Qualicum Beach Cafe

DO NOT EAT SEAFOOD HERE!
Our first experience happened a few months back, where one of our oysters came out on the plate rancid. We notified our server and they sent us one new oyster on a plate. This was sufficient enough at the time not to raise major red flags.

We returned a few months later, my fiancé ordered a clam meal and he became very ill afterwards. When we contacted the restaurant, they were apologetic and gave us a $50 gift card. Again, sufficient for us at the time, as we loved this restaurant.

However, after our return on Sunday to use this gift card for rancid seafood… we ordered oysters. Again, an oyster on the plate came to the table bad, smelly, cloudy, and rancid again. We notified the waiter and we received a new plate of oysters. Less than 24 hours later, both my fiancé and I fell extremely ill with food poisoning.

The seafood prep here is HORRIBLE and we know it’s not just our experience, as we can see from other reviews and acquaintances who have also fell ill from the shellfish. My fiancé called this morning to tell them about our experience, they offered us another gift card. We declined the card, as after 3 separate instances we will not be back.

Proper education on safe food prep needs to be gone over with staff here, or perhaps taking seafood off your menu until staff are confident of the health and safety procedures when dealing with shellfish/seafood. I don’t think this restaurant understands the severity of food-borne illness, it frightens me for the older population of Qualicum beach, who could potentially be effected 10x worse than a young healthy couple.

Food: 1

What a venue. So beautiful on the patio in the summer. A stone's thrown from the sea. Food is excellent all round. Great wine selection and cocktails. Service and staff are consistently awesome. Attached to a great hotel. We love to stay in the hotel, each here for family dinner and crash steps from the venue. Great design, a night spent at QBC can be a night in a classy bar, a romantic date, a fine dining family dinner, or a patio summer evening experience. Best of all the local spots.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The dine out menu was a great choice here. I got a fresh, crisp Caesar salad and a chicken Parmesan sandwich. Also got a blackberry lemonade. The view on a sunny day is amazing. Staff is super friendly. The food was top tier. Only complaint was the food took a bit to come out but it was full so it was understandable.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Caesar Salad

We are extremely disappointed with the lack of professionalism that is expected from such a highly rated establishment. I wrote an email over a week ago to inform this business that both my partner and I had become ill clearly and unmistakably from oysters eaten here, but have not heard back at all. This has been our favourite restaurant since moving to the island, so we are sad to say that we will not be back for some time.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 1

Service: 3

I came for lunch with my sister and loved every minute of my visit. I have been wanting to try your restaurant for some time now and was not disappointed. The service was extremely good, with happy, attentive, and knowledgeable servers, delicious food, and beautiful venue. I loved that we were not rushed, the venue was packed with lunchtime customers, and there was an overall happy vibe. Can’t wait to come back!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

We met with friends for brunch, they were offering a dine around menu so we took advantage of the great deal. Everything was beyond amazing. The homemade breads, the eggs Benny everything was fantastic. Hands down the best brunch we have all had . The desserts are a must !

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Review:

We recently visited this restaurant on a Saturday afternoon around 3 PM, and unfortunately, it was one of the most disappointing dining experiences we’ve had in a long time. Despite the restaurant being three-quarters empty, the service was slow and dismissive from the moment we arrived.

As we waited at the front, a waitress briefly acknowledged us, saying she’d be with us in a minute, but she never returned. Eventually, an older male waiter approached us abruptly, making us feel like an inconvenience rather than valued customers. When we asked for a window seat, he seemed irritated that we didn’t have a reservation, even though the restaurant was clearly not busy. After several minutes of studying the seating chart and walking around, he seated us—not at the requested window table but at one of the noisiest spots in the restaurant, crowded next to other diners.

When we expressed that the noise was bothering us, we were offered a seat in the lounge, which seemed even louder. We ended up moving to a different table ourselves. Unfortunately, the experience only worsened when we tried to order the chicken burger, which was the main reason we came to this restaurant. We were told it was only available on the lunch menu, which had just ended moments before we arrived. Despite it being just after 3 PM, no effort was made to accommodate our request, even though the kitchen likely could have prepared it.

Feeling ignored and unwelcome, we decided to leave and dine elsewhere, where we had a much better experience. The staff didn’t seem to care that they lost our business, and we left feeling judged, disrespected, and unappreciated.

This restaurant clearly prioritizes convenience for the staff over customer service. The lack of flexibility, dismissive attitude, and failure to accommodate reasonable requests were incredibly disappointing. We won’t be returning and would not recommend this restaurant to anyone seeking a welcoming and enjoyable dining experience.

Atmosphere: 1

Service: 1

We were really excited to go to the Qualicum Beach Cafe for Happy Hour…we started with a dozen oysters which were quite good, then we ordered the mushroom & truffle arancini which did not have any notes of truffle to speak of, the pieces were bite size and 3 pieces per dish, they were hot but the taste was underwhelming. We wanted to order the Burrata but were upsold the Caprese Salad ($10.75 for the Happy Hour Burrata vs $22. 75 for the Caprese Salad.) The Caprese salad was near tasteless, a small piece of Burrata that appeared to be cut in 1/2, some grape tomato’s, a smear of what I think was a red pepper purée and some dots of pesto on the edge of the plate, it looked pretty, but it was nearly tasteless. We also ordered the Focaccia Bruschetta, it was VERY heavy on the bread with a very light topping of hummus and tomato bruschetta topping…I hadn’t read the description and was surprised by the hummus on the bread…it was an odd concoction and the ratio of bread to topping was not balanced. We also ordered the Tuna Toast…it arrived looking dry and pale…which it was. We tried a small piece of the tuna topping and pushed the entire plate to the edge of the table. The service, while friendly was incredibly slow, it appears they only have 2 wait staff to deal with the entire restaurant. There were 4 of us, my mother and I ordered the above from the Happy Hour Menu, my daughter also ordered the Caprese Salad with a side of Forno Baked Foccacia…she was also very disappointed with the salad, and the Focaccia was not flavourful. My daughter’s boyfriend ordered the Chicken Pesto Pizza…he liked it and we all looked at it longingly wishing we had ordered something different. When our server did come back she said she wasn’t surprised we didn’t like the Tuna Toast and told us she tells everyone not to get it, and she hopes they take it off the menu soon. She cleared the plates and we did not see her again as it was SO busy…I had to ask the manager for the bill 15 minutes later. The restaurant was also freezing, we did sit by the window so that could have contributed to the temperature. We each had a mocktail which were OK…we spent about $50 each with tip…and then went home and made something to eat as we were hungry and not at all satisfied with the meal. Overall, I would not recommend the Happy Hour Menu at all, it’s very bread and carb heavy and while the plates presented fairly well, I would not give them a passing grade in a taste test.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 2

Service: 2

5 Stars !!!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

On Thursday, January 9th, I took a friend to the Qualicum Beach Inn for lunch to celebrate a milestone birthday. The food was delicious, perfectly cooked, and beautifully presented. What made our experience truly exceptional was the delightful service provided by both our server and the hostess. Although I didn’t get their names, I hope specifying the date ensures they get the recognition they deserve for making our experience so special.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

We went to celebrate my partner’s birthday. We both have lots of food intolerances and allergies. Courtney our waitress provided an excellent service helping us navigate the menu. The food was delicious and setting is lovely. It was perfect 👌

Dietary restrictions: Accommodated my gluten-free, lactose restrictions and vegetarian diet and allergies for my partner.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Delicious food, great service, beautiful place.

Service was good, staff were really lovely. Food, however, VERY subpar and very overpriced. $8.50 for two gluten free buns, $1.5 for milk substitute which wouldn’t have been a problem if the basic quality of food was there. Real shame.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 2

Service: 4

The food was excellent. Loved the ambience and music. Servers were nice and attentive. Thank you!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

This place was amazing!! Our server
(🔥Serena🔥) was personable, funny, professional AND has a photographic memory. lol great experience. Would highly recommend!! ✨👌🏾

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5