The Grand Cru Restaurant and Lounge — Restaurant in Nanaimo

Tried this out for the first time. The staff was very friendly and professional. They made you feel like you were dining at a luxurious upscale restaurant. We had a Vodka cran and 7 but it wasn't quite right. Didn't have any bubbles like you would expect from the 7 up and just something wasn't right. The beer my husband ordered was out of stock so the waiter suggested another and it was ok but my husband didn't even finish it. The calamari was kind of bland and almost seemed like it was undercooked. The free bread was to die for. So delicious. The Lettuce Wraps were sparce with the filling but tasted delicious. We had the seafood Fettuccine and we found the pasta was AL dente which I am not really a fan of personally but lots like it that way. I never mind eating it on occasion that way but coupled with the watered down sauce I didn't even finish 1/3 of it. My husband ate some and he didn't even finish it. We basically ate the seafood out of it with a couple bites of the Fettuccine. The fish and chips were ok but nothing special. Our favorite part of the entire meal was the fries and free bread. After a $100 bill .....we won't eat there again ourselves. I would also suggest the restaurant maybe clean the roof of the outdoor space. Hard to be upscale when people look up and see all that...

My husband, father-in-law and I stayed at the Grand Hotel in Nanaimo, and decided to eat at their restaurant, because they liked the look of the menu and we were tired and didn't want to go out. I am vegan, but can almost always get a lovely baked potato and steamed veggies in any nice restaurant. NOT here! I asked our server, and he said they could not steam any veggies, that they were all sauteed, and that baked potato was not an option. I asked if they could be sauteed in oil and not butter, and he said no!!!!! They only use butter. ???? He said they could be boiled. So I said fine. I asked for any type of potato then..even boiled along with the veggies. He brought the vegetables, but no potato and said they couldn't do it. It was ridiculous, frustrating, and I was starving at the end of the meal. I certainly don't expect vegan entrees on most menus, but in a "fine dining" setting, I do expect some ability (and willingness!!!!!!) to make a couple of simple changes. One important thing to note is that the dining room was 80% empty! It's not like they were scrambling to feed...

We scheduled tea for my MIL’s birthday. MIL arrived first and got a pot of tea. Everyone else at the table, who wanted coffee, waited for almost a half hour before we flagged someone down to ask for some. Maybe 15 minutes after that, our food arrived. The food was lovely and well presented. After eating, we watched staff fill coffee cups and water glasses for the tables around us while ours remained empty.

After the third time the table next to us had their water glasses filled without anyone coming to check on us, I walked to the wait station and grabbed a pitcher of water to top up the table’s glasses. Wait staff turned up quickly to take the pitcher from me, and shortly after that we had someone stop by to check if we wanted another top up.

The staff seemed lovely and professional, but the service we received was terrible.

Beautiful atmosphere. Good food....