Penny's Palapa Restaurant

Best fish taco I’ve had on the island so far. Hands down. Friendly staff great (shout out Cassie and Chantelle)
Delicious food and yea liquor is served there.

The food was tasty, service was good and the atmosphere was lovely sitting on a deck by the water! Would reccomend to anyone who enjoys Mexican food.

One of my favourite eats in Nanaimo. Such a beautiful location on the water. It is great portioned & affordable. I couldn’t ask for a better place to sit down and enjoy my margaritas. Thanks again for the outstanding service!

We were led to the last available table, which was in the back corner, but next to a beautiful potted tree with a great view of the water. The decor was charming and the beverages and food made us want to return to Mexico! Our waitress, Casi, was a hoot as well as competent! To make it just that little bit extra special, it's floating! Pop in! The ceviche is great! The chips must have been from Mexico, they were so authentic! (The nachos at another table were piled high!) And the Paloma margaritas are delicious! So were the halibut tacos! Thanks guys!

Okay so let's start with the ceviche.my husband's favourite and he isn't shy about telling people when he doesn't like the food.this was so good and fresh, sorry about the photo.he had devoured most of it before I thought to take a photo!

The hibiscus Margherita was delicious, it was fresh and citrusy- perfect for a sunny day.

He had the halibut tacos and loved them, I had the enchiladas verde. They make there verde sauce from scratch and it's something to go back for! I really liked the black beans, my husband liked them but said they weren't like his (he's from Mexico) which is true because he only adds jalepeno, onion and manteca when he's cooking his where these had some nice warm spices.both are good lol.

The chocolate torte is rich and fudgy with caramel drizzle - something to share at the end of a wonderful dinner.

Totally recommend this place, you can sit on the dock and watch the boats or people watch or both and enjoy your food.we will be back!

This is located within 5he inner harbor of Victoria. A Mexican place and we enjoyed the food and mostly the atmosphere in the harbor. It is a good place to grab food after walking around the harbor.

Lovely spot on the dock. Food is average. Nothing special but a bit on the pricier side. The pastor taco had the most flavor but the halibut taco was bland.

We hade a halibut tacos, , 3 very small tacos, and no halibut, it was $27.00, it was a special occasion I had been saving up for, because we are both on a disability

Food was very expensive for what it was. I understand the location probably means expensive rent, but the quality was not there. It was fairly bland, and the presentation and portion were both lacking. The service was prompt and friendly, but all said I will likely not return nor would I recommend it to others.

I was told the wait (for a table) was about 30-45 minutes - we waited 90 minutes to get a table. That start to our dining experience colored the remainder of the meal but being honest there was nothing exceptional in any way about the food or drinks. The margaritas were not frozen but they also weren’t on the rocks either. Mostly they were simply forgettable. The chips and salsa may be the worst I’ve ever had at a restaurant - if anyplace was worse, I don’t remember where. I asked if they had some hoWe ordered enchiladas verde and fish tacos. The tacos were better than the enchiladas but even they were about 2 stars at best. Skip the enchiladas - try something else. Or better still, try someplace else.

This place is awesome! Friendly staff, great food and service and cool location on the water.

Wonderful atmosphere and great service, though food is quite a bit overpriced for the portions (but it's delicious!)

I wanted so badly for this to be my new go to for tacos. Unfortunately I can't recommend this as a great spot for a couple of reasons. Nachos, $24/plate plus $6 to add Chipotle chicken. Very simple plain old corn tortilla chips w cheese and a 'couple' of extremely mild jalapeno rings. Refried beans and a small portion of some good guacamole plopped on top. (side would be much better) Definitely not layered/assembled properly, one big whack of chicken tossed on the moderate pile of chips with a conservative portion of cheese on top. Cheese was melted but not Monterey just plain and far from that crispy oven roasted finish we're looking for on a plate of nachos. More chives and bacon and fresh crema, please!

Halibut Tacos. Fairly tasty, but for some reason they're afraid of using the proper amount of cilantro on their tacos and in their pico.not sure why as cilantro isn't super pricey. Next unfortunately the portions of halibut are dispicable. We ordered 3 Halibut Tacos @ $8/taco. $24 for three tiny tacos. I don't believe there was more than 4oz of halibut combined between the three tacos - I truly wish that was an exaggeration.

All this being said, the staff were friendly knowledgeable and accommodating - hence the 5 star rating for service. I truly hope Penny's can change things up to make it more appealing for people to frequently visit this little gem of a spot.
(Hint #1 first step to fix your nachos- fry your own tortilla chips, fresh to order.)

Great margaritas as mentioned in other reviews. The food was mediocre to be honest. The location is interesting and coming in by boat is fun. We were here in July and the service didn’t match the volume of people. It’s tough to find help so that can be part of it. I would go again to give the food another chance and sit in a different location. Could be higher stars if the food improves. A big group of local, younger adults said they love it so it’s worth another visit and then an updated review.