Motherhen Barbecue Diner in Chemainus

The service was curt, the coffee mediocre, and after two couples that came in after us got served we checked on our order. I order had been forgotten - a small dinner, less than 4 tables occupied and we were forgotten - really???? Service

Consistently delivering excellent food and service. I have eaten my weight in brisket bennys and chicken blt bennys. Ive never been dissapointed, except on a Monday. The staff are awesome, too.

My mother drove from Parkville to meet up and exchange gifts. I raved about the place. I told the waitress to take her time as they were busy. No refill of coffee offered and we asked for just one refill. Also I had to ask for a container and not recieved. Pretty much ignored and treated like we should leave. Im in customer service position forever. No matter how busy a smile goes a long way.

This place is an amazing country diner. Everything is made from scratch and you and taste the love in the food.

Kid-friendliness: Kid friendly! Food

The brisket was sooooo good

Breanna gave perfect service, the mushroom swiss is 10, So is Breanna

Great place for lunch when travelling up or down Island

Cool. Finally, found a decent place for breakfast. Clean, efficient, decent portions per buck. Cudos to good management and staff. Brisket scramble, Oh yeah !

Great service, friendly staff

This spot is SPOT-ON! Went here for an early dinner with the kiddos after a hike nearby- you know the spot on the hwy just north of Duncan, south end of Chemainus? Mother Hen is doing real legit bbq stuff/fried chicken/all-day brekkie and fresh salads goodness! Service from Briana was exceptional and ultra fam-friendly (we did dine at 5pm mind you) Soooo good and can t wait to go back already! Oooow and homemade preserves too! Keep up the amazing work!

Place gets pretty busy on weekends, but service is still quick. Food was delicious and prices are reasonable.

My wife and I finally tried this place. We were both really impressed. I wanted to try the full rack of pork ribs (way too much food) and my wife got the beef brisket. The ribs were extremely good, but when I tried the brisket...WOW! Melt in your mouth to die for. Fantastic!

HATED THE SERVICE, HATED THE DEEP FRIED, CUBED (OVER COOKED, HARD) POTATOES, MY OMLETTE GROSS, TOAST, OVER TOASTED!! JUST HATED THAT PLACE PERIOD!! THE SERVER DIDNT COME TO CHECK ON US, I CANT BELIEVE THEY EVEN BROUGHT THAT TO THE TABLE. NOT HAPPY!!!! I WOULDNT SERVE THAT TO MY DOGS!! I WE WENT THERE BEFORE AND HAD A SKILLET, THAT WAS SO.... GREASY, BUT STUPID ME, THOUGHT WE GIVE IT ANOTHER CHANCE!! NEVER AGAIN! DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS PLACE AT ALL!! I WISH I DIDNT I DIDNT EVEN PAY FOR THAT GARBAGE FOOD. I BARELY TOUCHED MINE

This is amazing little restaurant nestled in the cowichan valley. We had two burgers the falafel and the perfect burger. The falafel was a delicious vegetarian burger and would highly recommend. The perfect burger was also amazing. We ask tried the cheese cake and the taste was outstandingly incredible 10/10 would Recommend.

This use to be one of our favorites, the last couple times the service has been horrible and the breakfast was just as bad!

Great place for breakfast or lunch.

Unacceptable! Food and service was poor

Incredible coleslaw and cornbread! These are the best Ive ever had! They have good brisket. I was not a huge fan of their ribs compared to Jones bbq, but everything else is amazing!

Really good smoked beef brisket. Will try it again.

Come to eat here every time I visit my parents, and have not been disappointed with the food. My Dad really likes the Hungryman, which is an extremely generous offering for breakfast. Im all about the bacon and sausages, but would love to try their lunch and dinner menu eventually. Definitely worth the visit.

Great food and excellent service!

A classic diner feel with understated and delicious food. The service was prompt, courteous and friendly. I will make this a more frequent stop along the highway in the future!

We have tried this place twice now, 6 months apart. We were disappointed both times. The brisket is dry and over smoked. It is starving for more sauce, the little sauce thats on it gets completely washed away by the smoke. (Photo was taken after adding more barbecue sauce) this plate was $20 before tax. Complete rip off. I had take out but I made a point to try it right away in the parking to give it the best chance of tasting the way its supposed to. If you are wanting barbecue try somewhere else, this diner needs to drop the barbecue from its name.

The barbecue was broken so wasnt able to try the brisket or pork. Ordered the 4 piece chicken and was extremely disappointed.. the plate came with 6 small, extremely dry, completely tasteless pieces of chicken. The coleslaw it came with was also completely tasteless . This is literally the first time I left without eating my order..

Just a great wee restaurant The food is superb and all the servers have great personalities! Parking: Traffic lights .make it easily accessible

Far better than any highway gas station-adjacent eatery I ve every dined at. Their wall o jams caught my eye when I walked so I picked up a few. Grilled cheese sandy w/ soup was hearty and satisfying. Their house side pickles have a nice sweet/spur balance. In fact nothing I ate was as over-salted as most eateries. Seasoning was balanced.

We had the brisket Benny and clubhouse Benny! They were sooo delicious! Lots of food and good prices!

Very good food nice place

Great eggs Benny, so many great things on this menu. They make their own homemade preserves. So delicious!

The best steak and eggs this side of the Rockies.

I had the Perfect Burger and it lived up to its name. The best part is, they didnt skimp on the fries. Everything was fresh and delicious and the price was totally fair.

Just had breakfast here on Friday and it was AMAZING! The Buttermilk fried chicken benny was the most delicious benny I have ever had - the chicken was so moist and flavourful and the French toast was perfection. The restaurant itself is sharply decorated with an homage to the Jack Nicholson movie filmed here many years ago. The bathrooms are newly renovated and wouldnt be out of place in a 5 star hotel. The service is excellent and the restaurant is clean and tidy. WE LOVED IT! Hats off to the chef! Chris and Elissa, Duncan, BC

Great little diner! Good food and great service considering they were short staffed. What a wonderful restaurant to have in the Valley! Dietary restrictions: They had almond milk which was great if youre lactose intolerant. Kid-friendliness: No change tables in the washroom but we improvised.

We have now come for breakfast at least 4 times recently and are always extremely impressed with the portion size and value of a traditional breakfast of bacon, eggs, has browns and toast for $11 . For $15 you can get the same meal but add sausage and ham on it for an extra hungry morning meal. This is now our go to Saturday or Sunday morning spot as a favourite for taking a break on the weekends. We have yet to come for a supper but I am a sure it is equally great. Always happy to support an independent locally owned small business.

Ext time I go out there Im most definitely stopping in for a great meal the ribs look good the sound of that hamburger sounds yummy yummy

The entire place was packed. 1 waitress and 1 helper working. 1 cook in the kitchen. That said, the service was good. It was very efficient. The breakfast I ordered was well prepared and I enjoyed it. Ill bet they were all just burnt out by the end of that shift from the work they put in. The wait staff never stopped moving. Im sure the guy in the kitchen had 12 pans going. Whoever owns that place should give that tiny crew a big bonus for that day.

Originally i had pulled off the highway for a tissue and when we realized there was a little restaurant we decided to try it out. All i can say is this Diner is Fantastic! Jessie was our server and she was an absolute Gem. I had the Loaded Skillet which single handedly made me leave this review. It was the best breakfast skillet Ive ever had and being from Victoria ill need to make any excuse I can to make the drive back up. My dad had a potato and bacon omelette which he raved about as well and were both just amazed at how lovely this experience was. The view is beautiful, the restaurant is so comforting and cozy while also feeling so fresh and airy and whoever picked the music nailed it. 10/10. Thanks for eveything.

Popped in for lunch for the first time on a recommendation from a friend. Well, safe to say I will be back. Decent sized restaurant with pleasant servers. The food was not only delicious but obviously made with love. Fries, burgers, hollandaise sause are made fresh in house. Highly recommend The Motherhen. PS The entire staff deserve a raise for their wonderful work.

Country Diner vibe, prices are good, food is excellent. Best Ruben sandwich Ive had, and wicked good breakfast too

The breakfast is an extremely obvious downgrade from what was served at the Red Rooster. Not everyone wants BBQ before 2pm.

Stopped for breakfast..it was awesome, pancakes cant be beat.Will go back often.

Great place.

The food was delicious and great and the service was good and the food was a perfect amount, not too much or not too little Vegetarian options: They had lots of options that where vegetarian and it tasted really good

There never open. No staff issues I guess . Great food

First time visiting this great establishment. Beautiful decor and design walking in. Very friendly staff and very clean. Great menu with even better food! I would highly recommend this to anyone

My newest favorite restaurant. Menu is not huge but is perfectly executed. Cant get enough of the fried chicken eggs Benny.

Absolutely fantastic from start to finish. The ribs were perfection with a wonderful smokiness and background bit of spice. My wife and I split the full rack meal with some extra onion rings. Yum! And then to find out you can order ribs for breakfast! ...or breakfast for dinner!? Can it get better? ...the only regret is that we didnt leave room to try the dessert described by our waitress. Something about ice cream between waffles, also involving nutella, peanuts and maybe more?! Well definitely be back for that! Going back seems a bit daunting though...I want to try other menu items, but that would mean missing out on the ribs. Decisions, decisions!

Excellent service and wonderful food and very good portions. I highly recommend this place

Breakfast was delicious. Really happy service and got out food quick. Great coffee too. Food

We ordered the brisket Benny on cornbread and it was a knockout! Really nice big portions and the brisket was smoked perfectly. The corn bread was moist and delicious. And they make HOMEMADE JAM. Absolutely worth checking out and I will definitely be back! Wheelchair accessibility: All one level, with space between tables

Third time eating here and it s been absolutely delicious each time. The fried chicken, brisket, burger, sanwhichs, donuts all perfection. They can get busy and you might have to wait a little longer but it s worth it!! Plus, you get to enjoy your company and know that they are working hard to cook you a fresh delicious meal!! The owner cooks, clears tables and tops coffees up. Truly a gem and worth going!! Kid-friendliness: Took my 1.5 year old toddler and they were very kind.

Ive been here a few times with great service and amazing food. Im not sure what going on.. My husband and I waited nearly an hour for our order. Which we never received, and we eventually ended up leaving. While other customers who arrived after us received their food.. They paid and left. Usually, I dont mind waiting a little longer. I understand restaurants are busy. But this felt intentional.. Only two tables of native people and we were served last.. So you lost our service. We drove a little further to Hideaway Restaurant instead. Where we are treated equally and they have a much better service and positive attitude.

Really a very good diner meal....big portions, great flavors, some booth seating, or tables, big open area , all good.

They were definitely having some staffing issues, so hopefully temporary. Staff was friendly and helpful but everything took a long time (about an hour to get food). The food was good. Parking: Not alot of spots. If the restaurant is busy the lot will be full Wheelchair accessibility: All ground floor, with accessible curbs. The restaurant aisles are wide and it should be reasonably easy to get wheelchairs through.

After we decided to give them a second chance after having burnt pancakes served to us the first time. The second time we sat for over 45 min. Waiting for our breaky. Asked the waitress howuch longer it would be and she said she would check. Instead she whispered to her coworker. Never checking with the cook she came back to us and told us it could be another 10 to 20 mins she didnt know. Another 5 mins pass and our breaky comes and its cold. Will never go back.

We visited and ordered two of the house burgers blind without seeing a menu as we couldnt find one online. We were pleasantly surprised with the food we received. Juicy with a great taste, and the fries were incredible as well. Living up to the Red Rooster legacy, Motherhen has proved an excellent choice for our first visit since the business changes. Note: the numerous roosters along the ceiling are gone (big sad).

Former Red Rooster Diner, great food and very reasonable prices.

Breakfast. Two eggs, hashbowns and toast for $9, cant go wrong. Service was great

We shared a pulled pork sandwich and the Nutella waffle dessert. Both were awesome... recommend!

Our breakfast was delicious and worth the drive. Everything was cooked perfectly. The homemade pineapple jam was outstanding! I also appreciated that the condiment bottles were clean and free of debris. We will be back to try out your dinner offerings.

My wife and I went to Motherhen Barbecue Diner for brunch yesterday. I had a bowl of split pea soup and two delicious pieces of cornmeal bread. I believe the bread had been grilled after it was baked as it looked somewhat like a grilled cheese sandwich. It was very light and delicious. My wife had a vegetarian skillet with scrambled eggs. This meal was also very good and the bread used for making the toast was excellent. Overall we had two very good meals at a very reasonable price. We will be going back.

Shared servers coordinated very well. Busy yet very reasonable order to serve time. Convenient entry from highway and parking.