Fern + Cedar Brewing Company

no service at all. not even slow service. we were seated and then completely ignored. more people got seated around us and served. at least 10 while we patiently sat and waited for any one of the 3 servers around us finally got up and left.

Good food, friendly service & tasty craft beer. I'll make a point of stopping in here again for sure.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

We are staying on Van Isle for the summer and went to Fern & Cedar to meet our friends from Courtenay (Alison and Mark) on their recommendation. They are regulars and we can see and taste why.

We enjoyed the Moonlit and Green Mountain ales, the citrus bowl plus tofu, the shrimp and lobster lettuce wrap plus side salad and the shared Brussels sprouts (well they all did, not my thing but I had a taste: not bad! 😅).

The ambience was wonderful and seating is great inside or out. The ferns were as beautiful as advertised.

And thank you Olivia for your attentive and professional service along with your coworkers. She talked about how many are long term members of the staff and it shows.

Glad we went there!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Amazing beers

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I’m really struggling to justify the extortionate costs for what you receive. It’s downright ludicrous to charge $26 + tax for literally just a veggie burger patty in a bun and fries… and that’s all you put on the (weirdly small/appetizer sized) plate, with a fast food style ketchup bottle plopped in the middle of the table. I’ve never seen such little effort before in a restaurant like this. Presentation, garnish, gourmet dips, interesting toppings on the burger all justify those kinds of prices but I’m afraid to say, this was no better than a drive thru. I had to double take my $25.25 lettuce wraps that were literally presented as a quarter of a lettuce head, and a separate plate with some pieces of tofu and a sauce in a plastic tub. But you can get the shrimp and lobster version with an extra yoghurt dip for the same price?! Huh?!

The servers are nice but we’ve had some issues (either food taking a very long time and no apologies/acknowledgement, or mains coming when we are halfway through our apps, again no recognition of how this isn’t ideal). Taking into consideration the high prices and expected minimum 18% tip option, you’re going to be tipping a lot of money on top of your expensive bill for what is quite average service.

The positives are the plants are beautiful (I didn’t know they were real, wow!), the atmosphere is quite nice and the beer is good. Also, the taste of the tofu is really damn incredible so well done to the kitchen!

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 2

Service: 2

Not quite what we were hoping for. Rare steak was medium at a minimum, salad bowl was ok, drinks nice but delayed. Servers obviously busy, could probably do with a few more staff for busier times.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 3

My favorite brewery

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Great place to eat, dog and kid friendly. Beautiful spot, great food and amazing ciders. Friendly and very welcoming service and atmosphere.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Highly recommended. A gem of a find if you are gluten and/or lactose intolerant. Going back soon.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Fish and Chips, Cod and Chips, Wedge Salad

Best place for gluten free!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

This was hands down the best gluten free food I’ve had EVER. We had the cod and chips and it was unbelievably crispy and delicious. They have their own dedicated fryer too so no worries about cross contamination. Next time we want to try the crispy buttermilk chicken sandwich. They also allow dogs on their patio which was a huge bonus for us as we are travelling with ours. This is an absolute hidden gem and we will 100% be back the next time we are on the Island. What an amazing place!!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Great atmosphere/decor and terrific beer. But, perhaps skip the food. On night 1, I had cod and chips (6 of 10) and my lady had seafood chowder (6 of 10). Night 2 , I had the fried chicken burger (another 6 of 10) and my lady had the shrimp (4 of 10). Service was good but a bit stressed as this is a busy place. So? Lovely place for a great brew- but perhaps eat first or later to make it a great night. We are in town for night 3 but we are going to look for a new spot.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 2

Service: 3

I love dining at Fern and cedar! The atmosphere is fun and I love how they bring in comedy and live music at times :) their food is so delicious! My favourite dish is Korean tofu bowl :) my go to restaurant in qualicum!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Great service. Beers were refreshing and tasty. Tried the chowder and bannock and the truffle Parmesan fries and all were really good. Go give it a try!

The bathrooms need attention. Very dirty, but otherwise the service and food top notch.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5