Van Isle Poutinerie

10/18/2026

Some people might have seen me sporting a Mambo Gourmet Pizza shirt and helping out at the new Mambo on Metral location and have gotten the wrong idea.

I just want to be perfectly q***r 😏

NO! Van Isle Poutinerie is not under new ownership. Ashley and I still own it and our Penelope is open 11am-7pm Wednesday to Sunday at Nanaimo North Town Centre

NO! Rook & Wicket Beverage Co. is not under new ownership. Ashley and I are still rocking it and are open at the Cedar Farmers Market today 10-2!

Our good friend Marc-Andre Fillion and his crew found out just how desperate us north-enders were for some killer pizza on our side of town and needed some short notice extra support on their opening week. So of course we showed up and made this shirt look goooood! The team totally crushed it by the way!! Obviously some growing pains and a lot of learning but getting better by the day.

The HUGEST of congratulations to them for not only opening a second location (Finally! Am I right?) but also for the success they have found in north Nanaimo.

The biggest THANK-YOU to everyone for warmly welcoming them and supporting a fantastic community oriented local family-owned and operated small business.

You may see us helping out from time to time but have no fear... Penelope and Winnie aren't leaving the family

10/16/2026

Fun potato info for those who might be interested.

Potato growing seasons in cooler climates are average in length and yield average sized potatoes. Areas that have longer consistently warm seasons make for an extended growing period so much so that they can manage multiple harvests a year, also yielding average sized potatoes. Now comes our climate, one that is longer than the single harvest length of our cooler eastern neighbors but not as long as the double harvest of our southern friends. This means that the potatoes have more growing time and are just chonky!

So its about this time of year that we start getting MASSIVE potatoes!!

To keep things interesting on the slow down time we keep the largest potato. If we get a potato that is bigger, the previous reigning potato gets poutine'd and the new becomes the current champ.

We thought we'd let ya'll in on the fun this year! (Or maybe its just my excuse to give something away because it's been SO long 😅)

Come by any day and get your guess into the Cup of Caring and watch for updates on our search for the biggest potato of 2026!!

10/15/2026

Hey look, its us!! 😁

Van Isle Poutinerie

Wednesday to Sunday at their permanent home at Nanaimo North Town Centre by the playground loop. 11am to 7pm

We love bit.ly/VanIslePoutine

Did you know that Van Isle Poutinerie Food Truck is 100% gluten-free?

Their entire menu is available in original, dairy free, vegetarian and vegan. Tree-nut, peanut, seafood & shellfish free!

Track them down for celiac-safe poutine, dips, sauces, floats and drinks.

ALL EVENTS! bit.ly/ToDoGlutenFree

10/10/2026

We are so excited to say that our guys are almost ready to expand our schedule.

With that, we are looking at opening 6 days a week and would love your opinion on which day we should add to our schedule. Currently we are Wednesday to Sunday.*

Personally, I feel like most small businesses that are closed for one day a week are closed on Mondays so I'm stuck with a big chain or nothing.

Are you Team Monday or Team Tuesday?

**REMINDER- We will be closed tomorrow, Sunday October 11th so our staff to spend Thanksgiving with their families. Today is our last day open this weekend!!!**

10/09/2026

Ohhhh loooookk..... a schedule.... It's only been a year but anyways

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10/08/2026

Okay, so we got it.... now what?

P.S. We are open at Nanaimo North Town Centre today 11-7

P.P.S. No, its not on the menu.

10/03/2026

This is the last couple days of the Rotary Book Sale at Nanaimo North Town Centre and we are now open Wednesday to SUNDAY 11am to 7pm!

Come grab a bite and browse some books at a steal of a deal.

See you soon!

09/25/2026

We are open today (Friday the 25th) until 7pm

We will be CLOSED tomorrow for maintenance and reopen again on wednesday!

Happy Dolly Parton day to all who celebrate! 💅 9️⃣ to 5️⃣

09/24/2026

I've been laid up with terrible back spasms all day and haven't been able to make a fun post about our hours this week so this is what y'all get.

Don't worry, what I (severly) lack in artistic talent I make up for in yummy yummy poutine!

Please go visit Rob and Matt. They are very bored and making a poutine culinary masterpiece for you will make them happy.

**NOTE** that we will be closed on Saturday this week.

02/28/2026

Calling all VIPs!

Our Miss Penelope is being well taken care of at the shop while we wait for further diagnostics. Preliminary results have been quite serious and with that we have to be realistic.

She is getting up there in years and like us as we age, she doesn't have the same mobility of her youth. We know her body is tired but she really loves what she does and we don't want to take that away from her... or everyone else!

We have decided to explore a semi -retirement option for her by looking for a more permanent location.

This is where you come in. We need some options. Start tagging anyone who might have or know of a spot that could be right for her.

-It must be a commercial property... no she can't just semi-retire to your backyard! (I already asked about mine... I was told no.)

-It must be easily accessible with somewhere for people to park safely to come visit us that doesn't impede another business!

-It must not interfere with another food based business, especially a locally owned one.

-Preferably in central/north Nanaimo so she isn't too far from home.

All help, shares and suggestions are very much appreciated.