Tens of thousands of votes were cast, so readers can be assured that it took a lot to come out on top in Best of the City this year.
We asked readers to vote in nearly 150 categories this year – a dozen more than last year – over a span of several weeks this summer, publicizing the survey in print issues of the Nanaimo News Bulletin, on our website and via our social media channels.
We used the same write-in vote system we used last year, and once a vote was submitted, the business name was added to a drop-down menu, making it easier for the next person to fill out the survey.
Well, the votes are in, the counting’s done, and this is how Nanaimo voted. We hope this list will give you some ideas of restaurants to try, businesses to support, and things to see and experience. These are the top Best of the City vote-getters, but we know that ultimately, you know best.
Here are all the winners, in the order they appear in the magazine:
Best Community-Minded Business
1. COCO Café
2. Red’s Bakery
3. Country Grocer
Best Catering Business
1. COCO Café
2. Smokin’ George’s BBQ Restaurant
3. Spice of Life Catering
Best Cinnamon Buns
1. Cobs Bread
2. Red’s Bakery
3. Bodhi’s Artisan Bakery
Best Asian Food
1. Huong Lan Vietnamese Restaurant
2. Nori Japanese Restaurant
3. Quality Foods
Best Bakery
1. Red’s Bakery
2. Cobs Bread
3. Columbia Bakery Ltd.
3. Nanaimo Bakery and Confectionery
Best Breakfasts
1. Gabriel’s Gourmet Café
2. Tania’s Restaurant
3. Kelly’s Kitchen Café
Best Chicken Wings
1. Landlubber Pub
2. Oxy Pub
3. Nanda Chicken
Best Curry
1. Gateway to India Restaurant
2. Manvirros Indian Grill
3. Flavours Of India
Best Farmers’ Market
1. Cedar Farmers Market
2. Island Roots Farmers Market
3. Gabriola Saturday Market
Best Pub
1. Crow & Gate Pub
2. Longwood Brew Pub and Restaurant
3. Landlubber Pub
Best Patio Restaurant
1. Crow & Gate Pub
2. Carlos O’Bryan’s Neighbourhood Pub
3. Dinghy Dock Pub
Best Desserts
1. Burnt Honey Dessert Company
2. Red’s Bakery
3. Cold Front Gelato
Best Ice Cream and Gelato
1. Burnt Honey Dessert Company
2. Cold Front Gelato
3. Waterfront Confections
Best Hamburgers
1. Bin 4 Burger Lounge
2. Top Notch Burgers
3. White Spot
Best Family Restaurant
1. White Spot
2. Milano’s Ristorante
3. Asteras Greek Taverna
3. Gina’s Mexican Café
Best Fish and Chips
1. Troller’s Fish and Chips
2. Pirate Chips
3. Cod Squad Fish and Chips
Best French Fries
1. Pirate Chips
2. New York Fries
2. Costco Wholesale
Best Kids Restaurant
1. White Spot
2. Pirate Chips
3. Ricky’s All Day Grill
Best Lunches
1. Delicado’s Deli
2. Gabriel’s Gourmet Café
3. Crow & Gate Pub
Best Mediterranean Food
1. Asteras Greek Taverna
2. Alexandra’s Bistro
3. Zougla Restaurant
Best Fast Food
1. Sip and Sliders Food Truck
2. Delicado’s Deli
3. Wendy’s
Best Appetizers/Tapas
1. Carlos O’Bryan’s Neighbourhood Pub
2. Asteras Greek Taverna
3. Cactus Club Café
Best Happy Hour
1. Carlos O’Bryan’s Neighbourhood Pub
2. Cactus Club Café
3. Old City Station Pub
Best Place for Birthday Parties
1. Carlos O’Bryan’s Neighbourhood Pub
2. Splitsville Entertainment
3. WildPlay Elements Park
Best Place for Cocktails and Shots
1. Carlos O’Bryan’s Neighbourhood Pub
2. Cactus Club Café
3. The Nanaimo Bar
Best Sports Bar
1. Carlos O’Bryan’s Neighbourhood Pub
2. Old City Station Pub
3. Landlubber Pub
Best Nachos
1. Gina’s Mexican Café
2. Longwood Brew Pub and Restaurant
3. Baby Salsa
Best Nanaimo Bars
1. Red’s Bakery
2. Nanaimo Bakery and Confectionery
3. COCO Café
Best Pasta
1. La Stella Trattoria
2. Milano’s Ristorante
3. New York Style Pizza and Pasta
Best Pizza
1. Mambo Gourmet Pizza
2. La Stella Trattoria
3. Milano’s Ristorante
Best Place to Buy Meat
1. Nesvog Meats and Sausage Company
2. Meat Craft Island Butchery
3. Costco Wholesale
Best Place to Buy Produce
1. Thrifty Foods
2. Cedar Farmers Market
3. Country Grocer
Best Place to Buy Seafood
1. Seadrift Fish Market and Eatery
2. Thrifty Foods
3. St. Jean’s Cannery and Smokehouse
Best Restaurant Overall
1. Asteras Greek Taverna
2. Mahle House Restaurant
3. La Stella Trattoria
3. Nori Japanese Restaurant
Best Romantic Restaurant
1. Mahle House Restaurant
2. Asteras Greek Taverna
3. La Stella Trattoria
Best Seafood Restaurant
1. Troller’s Fish and Chips
2. Bold Knight Restaurant
3. The View Oceanside Grill
Best Steakhouse
1. Bold Knight Restaurant
2. Beefeater’s Chop House and Grill
3. Medium Rare Restaurant
Best Sushi
1. Nori Japanese Restaurant
2. Umai Sushi
3. Firehouse Grill
Best Tacos
1. Gina’s Mexican Café
2. Baby Salsa
3. Jalapenos Mexican Food
Best Take-Out Food
1. Mambo Gourmet Pizza
2. Smokin’ George’s BBQ Restaurant
3. Huong Lan Vietnamese Restaurant
Best Vegetarian Food
1. Eve Olive
2. Gabriel’s Gourmet Café
3. Delicado’s Deli
Best Place to Buy Craft Beer
1. White Sails Brewing
2. Longwood Brewery
3. Longwood Brew Pub and Restaurant
Best Karaoke
1. Quarterway Pub
2. Oxy Pub
3. Well Pub/Wellington Pub
Best Martini
1. Cactus Club Café
2. Nanaimo Bar
3. Carlos O’Bryan’s Neighbourhood Pub
3. Firehouse Grill
Best Music Trivia
1. Landlubber Pub
2. Well Pub/Wellington Pub
3. Quarterway Pub
Best Open Mic/Jam Session
1. The Queen’s
2. The Vault Café
3. Landlubber Pub
Best Place for Live Bands
1. The Queen’s
2. Port Theatre
3. The Vault Café
Best Place to Buy Wine
1. B.C. Liquor Store
2. Lucky’s Liquor Store
3. Greenrock Liquor Store
Best Place to Dance
1. The Queen’s
2. Brigadoon Dance Academy
3. Vibrant (Vibe) Studios
Best Place to Meet for Coffee
1. Drip Coffee Social
2. Buzz Coffee House
2. The Vault Café
3. Starbucks
Best Wine-Making Store
1. Wine Kitz
2. Nanaimo Wine Shoppe
3. Off the Vine Winemaking
Best Tattoo Studio
1. Relegation Tattoo
2. Black and Blue Tattoo
2. The Electric Umbrella Tattoo and Gallery
3. Joel Lee Tattoo
Best Tile Store
1. City Tile
2. Cornerstone Tile
3. Home Depot
Best Store for Ladieswear
1. KC’s Boutique and Petites
2. CurVa-Voom
3. Winners
Best Accommodations
1. Coast Bastion Hotel
2. Inn on Long Lake
3. The Grand Hotel
Best Accounting Firm
1. MNP LLP
2. Church Pickard Chartered Professional Accountants
3. New Heights Accounting Corporation
Best Art Gallery
1. Nanaimo Art Gallery
2. YellowBird Arts Gallery
3. Art 10 Gallery
Best Auto Detailer
1. V.I. Precision Detailing and Car Care
2. Steve Marshall Ford Lincoln Auto Smile
3. Nanaimo Toyota
Best Auto Servicing
1. Supertech Diesel Truck Specialists
2. Ernie’s Blackpoint Repair
3. Bavarian Imports Auto Repair
Best Banking Institution
1. RBC Royal Bank
2. Coastal Community Credit Union
3. TD Canada Trust
Best Barbershop
1. Edge Barbershop
2. Four Crows Barber and Shave Co.
3. That ’50s Barber Shop
Best Bathrooms
1. Woodgrove Centre
2. Cactus Club Café
3. Cabela’s
3. Simonholt Restaurant
Best Beauty Salon or Spa
1. Breze Aveda Concept Salon and Day Spa
2. Rich 1 Beauty Salon and MediSpa
3. The Nail Lounge
Best Bike Shop
1. Arrowsmith Bikes
2. Rock City Cycles
3. Hub City Cycles
Best Carpet Cleaners
1. Classic Care Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning
2. Van Isle Carpet Cleaning
3. Terry’s Carpet Cleaning
Best Consignment or Thrift Store
1. Nanaimo Hospital Auxiliary Thrift Shop
2. Charlie’s Closet
3. Friends of Haven Thrift Store
3. Funk Revival
Best Customer Service
1. Country Grocer
2. KC’s Boutique and Petites
3. The Soap Exchange
Best Yoga Studio
1. Red Door Yoga
2. Modo Yoga
3. Oxygen Yoga and Fitness
Best Jewelry Store
1. Kellers Jewellers
2. Peoples Jewellers
3. KPK Goldsmith Inc.
Best Nail Studio
1. The Nail Lounge
2. Neon Nail Studio
3. The Babe Cave
Best Dentist
1. Diver Lake Dental Clinic
2. Seven Sails Dental Centre
3. Country Club Dental Centre
Best Electrical Contractor
1. Walls Electrical
2. DenMar Electric Ltd.
3. Mazzei Electric
Best Estheticians
1. The Babe Cave
2. Enhance Beauty
3. Breze Aveda Concept Salon and Day Spa
Best Financial Planner
1. RBC Royal Bank/RBC Dominion Securities
2. Coastal Community Private Wealth Group
2. TD Canada Trust
3. Investors Group
Best Floor Covering Store
1. United Floors
2. End of the Roll
3. Wingren Nufloors
Best Flower Shop
1. Turley’s Florist
2. Thrifty Foods
3. Ladybug Floral
Best Furniture Store
1. Dodds Furniture and Mattress
2. La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries
3. Flying Fish
Best Gas Bar
1. Mid Island Co-op
2. Super Save Gas Stations
3. Snaw-Naw-As Market/Shell
Best Hair Salon
1. Hair Tech Salon Ltd.
2. KG Hair Salon
3. Edge Hair Design
Best Health-Care Clinic
1. Caledonian Clinic Ltd.
2. Medical Arts Centre
3. Wellington Medical Clinic
Best Hearing Clinic
1. NexGen Hearing
2. Costco Wholesale
3. Connect Hearing
Best Heating Business
1. Norm’s Plumbing and Heating
2. Coastal Energy Ltd.
3. Archie Johnstone Plumbing and Heating
Best Home Builder
1. Shining Knight Construction Inc.
2. Pheasant Hill Homes Ltd.
3. Trev Homes Ltd.
Best Home Improvement Store
1. Home Depot
2. Home Hardware
3. Lowe’s
Best Housewares/Linen Store
1. HomeSense
2. Flying Fish
3. The Bay
Best Pharmacy
1. Central Drugs
2. Shoppers Drug Mart
3. Save-On-Foods
Best Home/Kitchen Appliance Store
1. Coast Appliances
2. Home Depot
3. Trail Appliances
Best Insurance Agency
1. Core Insurance Services
2. Coastal Community Insurance Services Ltd.
3. BCAA
Best Kids Clothing Store
1. Once Upon a Child
2. Old Navy
3. Carter’s
Best Landscaper
1. McKenzie Maintenance Ltd.
2. Island Eco-Scapes
3. Concepts Landscaping
Best Law Firm
1. Ramsay Lampman Rhodes
2. Mont & Walker Law Corporation
3. Heath Law LLP
Best Lighting Store
1. Mclaren Lighting
2. Home Depot
3. Lowe’s
Best Lingerie Store
1. Purple Cactus Lingerie
2. La Vie En Rose
3. Elizabeth’s Lingerie Drawer
Best Fitness/Exercise Company
1. Authentically Fit
2. Driven Performance Fitness
3. Healthy Role Models
Best Marine Supplier
1. The Harbour Chandler Ltd.
2. Stones Boatyard and the Marine Store
3. Marine Parts Supply
Best Massages
1. Knead Registered Massage Therapy
2. Pure Body Balance Health and Fitness
3. Breze Aveda Concept Salon and Day Spa
Best Mattress Store
1. Sleep Country
2. John’s Bedrooms
3. Dodd’s Furniture and Mattress
Best Moving Company
1. Junk in Our Trunk
2. Take a Load Off Moving
3. Nanaimo Mini Storage/U-Haul
3. Two Burley Men
Best Optical Store
1. Highview Optical
2. FYI Doctors
3. Costco Wholesale
Best Outdoor Garden Centre
1. Green Thumb Garden Centre
1. Little Tree Garden Center
2. GardenWorks
3. Buckerfield’s
Best Paint Store
1. Cloverdale Paint
2. Home Depot
3. Island Paint and Floor Benjamin Moore
3. Sherwin-Williams Paints
Best Painting Contractor
1. Pride Painting Ltd.
2. Sonshine Girls Painting
3. Details Painting
Best Performing Arts School
1. Vibrant (Vibe) Studios
2. Kirkwood Academy of Performing Arts
3. Harbour Dance Studios Inc.
Best Personal trainer
1. Miguel Diaz – Driven Performance
2. Adam Mackay – Loaded Movement Academy
3. Fit Body Boot Camp
Best Pet Grooming Business
1. Dog N’ Suds Pet Services
2. Nanaimo Pet Services
3. Happy Hound Dog Care Company
Best Pet Supply Store
1. Bosley’s Pet Food Plus
2. PetSmart
3. Oliver’s Pet Supplies
Best Place to Buy a New Vehicle
1. Nanaimo Toyota
2. Steve Marshall Ford Lincoln
3. Nanaimo Honda
Best Place to Buy a Used Vehicle
1. Galaxy Motors
2. Bouman Motors
3. Nanaimo Toyota
3. Steve Marshall Ford Lincoln
Best Place to Get Tires
1. Cedar Tireland
2. Kal Tire
3. Costco Wholesale
Best Place to Shop
1. Woodgrove Centre
2. Costco Wholesale
3. HomeSense
Best Computer Sales and Service
1. R-U Computing Co. Ltd.
2. Best Buy
3. London Drugs
3. UBreakiFix
Best Plumbing Business
1. Norm’s Plumbing and Heating
2. 250 Plumber
3. Archie Johnstone Plumbing and Heating
Best Real Estate Agent/Team
1. Dawn Walton and Associates
2. David Hitchcock
2. Thompson Godfrey Group
2. Vancouver Island Home Group
3. The Bald Guy Real Estate Team
Best Retirement Community
1. Berwick on the Lake Retirement Residence
2. Eden Gardens
3. Origin at Longwood
Best Roofing Company
1. Erickson Roofing
2. All the Way Roofing
3. Best On Top Roofing
Best Collision Repair/Auto Body Service
1. Trojan Collision Services
2. Craftsman Collision
3. CSN Mid-Island Auto Collision
Best Sewing Notions Store
1. Snip and Stitch Sewing Centre Ltd.
2. Fabricland
3. Serge and Sew
Best Shoe Store
1. A Step Ahead
2. Frontrunners
3. SoftMoc
Best Sporting Goods Store
1. Cabela’s
2. Canadian Tire
3. Sport Chek
Best Store for Menswear
1. Mark’s
2. NYLA Fresh Thread
3. Eddie Bauer
Best Store to Buy Books
1. Chapters
2. Literacy Central Vancouver Island
3. WindowSeat Books
Best Photographer
1. Janayh Wright Photography
2. Paige Barney Photography
3. Jenna LeFebvre Photographer
Best Store to Buy Tools
1. Midland Tools
2. Home Depot
3. Canadian Tire
Best Tanning Salon
1. Golden Sands Tanning Studio
2. Organic Tan Nanaimo
3. Divine Glow Tanning Studio
Best Theatre Company
1. Nanaimo Theatre Group
2. TheatreOne
3. Yellow Point Drama Group
Best Toy Store
1. Kool & Child
2. Toys R Us
3. The Children’s Treehouse
Best Travel Agency
1. Marlin Travel
2. Imagine Cruise and Travel
3. Around the World Travel
Best Veterinary Clinic
1. Chase River Veterinary Hospital
2. Petroglyph Animal Hospital
3. Mahalo Veterinary Hospital
Best Vitamin/Health Food Stores
1. Pomme Natural Market
2. Charlie Brown’s Health Foods
3. Popeye’s Supplements
Best Tourism Activity/Adventure Business
1. WildPlay Elements Park
2. Saysutshun-Newcastle Island
3. Axe and Grind
Best Playground
1. Maffeo Sutton Park Playdock
2. Oliver Woods Community Centre
3. Harewood Centennial Park
Best Local Campground
1. Living Forest Oceanside Campground and RV Resort
2. Brannen Lake RV Park and Campsite
3. Nanaimo Lakes
Best People-Watching Spot
1. Harbourfront Walkway
2. Maffeo Sutton Park
3. Woodgrove Centre
Best Place for a Picnic
1. Pipers Lagoon Park
2. Saysutshun-Newcastle Island
3. Neck Point Park
Best Place for Paddling
1. Newcastle Channel
2. Westwood Lake
3. Departure Bay
Best Place to Jog, Walk or Hike
1. Westwood Lake
2. Neck Point Park
3. Harbourfront Walkway
Best Place to Mountain bike
1. Doumont Hill
2. Mount Benson
3. Westwood Lake Park
Best Place to Swim Outdoors
1. Nanaimo River
2. Westwood Lake
3. Pipers Lagoon
Best Place to Take Guests
1. Neck Point Park
2. Dinghy Dock Pub
3. Crow & Gate Pub
Best Place to Walk Your Dog
1. Colliery Dam
2. Westwood Lake
3. Cable Bay trail
3. Neck Point Park
Best Place to Watch Birds
1. Buttertubs Marsh
2. Morrell Wildlife Sanctuary
3. Neck Point Park
Best View of the City
1. Mount Benson
2. Sugarloaf Mountain
3. Jack Point and Biggs Park
READ ALSO: Best of the City 2021 winners
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