If you’re looking for places to eat in Hamilton, then you’re going to want to add these spots to your list. Hamilton, a historic port city in Ontario’s Niagara Peninsula region, boasts a thriving culinary scene thanks in part to the many restauranteurs and chefs who decided to set up away from the high-priced real estate of Toronto, a little over 42 miles northeast, as The Globe and Mail reports.
With such a wide range of options in Hamilton today, it can be overwhelming trying to pinpoint the very best places to dine, but these eateries are definite standouts you won’t want to miss.
Places to Eat in Hamilton
Aberdeen Tavern
Not your average tavern, the Aberdeen Tavern offers comfort food in an upscale environment, serving exceptional dishes like juicy striploin and garlic butter ricotta agnolotti in a beautiful space that was once a bank, complete with a steel vault. It also boasts a lovely outdoor patio, ideal for enjoying weekend brunch, including the to-die-for cheesecake-stuffed French toast with vanilla Chantilly cream and stewed strawberries on a sunny day.
Berkeley North
Berkeley North is located on “restaurant row,” King William Street, this stylish bistro offers a menu focused on West Coast-inspired cuisine. Dine on delectable, wholesome and fresh small plates like shrimp tempura, mushroom dumplings or the avocado salad, or build your own Berkeley Bowl for lunch.
Born and Raised
A Hamilton bucket list restaurant, Born and Raised showcases the talents of “Top Chef Canada” alum Vittorio Colacitt who studied pizza-making in Rome, sowed his culinary oats in Toronto and then brought back the delicious results to his hometown. Try the Monte Pollino, a pizza baked in a wood-fired oven and topped with pickled habaneros, roasted pineapple and crispy pork cheeks that are cooked in goat fat. The dough, a unique, fermented type, provides a fabulous tang and chew. Cap it off with a heavenly dessert like the apple-ginger sorbet that tastes like fall apples ripening on a tree.
The French
The elegant downtown bistro on King William Street, the French, serves mouthwatering French cuisine with an international twist. Its signature dish is the gnocchi, made with ricotta cheese rather than potato and are topped with mushrooms, truffle and Parmesan. You can also enjoy traditional fare like delectable crepes, escargot and steak fries, along with items that have Moroccan, Middle Eastern and Spanish North African flavors.
Mezcal
Despite Hamilton’s northern locale, the city offers some fantastic Mexican fare as well, particularly at Mezcal. Chef Manny Ferreira, a “Chopped Canada” champ opened this tiny tequila and taco bar where hungry customers can often be seen forming quite the line for the chance to dine on his delicious tacos that are loaded with Baja fish, spicy chicken braised BBQ brisket, seared shrimp, crispy cauliflower and all sorts of enticing toppings. Paired with a house-made margarita, they’re hard to beat.
The Burnt Tongue
This soup shop, the Burnt Tongue, has been compared to New York City’s “Soup Nazi” and has been featured on the Food Network’s “You Gotta Eat Here.” It serves up standards like sandwiches, burgers and fries along with soups, including favorites such as the Buffalo Chicken Wing, Loaded Baked Potato and Chicken Mulligatawny as well as classics like Cream of Broccoli.
If you add these places to eat in Hamilton to your list you’re taste buds will be delightfully surprised. For more travel tips, be sure to subscribe so you never miss a post!
