HUB at Hope Bay

Went to Pender Island for a weekend trip and hadn’t tried the Hub yet so my fiancée and I made reservations for a Friday dinner. The highlight of the meal was definitely the Heirloom Caprese salad which we split for a starter and even though we each could’ve had one of these on our own it was an great little bite and an outstanding start to the meal. The homemade pasta did not disappoint with my choice being the delicious Mushroom Gnocchi while my Fiancée chose the Mushroom and Truffle angel hair pasta. All the food was fantastic and I think we probably could’ve even shared a single pasta dish as we both had leftovers, though if you are a big pasta eater the portion size is perfect. Having the salad to start also help fill us up! I had a San Pellegrino Arianciata soda to drink while my fiancée had their rosé. The restaurant is absolutely stunning as it is perched on a dock literally overtop the ocean! The views and service were great and it is a wonderful local restaurant using local ingredients. If you find yourself in Pender and like vegetarian and pasta dishes you have to stop at the Hub! Luckily my future father in law lives on Pender so we will 100% be back!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Chill place, foods are very delicious, would come again😊

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Amazing pasta, awesome vibes, waterfront view. What’s not to love? If you’re on Pender, don’t miss this gem of a restaurant. Food was great. Well-executed, hand-made pasta at reasonable prices. Selection of wines. Friendly service. Reservations are strongly advised to avoid disappointment, especially on long weekends.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I guess I should have looked at the latest review prior to coming here again... I had the worst customer service I have ever experienced on Pender and it really ruined our night. The server was very rude and tried to blame us for not asking to split the bill at the start. Usually if it is an issue the server will ask at the start, which she failed to do. Why are you blaming your customers for your mistake? With the prices they charge for vegetarian pasta, we expected at least bare minimum service, which splitting a bill is. Then, the whole time she was splitting the bill, she was complaining about it and ended up walking away in frustration. She implied that we were tourists and tried to claim that we didn't understand how things work on the island. I got the impression that she thought she could treat us poorly because she thought we were younger tourists and would never be back anyways. We aren't tourists. We have a vacation home walking distance from this restaurant and come to Pender often and frequently support the local businesses. I won't be coming back unless I receive an apology from the server who I believe is also an owner. If you are looking for an option on Pender with incredible customer service and great food, I highly recommend Woods on Pender or Truss Farm Food (both the store and food truck are great).

It was my birthday and we are not vegetarian. The food was amazing. The pasta delicious. Gnocchi was so the best i have ever eaten and i am a foodie. The chef was fabulous and we had 3 pastas and an amazing salad with fried Tofu. Everything was so good and we tried a bottle Sage Hayward wine which was crisp and a great addition. For dessert we had a flourless chocolate cake. The view over Hope Bay was so beautiful and a bunch of River Otters went swimming before about 10 playing in the water

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Older woman serving was something else — here are a couple of excerpts from her disgruntled self:

-we had a book on the table closest to the window, she brought a salad and instead of putting it down in the obvious and easiest spot she just stared at my friend and said “can you move your book?” Like we were the ones being rude

-when she brought our pasta I asked if I could have chili flakes or something spicy and she told me the chef would be really offended and “doesn’t like when people dump seasoning all over his dishes” … nice, wasn’t planning on it! Go to Italy some time! Or just leave Pender for a minute to learn how to act in social settings 😂

-my friend asked what the salad dressing was like and she looked at her again like she was being rude and said “like I said, the chef makes everything in house”… as if there aren’t 1M+ types of salad dressings in the world

-when I asked if they had natural wines she looked at me like I was stupid and tried to give me a lesson on the different meaning of “natural” … just to say no in the end

Crazy how people in customer service have absolutely no idea how to create a good experience. I still tipped 20% because the food was good and that’s just how I am…

we just laughed about her our whole drive home and thought she must have been in a fight with the chef or late to work or something

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 5

Service: 1

Tasty food, very kind service and stunning views of the water!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

Wow, this is a must go to place on Pender! Spectacular views, fantastic fresh food, simple but elegant decor, and very friendly hosts!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Excellent location, atmosphere, and food. We both got the mushroom gnocchi and it was amazing! And a chocolate cake to top it off. Excellent service and quality of food!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Mushroom Gnocchi

Absolutely incredible meal we had at the Hub, I had the homemade pasta and kale salad, and I didn't know kale could taste so good. We also tried a square of the pizza and it was perfection...crispy yet doughy fluffy crust and homemade sauce, incredibly talented chef. Thank you for the beautiful food!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Absolutely outstanding food! I had the Japanese temple tasting menu - a truly fantastic sampling of various vegetarian dishes.

The ambience was fantastic too!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

We had an excellent dinner at hub - excellent food (it was vegetarian Japanese tasting menu) thoughtfully put together, great wine, beautiful view and friendly service.
Similar to fine dining, so not the cheapest, but it was a great treat

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Food, service, views and atmosphere are top notch. Great restaurant.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Mushroom Gnocchi

One of the worst restaurant experiences in a long time. From the moment we walked in thr door, the server seemed irritated that we were even there. Then once our food arrived, we tries to get a bit of soy sauce for our plain white rice, and the "chef" himself personally came to our table to try and shame us for even asking. Unbelievably pretentious, rude man serving mediocre food at best. Literally said "yes we have soy sauce but i won't give you any for your rice" Telling us that asking for soy sauce for his overcooked plain white rice is "like asking for ketchup". Get over yourself...
Absolutely never experienced anything like this guy before.
Would highly recommend avoiding this place. 60$ a head for so-so food and an offensively bad dining experience

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 1

Service: 1

Hahaha the service was insane. Chef was offended when we asked for soy sauce for the plain white rice and dishes he couldn't even remember the names of. Server seemed disgruntled and made us feel like a nuisance. The cider was flat to boot. Too bad the location is gorgeous and the playlist was good!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 3

Service: 1