MGM Restaurant in Nanaimo

Hamburger steak was tough and overcooked, few onions, watery potatoes, soup had a gravy base, milkshake had no flavours , my last visit here!!!

One of Nanaimos best kept secrets! Delicious food, friendly staff, INCREDIBLE decor and great vibes. Kid-friendliness: Definitely

Had their nachos. Pretty awful. Most if it stuck to the paper and was to hard to get a piece. Dont bother ordering.

I enjoyed a baked potato here with all the fixings. I was starting to get frustrated because nobody came around with the bill. Then I finally figured out you have to go up to the till to pay. Vegetarian options: I really wanted a baked potato and requested one even though it wasn t on the menu. They made it for me and it was perfection! Served with butter, sour cream, scallions, chives, and bacon bits, all on the side.

Delicious from the eggs Benny to the homemade lasagna. Super clean, fabulous service!

Very friendly, and very clean! We had a good breakfast. And they offer a senior menu.

Food is great but the service is really slow

Love this place

Always a great meal, any time of day.

50 minutes wait for order to be served.

Thanks Lisa for your heart warming service.

This place is usually really good. Whatever you do, dont add anything to your order or you will pay WAY extra. So stick to what the menu offers. I once asked for turkey on my monte cristo sandwich( which is supposed to be on it in the first place people!) And they charged me $ 6.89! I was disgusted!

It has great food at reasonable prices, good service, and keeps to health rules. Rather on the pricey side now. Gone up a lot since last visit.

Quite pricey.

Being fairly new to Nanaimo, I d been trying to find the perfect diner experience. I really don t like the ambience of a lot of places, as I feel they throw everyone in the middle of a room like cattle. This place was different. Not super busy, always have a nice booth with good ambience and plenty of nice booth seating it really feels like what a diner should be. The food is great. I love being able to get a nice BLT or clubhouse and a coffee. I ve tried a lot of other menu options and have liked them all. My 10 year old son loves this place, too! He d rather come here than any other restaurant in Nanaimo I m not sure if it s because of the fish and chips, or for the awesome service, but I totally agree with him. It s become our little tradition for breakfast or brunch. The service is definitely amazing. Every single staff member there had just been awesome every time. Even other patrons are fun to talk to. The manager is the friendliest, coolest person ever. She even let my son make his own sundae, which he loved! If you haven t already popped by this place, it s definitely worth doing an illegal U-turn for ;)

Went there on Mothers day and the service was great on a very busy day, food was delicious and I recommend it to everyone.

Ate with our family of 7 yesterday and 2 of them had Eggs Benedict ending up with food poisoning. From the sauce. ( not eggs or ham) PLEASE CHECK OUT THE SAUCE TO MAKE SURE NOBODY ELSE GETS SICK. Reply to responds from owner: thank you for checking. We are sure its the sauce, otherwise other family members should have become ill. With my cellphone I can not call you because my sim is European and looked for email on your website, which I could not find, therefore I contact through Google. Just making sure nobody else gets sick, regards Anne- Marie

Best place to have a good meal..

Very nice! Server was exactly the right amount of attentive, the BLT was so delicious, the turkey and barley soup was good....and my friend was sooo happy to have your smoothie again! My first time here, and I will be back again!

Awesome food choices! All day breakfast The Seniors selection is a fair serving of a 3 Course Dinner for a decent price! The Servers were ultra courteous & very attentive A true rarity in this day & age !

We are regulars at the MGM because we get great value and the best service here. Helen and Kevin and Trish always come around to say hi to their guests and make us feel welcome. Delightfully old fashioned!!

We had an absolutely wonderful meal, liver and onions that we both had a hankering for. The waitress was a breath of fresh air. Good old fashioned food and service, we will be back to try some different items .

Unfortunately we went for lunch at this restaurant. If you go make sure you read the menu...they offer a Monte Cristo sandwich, its not .. its ham and cheese on bread dipped in eggs and grilled. They took the sandwich away, but we got charged full price.They should have only charged me for a plate of French Fries. The appetizer combo plate for the price is also a rip off. The manager/supervisor on duty had a chip on her shoulder attitude. She needs to be tought how to deal with the public or let go from her position. The only good thing I can say about our experience was our waitress Susan....she was super nice and its not her fault,she just works there.Thank you Susan!!! We will never be back,and our friends will be told about it as will our friends and theirs.

Very traditional style restaurant, they have a classic songs playlist. Delicious food. Nice people. Food

Eggs Benny with eggs cooked to perfection, loads of bacon, gf bun option, home fried potatoes, peach lemonade to quench your thirst.. One of my better ordered meals in awhile. More importantly, a staff member who bothered to call to confirm about gluten free options and packed accordingly even though I didnt pick up her calls. Thank you for a great ordered breakfast with gluten free considerations protected. Whoever was on the grill and the calling did an outstanding job with my order today! Dietary restrictions: Thank you for providing a gluten-free bun. I have eaten there twice now and had the gluten-free bun twice now. I would recommend microwaving and then toasting the bun prior to serving it as it is coming up a bit dry. Kinnickinnic does a better egg muffin as does Promise brioche. Just a recommendation.

Good honest Canadian breakfast.

Excellent service good food. The staff went above a d beyond to make our family visit memorable. Thank you all

Good food

We stop by there when we visit Nanaimo from Victoria. The food has always been good as well as the service. Nothing fancy but a good family restaurant. Food

We stopped in for breakfast and received the warmest greeting as we walked in the door. Prompt friendly service. Delicious made to order food. Cant wait to try other menu choices

Fun place to dance ...food is mediocre

Food was DELICIOUS. Chicken Cordon Bleu was made only after being ordered. Nothing BUT homemade and from scratch. Cant wait to try their breakfast

I do my practicum there on thursdays on thursday when i did my practicum, me and cook chris are very good friends we were loling about the raw bacon i was scared of the guy cook at first but we are crazy now i am being crazy with the bubbly guy cook! Somehow, i trust cook chris if i have any questions, i can always ask the guy cook! The guy cook gives me the best hugs i love my new friends at mgm! I love the guy cooks outfit i cant remember but i sorta taught the guy cook a crazy dance 2 the song, hall of fame i will def miss cook chris i might dunk cook chris in the dunk tank we always share a laugh

Parking: No problems parking Wheelchair accessibility: Wheel chair ramp Food : 3/5 |

The waitress was very good. The food was good. I had the spaghetti. My wife had a club and Frys and the sandwich was hugh. Good value for money

The food was decent, hash browns are old school style which is good. The prices are moderately high. But thats the case almost everywhere. Staff are very friendly and accommodating. Wait times were short. Wheelchair accessibility: It is wheelchair accessible

The omelet was delish! Service was great!

Very good breakfast.

Nice family At miss Pierre.

Good for a snack .

Really nice people

Got some take out... great food, great prices. Happy fun staff

great food, friendly and attentive service, decent prices. :) We left full and happy. Will be back!

Went there Wednesday Night with my Elderly Aunt while doing a small Family Reunion. Great Classic Atmosphere and made me feel Welcome to be there. Service was Prompt and Efficient. I had the Two Piece Fish & Chips and I thought there could have been a bit more French Fries. But the Deep Fried servings of Fish was Very Good.

Food was delicious,our server was awesome

The food was decent and the portions were great. What really impressed me was the service here. The waiter went above and beyond for me to make sure I left full and happy.

Always so friendly! Great service

My husband and I always go here for breakfast and it s great every time we go. The service is amazing and we usually get the same server I think her name is Tracy maybe! She s always so friendly and is always working really hard!

Though it hasnt changed or upgraded much in the decades ive been eating there, it is still one of the best family resaurants in town. 3 generations have been happy with the music, food and service. 4 stars overall; it would be sweet if they upgraded some of the roof tiles and bench seats. But we had the best server this evening and have full bellies!

Great food and Service

We stopped by for a late lunch. I had the house salad which was absolutely the best salad ever. We would definitely stop here again. They had wonderful old music playing, the service was amazing and the prices were reasonable.

Someone give Virginia a raise. She is wonderful.

I love the MGM

There were approx. 24 to 30 people in our prearranged to arrive at 4.00pm for dinner. MGM also knew in advance that in most cases checks would be for two people. Tables were set up appropriately but from then on things went downhill. It took more than 5 minutes for a waitress to arrive to take a drink order this was after we had signaled that we were ready to make an order. It took a long time for drinks to be delivered then a further delay before menus were distributed. I could go on in detail but I dont have the time and you probably dont have enough space. Enough to say that it was almost 7.30pm before we got our bills settled. Almost three hours! This was not because we had long discussions over food but because we had long discussions before our orders were taken and even longer before the food arrived. Overall a dreadful dining experience. If you go as a couple then there at best average might be OK. But for an arranged group this was dreadful.

Excellent lunch and excellent service

Old style diner that could use a good cleaning and updating. The eggs benny was a good portion size but the potatoes could have used some proper seasoning. Looks like a locals/regular clientele hangout spot with good service.

Will mgm be open thanksgiving 2023?

Service is friendly but very slow even when nobody else is there. I don t mind the dated decor, the 50ies and 60ies music is catchy. Bland at times and not fully cooked, some of the menu items can be more tasty, feels like the cook/chef is not motivated.

Always excellent service and great food. They also play great music at the right volume.

The food was sub par for the price. My girlfriend asked for scrambled eggs, they came out like they had been in a heat press, a word of advice, just stay home and scramble your own eggs. Not sure what they were using for eggs but they were nasty. Service was okay but they didn t discount the meal on account of the nasty eggs. Wont be going back.

Kid-friendliness: Theres a kids menu. My son loved the spaghetti with meatballs. Food

MGM is amazing with their amazing customer service and a great tasting menu.

Pulled a u turn when we spotted this restaurant. From the greeting at the door to paying the bill my husband and I felt like we had know Helen and her daughter since the beginning of time. The awesome western omelette, home made hash browns and endless coffee was just bonus. We can t wait to come back for another meal. GO. NOW. You won t regret it.

COLD BUILDING. COLD FOOD.

Excellent food and friendly waitress

My favorite place to enjoy a meal with family and friends.

Love coming to this restaurant with my kids and my grandma, options for the whole family <3 Vegetarian options: Veggie burger is delish! Kid-friendliness: My daughter loves to come here specially for the Dino nuggets and to visit the owner. She s amazing with kiddos especially high energy busy kids, she has a calm aura and is very patient :)

Server was good, prices for the quality of food left a lot to be desired. Kids meals cost almost as much as the adult meals which was a bit surprising given the little amount of food there was. Food

Amazing .!

I used to love this place but the food isn t as good as it used to be the poutine isn t good and the burgers have a weird taste the only good thing is the lasagna

Brought My food out and was cold and got the $hits blah

Cons: Worst tasting food ever from a diner. I literally could not even eat it, and went across the street to McDs I was so hungry. Huge disappointment Pros: Staff was super friendly and the restaurant looked very welcoming but unless they hire a new cook. I will not be going back

Excellent food, excellent ambiance, very kind staff :) Perferct for celebrating birthdays Food

We come here every time were in Nanaimo. Really cool old school vibe. The portions are very big. The crispy was huge.

1st time, new in Nanaimo so nothing to compare with yet. Lol seniors dining, food, service was good. $$ was on the higher end, but hey...

Good food. Good service. Good price. What more do you need?

We went in for Brunch last week, and it was a cross between prison food and hospital. Retarded prices, and the service sucked too. No idea how its been around for 35 years.

Service was amazing and the staff were awesome

Foods ok, fun when they had live music and the dance floor open. Thanks Covid for wrecking that. The staff is what brings me back

The waitress was very friendly. Food came quite quickly and was very enjoyable. This is the very 1st restaurant we have been to that you have to pay for honey for your tea. Was not happy about the extra charge. We will return, have to try out more menu items.

Timeless comfort/greasy spoon style meals. Great service and a quick kitchen.

Thank you to KEVIN!! someone give this man a raise!! He delivered our food to our motel room with style! He was more than professional, his delivery was outstanding and the guy has class! Nothing was missing from our order, even for takeout the food was perfectly presented and more so delicious! If all Restaurants had more KEVIN S, people s dining experience would be a conversation in itself! I m serious GIVE THIS MAN A RAISE and it better be a good one! Thanks Kevin!

Dinner was absolutely delicious. Our young lady who looked after us was cheerful, presented well, was in touch at proper times. She made sure we were happy and well fed. They are lucky to have her working for them

Overpriced, little amount of food, and took like 40 min to prepare. This place was top rated but hell nah, I expected good tasting, and large amounts of food but nope. Very disappointing.

Ive been a long time fan of poutine but this has got to be the abolute best Ive ever had. Double cooked fries were super crispy and literally the best beef gravy Ive ever had.

Medicare family restaurant. Our server was very pleasant in spite of their being short staffed. Good menu and food was well done

Was introduced to this place by a friend of mine and its got really good home cooked meals. Service is friendly, quick, restaurant is clean and food is good. No fast food here.

Olden days diner checks all the boxes, loved the food, great portion of protein and a massive amount of veggies, LOVED that!!

Definitely enjoyed my visit. While here I had the crispy chicken w/ fries and an iced tea. My other half had the chicken tenders w/ poutine made with shredded cheese. Great service by host, server, and cook. All the guests were happy when I was here. Definitely recommend these if youre craving some chicken. I will be back again & try to remember to take a photo of our plates!

Great service and even better service. Had the cod fish and chips, big piece of fish.

I discovered this resturant years ago and I have yet to find a resturant to beat it. Why cook when you can get great food, great prices and super nice staff who now are like family

Since I first visited this restaurant well over 25 yrs ago it always been the best for the home feeling atmosphere and food, portion, cleanliness, staff friendliness always been top 10. Its a community gem!

Our breakfasts were okay, but our server was nice and put up with some grumps nearby. Not sure I could do it without being sarcastic.

Great food. Both my wife and I really enjoyed it. The best we have in a log time.

Good

Food was very good awesome service

Very good

Great atmosphere, Helens are cheerful, more than competent and just beautiful people. Will return next trip through

Its fine. Gourmet dining, it is not, but its decent enough. This is a great place to bring your 70+ year old parents, as the food is mild and free from any spice/strong flavour. Akin to something youd eat in a hospital while you were convalescencing. And the 50s era music they play will make them nostalgic.

Excellent food and service. I was there for breakfast during the May long weekend and they killing it. Recommend

The food was pretty good as well as the service, but I was forced to put headphones in and listen to music on my phone. Public establishments should not force you to listen to Christian Soft-Core Devotional music at a volume level which is hard to ignore. This addition is in response to the comments made by the restaurant. I was there in the from 5:33pm-6:20pm which is several hours before your closing time, and seems to cast doubt upon your explanation.

Great food and service

Really gross under cooked food and refuses to fix there orders they messed up and they still billed us for the wrong order

Wings burnt, pancakes leaking batter, bland & pale meats, $4 for a can of Brisk tea on Skip (pop $3, iced tea $4 so I expected real iced tea). The food is bad and they should feel bad.

Breakfast with the family. Their only concern is the coffee cups are too small. Overall a good meal.

Good old fashioned setting with all sorts of options . Great French toast . Soups and salads also a seniors menu . For the music lovers .MGM has a single musician with good sound and a great place for seniors night out .

Excellent service and very good food

Great spot! Excellent food and service!

Was okay. Food was okay but had better. More seniors dining.

Found this place by chance as weve never been to Nanaimo before. Wanted all day breakfast and MGM popped up in our Google search. Well, we were not disappointed. Breakfast was hot and delicious, and portions were plentiful. Very nice server who gave us lots of tips for visiting in and around the area. Highly recommend and we just may be back, if our trip allows! Edit: last day on the island and returned for late breakfast on our way out. Again, we were not disappointed. Great food and great service!

Was on the busy side and only a couple waitresses so service was a bit slow but the server was great. Willing to wait a bit for good service.

I enjoyed my meal. My server was very nice. I will return Kid-friendliness: My children enjoyed their food and the atmosphere. They want to go back.

Delicious home cooked meals. Friendly staff.

We stayed at the motel next door which advertises a 10% discount so had dinner at the restaurant. The seniors dinner meal would be good value if the quality was better. The Salisbury steak was an overcooked frozen patty that was hard dry & tasteless. BBQ ribs were decent. The veg was boiled to oblivion & tasteless. Pie was tasteless, frozen & the quality you d get in any grocery store. The soup and the lovely young lady that was our server were the best parts of the meal. Staff & ambience were outstanding but I would expect better prepared or homemade food for the price

Home cooked meals are hard to find today, but finding them at a reasonable price is all but impossible. MGM ticks off all the boxes.

Old school.. good service .good food ..meal is hot ,, coffee kept topped up.. seats are comfortable..

Great food and service.

Two thumbs up. The best burger and rings Ive had in a long time. The staff was genuinely freindly and the booths were spacious, unlike so many other places where you feel like a sardine. It was my first of many visits.

Fairly good and lots of space.

I love the omletts

The most fantastic fresh home cooked food you can find on the Island. Every dish is made in house using locally grown fresh produce and meat.

Parking: Lots and free Kid-friendliness: Great menu options for all ages..even picky eaters Wheelchair accessibility: Looks like a level entry...but I cant 100% remember that it is perfect but it looked good.

Delish!!

Post Covid portions much smaller. I didnt find the food as tasty as before covid. New Chefs? Ill take my business elsewhere.

Such a good restaurant, nice ambience, good music and fabulous client treat, delicious food

Always happy with the wonderful service, food and price at this long-term restaurant!

Great food and amazing service

$18 for a veg burger! Lol what a joke I dont think so

I finally had the worst poutine of my entire life. I wouldnt even feed it to my dog. The only thing worse than this poutine would be to eat human feces out of a toilet bowl. This poutine is absolute garbage. The gravy barely even had a taste, but tasted like vinegar if it tasted like anything. A bit of mozzarella cheese on fries, not cheese curds like the description said, with a side of brown vinegar. I wish I could give a 0 star review. Waste of my money. Never eat here.

Great

*** I havent been here for 3 years, prices have changed like everything else. Senior breakfast was still reasonable at 12.99 for bacon, eggs, hashbrowns and toast. I noticed they still have a Senior 3 course meal for $20, a starter (soup or salad) entrée and dessert. Great 60 Plus Menu! As much as I dont like to admit my age, this place has a great menu for the young at heart for only $13.49. You can choose from pastas, stir fry, roast beef and so much more. You start with a soup or salad, then your main course and finish with a dessert. Definitely a favorite place for me and my partner.

Good food and friendly service

This is a great place to govfor awesome food. Service was awesome, Thank you Kevin. The food was delicious. I would definitely recommend MGM to others.

Parking: Location is good Wheelchair accessibility: Excellent Food : 4/5 |

Had a group meeting here. The service was good and the food was also good. Haven t been here in awhile, but I will have to make it a regular stop.

Greasy spoon diner vibes

Great helpful good service.

New waiter named Drew really stays on top of things!!! Love when I go in and see he is there!!

Staff and food , make this place a good family environment. The food is reasonably priced, great for seniors, and is consistently tasty. Been going here for almost 30 years.

Amazing! Best restaurant in Nanaimo! Cant say enough good things about them!

Factory food. Its ok. Nothing feels homemade. 2 stars for good portion size. Lifeless...like a pair of old shoes

Staff is friendly, and does a credible job, I would go again.

Family owned and run. Very friendly and although they have removed many items (a bit too many) from their menu since Covid, what they do still have is always good. As well as having good size portions.

Great service every time, reasonable prices, huge portions! Food is great diner food, and the owner is a sweetheart. Fun vibe, great for families, seniors, and groups of friends! Cheap drinks too! Only thing, I miss the huge giraffes!!

I went there today to get spaghetti & meatball and Let me tell u that was the best of the best And The owner is so sweet and Nice And Adorable and The Servers are so nice everything Was Perfect Im going tomorrow again for another plate of spaghetti

Awesome food

Saw gd reviews

Great food selection with decent prices

Very pleasant staff and good food. We went in as a group of 18 at the end of the evening. Staff stayed late to take care of us and never once did we feel rushed. We will return.

Was great service, and wonderful meals

Great food, and family atmosphere. Workers seem friendly and caring and its just a nice place to go to.

Normally I liked the service, today...not so much...sure, they are abiding covid guidelines, however I was asked for my vaccine proof, I provided my card, they told me by Monday, October 4, it is mandatory to show the app, however they wouldnt accept my paper card..I witnessed someone walk in, no mask....she was served...obviously that was broken, given masks are mandatory in all indoor places...she wasnt asked for her vaccination proof....where does that fit in with me???

Good food, friendly staff

Thank You Virginia for the wonderful professional service you provided us. 8 of us had breakfast here on Sunday morning. Service was efficient, food was good and the portions were an ample size, if only the coffee was a little more flavourful. Otherwise, all 8 of us left satisfied and full. Well definitely be back.

Great food great staff

Friendly waitress, food was great!

Food was really good, loved the old 50/60 music

My favorite Restaurant

We use to go there for breakfast before going shopping in Nanaimo. It was always deceit food and prices. 2 breakfasts at $46.00. If I was the owner I would be extremely embarrassed to serve the eggs benny at $17.00. Someone should show the cook what an eggs benny is supposed to look like. We were so disappointed.

Great food no frills and our server was hilarious! Made our breakfast most enjoyable...

Excellent old school food ...done the right way ! Fresh and tasty food ..thumbs up!!

Very good food and great service.

Always super friendly staff. The food is good too.