Outer Clove Restaurant

Only came for the giant garlic chocolate chip cookies so can’t comment on anything else in the restaurant. The half dozen I got were amazing to share with others (everyone needs to at least take a bite so we’re all on the same palate train). Try them for sure if there’s any left.

First ate here over 17 years ago, and have done so regularly when living in or visiting Nelson. Surprisingly consistent and good food, even through an ownership change. The fries and aoli are the best in town. Only complaint is the veggie burger is prone to falling apart and squishing out of the bun. (Oh, and service is usually a bit on the slow side.) Other than that, every plate I’ve had has satisfied.

Excellent meal that started with the beyond inner & outer cloves appetizer of roasted garlic, house made sausages, brie and bread. Yummy Orbit veggie burger with sweet potato fries in garlic aioli that were excellent and fresh out of the fryer.

This restaurant was OK. No air conditioning and we couldn’t sit outside. Food was good but a little heavy. Service was not very prompt. Took 20 minutes to get a drink when it was over 30 degrees outside. We had to flag down server (1 for the whole full restaurant) for a second drink. Water served warm.

Yum yum yum! Garlic was the star of the show at this cute downtown restaurant. Everything that came out of the kitchen looked incredible, I wish I could have ordered 10 different things off the menu! The food was incredibly flavourful and the portions were quite big! Food and beverages were reasonably priced. The waitstaff was really friendly too. If I lived in Nelson I’d eat here constantly!

So yummy! Really creative place. Service was fantastic– kind, and kept their (her; there was one waitress!) cool despite the huge thunderstorm that happened in the middle of the evening and knocked out the power. Our food was still brought out (that was really delicious, by the way. Super cool how they make use of garlic in almost every dish) and they did their best to serve anyone that stumbled in to hide from the storm, even when the power outage stopped the use of the stoves. Overall, really interesting place and I’m definitely coming back during my next trip to Nelson.

Everything I ate was super tasty!!! The loco tacos were all that was promised! Large pieces of fish and sweet potato fries that are to die for! The ribs my partner ate were really tasty!!! We enjoyed some local organic brews and lived in the garlic bliss. Others have commented on the slowness of service, but I didn’t notice that… It helps if you enjoy yourself and the garlic art work as you wait for garlic yum!

Vampires and garlic haters, stay away! Garlic lovers, this is heaven.
It’s hard to miss the colourful sign with the daily specials on Baker street that leads you up to this place. It was pretty quiet when I visited, which was on a weekday around 6 PM although I heard it can get pretty busy.
Décor is definitely kitschy and artistic. The display of different garlic presses all over the wall was very interesting. The washroom has tiles all over the wall that have garlic-​themed sayings on them which you could probably spend hours reading.
I had the Buddha’s Feast, which is a vegetarian quesedilla type dish with tofu and cheese filling that is served with garlic salsa (which isn’t really that garlicky). It comes with a side of fries or salad and I chose fries. The fries came with an aioli dip which was VERY garlicky, on the other hand. If you aren’t sure how garlicky something is, don’t be afraid to ask your server. It would have been nice if each menu item had some kind of symbol on it (garlic cloves, perhaps?) to indicate how garlicky something is, so nobody gets caught by surprize! It’s sort of like how some places user the pepper icon to tell customers how spicy a particular dish is.
Can’t comment on drinks or dessert as I didn’t order either. Garlic chocolate cookies just didn’t sound very appealing at the time.
Overall, pricing is very decent, location is super convenient (as are most places on Baker St.), food is yummy. I can’t wait to try the rice bowl next time.
Of course, they give you mints with your bill too, in case you’re worried about garlic breath!

Decided to come to this restaurant after work today. A garlic themed restaurant is hard to come by and I was determined to check this one off my list. Upon entering this place, I knew that it was going to be a laid back experience. Seating is self assigned and I chose a seat by the window. The décor is very artsy. The walls are painted a firetruck red and adorned with garlic themed art. There’s a Mona Lisa wearing a garlic wreath, a work of art made entirely of garlic crushers, a garlic painting among others. I order a glass of house red, honey battered prawns (nightly special) as an appy and the quasar burger (as recommended by another Unilocaler). The prawns come first and they are hot, succulent, large and slightly burnt. They are delicious dipped in the garlic aioli. Next came the burger with a side of garlic and potato soup. It was smaller than I expected but I have learned that looks can be deceiving. The soup was gritty and resembled baby food. Not really a fan. The burger needed more condiments but the bun and chicken breast was warm and moist. The melted brie cheese was a nice touch. Missed out on the chocolate chip garlic cookies so I passed on dessert
Overall the experience was good albeit marred by an obnoxious table of 8 that came in loud and continued being loud (and increasingly intoxicated). Totally ruined the vibe. Service was slow be prepared to wait for your food.
Would I come back? Yes. Garlic is delicious and there were other things on the menu that I would like to try.

My friend and I were visiting Nelson, and we decided to have dinner here one night. It was delicious, we both had the rice bowl with carrots, beets, pickled veggies, cucumber, with a Tahini dressing, and roasted whole cloves of garlic surrounding the bowl. It was delicious, and our waitress was so sweet. Would highly recommend !!

Just like it’s namesake, the outer clove is a homage to all foods garlic. This restaurant was one of the more interesting places we went during our week long tour of interior bc. We chose this restaurant based on recommendations from the hotel and fellow Unilocal reviews.
The restaurant vibe is casual, a tad kitschy (Mona Lisa painting w a garlic strand around her neck) and pricing is very reasonable with most entrees priced in the mid teens $$.
Some of my faves were the hummus plate, fish tacos and salmon entrée. Much to my crew’s disappointment, they ran out of salmon so only one of us got to enjoy it.
If you aren’t a garlic fan or want to be kissing tonight, the outer clove is not your spot. It’s no joke, everything is prepared w garlic overload.

Funky vibe, Good food and friendly service. I am not usually a fan of a restaurant based on one ingredient because it sort of forced that ingredient in places it isn’t necessary just to prove some point, or have a complete menu, but I think they don’t over due it and fit garlic in where it is appropriate. This is the kind of place I feel like you could go to often and be satisfied.

4 stars for the concept and interesting menu and service. 3 stars for execution. From the description, the chicken sounded so good, but I was disappointed with the heavy breading. Salmon with pesto sounded amazing too, but just wasn’t that good either. Garlic mashers were dry. Cookie was too sweet and a little hard. Garlic mead — just weird. Great menu — just need to refine the cooking part.

At this point, I have eaten my way through the entire menu, and I loved it all. Highlights are the garlic soup, the quasar burger, and the lobster mac. The Caesar salad is also very good with an extra kick of garlic. The service can be a bit slow, but that is to be expected in Nelson (by Nelson standards, the service is actually pretty quick). If you don’t like garlic, do not eat here. However, if you do, you might just find that you actually like garlic.
For what it’s worth, I don’t trust people who don’t like garlic. They’re shifty (as are people who like Miracle Whip).

The service was awesome. My husband ordered lamb & I ate lobster pasta. The food was great. A little bit on the pricey side. The serving portion is okay (typical). I think the lamb though wasn’t enough for my husband!
Just be prepared to burp out garlic for the rest of the day.