It’s not difficult to find a large 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.

Budget

Eat-a-Pita 217 King Street West. Small basic eatery. Amazing Chicken Shwamas, inexpensive, and fast/friendly service.

Bronzie’s Place 201 James St.South (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.

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.

Harvest Burger – 194 King Street West. Rightly regarded by the locals as serving up the best burgers in town. Beats the regular fast food chains hands down.

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. It’s nearly impossible to travel more than a few minutes without seeing at least one Tim Hortons. Cheap meals including nutritous 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.

Westdale Delicatessen- 1293 King St. W Traditional Jewish deli. Hamilton’s only kosher restaurant.

Modern India Buffet – 157 Main St. E. One of the most popular Indian restaurants in the city. Excellent all-you-can eat buffet selection of curries and other staple Indian dishes. Lunch buffet is a mere $9.99 while dinner is $13.99 (includes one alcoholic beverage).

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.

Tapestry Bistro – 27 Dundurn Street North, 905.481.2166. Oozes relaxed, creative vibes and serves up inexpensive local, seasonal and organic food. The wings ($5) come highly recommended. http://tapestrybistro.ca/Home.html

Mid-range

Hamilton is a fairly 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).

* Hutch’s, 325 Bay St N. 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.
* 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.
* 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.
* 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.
* 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.
* 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.
* Black Forest Inn, 255 King St E, Downtown, 905-528-3538. 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.
* 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.
* O Marineiro (The Sailor), a traditional Portugese restaurant on James St. North, serves a wonderful seafood platter.
* My Thai, corner of John St. and King William. A stellar Thai restaurant.
* La Cantina May be the best Italian restaurant in Hamilton. Their pumpkin soup is breathtaking.
* Golden Grain Bakery a large variety of imported foods and European baked goods.
* Sizzle Steak House and Ultra Lounge, 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!
* 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.
* 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.

Splurge

* Ancaster Old Mill,. 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, but not inexpensive.
* Edgewater Manor,. Features fine dining in a 1920s-era mansion located stunningly on the shores of Lake Ontario. Expensive.
* Sheraton, King Street. A splurge, but nice rooms. No free parking.
* Shakespeare’s, 181 Main St. E., (905) 528-0689. Award winning, family owned & operated. Fabulous steak, seafood and wild game. Amazing wines.
* Mandarin Buffet Restaurant, 1508 Upper James Street. Plenty of parking. Excellent and enormous selection of Chinese and Canadian dishes. Very popular amongst locals for special occasions. Dinner buffet is over $20/person not including drinks, but well worth it if you’re in the mood for Chinese. You may wish to book reservations if it’s a Friday or Weekend.