Budget
Vida-la-Pita
217 king street west. small basic eatery. amazing chicken shawarmas, inexpensive, and fast/friendly service.
Locke Street Bakery
Famous for their New York style bagels, this establishment also serves coffee, sandwiches, wraps and pizza.
Westdale Delicatessen
893 king st. w. traditional jewish deli. hamilton's only kosher restaurant. 905-529-2605 closed during passover.
My Dog Joe
A pleasant, bohemian cafe located in the heart of Westdale. Serves organic fair-trade coffee, baked goods, soups and sandwiches at a reasonable price. Displays work from local artists in a cozy atmosphere.
Tim Hortons
Practically every corner throughout the city. hamilton is the hometown of tim hortons, arguably the largest and most well-known coffee shop chain in canada and something of an institution to ontarians in particular. it's nearly impossible to travel more than a few minutes without seeing at least one tim hortons. cheap meals including nutritious lunches soup/sandwiches can be had. most locals refuse to start their day without a trip to a local timmy's for a cup of coffee and donut.
Bronzie's Place
201 james st. s. just north of st. joseph's hospital. small basic italian eatery. large portions, inexpensive, and fast/friendly service. nearly everyone goes home with another meal's worth in a doggybag.
Steve's Open Kitchen
149 james st. s. 905529-9913. since 1975. a nice little hole-in-the-wall breakfast diner where you can watch the friendly chefs prepare your meal. will set you back the change in your pocket - most meals are around five bucks. not particularly healthy, but few good breakfasts are.
James St. North Multicultural Community
You can find affordable restaurants serving food from multiple nationalities along james north from king street all the way to the harbourfront.
Bright Spot Restaurant
1145 main st. e. at balmoral ave. 905545-3924. serving hamilton for over 75 years. a great place to go for breakfast. this restaurant is a favourite amongst local steel workers for large portions at a good price. open early.
Midrange
Capri
25 john st n, downtown. 905-525-7811. italian. first restaurant to serve pizza in hamilton. gangster movies filmed here. real gangsters ate here too. like the mafia in hamilton, this restaurant is now somewhat faded. try the pizza bianco.
Stoney Creek Dairy
Operating at its original site since 1929, is home to the "Super Duper Sundae". Cruise nights are often held here in the summer. After Hutch's you drive here for ice cream.
Cora's Breakfast & Lunch
73 wilson st. e. ancaster. 905648-2672. this bright and sunny restaurant serves visually stunning breakfasts combining typical canadian breakfast fare with mountains of fresh fruit. most menu items $10-20.
Tea Hut
100 main st. e in the landmark place building tallest building in the city, hard to miss. tea hut is a taiwanese restaurant known for its bubble tea. a popular hangout for the local chinese community, and has very friendly staff and owners who will welcome you. excellent food at affordable prices, and a huge selection of bubble tea. enjoy a game of xiangqi chinese chess or jenga, or relax on your laptop with their free wi-fi.
The Old Powerhouse Restaurant
21 jones street, stoney creek. 905664-5900. casual fine dining is unique in any of the six historic dining venues offered at this historic site.
Bangkok Spoon
57 king street west, dundas.bangkok spoon. 905 628-1681. authentic thai cuisine in the beautiful downtown valley of dundas.
Karolina's Restaurant
757 barton st e, east end, 905 548-0306. polish. excellent food at reasonable prices. small and sometimes hard to get in. don't let the rundown area prevent you from eating here. just west of lottridge. for an after-meal adventure you can drive north on lottridge and check out the hell's angels clubhouse. you'll know it when you see it.
Jade Garden
113 james st. n. a hidden gem and a must-visit for lovers of authentic chinese and szechuan cuisine. very generous portions at an affordable price. impossible to leave hungry. massive menu and great dim sum. not your average "chicken balls and fried rice" chinese restaurant. you can also purchase fresh fish here for home cooking.
Harvest Burger
194 king street west, downtown, 905-525-3233. canadian/greek. a hamilton tradition for over 25 years. harvest burger is the spot to be at after a night out at hess village, or after a day of shopping downtown. famous for their burgers and greek food. also has a licensed bar on site.
Black Forest Inn
255 king st e, downtown, 905-528-3538. (http://www.blackforestinn.ca/) german. the black forest is another hamilton institution. full of cuckoo clocks, this restaurant.and its army of servers in bavarian costume move the crowds through with germanic precision. eat there and you'll find out why hamiltonians keep coming back.
Thai Memory
25 king william street. authentic thai food with very reasonable prices. located in the downtown theatre district.
Golden Grain Bakery
A large variety of imported foods and european baked goods.
Modern India Buffet
One of the most popular Indian restaurants in the city. Excellent all-you-can eat buffet selection of curries and other staple Indian dishes.
Hutch's
Offers what many consider the best fish and chips in town and, like its sister restaurant a '50s diner on Van Wagners Beach, offers a scenic location to munch them. Hutch's is a famous local institution which once could vie for having the best hamburgers in Canada. Urban renewal has forced Hutch's beach strip location into a boring government building. Cruise nights often held here in the summer. On the beach trail, so you can walk off your Sportsmanburger.
Sapporo Japanese Restaurant
96 main st. east in the same complex as slainte. possibly the best japanese food in hamilton, and the only japanese restaurant that isn't a sushi bar.
O Marineiro
the sailor, a traditional portugese restaurant on james st. north, serves a wonderful seafood platter.
Hamilton is a large city and therefore enjoys almost every mid-range dining chain. Examples include Kelsey's, Montana's, The Keg, etc. Hess Street, in addition to housing some newer upper-scale establishments, has several mid-range places that offer fantastic food Ceilidh House being an example.
Mimi's Bistro
931 queenston road, stoney creek. offers patio and serves excellent quality canadian food at affordable prices. serves all-day breakfast. beautiful decor and atmosphere.
Affinity Vegetarian Restaurant
87 john street south. this is a totally vegetarian, buddhist-themed chinese/asian-style restaurant. much of the food is spicy, featuring faux-meat dishes. reasonably priced and nice decor. friendly staff.
Sizzle Steak House and Ultra Lounge
(http://www.sizzlesteakhou...) 25 hess st. s in hess village. a truly excellent place to dine, party, and just have fun. sizzle's menu offers a wide variety of foods, food is fresh and plate designs are magnificent. the restaurant is awesome--5 stars!
Top end
Claudio's Ristorante
92 jackson st. e., 289389-6699. upscale italian dining. professional and detail oriented staff. downtown, close to hunter st. go station.
Mandarin Buffet
1508 upper james. 905383-6000. a massive chinese buffet with a huge variety of chinese cuisine. nice decor and courteous staff. dinner buffet runs at about $25 per person, making it a bit above mid-range but just barely. reservations not required, but advised for larger parties.
Ancaster Old Mill
(http://www.ancasteroldmil...). with its historic stone buildings, natural panoramas and waterfall, this is a picturesque spot for sunday brunch and what it bills as "contemporary canadian cuisine". family run.
La Cantina
60 walnut street south, hamilton. 905 521-8989. upscale italian dining. professional and detail oriented staff. authentic delicious italian food.
Seven Windows
432 aberdeen avenue, 905 523-7707. fine dining in a beautifully decorated former bank building in the west end kirkendall neighbourhood.
Shakespeare's
181 main st. e., 905 528-0689. award winning, family owned & operated. fabulous steak, seafood and wild game. amazing wines.
Rousseau House
375 wilson street east, ancaster. 905 648-8863. rousseau house. historic stone structural elegance offers fine dining, bar, tapas and special event catering.
Edgewater Manor
(http://www.edgewatermanor...). features fine dining in a 1920s-era mansion located stunningly on the shores of lake ontario. expensive.
| This guide uses the following price ranges for a typical meal for one, including soft drink: | |
| Budget | $3-8 |
| Mid-range | $9-19 |
| Splurge | $20 and over |
It's not difficult to find a superb variety of foods in Hamilton. Having a large minority and immigrant population, many people in Hamilton can and do take the opportunity to eat exotic cuisines.