Nanaimo is the only city in Canada with a dessert named after it, and it has built a self-guided trail of more than forty stops around that fact. Traditional bars, gluten-free versions, a milkshake, a gelato, a macaron, and one made with spent brewery grain in place of the coconut.

There is also a Nanaimo bar pedicure, which tells you how far the city is willing to take this.

Here is what the bar is, how the trail works, and where to start.

What is a Nanaimo bar?

Three layers, no baking. A chocolate and coconut crumb base, a custard-flavoured buttercream middle, and a hard chocolate top. It is cut into squares and served cold, and the contrast between the set chocolate and the soft middle is the point of it.

The origins are argued over everywhere except here. In 1986 the city ran a competition to settle on an official recipe, and the winning entry came from a local named Joyce Hardcastle. That version is the one the city treats as definitive, and it is published by the City of Nanaimo and Tourism Nanaimo.

Locals still disagree about the ratio of custard layer to base, and about whether nuts belong in it at all. Those arguments are part of the culture here.

What is the Nanaimo Bar Trail?

A self-guided route through local businesses, each offering their own version of the bar. Tourism Nanaimo runs it, and it currently carries well over forty stops across the city.

Two things to know before setting out. There is no signage on shopfronts and no marked route on the ground, so the trail exists as a list rather than a path. And the roster changes as businesses join and leave, so pick up a current brochure from the visitor centre or check the Tourism Nanaimo site rather than working from an old list.

The list is organised by type of bar rather than by geography, which helps you decide what you want and does nothing for planning a walk. Most people pick a few stops in one area and work through those.

Where to start

Downtown and the Old City Quarter hold the densest cluster, and several stops are walkable from each other.

  • Nanaimo Museum. Start here for the story. The museum keeps a Nanaimo bar display and sells bar-themed items, and the history explains why the city is so attached to a dessert.
  • Red's Bakery. On Commercial Street, with a peanut butter version alongside the traditional.
  • Modern Cafe. Also on Commercial Street, and a downtown fixture.
  • White Rabbit Coffee. In the Old City Quarter, with gluten-friendly and vegan-friendly versions. It also turns up in our guide to coffee in Nanaimo.
  • A Wee Cupcakery. Also in the Old City Quarter, open limited days, so check before making the trip.
  • Minnoz. On Bastion Street downtown.

The Old City Quarter is the most walkable stretch of the trail, with several stops within a few blocks.

Which versions are worth going out of your way for?

The traditional bar is easy to find anywhere in town. The interesting part of the trail is what people have done with it.

  • The brewery version. Wolf Brewing uses spent brewery grain in place of the coconut, which produces something genuinely different rather than a novelty.
  • The milkshake. Living Forest Cafe, south of the city, blends a frozen bar into Nanaimo bar ice cream. Seasonal, and on the water.
  • The gelato. Waterfront Confections, downtown.
  • The macaron. Burnt Honey makes a gluten-free macaron version.
  • The peanut butter crunch. Hearthstone Artisan Bakery, whose bar has had national television attention.
  • Nanaimo cake. Real Food Fast, taking the same flavours into cake form.

There are dietary versions across the trail as well, including wheat-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, and nut-free options at various stops, which is more thought than most food trails put in.

The stops that are not food at all

This is where the trail goes properly strange, and it is the best evidence of the city's sense of humour.

  • A Nanaimo bar pedicure at a downtown salon.
  • A Nanaimo barre class at a downtown yoga and spin studio, so you can work the bars back off.
  • Nanaimo bar soap, candles, jewellery, socks, tea towels, and a table runner kit, spread across several shops.

The bar has escaped the city entirely as well. A major chocolate company has produced a Nanaimo bar version of one of its own bars, and there has been a Nanaimo bar liqueur.

Is the trail worth doing if you live here?

Yes, and most locals have done only a fraction of it. Forty stops is more than anyone works through in a season, so it functions less as a checklist and more as something to send visitors on, and a reason to end up in parts of the city you would not otherwise visit.

It is also the easiest thing to do with family who come to stay. They arrive knowing Nanaimo has a dessert named after it, and this turns that into an afternoon.

If you are exploring the city more broadly, the guide to where to eat in Nanaimo covers the rest of the food scene.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Nanaimo Bar Trail?

A self-guided route through local businesses, each offering their own version of the city's namesake dessert. Tourism Nanaimo runs it and it carries well over forty stops. There is no signage on shopfronts and no marked route, so it exists as a list rather than a path, and the roster changes as businesses join and leave.

What is in a Nanaimo bar?

Three layers, with no baking involved: a chocolate and coconut crumb base, a custard-flavoured buttercream middle, and a hard chocolate top. It is cut into squares and served cold, and the contrast between the set chocolate and the soft middle is the point of it.

Where can you get the best Nanaimo bar in Nanaimo?

It depends what you are after, since the trail is organised by type rather than by ranking. Downtown and the Old City Quarter hold the densest cluster of traditional versions and are walkable. For something different, Wolf Brewing uses spent brewery grain in place of the coconut, and Living Forest Cafe blends a seasonal milkshake version.

Is there an official Nanaimo bar recipe?

Yes. In 1986 the city ran a competition to settle on one, and the winning entry came from a local named Joyce Hardcastle. That version is treated as definitive here and is published by the City of Nanaimo and Tourism Nanaimo. Locals still argue about the custard-to-base ratio and whether nuts belong.

How long does the Nanaimo Bar Trail take?

As long as you want, since it is self-guided and has more than forty stops. Nobody works through all of them in one go. Most people pick a few in one area, and downtown with the Old City Quarter is the most walkable stretch.

Getting to know the area

The bar trail is a decent introduction to how this city works: independent, a little odd, and not taking itself too seriously. The Moving to Nanaimo hub covers what living here is like across the board, and you can book a quick call with Travis or Kiel to talk through any of it.