Qualicum Beach Cafe — Restaurant in Qualicum Beach

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...

We went here with friends for a fun night out. We arrived at our reservation time and our table wasn't ready... so we were taken to the bar, where the music was blaring and we could barely hear each other. We were escorted to our table on the patio as soon as our drinks arrived. We had passed this empty table on the way to check in for our reservation. I'm not sure why they couldn't just show us to our table immediately? It's not like they set it up in any special fashion. The waitress was a bit full of herself as she wrinkled her nose when we made our wine selection... she told us our selection was 'basic' and it was probaly out of stock. She suggested a more expensive wine (read btwn the lines) The wine she recommended was nice but nothing noteworthy. No ice bucket was brought to the table for the white wine, which on a hot summer's night resulted in the wine being luke warm by the time a second glass was poured. Our food came out and we were all a little disappointed. The guys had gnochhi with seafood for $38. The price for this dish was ridiculous as there was minimal seafood, and let's face it gnochhi is potato and flour. I had the spaghetti vongole, the white wine sauce was flavourless and there were a handful of whole cherry tomatoes thrown in. No bowl was brought for my shells. My friend had the tagliatte bolognese, she said it was bland. Pictures of some of these menu items are posted on the Beach Cafe's website... they look fantastic. Ours, sadly ... not so much. We were being treated by our friends for this dinner, so we didn't want to make a big deal and send things back. You know what it's like when you don't want to ruin the evening. The food was ok but far from great. The quality was ok but certainly not worth the $. This restaurant promotes itself as a high-end and innovative restaurant. Sadly they are not either of these things. Talking the next day with our friends, we all agreed that we felt ripped off and unhappy about our experience. There are not many places to eat in QB that a little more upscale, but honestly, don't waste your time or money.

PS The owners responded to this review, but the email they sent...

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...