Oyster Bay Cafe - Ladysmith

We visited the restaurant yesterday for a light dinner. The location offers a beautiful view right in the harbor. We ordered the Crab cakes and artichoke dip, along with a carafe of white Sangria. The food was delicious, well presented, and served hot. The Sangria was also enjoyable. Our server, Emily, was working her first night and did a great job. We understand the challenges of dealing with the public, having been in the Hospitality industry for a long time. We plan to return soon and recommend making a reservation as the restaurant gets busy during the summer months. It would be unfortunate to see this establishment close due to government involvement currently affecting Ladysmith.

Came here based on TA ratings...looked great in photos and location. So,,,tried it for lunch. This place is so disorganized that we gave up waiting in line. The lineup to order is in constant conflict with servers bringing meals to the tables. Everybody in line had to keep adjusting to the flow of dishes. We finally worked our way to next to order and the person taking the orders left. Several minutes later she joined the collision zone and was delivering meals. Waited about 5 minutes more and she never returned to take orders for the long lineup. We left along with 4 others behind us. Left a negative impression and we won't waste our time again.

I almost don’t want any fame for this place because it’s perfect and quiet and the Nicoise Salad was amazing! They substituted beats for potatoes and added more olives for me. Being a celiac, I’m a connoisseur of salads and this was perfect. We enjoyed it sitting outside on the dock. If we had timed our dinner for later we would have been able to go from dinner to music on the dock. We were there on a Thursday which is a night they are open for dinner till 9:00. I believe it’s open late Thursday, Friday and Saturday but DO check their website. I hope I’m not ruining a gem which is my new favourite place to eat in Ladysmith, or mid island in fact!

We were excited to eat here as the setting is lovely, the reviews were good, and because the prices seemed on the higher end we were expecting a good experience. The meal was anything but. Our friends said the coffee was not good, and the porridge one of them ordered was thick and dry. My fruit salad had mouldy berries, and when the server arrived with our food she knocked very hot coffee all over my lap and down into my shoes. She then proceeded to laugh. A lot. Not once did she apologize or offer to comp my meal. She did offer to get more coffee, but it wasn’t wanted as it was not good to start. I will never eat here again.

The restaurant is in a fantastic location, serving breakfast and lunch. However, it is only open in the evenings for special events and is only operational during the summer months. Enjoying a summer day with coffee and a croissant on the dock is a wonderful experience.