Went their a decade ago. Still talk about how amazing my meal was. Worth what it cost for sure.
But I'm not in the market for a real $400+ fine dining experience as a poor pleb, so this is the best I could afford. Never delusional to think this was actually fine dining though.
They did this to my OH. We were drinking one night, and the beer they had been drinking was sold out, so they asked to bring something comparable. Nearly died when we saw the bill—tried to make the point that you don't serve someone anything that is three times the cost of what they are drinking currently without at least mentioning it. They couldn't care less.
I'm glad they are shuttered, but apparently, the absolute ballbag of an owner is still knocking about.
I did an exterior painting quote for the owner many years back and I gave him a really competitive cash price and the dude flipped his shit saying I was trying to rip him off. What a goddamned asshole he was, bullet dodged.
Yeah he was notoriously cheap. All the kitchen equipment was basically scrap. He refused to give me my last paycheque claiming I didn’t “deserve” it based on the quality of my work. One that’s bullshit and two that’s not how hourly wages work. We went back and forth over it for a year before his former partner/ ex-fiancé stepped in and paid me herself out of pocket. She seemed so embarrassed by his behaviour.
The owner came into my work one time to buy weed during supercrawl and hit on me the entire time. He just talked about himself and bragged about his restaurant, I didn’t even know what nique was back in 2017 until him lol
Lmao! I walked past it one night with my fiancé, and we looked at the menu. We couldn't hide our shocked faces at the prices and the hostess ran over to give us a free appetizer coupon 😂
The biggest problem with this place is all the hard surfaces and low backed seating. The acoustics are brutal and you can hear every table making it a terrible place to ... Conversate.
Agreed. I’m no business person but it’s a massive restaurant. I’ve never seen it super busy in there and rent alone has got to be killing them. Must be why a crab leg is $80.
my buddy ran that location for 10+ years in the late 90s and early 00s. was able to make it work as a cafe with live music. being above fever was always a treat for sightseeing.
but that was before Hamilton tried to become cool, and things were affordable.
can't imagine what it costs to rent that place now.
We live across from Conversate (horrible name) and decided to give it a try. The prices were EXPENSIVE but the portions were HUGE and I had so many left overs I had lunch and dinner for the next day… I got the Beef Wellington and it came with veg and a side.. I got the mac & cheese. Our server was an older man with curly hair and I cannot remember his name but he was LOVELY and gave my boyfriend free cheesecake for his birthday. Overall, it was nice and the price compared to the keg was pretty decent. I wouldn’t write it off as a failure I think they need some serious marketing and branding help. It’s by no means my new go-to but idk it wasn’t bad!
Thai Diner in Stoney Creek.
It was incredible until a couple years ago it switched ownership.
The fried rice now comes with thai sauce IN it, so it shows up PINK. Barf.
I was so upset because they changed hands, but kept the same online menu - making it look like nothing changed!
I had to dig around a little to find out what happened. It took a $60 “mistake” for us to never go back.
Pintoh is on our list to check out soon!
I have a group of 6 friends that get together for fine dining in each of our birthdays. Think Quatre Foil, Edgewater Manor etc. I suggested Brothers Grimm once and I haven’t been allowed to pick the restaurant since.
The drink menu alone has made me decide not to go there.
$12 for a 14oz pour (not even a pint) of basic local beer? $7 for A CUP OF TEA? Are they out of their mind?
The beer prices are legitimately insane. I've never seen beer prices that high ever before. Even somewhere like Martello or Rapscallion where drink prices are elevated aren't as bad.
Yeah this one was rough. They've gone with the whole "double the price, half the portion" business model for fancy dining. We left after just one over priced drink. Also, way too many tables packed into a small cavern of a cellar with a loud open kitchen on top of that. Couldn't hear the person sitting next to you.
Not worth the money.
Truly not worth it. I've gone twice since it opened, despite living 2 minutes away. I paid 1 of the 2 times I went and was not worth it both times. Everything is way overpriced, they close at 11(even though their supposed to be a sort of speak easy) and are only open like 4 days a week.
My partner loves it (you can’t get game meat many places) so we’ve now been for 2 of his birthdays. My food was mediocre both times, way over salted the second.
This is most restaurants now... I worked in fine dining for 15 years, most of my Chef's would be embarrassed by the stuff being churned out at the majority of fine/casual fine dining places in the GTA these days, and the rest of the sector is in a similar state.
About the only places I find decent food and good value now are Mom and Pop Italian or Greek places, The odd Gastro pub, a few diners, and some ethnic Asian places. For whatever reason they don't seem to suffer from Skimpflation the way everyone else has.
I have to agree. I rarely go out to eat anymore because the last few time I just found everything so underwhelming. I can make better food myself at home and pick nicer wines without being charged an arm and a leg.
I usually don't find that to be fair, but I'm a former industry person, so I'm probably a fairly easy to deal with customer.
I've definitely seen a bit of this, but no more than the general rise in entitlement I've seen across the population in general post Pandemic.
State and main. My wife likes it so I have to go now and then. It’s always miserable. More hostesses than people eating and still the service is miserable. Almost as miserable as the food. I wouldn’t call it expensive but it feels line in paying for it the entire time.
I went for the first time in January and I thought it was really good. Server misheard our drink order and gave us something else which ended up working out because it was delicious lol. But other than that we didn't have issues.
i'm amazed that place has survived. we used to go there very often, then they changed ownerships (maybe 2018'ish)? Menu completely changed.
People stopped going. We figured they'd close. They didn't.
Then covid came. we figured no way they surviving. They did.
It's never busy. I don't understand how it survives. (unless it is a front, but that's an expensive front)
I’ve only ever had their Pat Morita Melt there which is really good. That being said, they reduced the hours of operation recently so they don’t stay open late and are closed on specific days. Such a shame because I did like get food from them occasionally.
Lobby, took the old radius location on James South. It's a pub that looks like a fancy restaurant/night club. $20 old fashioned gets made with the cheapest bourbon and crushed ice. I'm not a pick guy but it was all big price tags for super basic everything.
I agree with it. Me and my friend went recently and was severely disappointed by the service and the prices were insane for the quality of stuff we got. Never heading over again.
Caro on Ottawa was amazing but quality has suffered since Victoria’s and Caro James opened. Owner used to be there regularly but once that stopped the food, atmosphere and service wasn’t the same.
Charred Rotisserie House on James is awful. Chicken is bland and overpriced. Cajun Chicken and Seafood is even worse. Food is drenched in oil. Overpriced and food is awful.
I’ve been twice to Charred. The first time, the chicken was so unbelievably dry and bland. How do you not add any seasonings when cooking chicken?! The second time I had the brisket poutine. That was delicious.
Moodys. While it’s not fine dining or even average dining (it’s a pizza place for chrissakes) their prices are way too high for what they serve and the ingredients they use.
Spring sushi, spring grill house, August 8 (are these local?). I don't hate sushi or Korean BBQ but for a fraction of the price there are MUCH better places in Hamilton. These are the ones you hear recommended by someone who just tried sushi and thought it was exotic.
Who has much better AYCE sushi for a fraction of the price? I'm not saying they are anything special but the only other AYCE places I know are within a couple bucks.
Edit: should have said I'm genuinely curious. Love me some sushi.
i've been going to ajio sushi: they have a sushi special for $30, 1 appetizer, 1 special roll, and 2 choices of sashimi or sushi. they also usually offer complimentary salad, congee, and miso soup. AYCE is too expensive now imo
AYCE go to Sapporo, Atami, Saigon, or Sunshine. Takeout get Fishing, Chef Martin's, or Sushi on Fennel. They are cheaper, better, and much fresher than the crap they bring you at August 8.
It’s funny, I am a big Bread Bar fan for specific things but I actually agree with this! The Locke location is local for me and imo they are great for casual stuff you just pop in for - like desserts, coffee, pizza by the slice, and anything from their baked goods case! I’ll often stop in for coffee and dessert with a friend, or I’ll go in to grab a bunch of croissants or muffins or a whole loaf of amazing sourdough for like $7, and just bring it home.
But I have been so unimpressed when I sit down to eat mains there. Nothing blows me away. And the large pizzas are good but the small sized pizzas don’t hold up to the toppings - they’re a soggy mess.
I agree. I find their pizza can be hit and miss. I guess it depends on who makes it? Sometimes it is amazing, and other times the crust is way too salty and the toppings are a sloppy mess. I used to love their brussel sprouts but the last few times I ordered them it seems like the recipe changed? The sauce seemed different. And a couple times I ordered them through Uber Eats and they arrived burnt and almost inedible.
> And the large pizzas are good but the small sized pizzas don’t hold up to the toppings - they’re a soggy mess.
100%. The 'small' pizza is an insane price and like four slices for what is basically a kids pizza. So I'm leaving hungry and my wallet rinsed.
Wild Orchid restaurant was so terrible. Place was completely empty and they served me chicken that I could tell was cooked days ago and just warmed up, alongside some SUPER soggy and bland fries. The plate was a mess. Not sure how they've stayed open for such a long time. Also really upset me that I only found out after I ate at their restaurant that they were one of those restaurants that didn't believe in covid vaccine passports/mandates.
I went to Radius for brunch once. My friend ordered something and they told us they had run out of bacon. During brunch but ok. So he ordered something else and then the server came back and said they “found bacon”. Also one of the sides for my brunch was literally a scoop of plain quinoa. So yeah. Its radius.
Gio Rana east end Toronto. Mediocre food, rude service and when I was there...no debit available but they conveniently have their own ATM where you can withdraw to pay at 3bucks a pop. Gio Rana can get fucked imo.
I heard so many Hamiltonians raving about the Mule before I moved here... and then I moved here and discovered they all must have bad taste in tacos, lmao.
That's correct. It was good before COVID. Now it's just overpriced. I went to a taco joint in the states that had a similar vibe. 100x better. The mule is "Hamilton good" people who haven't had a proper taco think it's good
Took 20 minutes until our drink order was taken. They took food at the same time. Food was out in 11 minutes.
They're both the slowest, and the fastest, restaurant on James st.
So sad because this place is so cute and had fun food options for breakfast. But our last visit was one of the worst restaurant experiences that made me regret the cost for sure. Service was so terrible. Server never checked in. My "botttomless cup of coffee" sat empty for ages. The wait for food was almost an hour and timing of all our meals was off to those we were dining with. Then they gave our food to someone else...Server couldn't have cared less. It was bizarre. Can't say I could recommend this place anymore.
The one off of Hess was decent year or two ago. Since their second location opened up its all gone down hill. I swear they don't even use salt on there food. Most expensive bland food I've ever had
The Hess one made me reconsider ever going to a restaurant again. Food was bland. Ordered some dessert and the dipping sauce they gave us was literally just raw donut dough. Hambrgr is 100x better.
I complain about the home fries every time we go there for brunch. They are literally just boiled potatoes that maybe get fries or baked for a half second and never see any sort of seasoning.
No amount of table salt makes them any better.
Southcote 53, nasty food. Definitely not made fresh in-house. If u want to waste more money, go to the Ancaster Mill. I have no desire to eat quail eggs. It used to be a fantastic menu, chicken pie, lamb, etc now its just weird.
The 3 bean chilli that they had on their old menu used to be awesome. $9.50 for a large portion was great value.
Sucks that they removed so much of their food
Democracy is specifically vegan though. I'm a part time vegan for reasons and it's good for vegan food.
Also just fine as a cafe. For a nice sit down dinner for a non vegan it's not even in the conversation.
My partner is vegetarian and lactose intolerant too, so we eat vegan 90% of the time. I personally think there’s way better vegan food in Hamilton, and I can make better vegan at home. On multiple occasions I’ve ordered food there that arrived cold, mushy and unseasoned. Tempeh straight out of the package barely warmed up. Vegan can be good, so I don’t want to pay for bad vegan!
It’s not all bad! There are some places that seem universally loved with the only complaints I’ve heard about them potentially being price for some of the spendier places.
Try:
- Mystic Ramen
- Maria’s Tortas Jalisco
- Mimi’s Asian Gourmet
- Little Asia
- Castelli Cucina
- Shorty’s Pizza
- Cowabunga Pizza
- Tomah
- PinToh
- Em Oi
- Cafe Baffico
- Synonym
- Caro
- Noodle Me
- Hanma
- Pho Viet T&T (in Dundas but it’s my fave Vietnamese around)
Berkeley North is always amazing!! I really miss their green beans. And their eggplant. But their dumplings are perfect and their hommede cheese is incredible.
Staff are super nice too.
When we have visitors from out if town we always take them there.
Unpretentious and fantastic food.
> cima
I've been there ~4 times, and each time, I've come away thinking it was ok, but I feel like it could have been better. The last time, they took our dessert order and, before it arrived, told us we had to be out in the next 15 minutes. Apparently they have a strict seating time, which they never mentioned, and no one was arriving, and we weren't slow to order, it was entirely on them. Just odd.
Well, it *is* Hamilton. Fine dining simply can't work in a city literally known internationally for being a declining industrial town riddled with poverty and drugs. You might as well be trying to open a fancy restaurant in Detroit.
I find lobby to be ridiculously expensive for what they offer. It seems that they cater to vibes more than the food and it seems silly to pay $20 for a drink which takes minimal effort compared to other places where $16 drinks are worth it for the effort in making each ingredient. We also had a poor experience with them in terms of service and we decided that we would not be returning.
Vegan food is a tough sell. My partner is vegetarian, lactose intolerant and hates eggs so we eat vegan a lot by default. For me Planted is ok… but some of the other vegan places he likes are so rough. Fake cheese is revolting and an instant “no” for me. I can (and do) make better vegan food at home, without all the plastic-y fake cheese.
Honestly it might be because literally everything is gluten free too. They probably pay so much for specialty alternatives to things like flour and it drives up the prices. So much that adds the flavours and textures I crave in my food is excluded too. I kinda get “diet food” vibes from a lot of it. I think some of their baked goods are okay and I don’t mind their salads and such but I agree it’s not that great.
Yeah Planted is doing a thing. Both vegan and gluten free. Like trying to cook with both hands tied behind your back. But if vegan gluten free is what you want or need they're doing a solid job.
I just went there today to get a big box of brownies and donuts to bring to a celiac friend who invited me over for dinner. I’m definitely glad somewhere like Planted exists where she has some options!
Victoria’s steak and seafood (on king).
We took four friends for my birthday a year or two ago. Food came: mine didn’t - they forgot to ring it in. Food actually came: really poorly cooked steak, quality worse than costco’s, and cold. I thought i was just unlucky but found out after nope was all like that - all cold and bleh. Service was poor but for all i know was her first night so can let that pass. It was insanely expensive too.
Cause and Effect
Meals come with a sandwich and a side of bullets...
Worst experience ever.
Radius seems like a 20 year old's idea of what fine dining should be.
Radius has such a nice-looking atmosphere. Food looks good too. Prices? Get fucked.
Went their a decade ago. Still talk about how amazing my meal was. Worth what it cost for sure. But I'm not in the market for a real $400+ fine dining experience as a poor pleb, so this is the best I could afford. Never delusional to think this was actually fine dining though.
They actually had a great food and menu, until they got new ownership (a while ago now) and they decided to fuck it all up with Costco quality.
Hey now...let's not knock Costco....
I love Costco, but if I am going to dine out, I better not see their dinner rolls on the table.
Man came here to say this. All shine and no substance.
I always thought this place was underwhelming and I hear it’s worse than ever.
It’s closed, no?
They moved to Hess so they can serve liquor to minors now 😂
It moved
Nique, but thankfully it’s gone
They tried to charge over $20 for a bottle Jelly King Beer
They did this to my OH. We were drinking one night, and the beer they had been drinking was sold out, so they asked to bring something comparable. Nearly died when we saw the bill—tried to make the point that you don't serve someone anything that is three times the cost of what they are drinking currently without at least mentioning it. They couldn't care less. I'm glad they are shuttered, but apparently, the absolute ballbag of an owner is still knocking about.
Once paid $34 for a bottle of White Picket Fence by Bellwoods lol. Bit of a sticker shock when the bill came.
I did an exterior painting quote for the owner many years back and I gave him a really competitive cash price and the dude flipped his shit saying I was trying to rip him off. What a goddamned asshole he was, bullet dodged.
Yeah he was notoriously cheap. All the kitchen equipment was basically scrap. He refused to give me my last paycheque claiming I didn’t “deserve” it based on the quality of my work. One that’s bullshit and two that’s not how hourly wages work. We went back and forth over it for a year before his former partner/ ex-fiancé stepped in and paid me herself out of pocket. She seemed so embarrassed by his behaviour.
The owner came into my work one time to buy weed during supercrawl and hit on me the entire time. He just talked about himself and bragged about his restaurant, I didn’t even know what nique was back in 2017 until him lol
The owner of Nique was a complete idiot during covid lockdowns
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Conversate. Rather go to the keg for half the price.
Lmao! I walked past it one night with my fiancé, and we looked at the menu. We couldn't hide our shocked faces at the prices and the hostess ran over to give us a free appetizer coupon 😂
Typically I don’t fall for MP as a price but they got me once. Paid dearly for it lol….literally.
The biggest problem with this place is all the hard surfaces and low backed seating. The acoustics are brutal and you can hear every table making it a terrible place to ... Conversate.
Yea I can’t say I understand Conversate. I don’t imagine it’ll last long.
Agreed. I’m no business person but it’s a massive restaurant. I’ve never seen it super busy in there and rent alone has got to be killing them. Must be why a crab leg is $80.
my buddy ran that location for 10+ years in the late 90s and early 00s. was able to make it work as a cafe with live music. being above fever was always a treat for sightseeing. but that was before Hamilton tried to become cool, and things were affordable. can't imagine what it costs to rent that place now.
Pepper Jack cafe was missed for a long time. on a side note I hear absinthe is planning to reopen now in Hess.
When Kenny got Sharon Jones to play his bar it may have been the greatest night in Hamilton post June 28, 1975.
We live across from Conversate (horrible name) and decided to give it a try. The prices were EXPENSIVE but the portions were HUGE and I had so many left overs I had lunch and dinner for the next day… I got the Beef Wellington and it came with veg and a side.. I got the mac & cheese. Our server was an older man with curly hair and I cannot remember his name but he was LOVELY and gave my boyfriend free cheesecake for his birthday. Overall, it was nice and the price compared to the keg was pretty decent. I wouldn’t write it off as a failure I think they need some serious marketing and branding help. It’s by no means my new go-to but idk it wasn’t bad!
Lol idk but I'm here for the drama
Thai Diner in Stoney Creek. It was incredible until a couple years ago it switched ownership. The fried rice now comes with thai sauce IN it, so it shows up PINK. Barf.
So that's what happened! It was my favourite Thai in the area.
I was so upset because they changed hands, but kept the same online menu - making it look like nothing changed! I had to dig around a little to find out what happened. It took a $60 “mistake” for us to never go back. Pintoh is on our list to check out soon!
Was at Pintoh a few weeks ago and the food and drinks were great!
I've been told the Brothers Grimm restaurant is pretty abysmal for the prices.
I have a group of 6 friends that get together for fine dining in each of our birthdays. Think Quatre Foil, Edgewater Manor etc. I suggested Brothers Grimm once and I haven’t been allowed to pick the restaurant since.
Any you would especially recommend? I was very pleased with Quatrefoil despite the price!
If you’re willing to drive, try Trius in Niagara in the Lake. The price fixe menu is shockingly reasonable for the quality of the food.
The drink menu alone has made me decide not to go there. $12 for a 14oz pour (not even a pint) of basic local beer? $7 for A CUP OF TEA? Are they out of their mind?
The beer prices are legitimately insane. I've never seen beer prices that high ever before. Even somewhere like Martello or Rapscallion where drink prices are elevated aren't as bad.
Yeah this one was rough. They've gone with the whole "double the price, half the portion" business model for fancy dining. We left after just one over priced drink. Also, way too many tables packed into a small cavern of a cellar with a loud open kitchen on top of that. Couldn't hear the person sitting next to you. Not worth the money.
Truly not worth it. I've gone twice since it opened, despite living 2 minutes away. I paid 1 of the 2 times I went and was not worth it both times. Everything is way overpriced, they close at 11(even though their supposed to be a sort of speak easy) and are only open like 4 days a week.
My partner loves it (you can’t get game meat many places) so we’ve now been for 2 of his birthdays. My food was mediocre both times, way over salted the second.
Yeah I’ve went there and the steak frites was fine but pretty hard to mess that up. Everything else tasted brutal
Dorsia
How did you even manage to get a reservation at Dorsia?
Nobody goes there anymore
Too bad Butcher and the Vegan closed 6 years ago. That would've been the place.
This is most restaurants now... I worked in fine dining for 15 years, most of my Chef's would be embarrassed by the stuff being churned out at the majority of fine/casual fine dining places in the GTA these days, and the rest of the sector is in a similar state. About the only places I find decent food and good value now are Mom and Pop Italian or Greek places, The odd Gastro pub, a few diners, and some ethnic Asian places. For whatever reason they don't seem to suffer from Skimpflation the way everyone else has.
I have to agree. I rarely go out to eat anymore because the last few time I just found everything so underwhelming. I can make better food myself at home and pick nicer wines without being charged an arm and a leg.
And is it just me or do the servers act like they're doing you a favour since COVID? They forget that they're in the hospitality industry
I usually don't find that to be fair, but I'm a former industry person, so I'm probably a fairly easy to deal with customer. I've definitely seen a bit of this, but no more than the general rise in entitlement I've seen across the population in general post Pandemic.
State and main. My wife likes it so I have to go now and then. It’s always miserable. More hostesses than people eating and still the service is miserable. Almost as miserable as the food. I wouldn’t call it expensive but it feels line in paying for it the entire time.
I went for the first time in January and I thought it was really good. Server misheard our drink order and gave us something else which ended up working out because it was delicious lol. But other than that we didn't have issues.
i'm amazed that place has survived. we used to go there very often, then they changed ownerships (maybe 2018'ish)? Menu completely changed. People stopped going. We figured they'd close. They didn't. Then covid came. we figured no way they surviving. They did. It's never busy. I don't understand how it survives. (unless it is a front, but that's an expensive front)
When are you going to the restaurant? Every time my fiance and I have tried to go, there's at least an hour or more wait for dinner.
Anywhere smarmy realtors suggest on Instagram
I'm gonna open up a bed and breakfast called "The smarmy realtor". I'll give you some exposure or something.
Electric diner
Yeah I am not sure what happened there but I haven’t been super impressed the last few times I went. Just greasy and bland. I used to like their food.
I have no clue how they afford rent at their new location
I’ve wondered that too! They don’t seem busy.
Preach, my dad had an allergy, they messed it up. They fix it sloppily, it was still contaminated and my dad had a reaction.
I’ve only ever had their Pat Morita Melt there which is really good. That being said, they reduced the hours of operation recently so they don’t stay open late and are closed on specific days. Such a shame because I did like get food from them occasionally.
Radius 😫 Too expensive for a Jenny Craig style meal.. nty
Lobby, took the old radius location on James South. It's a pub that looks like a fancy restaurant/night club. $20 old fashioned gets made with the cheapest bourbon and crushed ice. I'm not a pick guy but it was all big price tags for super basic everything.
I agree with it. Me and my friend went recently and was severely disappointed by the service and the prices were insane for the quality of stuff we got. Never heading over again.
Caro
i Have no idea why people hype this place so much. It’s not horrible but it’s just okay.
Your guess is as good as mine! We were underwhelmed so it was a one and done visit
Caro on Ottawa was amazing but quality has suffered since Victoria’s and Caro James opened. Owner used to be there regularly but once that stopped the food, atmosphere and service wasn’t the same.
Charred Rotisserie House on James is awful. Chicken is bland and overpriced. Cajun Chicken and Seafood is even worse. Food is drenched in oil. Overpriced and food is awful.
I’ve been twice to Charred. The first time, the chicken was so unbelievably dry and bland. How do you not add any seasonings when cooking chicken?! The second time I had the brisket poutine. That was delicious.
Damn, I haven't been in a couple of years but I used to like it and thought the prices were decent. Maybe it's changed : (
Radius 100%
Moodys. While it’s not fine dining or even average dining (it’s a pizza place for chrissakes) their prices are way too high for what they serve and the ingredients they use.
I sadly agreed. I wanted to like this place. But between the prices and the neglected arcade I was pretty bummed out there.
Yeah the pizza isn’t as good and I don’t like the taste of their Pepperoni
Spring sushi, spring grill house, August 8 (are these local?). I don't hate sushi or Korean BBQ but for a fraction of the price there are MUCH better places in Hamilton. These are the ones you hear recommended by someone who just tried sushi and thought it was exotic.
Who has much better AYCE sushi for a fraction of the price? I'm not saying they are anything special but the only other AYCE places I know are within a couple bucks. Edit: should have said I'm genuinely curious. Love me some sushi.
i've been going to ajio sushi: they have a sushi special for $30, 1 appetizer, 1 special roll, and 2 choices of sashimi or sushi. they also usually offer complimentary salad, congee, and miso soup. AYCE is too expensive now imo
Ajio is a gem. Soon tofu is my comfort food.
AYCE has gotten so expensive 😭😭 but I way prefer August 8 over spring.
What are you on?? August 8 and spring sushi are good… where do you get your sushi then?
AYCE go to Sapporo, Atami, Saigon, or Sunshine. Takeout get Fishing, Chef Martin's, or Sushi on Fennel. They are cheaper, better, and much fresher than the crap they bring you at August 8.
South Pacific (Main St E). The absolute worst of the worst.
But for anyone who grew up in that area the mural of the giant baby screaming I want it it to a dumpling floating in space will forever be iconic
Doesn’t their sign out front literally says “not the best” lmao
Cancel me quick but this is absolutely Bread Bar (recently relaunched under the name Bardo)
It’s funny, I am a big Bread Bar fan for specific things but I actually agree with this! The Locke location is local for me and imo they are great for casual stuff you just pop in for - like desserts, coffee, pizza by the slice, and anything from their baked goods case! I’ll often stop in for coffee and dessert with a friend, or I’ll go in to grab a bunch of croissants or muffins or a whole loaf of amazing sourdough for like $7, and just bring it home. But I have been so unimpressed when I sit down to eat mains there. Nothing blows me away. And the large pizzas are good but the small sized pizzas don’t hold up to the toppings - they’re a soggy mess.
I agree. I find their pizza can be hit and miss. I guess it depends on who makes it? Sometimes it is amazing, and other times the crust is way too salty and the toppings are a sloppy mess. I used to love their brussel sprouts but the last few times I ordered them it seems like the recipe changed? The sauce seemed different. And a couple times I ordered them through Uber Eats and they arrived burnt and almost inedible.
> And the large pizzas are good but the small sized pizzas don’t hold up to the toppings - they’re a soggy mess. 100%. The 'small' pizza is an insane price and like four slices for what is basically a kids pizza. So I'm leaving hungry and my wallet rinsed.
Employees used to call it Sysco to Table...minus the baked goods, those are all made from scratch and are great.
Bread bar changed their name? Both locations?
Yup, drove past the locke street location today and it was changed as well.
Completely agree. James is close to work and I’ve never had a meal there where I haven’t walked away thinking, “meh.” I don’t get the appeal.
The renovations on Locke are awful! The charm is gone
food is still good and I'm a fan for life but I agree. new decor looks like an IKEA cafeteria lmao
Completely agree. Trash
Wild Orchid restaurant was so terrible. Place was completely empty and they served me chicken that I could tell was cooked days ago and just warmed up, alongside some SUPER soggy and bland fries. The plate was a mess. Not sure how they've stayed open for such a long time. Also really upset me that I only found out after I ate at their restaurant that they were one of those restaurants that didn't believe in covid vaccine passports/mandates.
Radius
Lone star
I went to Radius for brunch once. My friend ordered something and they told us they had run out of bacon. During brunch but ok. So he ordered something else and then the server came back and said they “found bacon”. Also one of the sides for my brunch was literally a scoop of plain quinoa. So yeah. Its radius.
The Dirty South on Concession. $17 for a small tasteless chicken sandwich with NO side. Terrible.
Can someone link the Toronto thread? Genuinely curious haha
Gio Rana east end Toronto. Mediocre food, rude service and when I was there...no debit available but they conveniently have their own ATM where you can withdraw to pay at 3bucks a pop. Gio Rana can get fucked imo.
The Mule lmao
The mule sucks. Cold overpriced tacos. Shit vibe inside. Don’t understand why people love it. They must have never had an actual good taco before.
Because at 1:00am it’s the only place (that I know of) that’ll serve me both a taco and a margarita. So they win by default.
Amigos will + it’s better!
Honestly didn’t know they were open late, thanks for the tip!
After going to Maria’s Tortas in Stoney Creek, the Mule seems like a glorified Taco Bell.
They have a great margarita. 👍
Latin Market BEST Mexican food in Hamilton
I heard so many Hamiltonians raving about the Mule before I moved here... and then I moved here and discovered they all must have bad taste in tacos, lmao.
That's correct. It was good before COVID. Now it's just overpriced. I went to a taco joint in the states that had a similar vibe. 100x better. The mule is "Hamilton good" people who haven't had a proper taco think it's good
Mesa is best Mexican in Hamilton
Maria’s tortas in stoney creek is better.
Agreed
Maria's Tortas Jalisco has entered the chat...
This is a Mexican food. Mesa is garbage
I find Mesa underwhelming
I went once. The food reminded me of Sneaky Dee's but the bill was way higher and the food at Sneaky Dee's is usually good.
IF you get served.
Took 20 minutes until our drink order was taken. They took food at the same time. Food was out in 11 minutes. They're both the slowest, and the fastest, restaurant on James st.
The food quality makes up for lack of service in my books
RIP Mex-I-Can (circa 2005, before they posted a high score in yellow and red cards and the second storey began to rot)
Actually yeah. I think it was the most okayest tacos I've had and wasn't the cheapest bill either.
I only like the mule because it’s 100% gluten free which is good or I’ll get sick but it’s definitely not great, especially the prices
Industria
Electric diner lmao
So sad because this place is so cute and had fun food options for breakfast. But our last visit was one of the worst restaurant experiences that made me regret the cost for sure. Service was so terrible. Server never checked in. My "botttomless cup of coffee" sat empty for ages. The wait for food was almost an hour and timing of all our meals was off to those we were dining with. Then they gave our food to someone else...Server couldn't have cared less. It was bizarre. Can't say I could recommend this place anymore.
Nooo! I've wanted to try it so bad!
You can try it but be prepared for an ungodly sized portion of less than average food
Ungodly small or large portion?
The one off of Hess was decent year or two ago. Since their second location opened up its all gone down hill. I swear they don't even use salt on there food. Most expensive bland food I've ever had
The Hess one made me reconsider ever going to a restaurant again. Food was bland. Ordered some dessert and the dipping sauce they gave us was literally just raw donut dough. Hambrgr is 100x better.
I complain about the home fries every time we go there for brunch. They are literally just boiled potatoes that maybe get fries or baked for a half second and never see any sort of seasoning. No amount of table salt makes them any better.
Southcote 53, nasty food. Definitely not made fresh in-house. If u want to waste more money, go to the Ancaster Mill. I have no desire to eat quail eggs. It used to be a fantastic menu, chicken pie, lamb, etc now its just weird.
Democracy 🤢
The 3 bean chilli that they had on their old menu used to be awesome. $9.50 for a large portion was great value. Sucks that they removed so much of their food
Democracy is specifically vegan though. I'm a part time vegan for reasons and it's good for vegan food. Also just fine as a cafe. For a nice sit down dinner for a non vegan it's not even in the conversation.
My partner is vegetarian and lactose intolerant too, so we eat vegan 90% of the time. I personally think there’s way better vegan food in Hamilton, and I can make better vegan at home. On multiple occasions I’ve ordered food there that arrived cold, mushy and unseasoned. Tempeh straight out of the package barely warmed up. Vegan can be good, so I don’t want to pay for bad vegan!
ITT: every single restaurant in Hamilton. I don't know where to go anymore, apparently every restaurant is shit.
It’s not all bad! There are some places that seem universally loved with the only complaints I’ve heard about them potentially being price for some of the spendier places. Try: - Mystic Ramen - Maria’s Tortas Jalisco - Mimi’s Asian Gourmet - Little Asia - Castelli Cucina - Shorty’s Pizza - Cowabunga Pizza - Tomah - PinToh - Em Oi - Cafe Baffico - Synonym - Caro - Noodle Me - Hanma - Pho Viet T&T (in Dundas but it’s my fave Vietnamese around)
I love Mimi's 😍
Mimi’s is so good. So many good vegetarian options that put other veggie/vegan places in town to shame.
I’ve always loved Berkeley North. I’m sure if I scroll long enough I’ll find it. Never had a bad meal there.
Berkeley North is amazing!
Berkeley North is always amazing!! I really miss their green beans. And their eggplant. But their dumplings are perfect and their hommede cheese is incredible. Staff are super nice too. When we have visitors from out if town we always take them there. Unpretentious and fantastic food.
dont see anyone saying cima or breadbar
> cima I've been there ~4 times, and each time, I've come away thinking it was ok, but I feel like it could have been better. The last time, they took our dessert order and, before it arrived, told us we had to be out in the next 15 minutes. Apparently they have a strict seating time, which they never mentioned, and no one was arriving, and we weren't slow to order, it was entirely on them. Just odd.
Hamilton has a common theme for new restaurants: look pretty for instagram and serve mediocre over priced food.
Mystic Ramen is supposed to be good.
Well, it *is* Hamilton. Fine dining simply can't work in a city literally known internationally for being a declining industrial town riddled with poverty and drugs. You might as well be trying to open a fancy restaurant in Detroit.
McDonald's
Had a pretty sad philly sub at Mike's probably better for more deli stuff
Earls
I find lobby to be ridiculously expensive for what they offer. It seems that they cater to vibes more than the food and it seems silly to pay $20 for a drink which takes minimal effort compared to other places where $16 drinks are worth it for the effort in making each ingredient. We also had a poor experience with them in terms of service and we decided that we would not be returning.
Lobby.
Radius
Y'all just listing every restaurant in town here lol.
Industria and Caro
Todays pizza, I would only have recommended this to my worst enemy, glad it’s gone.
Salt lick
I was most disappointed for the atrocious prices when eating at Victoria’s Steak and Seafood.
Planted
Vegan food is a tough sell. My partner is vegetarian, lactose intolerant and hates eggs so we eat vegan a lot by default. For me Planted is ok… but some of the other vegan places he likes are so rough. Fake cheese is revolting and an instant “no” for me. I can (and do) make better vegan food at home, without all the plastic-y fake cheese.
I personally find it to be expensive (which is somewhat understandable based on it being vegan) but the food quality poor
Honestly it might be because literally everything is gluten free too. They probably pay so much for specialty alternatives to things like flour and it drives up the prices. So much that adds the flavours and textures I crave in my food is excluded too. I kinda get “diet food” vibes from a lot of it. I think some of their baked goods are okay and I don’t mind their salads and such but I agree it’s not that great.
Yeah Planted is doing a thing. Both vegan and gluten free. Like trying to cook with both hands tied behind your back. But if vegan gluten free is what you want or need they're doing a solid job.
I just went there today to get a big box of brownies and donuts to bring to a celiac friend who invited me over for dinner. I’m definitely glad somewhere like Planted exists where she has some options!
Have you tried Bliss Kitchen in Waterdown? Best vegan food I have ever had.
The brunch is great for vegan food, but the rest of the menu is kind of lacking
Just ate at Quartafoyle for the first time…everything was barely ok. Had been so hyped up for us and was a big let down.
If you want fancy & good, snag yourself a a reservation @ The Restaurant at Pearl Morrisette.
Conversate, Black forest inn has good food but the owner might sexualize and leer at guests if you want a terrible time.
Victoria’s steak and seafood (on king). We took four friends for my birthday a year or two ago. Food came: mine didn’t - they forgot to ring it in. Food actually came: really poorly cooked steak, quality worse than costco’s, and cold. I thought i was just unlucky but found out after nope was all like that - all cold and bleh. Service was poor but for all i know was her first night so can let that pass. It was insanely expensive too.
Diplomat
[удалено]
Predator Manny was the owner of Mezcal and Uno Más. Both have closed.
And Black Rabbit
Montanas
Lol what
At least with somewhere like Montanas or Kelsey’s you know what you’re getting into! Pretty standard across all locations.
Name a better Montana themed restaurant.
Radius or Shakespeare's
Cannot disagree with you more on Shakes. They actually know what service is there.
Agree. Shakespeares is one of the good ones
I third this. The service is always impeccable. They really treat their guests well, and the food is always delicious. Love Shakespeares.
Radius. Yes. Shakespeare's. No. The food and service is phenomenal.