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Andrewjm3D
Apr 3, 2012, 2:15 AM
can any Hamilton forumers suggest any decent restaurants that I should try out my next time there? My g#f lives and works in the Hammer so I want to book a table somewhere good. It should be near downtown near the Go station. I was hoping to find a Tapas restaurant but I'm having trouble doing so.

Thanks in advance.

$$$$$$ is not an issue so suggest anyplace.

flar
Apr 3, 2012, 4:47 PM
It's been a while since I ate in Hamilton, but I always liked Papagayo (Latin American) on King West near Hess Village.


PS: I moved this thread to the Hamilton section, it might get more replies.

durandy
Apr 3, 2012, 5:22 PM
can any Hamilton forumers suggest any decent restaurants that I should try out my next time there? My g#f lives and works in the Hammer so I want to book a table somewhere good. It should be near downtown near the Go station. I was hoping to find a Tapas restaurant but I'm having trouble doing so.

Thanks in advance.

$$$$$$ is not an issue so suggest anyplace.

http://www.rapscallionrestaurant.com/
newest place in town, sounds like the kind of thing you're looking for. Only open on Sundays though!

Bistro Parisien is very near the Go station at James and Bold, but not Tapas. There are a few Portuguese places on James N: Ventura's, Acclamation, Wild Orchid that all can no doubt do small dishes, but I've generally heard mixed reviews. August 8 at James and Cannon is pretty good. Mex-I-Can at James just south of Cannon is awesome but definitely not fancy.

There's a big dearth of fine dining for younger crowds in this town.

SteelTown
Apr 3, 2012, 5:33 PM
La Piazza Allegra on James Street South is really good.

Not far from GO Station...

http://www.lapiazza.ca/

LikeHamilton
Apr 3, 2012, 6:07 PM
La Piazza Allegra on James Street South is really good.

Not far from GO Station...

http://www.lapiazza.ca/

Second that. One of the best Italian restaurants in the city.

realcity
Apr 3, 2012, 6:09 PM
I like La Piazza Allegra also. It's been around a long time and it has both good authentic Italian and the interior is really nice. Terra cotta flooring, airy but formal, mediterranean themed. Try the muscles.

Too many of Hamilton's restos ignore the decor aspect. I like the MexIcan food but the service is horrible and it's like dining on a picnic table with a plastic cover.

The indian place at King William under Baltimore House has the best Indian food in town, but again it totally lacks in the decor factor.

Frankenrogers
Apr 3, 2012, 6:35 PM
I have to try La Piazza Allegra and get over my preconceived notions b/c it is in a strip mall essentially. I have heard great things about it.

Want to try Rapscallion too. One of these (Sun)days.

flar
Apr 3, 2012, 6:46 PM
I also like Dalina's (Egyptian food) on King William.


There's a big dearth of fine dining for younger crowds in this town.

Not sure if I agree with that completely. It's true a lot of restaurants in Hamilton are lacking in style, but there is a wide range of quality and prices in comparison to a place like Ottawa, where most of the restaurants look great but have fairly generic, middling food and high prices. Hamilton has some terrible restaurants but also some unexpectedly great hole in the wall type places. Hamilton also has a better than average variety of small ethnic restaurants. Eating out is one of the things I miss most about Hamilton.

Service is almost universally bad in Hamilton, so expect the waiter to have a look of disgust if you dare to ask them for something.

mattgrande
Apr 3, 2012, 6:52 PM
Here's a couple of my favourites:

Fine Dining
- Lo Presti's on Jackson
- Boo's Bistro on James South
- Bistro Parisian on James South
- I've heard Rapscallion is excellent, but haven't been yet

Still Nice, but less fancy
- Augusta House (on Augusta)
- Wass (Etiopian Food) on James South
- Acclaimation on James North
- Capri's (Italian) on John

I thought La Piazza was good, but not worth what I paid.

markbarbera
Apr 3, 2012, 8:13 PM
Incognito on John by Hunter is great for dinner, and you can't get much closer to the GO Station. No tapas per se, but they do have decent assortment of specially priced salads and appetizers on Fridays that ends up working kinda like tapas. $5.50 martinis too. Dinner is always top notch here and the service is excellent. http://www.incognitorestaurant.ca/index.htm

Brownies on King Street just east of Ferguson has a pretty extensive tapas menu and it's not too far from the GO Station (maybe 10 min walk). http://www.browniesdowntown.com/index.html

bluevue
Apr 3, 2012, 10:59 PM
La Piazza is very pricey for what it is, and the quality has gone downhill over the past while. LaSpagett is excellent for pasta and so is Koosh Bistro in Westdale. Rapscillion is only open sundays, but I have have heard excellent things already. Incognitto is great. If you like Mexican, try Mexicana on James street....excellent and great prices. Just my 2 cents.

CaptainKirk
Apr 4, 2012, 12:25 AM
I also like Dalina's (Egyptian food) on King William.

That's my wife's favourite restaurant for about 15 years.

http://www.eatatdalinas.com/



My favourite, also on King William right by James St., is Thai Memory.

http://www.thaimemory.ca/



If you like Mexican, try Mexicana on James street....excellent and great prices.

Actually, it's Mex-i-can.


http://menusonly.com/hamilton/index.php/mexican/mex-i-can.html

CaptainKirk
Apr 4, 2012, 12:56 PM
BTW, for those that have never been inside Thai Memory, the interior is amazing ( so is the food)

Check out these pics.
http://www.thaimemory.ca/restaurant/index.html

ihateittoo
Apr 4, 2012, 3:46 PM
i would consider locke street not too far from the GO station:

I only went here once when I was back in town but the bread bar is good:
http://earthtotable-ca.factoretest.ca/system/documents/documents/78/original/NEW_STYLE_dinner_menu_dec_11.pdf?1325722763

Also, there are other good options on Locke like il fiasco and Ne Roma, and Bar on Locke.

Nice for a dinner and then a drink somewhere.

mattgrande
Apr 4, 2012, 4:37 PM
I can't believe I forgot Earth To Table!

There's also Chuck's Burger Bar, for amazing (gourmet?) burgers. They have a burger that's made of ground bacon that is amazing.

flar
Apr 4, 2012, 4:38 PM
The food at Il Fiasco was far better and more creative than the price would suggest (however, it's been about 4 years since I ate there)

Tony
Jun 25, 2012, 5:00 PM
August 8 at James and Cannon is pretty good.

I second this. Not a bad AYCE Sushi place with some Dim Sum items too! :)

CaptainKirk
Jun 26, 2012, 4:07 PM
I second this. Not a bad AYCE Sushi place with some Dim Sum items too! :)

August 8 is on Wilson Street, not Cannon, and closer to Hughson St. than James St.

http://maps.google.ca/maps?rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&oe=UTF-8&rlz=1I7ADRA_enCA403&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=august+8+hamilton&fb=1&gl=ca&hq=august+8&hnear=0x882c986c27de778f:0x2b6aee56d8df0e21,Hamilton,+ON&cid=0,0,2795819096954561689&sa=X&ei=a97pT-_3L6Pj0QGtrNScDQ&ved=0CDkQ_BIwCQ

movingtohamilton
Jan 5, 2013, 3:04 PM
Thought I would revive this thread. Does anyone have any recommendations for a place they have tried recently? Also, has anyone been to Rolly Rocket's BBQ?

ihateittoo
Jan 5, 2013, 5:44 PM
Was in Hamilton for the Holidays and had some time:

Finally tried NaRoma pizza on Locke and it was fantastic and good value. Their pizzas are huge. I shared a salad and a small pizza with my girlfriend and had 4 slices left over! They have many specialty pizzas with some unique toppings. Depending on the size they allow you to do half and half or even 4 quarters a different style. The staff was good too. The decor, which seems to be the trend in hamilton of late, is large pictures of heritage buildings from downtown.

Highly recommended.

Also, Jack and Lois on James North - they do sandwiches, salads, and homemade potato chips. I had a breaded portobello sandwich on a onion bun from cake and loaf with brie and it was delicious. The chips were great too. Tried their homemade slaw - it was a tasty asian inspired (lots of sesame oil) affair but nothing mind-blowing. All-in-all it was cheap, tasty and satisfying before a night of beverages on new years eve.

thistleclub
Jan 6, 2013, 1:36 AM
I suspect that this thread went dormant because it duplicates the function of the 33-pages-and-counting Hamilton Cuisine (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=147749) thread.

Pearlstreet
Jan 7, 2013, 1:06 AM
Thought I would revive this thread. Does anyone have any recommendations for a place they have tried recently? Also, has anyone been to Rolly Rocket's BBQ?

I have, it's around the corner from me. The fellow who owns it is active in the community and in Victoria Park events. The place is certainly not fancy, but the food is really, really great BBQ! Pulled pork sliders are my favorite.

movingtohamilton
Jan 7, 2013, 1:45 AM
I have, it's around the corner from me. The fellow who owns it is active in the community and in Victoria Park events. The place is certainly not fancy, but the food is really, really great BBQ! Pulled pork sliders are my favorite.

We went to Rolly's last night for takeout. As you walk in, the fragrance of the smoker was so inviting.

We got the rib meals, which were great. The prices were so reasonable and the quantity was generous (thank you Hamilton for real-world pricing).

We will certainly go back. We want to try the brisket.

Now if only the beer offerings were better.....

mattgrande
Jan 7, 2013, 2:30 AM
Now if only the beer offerings were better.....

They've got Barking Squirrel for cheap! I'm happy!

movingtohamilton
Jan 7, 2013, 2:43 AM
They've got Barking Squirrel for cheap! I'm happy!

That's what I had while waiting for our order!

Frankenrogers
Jan 7, 2013, 2:57 PM
I tried Siam Dish on Locke and enjoyed the Thai food there. It is a bit pricier than what I used to pay in Toronto but in Toronto there is a Thai restaurant on every corner.

The Italian place on James South, La Piazza Allegra, was very good. Better than I thought from a plaza-based restaurant.

I liked Jack and Lois as well. We ate there with my daughter before walking around for Art Crawl one month and it was perfect for her. Just sandwiches though.

I also ate at Acclamation and it was very good.

CaptainKirk
Jan 7, 2013, 5:30 PM
Now if only the beer offerings were better.....

Have you tried Chester's, beers of the world in Gore park, south side of King St, between Hughson and John streets?

http://www.homefinder.ca/system/listing_images/19176000/small/19176047_w475h356wm.jpg?1351343440

It's been there forever! I think it's one of Hamilton's forgotten treasures, kinda like Black Forest Inn

movingtohamilton
Jan 7, 2013, 5:41 PM
Have you tried Chester's, beers of the world in Gore park, south side of King St, between Hughson and John streets?


It's been there forever! I think it's one of Hamilton's forgotten treasures, kinda like Black Forest Inn

Thanks, CaptainKirk. Been meaning to go to Chester's for a while. Their bottle list is well known. I spend most of my beer-drinking time at The Winking Judge.

We've had a few discussions here on the craft-beer options in Hamilton. There are limited options, unfortunately. :(