Ten restaurants, bars and cafés worth the trip to Hamilton

Over the past decade, Hamilton has cultivated a down-to-earth and inviting food scene that perfectly matches the city’s spirit and character. The wake of the pandemic prompted a bevy of excellent independent restaurants, craft breweries and cafés to bloom in the Hammer, and—along with the city’s many waterfalls and proximity to the Niagara escarpment—they make for ideal day-trip destinations. Here, 10 new(ish) bars, cafés and restaurants worth the drive to Hamilton.

Related: Eleven new places to eat and drink in Creemore and Collingwood

The Argyle

An English clubhouse–themed bar with a posh G&T menu and three 70-course golf simulators

In the summer of 2021, Thomas Lute and Ashlee Smith opened this golf-simulator bar on Hamilton’s east side. Playing golf had been a rare source of joy for Lute during lockdowns, and he wanted to give Hamilton a way to hit balls all year round. But the Argyle isn’t your typical strip-mall-basement golf-simulator bar; it’s a warm and stately space styled like a vintage British clubhouse. The room is divided into two areas: the front—a lounge cloaked in dark wood, hunter-green accents and leather armchairs—and the back, three golf-simulator bays that visitors can rent by the hour (along with clubs, if needed), with over 70 green options that replicate famous courses around the world to a tee. There are local craft beers (and Guinness) on tap, but cocktails are the focus here, with about 10 house tipples and a whole slew of G&Ts. While the food menu is limited, Lute and Smith are all for visitors bringing their own snacks to keep them energized for another 18 holes.

What to try: The smoked old fashioned, a bourbon-forward drink that’s essentially the steaming fajitas of cocktails.

Wildcat Tavern

An ultra-relaxed nouveau dive bar inspired by American ballparks

Part of the revitalization of Hamilton’s Barton Village, Wildcat has quickly become a staple. Co-owners and Toronto expats Ian Leipurts and Jenna Firscht had been making trips out to Hamilton for years before moving there with the intention of opening an accessible watering hole that doesn’t skimp on quality. Wildcat’s beverage program centres American macro-beers, with most pints going for less than $7. The cocktails are quick and quirky, like the Rumpari Ting, a bottle of the grapefruit-flavoured soda emptied of a quarter of its contents and refilled with Appleton Estates rum, Campari, lime and a jaunty cocktail umbrella. The food selection is snacky and features loaded hot dogs (with a plant-based option available), nachos and ice cream sandwiches from Kawartha Dairy. Additionally, Wednesdays bring cheese pierogies piled with briny house sauerkraut and smoked sour cream.

What to try: A Doritos Supreme hot dog, loaded with crushed chips, tomato, lettuce and smoked sour cream. Pair it with a funky Pickle Barrel shot and a Wildcat Lager.

Barrel Heart Brewing

A farmhouse brewery passionately crafting old-world saisons in a historic clock tower

This past March, after 12 years in the brewing industry, Mark Horsley (formerly of Nickel Brook and Collective Arts) and Elaine Mitropoulos opened their farmhouse-style brewery and taproom in a historic clock tower. Although technically in Dundas, the brewery is worth the extra 20-minute drive. The name Barrel Heart quickly gets to the core of their business: barrel-aged beers brewed with passion and spirit using only what’s close to home and in season. Visitors can expect up to a dozen options on tap that rotate frequently. Fortunately, the Washed Away by Sea, a citrusy low-ABV gose with a pleasant saline finish, is a mainstay and pairs nicely with the Belgian-inspired snack menu. Think cheese boards, country terrines and chicken liver mousse—perfect for afternoon grazing.

What to try: Cherries Aged by Grace, a bone-dry wine-like saison aged on Niagara’s Montmorency cherries.

Synonym

A morning-to-night café serving up third-wave coffee, natural wine and Middle Eastern–inspired brunch

Coffee comes in every form at this James Street café and brunch spot. Ali Kolahdouzan has made it his mission to source the world’s most ethically produced beans, and each day the shop offers seven single-origin coffees that visitors can order as either drip or espresso. Naturally, Kolahdouzan also uses only milk from the happiest of cows—those of Sheldon Creek Farm, which he frequents to ensure the milk’s high quality (and because cows are cute). The Middle Eastern–inspired brunch menu of challah French toast, loaded breakfast sandwiches and yogurt with house-made granola pairs nicely with the bright coffee roasted by Ethica. Brunch is available from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., after which a modest list of cocktails, natural wine and sophisticated non-alcoholic drinks becomes available—along with live jazz every Friday night

What to try: The shakshuka—two silky poached eggs swimming in a spiced tomato and pepper sauce, served with a drizzle of tahini and fresh pita for dipping. Feta cheese is an optional add-on but, quite frankly, a must.

Joshy’s Good Eats

A lox, schmear and bagel stand in the Hamilton Farmers’ Market

A roundup of Hamilton’s finest wouldn’t be complete without at least one business in the city’s excellent farmers’ market, a cherished institution open all year long, Wednesday through Saturday. Toronto expat Josh Charbonneau (formerly of Schmaltz Appetizing) opened his sandwich-and-bagel-staples stand in 2020. He loved how accessible it was to start a small business in the market and how Hamilton residents can shop local without breaking the bank. Ideal for a lazy Saturday morning, the deli-style bagels (baked on-site daily) are sliced and stuffed with things like Charbonneau’s signature gin-finished lox, purple beet-cured salmon, Maryland spiced trout, smoked fish dip, fluffy cream cheese and a selection of zippy pickles (of which the preserved lemon tapenade is a standout). Everything on the menu is also available by weight, so customers can get it all to go for an at-home bagel bar.

What to try: The Loon, a sesame, poppy seed or everything bagel with a schmear of whipped cream cheese, a slab of Maryland-spiced trout, a scoop of smoked white fish salad, and a spoonful of pickled onions and capers.

Rosales Diner

A classic diner—made for long, lazy Sundays—with surprisingly good coffee and pastries

Named after owner Roman Kremnev’s son, Rosales operates out of what was once Ray’s Boathouse, a long-standing pub in the Kirkendall neighbourhood. When Kremnev took over the space in 2024, he wanted to keep it accessible to the local community but make it more family friendly. Cue big booths, milkshakes and buttermilk pancakes sized to share. The menu is equal parts homey and elegant and lists diner classics that Kremnev has skillfully elevated using fresh local ingredients whenever possible. The popular herbaceous meatloaf—which controversially doesn’t contain ketchup—is poached in a steam bath and then quickly seared moments before it hits the table. It comes with grilled lemony green beans, a small mountain of mashed potatoes and rich gravy. But best of all, Rosale’s very good drip coffee, roasted by Detour, is bottomless.

What to try: The coconut cream tart—coated in dark chocolate, filled with coconut pastry cream and topped with fresh chantilly cream—is almost six inches high. What trip to a diner is complete without a slice of pie?

Le Tambour

A candlelit French tavern with open-fire cooking

Chef Teo Paul (Union, Heart’s Tavern, Côte de Bœuf) opened his Hamilton satellite restaurant in late 2023. That same year, he decided to move into the apartment above it and cook at least two services a week. Fans of Paul’s cooking will find Le Tambour’s steak-celebratory Parisian menu, quality wine list, horseshoe-shaped bar and wine-barrel high tops quite familiar. But one key difference here is the open-fire stovetop inspired by the one at his grandfather’s cottage, where Paul’s love of steak may have started. Naturally, the smoky, charred prime cuts take centre stage, but it’s tough to top the talk-of-the-town burger, topped with a gooey layer of American cheddar, house pickles and secret Tavern Sauce. On the side: perfect fries.

What to try: Go all out with the top sirloin for two. The generous cut of steak gets bathed in a rich marinade before it’s grilled over the fire to juicy medium-rare sublimity. Get it with a side of roasted veggies and an order of these aforementioned fries.

The Cannon

A beloved neighbourhood café featuring innovative coffee and wondrous waffles

Open for just over a decade, the Cannon has been a long-standing source for coffee and waffles on Ottawa Street (which, it should be mentioned, is an excellent strip for spending a whole day antique-hunting). The café’s menu features the standard suite of Italian espresso-based drinks as well as seasonal creations like a carrot cake latte and a ginger ale matcha float. There are also breakfast, lunch and brunch dishes, but the waffles—which come in a variety of sweet and savoury flavours—are the core of the food program. In early 2023, the café moved across the street into a larger and more modern space, and feeling up to a new challenge, owner Chris Poirier has recently started roasting beans on-site. Poirier’s excellent coffee palate and passion for good joe shows. His house-roasted coffees hit the sweet spot of light-to-medium roast and are complex and aromatic in style. And he’s created a café that attracts a small but mighty community of coffee-curious folks who take a genuine interest in the origin and profile of their morning cup.

What to try: The waffle breakfast sandwich—an egg, sliced tomato, fresh greens and spicy mayo squished between two cheddar waffles. For dessert, a pistachio brown butter latte.

Mai Pai

A tropical Detroit-style pizza bar shaking up fun cocktails meant for sharing

Hamilton is often compared to Detroit, so it’s fitting that someplace in the city would make a mean Detroit-style pizza. Mai Pai is not only puffing up delicious rectangular pies with thick, chewy crusts that would bring a tear to a Detroiter’s eye—they’re also serving up iconic tropical cocktails, an ideal pairing for fans of pineapple on pizza. The drinks (painkillers, euphorias, Hawaiian sunsets) are rum-forward, and pals who like to share can enjoy the citrusy large-format Scorpion Bowl for two. And for those who believe pizza could always use more pepperoni, Mai Pai’s Pepperoni Pile On—which ensures that every inch of the pizza’s surface is covered in the stuff—should deliver. The place is unsurprisingly popular, so owner Salar Madadi recommends making a reservation a week or two in advance to avoid disappointment.

What to try: The Do You Wanna?—the staff’s favourite pie—is topped with spicy ’nduja, sweet fig jam, ricotta and basil. To drink: a blended daiquiri.

Maisy’s Pearl

A pocket-sized oyster bar and seafood cove owned by a shucking champion

After over a decade in the seafood biz—including many spent at Rodney’s Oyster House—David Burns opened Maisy’s Pearl. The 20-seat restaurant in Barton Village celebrates shellfish and, most importantly for Burns, doesn’t “hose” people when it comes to prices. Over the years, he’s built close working relationships with fishmongers, and he likes to extend his insider pricing to Maisy’s customers. Oysters are Burns’s main beat, and visitors can pop up to the lively chef’s bar and order rotating bivalves by the dozen. The menu also offers two signature lobster rolls (Boston or PEI style) that proudly contain over five ounces of sweet lobster meat in each squishy potato roll. Also noteworthy on the menu are silky seared scallops topped with caramelized pork belly as well as a heaping bowl of mussels served with house-made focaccia for sauce-mopping. Burns also intermittently hosts classes for anyone looking to shape up their shellfish palate and get nerdy about seafood terroir.

What to try: The Maryland crab cakes, each body-and-claw-stuffed orb the size of a softball. Vying for authenticity, Burns ate his way through Baltimore to get the Maisy’s recipe just right.