Shady Rest | Restaurant & Pub — Restaurant in Qualicum Beach

Our recent dinner at The Shady was one of the most disappointing dining experiences we’ve had. From the indifferent service to the shockingly poor food quality, almost nothing met even basic expectations.

Service: Rude & Dismissive

Our server, Wanda, was noticeably short providing minimal attention throughout the meal. What made it worse was the owner’s reaction—she was happy to chat when she thought we were complimenting the restaurant, but the moment she realized we had complaints, she quickly passed us off to the manager. Even after the manager acknowledged they were going through "some growing pains"and admitted the food was lacking the restaurant continued serving the same subpar dishes—without any adjustments or apologies, just an upcharge for mediocrity.

Food: Overpriced & Inedible Prime Rib Special:Dry, tough, and poorly prepared. Pork Chop: Overcooked, tiny, and bone-dry. Mashed Potatoes: Lumpy and bland—even the manager agreed they weren’t good, yet they still served them. Vegetables: No choice given—just undercooked, flavorless cauliflower. Ravioli Scampi: The only decent dish, but the portion was so small it barely fed my six-year-old. I had to order a side of focaccia, which ended up being a slice of toast.

-short rib was good put again very small, sadly, the mashed potatoes served with undercooked cauliflower

Desserts: Store-Bought & Flavorless The only edible dessert was the cheesecake—which, unsurprisingly, they don’t even make in-house.The London fog crème brûlée had zero flavor, another failing the manager acknowledged but did nothing to rectify and have yet no problem still charging me for.

Final Thoughts: A Scam for the View The only positive thing about this place is the view The food is overpriced, poorly prepared, and served without care,and the staff—from the server to the owner—clearly don’t value customer satisfaction. Save your money and dine elsewhere.

If you’re looking for an alternative wonderful restaurant to eat out in the area that understands fine dining, friendly staff, with incredible food try the...

I came here with my husband, parents and children aged 6 and 3. Upon arrival the host was very abrasive and short with his responses- we didn't think much of it. Maybe he was having a bad day, maybe he was tired as it was the evening? For example, due to Covid we weren't allowed to wait inside so instead we stayed outside and perused the menu. The host came out and was almost raising his voice as he told us not to congrugate at the entrance of the restaurant. This restaurant is at the edge of a main road, which didn't leave us many options for places to go nearby. The adults in our party felt the same rude energy but we let it go. I should add that there was ample room for patrons to pass by us. When we were seated, to our surprise the waiter was equally as rude. For example, I was first to order and after I had ordered for myself and my children he rudely asked if "that was it for the table?" I thought I misheard him but he repeated himself. His responses were also very short and brash. We were placed in a room away from everyone else in the restaurant, I'm assuming because there were 6 of us. Our kids were very well behaved (I am the first to say if they're not) and sat through their entire dinner. After dinner whilst waiting for the bill, my two children got up to exchange comments on the coloring they had done during dinner. The waiter quickly came in and let my kids know that they needed to sit down in order to be allowed to remain in the restaurant! To be clear, he did not let me know, he let them know directly. Again, we let this go. While we were waiting for the bill my husband took our youngest to the toilet. He, like most happy 3 year-olds was laughing and singing at a normal volume when my husband caught the host sticking his fingers in his ears and saying "dreadful" to the sound my son was making. I did let the manager know of our experience and he was graceful about it but I wouldn't say he went above and beyond to make the situation any better for us. Very disappointing outing-I would not recommend this restaurant. The food was...

The view was amazing here as it was the first time stopping in at Shady Restaurant. Arrived after 2:30pm pm and there were plenty of tables to choose from. Unfortunately the experience was not as expected. The server Alice was not patient nor friendly toward me as I had a medical issue that limits my speech that day. I figured it was a busy day due family day long weekend and the staff had lots of other task to attend to. It was clear that there were different treatment towards other diners from this staff. Observed the waitress have amazing customers service and conversations towards other tables around. She even checked in during meals at other tables but unfortunately not mine. The meal was not completely done yet and the waitress came and took away the plate without asking if we were finished yet. The salad was still untouched and the fries were still left on the other plate. There was only 5 other tables at that time and no one was waiting to be seated at the entrance. The meal arrived 30 mins later and was only 20 mins into eating when our plates were cleared. I'm baffled as to why the different attitude and treatment was towards my table. Definitely my guest and I felt discrimination from this particular staff. The bartender was super friendly and so were the other colleague when they cleared the other tables. The food here was not bad and the beer and coffee was alright. The window seats allow you to watch the ocean which was amazing. Unfortunately due to this experience I had here I would not be returning nor referring anyone else. My guest also feels the same as the atmosphere made it very awkward to enjoy the meal and drinks. Sad this left a bad impression to what could've had become my new favorite stop in...