's usually quite a bit and enough for us to both have a little of everything or to trade off things we don't like. We rarely find a pickled food on this menu item that we don't enjoy, and it is a wild array of options- a lot of it is best paired together. I think they haven't been preparing larger/shared boards because of the current health concerns, so we did get individual identical boards in our last visit. It's always an adventure, always a twist, never disappointing, and we honestly love the variety.

Mary Baker

We were a walk-in table for dinner. I do not know Nanaimo to well, but I highly recommend this restaurant. The staff was attentive and super friendly. Food was amazing. We never felt rushed at any point and left happy/ full / satisfied. Great job!!!!

Nathaniel Cannon

A better brunch spot than some others in this area. Featured here is the chicken & waffles and crabby eggs benny

Narissa Young

For the quality and price of the food, this place was a complete rip-off, considering the fact there were frozen/canned peas on the charcuterie board, plus the cheese was way too big and could not go on the bread. Finally, the halibut was extremely dry. Hopefully the staff can see this review as a learning experience for future customers.

Meghan Hill

Typically great Canadian service. Visited twice. Each time treated really well. Philips Pale Ale delicious. Lunchtime eats ok but nothing special. OK value for money. This place had empty tables whereas cafe 150metres away had a 15-20 minute wait. I can see why.

Abby Singer

Well... Brunch was just as good as dinner last night!! If you haven’t tried Modern Cafe you should! We are NOT easily impressed; some might say were foodies (ok maybe it’s me who calls us that) but this place impressed us twice in a row! They even make their own ketchup and preserves!! We found a great new place to go!! The day is young - head over there for a great meal if you’re hungry!! Also, get out and support all your local businesses! They are struggling right now and they have taken expensive, over-the-top measures to assure your safety during these strange times. Go for a meal, buy a piece of art, get a coffee... we all need each other’s help during this time!! Have a great day friends!

Paul Friend

The burger is really fantastic! Poutine is exactly what you need, and the service makes you feel like a million bucks!! :) just sooo good all around!

Gregory Brown

Amazing food and service! Ended up going for Brunch two days straight to this lovely place. Highly recommend. Don’t forget to make reservations :)

Kim Dankin

My favourite brunch place in town. Their Caesars are amazing, the staff are always so kind and helpful and the food is so fresh and delicious.

tanja puhlmann (Tadpole13)

Giving this little cafe a 5/5 rating was a no brainer. We came for a late Sunday brunch and the food was fantastic. The service was also really on point, although the cafe was very busy. Last but not least, the ambience was amazing. Night only did we love the decor and lighting, but to elevate our experience further there was a young jazz trio playing some soft mellow music to accompany our breakfast. We'll definitely be back!

Sean Lundy

Fantastic staff, very friendly and welcoming. The food was excellent. And they even have a freezer of wonderful pre-made meals that are great prices for great food

Patrik Andrasik

Brunch

Alan Addison

Great and friendly staff, superb service. Excellent food and awesome drinks. Loved the red Sangria and am Looking forward to try the white Sangria on my next visit. Had a lovely Bison burger so high stacked, it nearly take a Nixon's mouth to wrap around the burger. I choose to have a side of Poutine, French Canadian dish of crispy French fries topped with cheese curds and gravy, and it was not a mistake. The poutine here was better than any I had in Quebec, where Poutine originated. Modern Cafe did it right. I forgot to request extra crispy fries but I didn't even need to request that, it came correctly crispy as I should. And decent priced too. I definitely recommend a visit to this excellent Restaurant and Bar

Kathleen Meadows

We had a great evening at this restaurant ! Delicious food (the halibot was particularly tasty) and friendly staff!

Saskia de Quaasteniet

Nice place with good eats. Staff is very friendly and attentive. Dinner was good. Breakfast was where they lost the 1 ⭐️ Was cold and forgot my coffee. But the waitress did the best she could with the size of the group that come at the same time.

maevah

We went in very early so it was very quite with nice music. The food was very yummy and the coffee as well. Our waiter Alie M. had done a great job and was such a big help to explore the town and the island. Thank you again! I highly recommended this place.

Trevor Kempner

I usually love the Modern, but this experience wasn’t the best.. half of the things we wanted to order weren’t available, the item I had called Poke bowl wasn’t quite worth what they charged for it, a small mound of rice and a tiny bit of tuna ..$$$ .. many things at the modern are extremely good but this is one little exception to the rule..

melon pinku

Had lemon and pepper chicken wings here and there was so much lemon salt on them I couldn't really eat them and I love lemon and salty food and my friends always laugh at me cause I have salt packets in my purse all the time cause I need more salt but these wings were so overseasoned. Like almost inedible, I finished the plate cause I didn't want to waste them but it was pretty difficult idk maybe it was an accident but it was way to sour and salty and I love lemon and salt so I can't imagine what people who are sensitive to salt and sour would have done I don't think they could have eaten it.

Chris Harwood-Jones

Delicious food and great service

Shaun S

First time here, won't be the last. Great staff. Excellent food and cocktails.

Martin Vondruska

It was a horrible experience. I was looking forward to trying the restaurant. I love the decor but that was it. Mya was our server and we placed our order for drinks and the coffee came cold. She fixed that quickly. Then when the order was taken one of the items ordered was Bacon extra crispy. She forget to ring it on and when the food came she said, sorry my bad... It's coming soon, I forgot to put it though. Then the bacon arrived it was not crispy at all, it was uncooked bacon. Gross. The Guacamole and toast was horrible, the toast was drenched in butter. Why do you need butter if you are putting Guacamole on the toast. Strange... My partner ordered GF toast and asked for 2 slices... 2 orders were rung in. Do not go here. So over rated and expensive for what you get.

Lolia Tamuno

Delicious food, great variety, fast and friendly service from the staff. Drove into Nanaimo for the day, from Victoria. A pleasant way to spend Sunday, if you don't mind that many shops are closed.

Janet Birch

Dine in

Jocelyn Maffin

Always great dishes and fantastic service. Wonderful ambience. Very popular so I recommend reservations especially closer to the weekend. Lamb shanks are delicious and there are always specials. I believe they have live entertainment Friday evenings. Then it can get a little loud.

Ally

Loved the food and the ambience. The wait for short on a Saturday for brunch.

Cassidy Towers

Generally good food and service, outdoor area, music from time to time. Recently had the Charcutterie plate. Very good except needs some decent bread. I was informed they make their own but it reminded me of cheap white baker’s bread—very unappetizing. A nice chewy French style bread would be ideal. Service was good, waitress lacked knowledge about items on the plate but did find out at my request.

Cassie Mede

Lovely atmosphere, great service, delicious food and great drinks!

Nikita Permyakov

I've been to this restaurant only a handful of times, but I can say with confidence that I've never been disappointed. From the simpler fare like the chowder and Caesar salad, to burgers and bowls, the food is always great and the price is quite reasonable. I'm very happy with the pleasant and helpful staff who observe every pandemic regulation, wear face shields and clean tables well. The decor is uncomplicated and stylish and the music selections are often good. Whether you're here on a date or just in for a quick lunch, there's something for everyone on the menu (I do wish that there were more "traditional" breakfast options such as eggs and toast from 11am until 12pm or so). Either way, I recommend Modern Cafe to everyone and anyone.

Greg Domville

Inside decoration is retro industrial style, the service staff are very polite, but the menu is unremarkable, the waiting time for food is too long, and plus they forgot to make one of my friend’s meal, chowder is sour, i think it's the potato inside, overall very disappointed, next time I will go directly to the lighthouse

Amy Grewal

Nothing super special, the food was good and the service was alright. The wait time was a bit longer than I would’ve hoped, with it not being too busy inside. Did notice that servers weren’t checking on tables as often as they could’ve, we had empty coffees for a while before asking for more.

Overeating Biryani

super positive atmosphere with AMAZING hosts and waitresses. the food was amazing i definitely recommend getting the mac n cheese. my boyfriend got the french toast and really enjoyed it. presentation was perfect and the portions were filling.

Simo S

I brought in a group of 30 people with only a half hour notice to the restaurant. We could not have been more pleased. The food was delicious, the service was fantastic and the atmosphere was excellent. My Cowboy Sirloin was awesome. The whole group thoroughly enjoyed the evening. Thanks very much to the restaurant staff!

Jordan Eunson

Service

Julie Grondin

Worst breakfast I can remember having in some time. Eggs overcooked and hollandaise tasted like lemon juice. Hashbrowns were black and super oily. Service wasn't great either. Waitress didn't come back once and actually turned and looked away to other tables as she passed us

S.a. M

Overall good food and service - no AC indoors made it a bit tough to enjoy the meal. Definitely worth a visit, especially if you can secure a patio seat in the summer months.

Manuel Murillo

Four out of five meals pretty good. Fifth meal they were unable to manage crispy bacon, twice. The server failed to check to see how our meals were or if we needed anything else for at least 15 minutes, and by the time the second bacon showed up the rest of that meal was finished. She did take off the bacon from the bill. Probably won’t return.

Colton Ritchie

Great Breakfasts. Nice to find a few gluten-free options.

Addison Dale

This is not the place where I would ever return. The server was nice and in the end even time efficient, but food was mostly horrible and it took ages to sit us down at a free table. Then again another long while for them to take our order. From the food I liked the seafood chowder, it was really nice, that's it. Squid tapas was super small for the price of $16 and tasted like pure seasoning and no breading, just overpowering. Then I had Shrimp Linguine (indian style) beware, I like indian very much, but this was again overpowering with curry and all the spices and the result did not play nice together. Presentation of all food was very nice, but that does not save the taste. P.S.: think twice about sitting on the patio as the sharp flashing lights could cause you an epileptic seizure.

Ed Baird

For me the Modern has a vibe like no other. I have always loved the food there and even more since chef Daniel is the owner. Foodie heaven. My fave brunch is triple veggie benny no bread....Hollandaise you'll never forget. Live music, jazzy, blues Fridays and Sundays. Sunday brunch with live jazz is a bit of a thing there so reservations are a good idea.

kai watts

Tonight was our first time at Modern Cafe. The food was great and so were all the staff. The booth was comfortable and clean. I had the steak and fries and my wife had the prawn Curry linguine. It’s was very tasty. We highly recommend it and we will be going back for sure! I almost forgot but the dessert was delicious! Check out the pictures of the food!!!

Michael G. Khmelnitsky

Great spot. Very clean, respectful of all Covid protocols. Great ambience. Our first time there for Sunday breakfast/brunch. Not disappointed. Lots of selection and choice regardless of meal. We had the breakfast hash bowl. Was amazing. Loads of flavour ( not too much or too much spice). Will be back.

Rosario Quispe Benavides

We came in for breakfast last Sunday and received our coffee and orange juice, everything seemed great. I ordered the full breakfast and my wife ordered eggs benny. We waited more than an hour, the table beside us (who were seated after us) received two rounds of drinks and no one even came by to ask if we wanted a 2nd cup of coffee or anything or explaination as to why our food was taking so long. My wife went to the bathroom and another patron was in there and asked her to watch the door because there was no lock. I tried to get the attention of 2 different servers who walked by our table but was ignored. Another table who was seated after us (across the room) recieved their food. I got up from the table and approached a server (who was at the bar) and asked what it takes to get a 2nd cup of coffee, he didnt even look at me and told me he was not my server and was really busy. I asked who is our server he said he did not know and again "I'm too busy" and still did not look at me. I said we have been waiting too long and I just want to go, he waved his hand in the air and said go.I said I want to pay for our coffees and go, he said fine go.

Brian Delves

Not impressed with this place at all. The atmosphere is fine but the service and portion sizes need work. My husband and I were there for dinner on a Monday night. My husband ordered the tenderloin and I ordered the blackened cod. The food tasted fine but the portion of cod I received was very small. There was more potato than cod on the plate and we had to ask for cutlery. My husband said he didn't receive "real" tenderloin and when he offered his feedback, the waitress didn't seem too interested in what he had to say. We were pretty much ignored after that and after waiting quite a while, we had to ask for our bill. They weren't busy at all. We won't be back.

Kanksha Masrani

so good!! the ingredients were fresh and the food was perfect. they have gluten free options for anyone with allergies. staff were friendly and accommodating ????

santiago g

Ordered their macaroni and cheese (to go) because I had a pregnancy craving and their menu says it comes with breadcrumbs. I don't have a lot of extra money, especially around the holidays but I splurged on this $20 dish because my baby belly was telling me this is what I needed to quench my craving. To my utter dismay there were no breadcrumbs on this mac and cheese and I feel so jaded because I would never have spent $20 on this had I known it was going to come like this. So sad and so pregnant. ????

Fabiana Antunes Vieira

Great food and service. After hiking Newcastle perimeter we were looking for a yummy meal and we weren't disappointed. Attentive service to satisfy a 8 year old as well. Highly recommend.

Bernd Callicott

This is an amazing place to work at because the food is amazing and Chef Daniel and his team are ten thumbs up. The food is so good although I have not tried it all yet the warm spinach salad, stuffed chicken breast, RIBS, and lamb shank are to die for! Going to have the frozen Modern Market (homemade frozen soups, lasagnas, sauces, hummus, and so much more) seafood lasagna and split pea soup with my dad :)

Miles A

Great Service, friendly staffs, I wish they have more vegan options.

Reza Sourate

Great food. Friendly excellent service. Haven't been in there in years. Used to go as a child. Great memories.

Aquarian Girl

Home of the $8 beer that is advertised as 16oz but actually served in a 10oz glass.

Bruno Roy

We had dinner there and loved it. It was cozy, friendly, and Delicios food The service was excellent, lots of entrees to choose from, great wine list and dessert list. We will be back. Barb and Chris. Our meals were fresh and tasty. Both the chef and our server asked us about our satisfaction.

Jatayu Gayakvad

Been to Modern a few times now and the service has been nothing by exceptional! We luckily ended up with the same server twice in a row and she was so friendly, accommodating and great with her recommendations . Will definitely be going back and would recommend others to as well.

Larry Crerar

My other half and I discovered this place tonight while wandering around downtown Nanaimo looking for a good place to eat, and we both agree that we got way more than we expected. The special was fresh Arctic char with rice and steamed veggies, which looked good to both of us - and we were right. I normally end up adding salt and/or pepper to my food even at the best restaurants, but you couldn't have paid me to tamper with this meal. The food was perfectly cooked and seasoned - all three components were bursting with flavor. The waitress was attentive and the wine was great as well. I have to say, this has to have been one of the best meals I've ever had. I'd go back again in a New York minute. Whatever they're paying their chef, it should be more: 5 stars.

Malcolm MacKay

Excellent atmosphere, great location and tasty food... a bit higher priced than I’d expect. Popular summer patio! This is a great restaurant for a date or to unwind with beer or a glass of wine with colleagues. Also a great place for a business lunch. Accessibility: the interior is dark, but there are clear paths to tables and bathrooms at the rear, with several types of seating options. The wheelchair washroom was accessible and clear of obstructions. In the patio it can be hard to get through the tightly packed tables and chairs when it’s busy but a few times staff have engineered a table switch to find one easier to get to.

Gabriella Vallillee

Came for lunch, had excellent salads with seafood and chicken respectively. Owners are chefs and it shows. Service was excellent.

Allen Cottell

Best French toast in the Nanaimo area. Love at first bite!

A Lias

Very nice place to enjoy the first meal of the day. Crabby Egg Benny is very good, lots of lemon juice in the hollandaise sauce. Hash brown is the best, We had to order extra. Waffles are little disappointing. Feels like the frozen waffles. not recommanded. 4/5 overall ????

Peter D'Silva

We highly recommend this place in the heart of downtown Nanaimo. We've been to the Modern for both lunch and dinner. They are open long hours, which is nice as many downtown places are only open for lunch or dinner, not both. For dinner we have tried several entrees. All have been excellent, especially the roast lamb. A great feature of the entrees is the interesting and very tasty veggies that accompany the entree. Many places give you something uninspiring, not here. The have a good selection of local craft beers on tap.

Alyssa D'Amour

We stopped here after having dinner in the hotel just to have a coffee and dessert and kill some time waiting for the ferry. We should have had dinner here as well. Good cup of coffee. The apple pie was good, although the pastry could have been better. My wife's bowl of chowder was good. Service friendly and efficient. If I'm ever unfortunate enough to be stuck in Nanaimo again it's a place to go.

Andy Hamilton

Absolutely amazing!! The staff was super friendly and very attentive to customers. Staff was busy but always had a pleasant smile on their faces. The food was seriously so good. Chicken and waffles for brunch was honestly one of the best breakfasts I've had in my life and trust me, I love to eat. It was juicy and tender with an amazingly tasty crust on it and the waffles were like eating candy for breakfast! Who doesnt like that?! The atmosphere and ambiance was second to none. Beautiful brick work with modern lighting and nice tables. I could go on and on about how great this place was. If you're in Nanaimo and you don't go here while you have the chance, you're missing out. Can't wait to go back!

Nathan Robertson

Everything I ordered was very delicious ???? The Nanaimo cocktail tasted like a exotic cacao drink, it remained me the jungle in my country ???????? I definitely liked this restaurant ????

Thomas Gold Haus

Meal type

Kate Marie

I went for the first time with my wife for our 20th anniversary. Really enjoyed our meal. The food was great, the service was good (very friendly server), and we loved the atmosphere. Not as crowed as many of the other places in Nanaimo. And a decent selection of local beers on tap. We will definitely return.

Tina Tse

Poor service, incorrect bill, brunch took 53 mins from order to table. Server did not check on us once. All requests had to be directed to other staff. Poor experience, maybe its an off day… wait was not worth it sadly. To kick it off the bacon was undercooked, i just pealed it out cause it was yuck. Normally i wouldnt complain about a restaurant in such detail but in this case an exception had to be made. If you dont want to work dont go to work.

Carmen Giang

Every time we visit Nanaimo we come here for their great hot spinach salad with prawn and grilled chicken. Great lunch - friendly accommodating staff.

Amar Bajwa

Amazing food! Best breakfast menu I've ever had. Was visiting Nanaimo just for a couple days as a break from the Vancouver-richmond life. Wanted to come back to this place everyday that I was at the island. Would definitely recommend to try!

Terry Stark

Delish! Will definitely be back

Ted Boyd

Food was insanely good, restaurant was COVID-19 safe and staff were friendly and understanding of my disability. Will undoubtedly be coming back.

Julian Simpson

Been here before just for a few drinks and wasn't sold. Came for a big group dinner and was super impressed. The staff rocked. Food was awesome. Super awesome. Our party of 30 was so well serviced. The most impressive thing was all food came out at same time. Hot and fresh. Did I mention a group of 30

Bart Nelissen

Service was slow, eggs benny was undercooked and had gross soggy bread on the bottom… hash browns were undercooked. Thoroughly disappointed.

Barb Smith

Covid19 adaptations are apparent in the spacing of seating. We were given menus and asked about gluten free options. As some have noted the menu is limited but we both found gf items we wanted to try. Our meals were fresh and tasty. Both the chef and our server asked us about our satisfaction.

Sarah Lynn

One of my favourite breakfast spots in Nanaimo. Love the Traditional Benny

Abby Grecia

First time I went was in Dec. 2019 for dinner. It was a 5* experience, food and hospitality. It's housed in an interesting building with lots of wood elements and tables. Today we were lucky to get a table for late lunch as the place was buzzing. Staff very attentive and service with a smile. We both ordered the Menage à Trois salad with 3 kinds of seafood and loved it. Fresh, great flavors, decent size, fair price, and a nice 'visual appeal'. I'll go again!

Rayna James

Modern Cafe was the worst experience that I had in my life, we waited for more than one hour for the meal than the breakfast was cold. I don`t care to pay extra for good quality. However, we paid a lot for bad service. They offered us 10% off at the end, but this is not enough after wait for more than one hour.

Cruz Murray

I know we only ordered drinks and all, but I felt very neglected at this restaurant. We were sitting at the boot, multiple servers later, about 10mins, just sitting there waiting for someone if we wanted anything. Had to flag someone down... Finally ordered our drinks, 10mins later, empty glasses. We had to get up and go to the till, so we can finally just grab our bill and go. Don't think I'm ever going back here. EVER

Colinda Blondin

An awesome outdoor experience was had by all. Generous portions and attentive service made this a Happy Mother's Day marvel. We'll be back!

Catherine French

Had a positive experience here. We went in for drinks and tapas, the brussel sprouts special were our favourite part. I would also recommend the raspberry martini! The charcuterie board was a bit too much garnish and not enough meats and cheese for our liking, but overall good all the same.

Stewart Murray

We stopped by to grab a coffee and Nanaimo bar for take-out. The coffee was ok, not the best we had in BC. Do not recommend to go there just for this. The Nanaimo bar was good. It’s the first we tasted in Nanaimo so we don’t have anything to compare. However, they could improve the presentation of them since it was in a fridge near the bar, wrapped in plastic. They could have a nice place to put their dessert with a glass window. The service was excellent! Nothing to say about this, they were really nice to us and it was quick ????

Jordan McIver

My 1st time eating at Modern Cafe with a group of 22 and I was very impressed. Most of the others in our group had eaten here before. I had the Blackend Cod with vegetables that was so flavourful and fresh. Good selection of ???? on tap, nice selection of red and white wine on the list too. Staff were very efficient with all our groups needs. We'll definitely return for a meal here.

thomas lamothe

As long time regulars my wife and I are never disappointed by iether the exceptional food or the personable service by the waitstaff. The several new additions to the dinner menu are all flavorful and excellently portioned and more than reasonably priced. The owners have even been so kind as to stock my favorite spirit, if that isn't quality, personable service I don't know what is. We both look forward to many more dining experiences at The Modern, Nanaimo's best dining choice. See you Thursday.

Kelly Murdoch

Delicious! Excellent cocktails. Best brownie in a restaurant, quite easily. Great mac and cheese. For those that are gluten sensitive they offer good salads. The environment is also welcoming and fun. They close earlier than other places in the area but 10pm is acceptable. Definitely recommend coming here for dessert! Decent breakfast selection

Carol Peckford

Food and service was good... nothing I can say that wasn’t up to my expectations. 5 stars since we ended up sitting down for much longer than expected and staff was very supportive.

John

Would give it a 3.5, decent food but a little on the pricey side for what is essentially a fancy diner/bistro

MM McDermand

Food & service is hit and miss. Drink selection is nice. Great option for late night nanaimo

Lori Mann

Delicious food and friendly staff. Nice location downtown. Eating street-side is a nice option in the summer. The egg Benny breakfast was awesome

Jerica Willison

Poor service. Took a long time to be served and to get the bill. Very hot inside, ceiling fans and door open inadequate to sufficiently cool/circulate air in building. They do appear to have a patio. Pick the patio if possible or you'll be sweating! I observed staff barely attended any of the tables or ask patrons how the food was, which can be good, if you are enjoying your food and don't want to be interrupted much, but if your table wants something, like salt, pepper or more water, servers are very slow to respond and stay innatentive to tables. Had to just try to make eye contact and flag down anyone I could because our server passed our table so seldom. It didn't look very busy to me and looked adequately staffed, but I could have been decieved as maybe there were more patrons out on the patio. Overall, I do not recommend. Food was underwhelming and not a lot of vegan options for Sunday lunch, just avocado toast on whole wheat or rye. One pro was that they can accommodate larger groups with minimal wait time with no notice ( ie. 6 people, walk-in, 5 minutes wait)

chad onyschuk

1:27h after the order our food was served, unfortunately some of us had their food cold, which made us even more frustaded. If you can wait for almost 1:30h, that's a good place to go.

Juliano Vieira

We stopped by for brunch and have nothing but great things to say! Great drink specials and the best hollandaise sauce I've ever tasted. Lovely servers and a great atmosphere. Would definitely recommend!

christina topoussoglou

Never coming back there. People please stay away, not worth your dollars Their plates have almost no protein either it’s salmon or meat, they make plates full of potatoes. My latte was milk with a little hint of coffee. And to top it all up, charging crazy $$$ for these portions and additional items.

Matthew Weber

Cool place to chill have a beverage and people watch. My server was friendly and I would recommend this casual cafe.

Matt Ollech

Went here for lunch while on vacation and I have to say this was close to one of the worst food experiences while there. The food was pretty meh, the burger was nothing special yet it cost quite a bit, the seafood chowder was extremely disappointing and under cooked. Even with the mediocre food the service was worse, our server was good but nothing special, however one of the managers or hosts kept getting mad at her and raising his voice in front of the customers. All in all not worth your money.

Anne Marie Vanstone

Liked this place alot. Nice atmosphere. Good service. Menu didn't have lots of options but food was delicious. I'd go again for sure

Kaitie Delorme

Went for Sunday brunch and it was excellent. I had chicken and waffles, hubby had the osso bucco Benedict special. Very impressed with their COVID 19 safety precautions and protocols. Enjoyed my birthday brunch, thank you Modern Cafe staff.

Fatéma Dodat

First time at this place. We were recommended by some friends. The food was amazing, I ordered the lamb shank and my wife ordered the warm spinach salad.. I can't say enough about these two dishes. They were perfect! Service was also impressive, we did not ha e to wait for anything. We actually discussed how she seemed to just show up right when we needed anything. I hate when you're out and you have to try to wave someone down for anything, it seems to happen more and more now, but not here! I will be recommending Modern Cafe to many of my friends!

Carl Meier

We stopped for a spontanious lunch. It was already busy and they were short staffed. However, the service was fantastic and the food was amazing. Down town Nanaimo could easily become a hub for food and shopping.