Ya Man! Caribbean Cuisine

This lovely restaurant located near downtown on King St E serves traditional Trinidadian and Jamaican with a healthier twist. It was opened up in January 2006 by Annie Chow-Mungal and first began as a take-out restaurant. But soon there was large demand for more sittings and a larger clientele so the restaurant was then renovated to include much more seating so it's now considered a sit-in restaurant. Most of the items on their menu contains turmeric and cumin, and there are food choices for those seeking vegan, vegetarian or no wheat in sauces. Ya Man! is a comfortable,casual and affordable restaurant which offers healthy food choices for all individuals seeking a new food experience.

315 King St East Hamilton
(905)-546-1177

www.ya-man.ca/

photo courtesy of the spectator

Mr Grande Pizza

This is a medium pizza! No really!

This is my absolutely favourite pizza place! It separates itself from other pizza places because you can order
the largest pizzas you will ever see!  I ordered a medium pizza as shown in the picture above. At other pizza places that pizza size would be considered an extra large size! The sizes and prices go like this:
small -      14 " - 12.99
medium - 18" - 15.00
large -      22" - 19.25
square -   22" - 21.25
circle -     24" 21.29
square -   25" - 25.49
The taste of the pizza is always delicious especially the sauce, and the toppings are always generous.
It is a bit far up the escarpment in Hamilton but it's well worth the distance! It's great to order a pizza from here especially when your having a couple of friends over.

Mr. Grande Pizza
1157 Rymal Road East Hamilton
(905)-388-5757

www.mrgrande.com

Williams Fresh Cafe (by Hamilton's Waterfront)

I know there are lot of Williams Fresh Cafe (previously known as Williams Coffee Pub) around southern Ontario, but this Williams is specific to the one located on Hamilton's Waterfront. The cafe actually has also had a recent renovation (as have all the other Williams Fresh Cafes as well) and they are constantly coming out with updated menu items. For example, recently they have added their "Wild Pacific Salmon Sandwich" to the menu.They also have many different salads which are very large in size, paninis, wraps, belgium waffles, dessert waffles, cakes, lattes, smoothies  and they serve breakfast all day. They also serve alcoholic beverages at this location. I originally discovered this place a couple of years ago and I feel in love with the coziness of the interior. They have two very comfortable coaches on either side of a fireplace which makes it very easy to fall asleep in. My favourite item off the menu was actually the strawberry milkshake topped off with whip cream or their chai latte topped off with cinnamon. They have local art framed all along the walls and pictures of past marine life in the area This area has become a great tourist spot for anyone visiting Hamilton or for anyone else just wishing to enjoy outdoor marine life here. After their renovations they have added an outdoor ice skating rink and a small ice cream shop which is open in the summer. All season round this area is very busy, especially in the summer, visitors could face a large line out the front door!

Williams Fresh Cafe

47 Discovery Rd (at Waterfront) Hamilton

(905)-522-5664

http://www.williamsfreshcafe.com/

Sushi Star (authentic Japanese cuisine)

(above) After renovation

(above) Before renovation

I have dined here both before their renovation and after. Before the new management took over, Sushi Star wasn't the best restaurant to dine at to put it lightly. But now after the recent renovations, the interior has 

been changed to a much more modern and classy style. Plus the staff is much more attentive and the service is very fast. The way the ordering is done is that on the menu beside each item choice is a number and at you table you have a piece of paper which you fill out with the numbers that you want, and you can fill out as many papers as you want. The only issue is that if you don't finish your food you will have to pay a certain amount for each piece left on your plate! My friend and I ran into this problem one time when we ordered too many dishes to our table and we were surprisingly full after two rounds. So what I suggest is to order a couple of dishes at a time. Located right in the downtown vicinity,Sushi Star is definitely a must visit! It will leave you feeling very stuffed.

Sushi Star
127 King St E Hamilton
(905)-522-5093
www.sushistarcuisine.ca

photo courtesy of : www.yelp.ca and www.google.com/maps

Black Forest Inn

Best for Austrian, German and Continental cuisine, the Black Forest Inn has been opened since 1967. It is located on 255 King St East and attracts german and non german customers alike. The staff serves their customers dressed in dirndls which adds to the European atmosphere. On their menu they have a wide variety of different schnitzel such as schnitzel served in a paprika sauce or mushroom sauce, all selected from six European countries. They also have different goulash and a wide variety of desserts. This restaurant is family friendly, and is at a good value for the delicious food they serve. There is only one problem; they do not take reservations so anyone wanting to dine here will have to come early!

255 King St E Hamilton
(905)-528-3538
www.blackforestinn.ca

photo courtesy of Black Forest Inn

Dining Lounge Shakespeare's

This restaurant is considered one of Hamilton's best fine dining restaurants. They are actually categorized as a  specialty restaurant considering diners have the opportunity to eat wild game such as ostrich filet mignon, caribou, venison and buffalo steaks. They also have a large variety of seafood such as swordfish, red snapper, trout, sea bass, pickerel and much more. What else makes this restaurant unique is that it is a family run restaurant and chef Franco Putignano is regularly looking for freshness and quality in their food and wines   to adjust to the public's tastes. That is probably why this restaurant has lasted throughout the years (started his restaurant in 1969!)
Shakespeare's is definitely not going to be light on a diner's wallet but you will get the best quality for what you pay for (especially the impressive variety the diner is offered).
Reservations are definitely recommended!

Dining Lounge
Shakespeare's est 1969
181 Main St. East
(905)-528-0689
http://www.shakespeares.ca/

photo courtesy of www.facebook.com/shakespeare's

Ventura Signature Restaurant (portuguese food 2)

This is another portuguese restaurant that I have dined at. Just a bit up the street from the Wild Orchid and a bit different, this restaurant is a bit more expensive dining. The dishes are a bit more expensive and the dining is a bit more formal. When I went here to eat I ordered as an appetizer the "Smoked Persunto", which is thin slices of smoked ham with black olives. For my meal I ordered, "Beef a Casa" which was similar to the "Prego no Prato" that i ordered at the Wild Orchid except this meal is a grilled beef steak instead of pork with the same egg on top of the steak served with fries and rice. This is definitely my favourite type of meal.
The staff was friendly and courteous and the atmosphere was cozy and there was a lot of space so it didn't feel too crowded. For anyone coming to Hamilton they should definitely dine at Ventura! The restaurant recommends to make a reservations in advance.

178 James Street N Hamilton
(905)-777-8490
http://www.venturasignature.com/

The Wild Orchid (portuguese food)

A couple of days ago I was able to take my boyfriend to a delicious portuguese restaurant on 286 James St North in downtown Hamilton. The food we ordered was absolutely delicious and very filling. We first shared an appetizer called "Pao de Aveira" which is portuguese sausage stuffed in oven baked bread and coated with garlic olive oil.

For dinner he ordered the "Petisco da Casa" which is stir fry combination consisting of pork, bacon, chorica (portuguese sausage), red and green peppers, mushrooms, onion, olives and fried cubed potatoes, and for myself I ordered "Prego no Prato" which is a traditional portuguese dish of a pork steak topped over french fries with an egg on top with a side of rice.

The atmosphere is very cozy and the staff is extremely attentive and friendly. This restaurant is a favourite of many customers, including myself. And for those who enjoy traditional Balcalhau dishes (cod fish), your best choice in Hamilton is to come to this restaurant for a delicious seafood dish.
For more information and to view their menu go to their website: http://www.wildorchidrestaurant.ca/

286 James St North Hamilton
(905)-528-7171

Poutines Galore!!

Who  loves a great poutine? That's right, everybody! This lovely poutinerie named Smoke's Poutinerie is located in Hess Village in the Nightclub District. I recently went here with my boyfriend and ordered a simply  poutine with the works, and boy, did they ever load up on the cheese and gravy. It was absolutely delicious. They not only have regular poutines, they also have other creations on their menu such as Italian Poutine with homemade meat sauce, Nacho Grande Poutine with chili, tomato salsa, guacamole, sour cream and jalapenos peppers and Hogtown Poutine with bacon, Italian sausage, mushrooms and onions. And that's just a tiny bit of the variety of options they have to offer on their menu. So for all poutine lovers out there, this is the place to visit when your coming down to Hamilton especially if your heading out the Nightclubs in Hess Village. It is conveniently opened very late on weekends. Here's the website for all the information and menu: 

112 George St Hamilton

(289)-389-8779

http://smokespoutinerie.com/Default.aspx