Hamilton Area Update

[cupidom]

Hi All,

Just a quick update on some great spots in the Hamilton area that I've been to recently.

Ya Man! Caribbean Cusine - This place is great; Dahl soup, pholaries and Roti were all excellent. I had the goat and chicken roti. Jerk Chicken salad is also great as it comes with fresh mango.

La Luna Express - I've been to both the Upper James and Centennial locations and both are excellent. Great salads, wraps and other Lebanese foods. Highly recommend.

Jimmy Gringo's in Westdale near McMaster and Ole Gourmet on Locke both serve a great burrito and I would recommend both.

Papagayo on King Street was fairly good. Cute place, slow service with decent Mexican food.

Pastacino on Upper James has excellent Lasagna, Cannelloni, Manicotti and Rotolo. All made in house. Service is a bit concerning sometimes, but the food is great and the atmosphere is a pure "pasta house".

Claudio's on Jackson (near La Cantina and Lopresti's) was a great experience also. Service is top notch and the shrimp bisque is excellent.

As I've always said, Na Roma Pizza Bar on Locke has incredible pizza. Soups and Salads are great as well. I've tried most pizza places in the Hamilton, Ancaster, Dundas area and Na Roma is my favourite right now.

For thin crust pizza - Bread Bar on Locke, Spasso in Stoney Creek and Fortino's on Centennial all serve great thin crust, charred and blistered pizza.

Next on my list is MEX-I-CAN and WASS.

[andy andersen]

I'll second Naroma, a bit cheaper than Bread Bar but not quite as good crustwise.

I can also recommend Jack and Lois highly for breakfast, especially for veg options.

I've also tried Culantro on King William and was very happy - Peruvian food, I had some home-made quinoa empanadas with yucca fries and soursop drink, everything was outstanding. Their meat options looked pretty delicious as well.

We've also got a Burrito Boyz now on Gore Park which is a great addition.

[Food Tourist]

+1 for Memphis Fire BBQ in Winona / Stoney Creek. Terrific smokey ribs.

Also, try the locally roasted coffee at Homegrown Hamilton. You can buy bags to take home (like me). Phenomenal aromas.

[Food Tourist]

Tried the hard-to-find beef ribs at Memphis tonight - less smoky than the pork ribs but really tender, juicy and still toothsome (perfect texture - you don't ever want fall-off-the-bone ribs anywhere!) Their deluxe sides are huge - try the ranch fries. So addictive! Great service, too.

[ylsf]

Anyone been to Jack and Lois on James Street North? I walked by it during Art Crawl on Friday and walked in to check out the menu. Looked good but it was full so we decided to eat elsewhere (ended up at the Indian Tandori restaurant beside Gore Park (forget the name of it, it was an "okay" buffet but nothing special, dried chicken/etc).

http://jackandlois.com/
Has generally positive reviews on Urbanspoon -
http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/242/16529...

[pakmode]

You must have ended up at Mahal?

[ylsf]

Yup, just checked, that is the place.

[ylsf]

I would add Memphis Fire BBQ to this list, it is in Winona very close to Stoney Creek. Great BBQ.

Anyone been to Chuck's Burger Bar? Worth checking out?

[hungryjoanne]

Yes, I've been to Chuck's a couple of times - delicious burgers & sides. My husband had the Cuban Super Burger; I had the blue cheese & bacon burger. Both were excellent - large portions, too - I don't think either of us finished our meal. (Could have been the poutine & onion rings that pushed us over the edge. They were great, too.)
http://chucksburgerbar.com/?page_id=15

I've heard good things about Randy's Burgers on King St. E., but haven't been there yet. Anyone been?
http://www.randysgrassfedhamburgers.ca/

[Jocko B]

Randy's is outstanding. Like Chuck's, you may have to wait, but it is worth it. Take out only, but the Baltic egg bun and hand cut fries are awesome. I'm not a condiment guy, but they are home made and supposedly very good.

[maabso]

I would add Wild Orchid and La Spaghett to your list.

[Wiley1]

How about Harbour Diner? Looked good on Ya Gotta Eat Here..

[hungryjoanne]

We continue to enjoy the food & service at Earth to Table Bread Bar on Locke St. They just changed to their spring menu - taco salad is very good. Pizzas and sandwiches are consistently great. Loaded fries are always amazing. (Can't not order them...)

For quick take-out, Basilique (King St. W & Sterling) has the best chicken shawerma I've ever had. Pizzas are good, interesting topping combos. Also some good vegetarian & vegan options.

Lunch at Detour in Dundas is always a treat. Their smoked meat sandwich is a must-have. They've applied for a liquor license - can't wait to see what's next there.

I'll be trying Rapscallion this weekend - open Sunday evenings only, by reservation only - what chefs do for fun on their day off. Have heard good reports, and am looking forward to our meal there.

[ParsleySage]

+1 for NaRoma.