Pirates Chips

We were searching and hankering for oysters, and we were pleasantly surprised at the freshness and the quality of the fried oysters. We were, however, a little disappointed by the chipotle tartar sauce, as it buried the lovely and subtle ocean flavours instead of enhancing them. I am an oyster fanatic, and I love having them with a lovely, light dressing of fresh lemon squeezed over them, and a very small dab of tartar sauce either white or with tabasco. My bias, but feel these oysters easily stand on their own flavour… without all the heaviness of the smoky chipotle. Very good and very good value! Also known for their poutine, btw, which we couldn’t possible try, as the oyster servings were so large and filling.

Good food… casual comfortable.
Server Katey was wonderful.
She made it quite enjoyable for my family. Well done!

Love the food, and the new location and menu are great!
I highly recommend the bannock tacos and poutine. If you are looking for something sweet you can get amazing mini doughnuts year round and the deep fried treats are to die for.

Totally surprised by the quality and the service. Very tasty food.
We had beef taco which was amazing and a Treasure Chest which was a combination of different appetizers.

We needed fed before the ferry, driving around dark downtown Nanaimo Pirate Chips shone out of the dark like a lighthouse beacon. Not really, but we found parking easy for our oversized rig, and so there we were.
I had a cajun fish burger, which was pretty good, no complaints but could have used a little more zing. Extra pickles, perhaps? My dining partners enjoyed a really great looking hamburger, I think they make their own patties, and some battered fish, chips and poutine. All tasty.
Food came out super quick, service was fast and friendly, and prices were reasonable.
The best thing was they had a beer I hadn’t heard of before, so we tried Wolf Brewing and their Golden Honey Ale and it was the best beer I’d had in ages. It was so good, we had to track down the brewery in Nanaimo (way down in the sleazy south end, just past the old HA house…). So Pirate Chips, thanks for the adventure, see you again sometime.

I am constantly on the hunt for vegetarian poutine and this place provides! I would say a decent amount for a decent price. Also if you like deep fried pickles this place is AMAZING! love the batter of the spears as well as the dipping sauce they come with. I’m not sure what exactly the sauce is but it’s great.

Yuuuuuummy.
I came for the dessert («Home of the deep friend Nanaimo bar»). As a visitor in Nanaimo, I felt this extremely necessary. It was so rich and sweet and ultimately delicious — served with whip cream and ice cream. The whole place is decked out in pirate gear to add to the theme. I found it extremely fun. The service was incredible as well! There were two ladies in front of house that did everything they could to chat with us and make our dessert enjoyable. Next time I’m on the island I will definitely return!

This place is fantastic. Stopped in by accident looking for a different place and decided to stay. Had the burger with peanut butter and bacon on it, and it was absolutely delicious. The deep fried Nanaimo bar was out of this world! Definitely would go back.

Visiting from the mainland. Apparently, food was good at old location, but the fish & chips now are absolutely tasteless. Thank goodness for tartar sauce, ketchup & malt vinegar. Also, who puts cilantro in coleslaw??? Yuk!
I’m sure the «locals» don’t go here for fish & chips, just first timers.

I passed through Nanaimo for the first time in over a year and my first stop, as always, was Pirate Chips for their Poutine. They’re in a new location now with a much larger seating area. Unfortunately the poutine was a major letdown. Not sure what happened (the location change perhaps?), but the fries had none of their former crispiness and the curds none of their former squeak! In addition, they’ve adjusted their sizes so that the previously huge large size is now about the size of what used to be the medium, but the price is still over $ 10! Overall a pretty average quality and overpriced poutine.
While the poutine was a major letdown, the deep fried Nanaimo bar was still awesome!

hands down the best scallops and calamari i have ever had! waitreses were super friendly and awesome. i would go again.

Love to support local. This was the 1^st place I ever tried a deep fried mars bar. Mmm. Delicious heart attack sticks! So tasty. I’ve had a few other treats here ie perogies, poutines, fried various sweets. All very enjoyable. Lose 1 star because the location has very little seating area and also prices are a bit high. Ah well. It’s worth it. I always take friends here.

Came with my sister and her one and a half yr old daughter. We really enjoyed it. The staff are really friendly and provide great service, and the environment is great for kids. Lots to keep kids entertained! A good chunk of their floor space is occupied with kid friendly stuff (wooden play house, pirate-​themed books/​reading section, baby swing).
The food was good too. Definitely eat the fish when it comes out hot — it was surprisingly tender and moist! Once it cools down and the batter gets a big soggy it’s not quite as good. We tried the cod with original batter and Panko batter. Both were good, just different. The Panko batter made me think of the batter I usually see on chicken strips. Got the deep fried pickles– good too. (Just wish I checked the Unilocal review of the old location beforehand– you can get the pickles free as a Unilocal check in deal!)

Very disappointed… seems the food went downhill when the restaurant moved down the road. I ordered fish and chips, neither was cooked properly and the batter went soggy very quickly. Coleslaw was bland and looked like it had been sitting for some time. My boyfriend ordered the nacho fries, which consisted of a handful of cheddar sprinkled on top of the fries, with a dollop of green onion and olives (no jalapeños as the menu stated) and ARTIFICIAL bacon bits! Seriously? Will not be back.