The Plate in Nanaimo

Great food! Great service! Was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food. Small menu but they do it well. We will definitely be going again.

The food is great. As usual the service was good. The pilafs are very tasty. They arrive at the table piping hot. Great place for a good meal.

The food was delicious and good size portions. Staff were very warm and friendly. Really recommend visiting if you havent already.

It was my birthday and my friend reserved a table. We waited 20 minutes to get waited on for dinner other people came in after us and they were served before us. My friend s dinner came first and I the birthday girl got my pasta dish 30 minutes after her. We complained and they said sorry but offered no explanation. She finished her dinner when I received mine. I ordered the seafood pasta and received a few tiny tiny scallops, 3 shrimps and I asked for no clams. No compensation for the wait. No parking. Very disappointed and I will never be back.

Wonderful service and spaghetti

Best kimchi fried rice I ve EVER had. Wonderful fast and friendly service. 10/10 all around. Food

The pork steak Pilaf is absolutely heavenly and the service was top notch, definitely a new favourite spot

Tried The Plate this weekend and am very glad we did! The staff were friendly and the food was amazing. Fun menu options with unexpected flavour combinations that win. Big serving sizes as well. We will be back again.

Fantastic

For the price I dont deserve 4 shrimp only on my pasta! I love the taste but the portion please improve it :)

We checked this place out today for the first time and absolutely loved every dish we ordered! Friendly staff and fast service along with a good selection of wine made our lunch very enjoyable! Not only will we return, we will also recommend this restaurant to our friends!

The seafood risotto and kimchi pilaf were delicious

Love the chicken Katzu.

My wife and I each made sure to order something we would not be cooking at home. The food and service was incredible and there is not doubt we will be going here more frequently. Parking: You feel like you are entering the parking for the residential units but a number of stalls say CUSTOMER PARKING and it was a comfortably sized parking stall.

New to us and well go back. Great food, lots of seafood in the risotto and chicken in the spaghetti. Vegetarian options: You can get just about everything vegetarian or with rice instead of noodles Wheelchair accessibility: All on one level and quite spa ious between tables

Delicious food & attentive service, what more can you ask for?!

It s a nice little restaurant. Our food was good. The staff were friendly and they are finding their way in their business. I appreciate local restaurants and hope others dine here as well.

Highly recommended

Had the Spicy shrimp crab cream spaghetti. Delicious. The waitress was very friendly and attentive. Definitely will be returning.

Wheelchair accessibility: Easy access to restaurant and patio Food

Wonderful service and wonderful food. Very nicely presented and very generous portions. The pork and the chicken katsu were particular favorites. Will definitely be back! Thank you

My second time here and will be coming back! Nice quiet space, excellent service and food amazing!

Good food, great service and a very reasonably priced menu.

The chicken katsu and aglio e olio were to die for

Went for dinner and the service was amazing! Nice laid back atmosphere very friendly staff. Food tasted so delicious we almost stayed for seconds lol Presentation 100% . Definitely will be returning

Had a chance to go to The Plate for the first time - our friends had been there before. An interesting fusion take on classics like risotto and pilaf. And while the food was quite good, the service was not. My wifes order was not entered correctly and she had to wait a pretty substantial amount of time (we were about half finished) before her correct order arrived. The server also struggled to split the bill the way we had requested. My hope is that this was a server in training. But even if so, the person training her should have been nearby. Even little things like not being presented menus as we were seated (it was probably about 10 minutes), asking for additional glasses for our sparkling water only to have to wait until we were nearly done eating. All these things point to inexperience. I need to be clear, I work in the restaurant industry. I know that finding qualified staff members is hard. And I know that finding the time to train them is hard as well. But knowing that a first impression is also crucial to repeat business should ensure that new staff are properly supervised to ensure an excellent dining experience. Its not just about the food. Overall, this put a fairly significant damper on the evening. Just one last note...you can tell from my profile, that I do not hand out poor ratings often (or lightly). And when I do, I try to offer constructive feedback because I know the impact negative feedback can have on a business. Edit: I had a chance to talk with friends and ponder my visit. Upon reflection, the food deserves more kudos. And it and the atmosphere bump up the rating a bit. 3 stars was too harsh. Our server was very kind and did their best.

Nice little restaurant. The staff are quick and friendly. The food is delicious. Depending on when you go, parking can be a little hard but there should be a free spot close by.

Obsessed with the spicy shrimp and crab risotto here, it is such a unique and flavorful dish! The cream spaghetti is also super tasty. I have only done take out so far but even when I just pop in to grab my to go order the staff are so warm and welcoming and friendly! Highly recommend :)

Delicious spaghetti and good portions including garlic bread. The chef was nice too. Got the 2 most popular as per server, chicken cream and spicy seafood. Several parallel parking spots near the front/side.

The chicken Katsu was so good! The Spicy Shrimp Crab Cream Risotto was good too, spicy, but yummy! The green tea cheesecake was light and hit the spot.

Friggin amazing. Ordered delivery off Door Dash, and it took forever to cool down enough to inhale - very impressed. Got the cream chicken & mushroom risotto...unreal!

Food was presented nicely and flavors were great! Staff were friendly and attentive. They accommodated my Daughters GF/DF intolerance. Will be back again to try out other menu options. Dietary restrictions: GF and DF accommodations

Food was ok but basically a coffee shop that sells mediocre spaghetti. Not sure it s worthy of 4.6 stars

Price, portion size, and flavors were all just right. Had the cream seafood spaghetti and loved it. Looking forward to trying the katsu.

full disclosure - i ordered thru doordash. ive heard a lot of raves about this restaurant ever since they opened. ive been reluctant to try it because ive been vegetarian for 12 years and theres only one vegetarian item on this menu (two if you count salad, but who is going to a pasta restaurant and ordering salad...). i find this quite frustrating because like...pasta is one of the easiest foods in the world to make vegetarian lol so only one vegetarian menu item is crazy (especially in 2024 lol). its not like this is a steakhouse, yknow? there are tomato-based sauces and cream-based sauces but none of those have vegetarian options? ANYWAY. my pasta (aligo e olio) was pretty good. like others have mentioned the portion was kinda small for the price. i probably wont dine here again unless more vegetarian options are added to the menu. i think if i were someone who eats meat/shellfish i might like this restaurant better. unfortunately thats not the case.

Great food, great prices! I ve been here a couple of times and so far everything has been delicious. The chicken katsu and the spicy shrimp crab cream risotto did not disappoint! The cheesecake is nice too with mild flavours. Love this little neighbourhood gem.

We were welcomed at the door and directed to our reserved table as if we were old friends. This welcome was followed by excellent food and service. The atmosphere was much the same as the once great Italian restaurants I frequented years ago in old houses in Vancouver. We will return!

Ordered online. The kimchi pilaf was amazing, but the mushroom risotto was not an actual risotto. If you re going to order anything, order a dish that has kimchi!

Delicious pasta (perfectly al dente and the sauces here all perfect!) and great service. Our waitress checked on us several times and made sure we had everything we needed. Less busy at lunch time, and for us, that s a win! We had the spicy prawn/crab pasta and the bacon/tomato. Both killer!

Fabulous restaurant! I had 20 minutes to kill before they opened and they let me wait inside and made me a coffee. Very happy with my experience!! Genuine, kind owners.

Great food, lovely staff.

Food was incredible! The waiters and waitresses were super nice, just took a while to get service but their very busy in there and I can see why! Our first table was very close to the kitchen and bathrooms but once we moved to the window it was smooth sailing!! Definitely will be coming back, great prices and great plates

First day this place has been open and they are already hitting it out of the park. We had the spaghetti and meat sauce, the kimchi pilaf, and the green tea cheesecake. All the items were absolutely delicious. Even my 9 month old baby loved it (he stole a sizable portion of my spaghetti). Fast service, good in portion sizes, and tasty food.

My husband and I got the chicken katsu and it was amazing! We will definetly be back. The owners are lovely & give great service. Highly reccommed trying them out.

Cute spot! Excellent service, tasty pasta with lovely presentation. You can tell there is love in the food. Glad its in the neighbourhood! Everyone left happy

Went here with some friends tonight and it was great! The food was very good, and the staff was so kind. Will definitely be back

Wow that was great!

The food here was delicious and the service was quick and very friendly. We tried the chicken katsu and pilaf rice which were both great. We dined in and enjoyed our meal on the patio outside which was lovely with the surrounding greenery. There were a lot of yummy dishes to pick from and we are looking forward to tasting more of the menu! Definitely recommend stopping by to try them out! Glad to have this addition to the neighbourhood.

The kimchi pilaf was absolutely amazing. This is the fusion restaurant Nanaimo needs.

Super friendly staff and great food! We had the kimchi pilaf and the chicken mushroom cream spaghetti. Definitely recommend! The green tea cheesecake was to die for!

Ordered the food through call and they were on time to deliver the food, they were very welcoming and wishing you the best guys.

Nice little place in good location! Great food, fast service and amazing staff.

Fantastic unique menu! Everything was delicious!! Great service!! Will definitely be back! Spicy spaghetti is lovely!!

Excellent service and food!! Seafood risotto and bacon mushroom pasta were both amazing!! Make sure you save room for dessert!

Everything looks amazing

Food was good, however the portions were really small for the price the noodles tasted over cooked like they had been sitting all day I liked the atmosphere, it was nice and welcoming, food was seasoned very well. Would like to come back and give this restaurant 5 stars Food

The pasta was so good. Ive had seafood pasta at other top places but this one beats them all. Its so flavorful and good. Really recommend coming here

I have been here twice in the last two weeks, food was amazing both times! The spicy crab and shrimp cream risotto s flavour is unreal! Very, very good.. so good that I ordered the same thing the 2nd time I went. Everyone else I have gone with also really enjoyed their food (different spaghetti s, and the chicken cream risotto). I Finished with a nice big scoop of mango ice cream. Strongly recommend checking this place out!

Small family restaurant with great fusion food. Spicy seafood risotto and green tea cheesecake were top-notch. Every person in our group of 19 enjoyed the experience. Highly recommend.

The spicy cream shrimp crab Sphagetti is really good. Spicy if you can handle spice. Also ordered the Kimchi pilaf this one was just ok. Also the meat Sphagetti, son really liked it. Pasta is cooked just right, nice and chewy. Only gripe would be that for $20 a dish the portion is REALLY small. Pasta is super cheap with high margins, should give more pasta and this will go a long way to satisfy hungry customers and keep coming back.

While our experience was pleasant enough, we felt it could have been so much better. The choices of drinks and dessert were minimal. The food was good but nothing accompanied the main dish, nor could you order it. There was no bread or salad of any kind available.

The food takes you away. With so many delicious options. And theyre now licensed

Very friendly service on this day 08/09/2023. We went, us girls, for my birthday dinner. We liked the atmosphere, relaxed, spacious and cool temperature. Chairs could need changing, werent so comfy. Food was wonderful. Flavorful, cooked well and enough you can share between others. Cream mushroom spaghetti and the katsu is what we had, and would recomend. Prices were appropriate given meal was made with flavor and homemade sauces. We appreciate a cook that knows how to make sauces from scratch. We would definitely go back to try something else off the menu. Thank you! Oh and you get a little chocolate with your bill. So cute.

The BEST chicken katsu in town 100%. My Fiance had the spicy creamy seafood with tobiko and it was also awesome. Well definitely be back!

Decent service and atmosphere but each of the meals had lots of onions. If you like onions this is the spot.

Giving a 4 instead of a 5 because I prefer less garlic. Other than that, very tasty. While the portion size was good for me, a larger size is needed for bigger appetites. Also a better wine selection is needed. They just opened so hoping they will improve. Will be back!

Amazing food! The service was exceptional.

The food was so delicious and the staff were lovely. Our party had the kimchi pilaf, chicken pilaf, rose Spaghetti, and chicken katsu. All so good! Will definitely be back. Wheelchair accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

The food was delicious and very well presented. I wish we took pictures....but there are pictures on the menu! Very reasonably priced and came to the table hot. Our server was friendly and attentive, a lovely girl! The decor was fine .. although felt a bit cafeteria-like upon walking in? Hardwood floors would make all the difference, I think! All in all...Best meat tomato spaghetti in Nanaimo!! We will definitely be back! Try it out!!

The Plate is Nanaimos best kept secret! Tucked away in the Hawthorne apartments area, this amazing restaurant serves up the BEST pasta Ive ever tried. The server was so nice and accommodated my preference in sauces and meats. They also served us complementary pickled radish which was a great combination of sweet and sour. I will most definitely be back when I am in town next!

The food was amazingly delicious. The pasta was cooked to perfection and my seafood sauce was incredibly flavourful. And the service was attentive and friendly. One of the best places to eat in Nanaimo!

I thought there would have been more choices and even Canadian dishes in there menu not a lot of parking for this restaurant

An exceptional dining experience, the best chicken Katsu Ive ever had (chefs specialty), great service, good prices and portions! All guests with us loved their pasta and we all said we need to come back to try 3-4 more dishes we all were drooling over! Dont hesitate, go there today! Parking: You can park on Jingle Pot road, or so street parking for free down the road in the subdivision. Wheelchair accessibility: If you come in from the front off Wakesiah its fully accessible.

The food was absolutely delicious, it was such a treat to spend my evening here! The customer service was excellent, I highly recommend eating here !

Very tasty! I had the pork pilaf and my friend had the spicy crab risotto, both of which were delicious. I loved the little patio area! There was confusion over where to park when I first arrived but there is plenty of on street parking near by which worked out fine. The menu was a little limited (no appies) but I am interested to see how this place changes as time goes on as it is still quite new. Would recommend!

The atmosphere was fine, but very echoey. The service was good but took a while to get our food. The rest of what will keep me away. Firstly, the restaurant is called The Plate, but they dont even use plates, they use small metal paella pans that dont sit still while trying to eat. They just spin unless you hold onto them. Next is the food. IMO Its just okay, if you want Italian go to an Italian restaurant, if you want Korean, go to a Korean restaurant. Something about the fusion just doesnt work for me. Lastly is the risotto, this is NOT risotto. Risotto is made with arborio rice cooked by reducing it in broth until is good nice and creamy. The risotto at the plate just seems like long grain rice stirred into in a premade cream sauce. Im not saying it doesnt taste good, but it is NOT risotto. I hope they do well and that others go and enjoy, but I wont be back anytime soon.

Love the menu! anddd LOVE the staffs friendliness and smiles

I ordered the Chicken Katsu and Rosé spaghetti. It was really good. Surprisingly, I really liked the salad dressing they gave. I recommend going here with friends so you can try all the different spaghetti flavours.

I couldnt help but feel cheated during my visit to this restaurant. The pasta was overcooked, and the sauce resembled more of a watery broth than a proper Italian sauce. To make matters worse, the seafood had a fishy taste, and I even found broken shell pieces in my dish. Their so-called risotto was nothing short of an absolute shame - it was more like a rice bowl than the creamy, authentic Italian risotto I had expected. Its evident that this establishment falls short of delivering genuine Italian cuisine. This was a very disappointing experience, with the dishes falling far short of the authentic Italian cuisine I had been hoping for.

Big fan of this place! Great food at a decent price, and its got a nice, open, friendly atmosphere. Its great to have another lunch option in the area. Im also a fan of the variety of dishes they offer, from the core pasta dishes, to pilaf and chicken katsu.

We have had a few take-out meals and so far are super impressed. Good ingredients, simple but delicious flavors and good prices. Kuddos also to a beautiful menu, great photos, simple and readable. This should be a five star rated restaurant.

Food is amazing and my favourite is the spicy shrimp crab cream spaghetti! Good service each time I go with my boyfriend:)

Service and food is great!

Havent gone wrong with this restaurant yet. The food is so delicious whether it is the noodle or risotto dishes.

SO average, save your money. nothing special here. AND i been drinking all day, 2/10.