Growing up in Hamilton, summer break has always been synonymous with downtown trips, a waltz through the farmers’ market with my parents and promises of sweet treats after we’re all done.
Ice cream, chocolates, candy and specialty sodas were my first sugar servings of choice, but As I grew older, my go-to treat was bubble tea.
The Taiwanese soy milk tea beverage served with tapioca bubbles, grass jelly or pudding needs no introduction for most urbanites, but it was still a novel treat for a kid who spent his youth mostly confined to the suburbs.
As I explored more, I soon stumbled upon A&J Sugarbowl. While I first was excited to finally find a cup of bubble tea under $5, I soon found a treasure-cove of all my favourite summer sweets.
A&J Sugarbowl is located on 124 MacNab Street North and features a gigantic selection of desserts and snacks, ranging from a wide selection of specialty chocolates, bubble tea, Chapman’s ice cream, flavoured cotton candy, popcorn, egg waffles, crepes and funnel cake.
Take any bus from campus to Main at MacNab. Walk towards King Street East, through the MacNab bus terminal station.
If you decide to walk down James Street North, proceed until you reach the Cannon Street West intersection.
Walk west along Cannon until you reach MacNab Street North. A&J will be right on the corner.
If the weather is too warm, you can also walk through Jackson Square, through the food court, and into the Hamilton Farmers’ Market.
Exit the market through the glass doors facing York Boulevard and MacNab Street North intersection.
Cross the street and walk down MacNab Street. A&J will be on the corner of the MacNab and Cannon intersection.
$5 to $10 will cover almost all of your sugary cravings at A&J.
Bubble starts at around $3, and goes up to around $6 for large slushie bubble teas.
Three scoops of ice cream is still only priced at $2.96, with sundaes and banana splits still under $6. Even the more decadent desserts are still priced between $8-$10.
I find myself walking through the door most often craving a Coconut or Mango milk bubble tea.
If I’m looking for something more refreshing than sweet, they thankfully allow you to customize the original milk tea recipe with four different types of tea.
If you are bringing a group, I highly recommend splitting some of the more delectable items on the menu, including the dessert ice cream waffles, homemade churros or the funnel cake with ice cream.
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While there are many nearby James Street North locations to indulge in some seasonal foods, I would argue that and A&J should be one of your primary choices this summer.
Their menu truly has something for everybody. It is centrally located if you are out for a full day of downtown plans, but it has also has a laidback, inviting atmosphere for those in need of a place to stay a while.
It is open late hours with readily available seating. The service is always warm and friendly, and they even provide a couple board games, inviting patrons to stay a while and enjoy their desserts (and their air conditioning).
A&J is more than just a convenient spot to get your sugar fix. To me, it embodies everything that excites me about summer.
Cold drinks, big scoops of ice cream and every one of your favourite name brand confectionaries and sharing those all with your reunited group of hometown friends.
If there was a meal to cure a miserable, late winter day, a sizzling stone bowl packed with rice, your favourite meat or tofu, veggies, and kimchi from Bul & Gogi Korean BBQ may be your best choice.
Bul & Gogi is an often overlooked dining option when students first begin exploring the James Street North neighborhood.
What it lacks in foodie popularity, it more than makes up for in its delicious and generous portions of Korean BBQ and other South East Asian cuisine.
If you’re coming to Bul & Gogi, you better come hungry.
To tide yourself over before your big lunch/dinner, start with the mildly spiced, warm and chewy skewered rice cakes. Don’t be mistaken by their size, these cakes can be a little filling if you are having them by yourself, so they are perfect for splitting with a friend.
While there is a vast selection of BBQ, hotpot and noodle options, my personal go-to will always be one of their stone bowls.
It’s a simple, elegant way of serving the reliable meal of rice, protein and a ton of veggies, alongside a tray of a daikon, kimchi and other extras to spice up your meal, all served and cooked in steaming granite bowl dressed with sesame oil.
If you’re feeling especially hungry, I highly recommend adding an egg for an extra dollar. Watching your egg cook before your eyes as you mix it in your piping-hot bowl is simple, culinary bliss.
Take any downtown bus to Main and MacNab Transit Terminal. Walk over to King Street through the bus terminal, and then walk down James Street North until you reach Cannon Street East.
The restaurant is directly across Smalls Coffee and Mixed Media art supply store.
Appetizers start at $4 to $10. Most of their options are priced at the lower end of that range.
Stone bowls are incredibly filling, and depending on your choice of protein, the bowls will run $9 to $12, including an added serving of miso soup. Larger portions of soups, noodles, stews and BBQ rolls are generally around $7 to $8.
Korean BBQ platters start at $7, all the way up to $20, but all options include miso soup, steamed rice and salad.
It’s hard not to love the James Street North and Cannon Street East location. It is conveniently located for students travelling to the downtown core, and it provides one of the more affordable dining options on the street.
The staff are always friendly, and even provide a fridge full of free ice cream or popsicles for anyone who dines in.
For me this place has been a consistent dining choice for the same group of friends I’ve had since high school. It caters to our gargantuan appetites, without having to go to one of the pricier, all-you-can eat locales.
Bul & Gogi has always provided a reliable meal to break up a day out in the sun or much needed comfort after another winter semester week.
It’s difficult to want to do anything at this point in the winter, and, for that matter, the school year. As assignments (and maybe snow from a freak blizzard) pile up, it’s tempting to just hunker down and wait for the grass to turn green again.
Until spring arrives though, Papagayo can serve as your replacement for colour, flowers and a bit of excitement. The bright, homey Mexican restaurant stands out from many of the dull storefronts on the strip of King Street West it inhabits.
Portion sizes (with respect to both meals and cocktails) are generous, and the dining room feels welcoming and full of art. The fan-folded napkins and tablecloths feel a bit dated, but that is part of Papagayo’s charm: it’s not a modern tacqueria, and it has no illusions of being one.
Take any downtown bus to Main and Caroline. Walk north to King Street West and turn left. The restaurant is about half a block west, at 246 King Street West.
Papagayo is the perfect destination for a small occasion. Dinner entrees average out to around $15, and lunch items are mostly priced at $10.50.
Perhaps not the cheapest place on the block, Papagayo’s food is absolutely worth the extra few dollars. Everything I’ve ever tried tastes homemade and all the flavours work perfectly together. They also post specials on their Instagram account (@papagayohamilton).
The mole con pollo is a perfect-sized dinner dish. The mole sauce has a little kick, but it’s completely manageable for even those who don’t usually like spice.
The sides are also prepared with care; the refried beans are delicious with the Mexican-style rice, and the whole dish comes together as a cozy, filling treat.
On the drinks side of the menu, Papagayo’s strawberry daiquiris are unbeatable. They use real strawberries to flavour the drink, making it seem like summer has come early, at least until the last sip.
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Papagayo is not a fancy experience, and even less so is it a foodie experience.
Unlike other modern Mexican/Mexican-inspired eateries, Papagayo’s dishes are presented without pretension or aspirations of becoming a mouth-watering Instagram post. It’s just good food.
It’s a great distance from campus, being far enough away that it feels like you’ve left the McMaster area without going so far away that you have to commit to a serious amount of travel time.
It’s also a great place to spend time with friends. The spaciousness of the dining room allows for mid-size parties to be accommodated with ease and they offer plenty of appetizers that are great for sharing with a group.
The relaxing environment, great food and drinks and good company make Papagayo the perfect place to unwind and forget about that assignment you have due at the end of the week.
By: Hafsa Sakhi
Masala Corner is the perfect name for this delicious Indian restaurant, conveniently placed at the edge of a small plaza across the street from Westdale Secondary School.
Masala Corner presents an affordable menu that is flavourful and simple, with popular dishes like butter chicken, naan bread and chicken biryani.The restaurant caters to a variety of lifestyles, cooking up vegetarian and meat dishes, a range of desserts, lunch specials, gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan and Halal food.
Upon entering, you are greeted by the cheery chef. He is the only staff member, diligently preparing every order. It is a small restaurant, yet it feels incredibly warm and comfortable, with classic Bollywood music playing softly in the background, and a chalkboard displaying their selection of Indian comfort food.
For most students, the restaurant will be a convenient walk as it is located just a few minutes from the Main and Longwood bus stop. Once you arrive at Main and Longwood, walk towards Westdale, and after two minutes, you’ll be at your destination. The restaurant neighbours Pizza Pizza.
The menu is affordable, ranging from lunch specials (vegetarian: $7.99, meat: $8.99), dinner combos (vegetarian: $10.50, meat: $11.50), walk-in specials priced from $0.99-$11.50 and desserts of the day at around $3.
The restaurant also offers dinner for two at $30, and for four at $56.
I love the lunch specials that are available until 2 p.m. The portion size is generous and incredibly filling.
I get the meat special which comes with the hugest naan bread I’ve ever seen in my life, butter chicken, rice, small salad with dressing, spicy chickpeas and a sweet, syrupy gulab jamun for dessert.
The vegetarian special substitutes butter chicken for palak paneer (a spinach and cheese dish). For smaller items, the mango lassi is a creamy, yogurt-based beverage blended with fruit and spices. And of course, adding on some extra samosas with your meal is always a safe bet.
My brother and I both love searching for new places to eat, and he spotted Masala Corner while commuting to school.
We contemplated trying it out, and before we entered the restaurant, the head chef waved at us through the glass door and warmly welcomed us to come in. We were shocked at the incredible deals. We ordered the lunch specials and were amazed at the portion size. The food was delicious.
I love the diverse menu and it is made special through the single chef working diligently in the back kitchen, cutting coriander and listening to his tunes.
The casual and friendly atmosphere, and I felt incredibly welcomed and well-served. I highly recommend Masala Corner for hungry students on a budget who are looking to break up their usual eating routine.
Bastoni’s Shawarma & Grill serves up authentic, Mediterranean cuisine that treat your taste buds to a marriage of smokey flavours and aromatic seasonings. Besides shawarma, the menu includes kabobs, gyros and falafel, as well as a variety of appetizers, salads, wraps and rice plates. The King St West staple is situated in a modest space that is not fancy by any means; you’d likely walk past without paying any attention to it. Its charm derives from how it doesn’t try to be something that it is not. Bastoni’s is an unassuming neighbourhood joint that offers up some seriously delicious comfort food at great prices.
Take any downtown bus (1, 5, 51) and get off at Main and Caroline. Turn left onto Caroline Street South and walk until you hit King Street West. Once you’ve reached the corner of King and Caroline, turn left onto King Street West and the destination will be to your right. The aroma of savoury shawarma and flavourful falafel will waft towards you as you make your way down the short stretch on King Street West, so don’t worry about getting lost.
Bastoni’s is perfect for students on a budget — you don’t have to break the bank to score some seriously tasty food when you’re tired of the same PB and J sandwich you’ve been eating for the past five days. Prices range from $3.00 for a small order of fries to $14.00 for their mixed grill plate which features a variety of kabobs and shawarma with rice and salad.
The chicken shawarma plate is a great pick — a layer of tender, marinated chicken shawarma on a bed of warm basmati rice, seasoned to perfection. You also have the option of selecting over a dozen toppings — from pita chips to pickled turnips to customize your order to your heart’s content.
Sultan, the father of the father-son duo who runs the restaurant, finishes off each and every shawarma order with his signature phrase: “White sauce, hot sauce?” (I have seriously contemplated starting a line of baseball caps or t-shirts that feature this iconic slogan. Stay tuned.) White sauce refers to his homemade garlic-tzatziki sauce; I suggest you say a resounding yes to both.
If you’re craving chicken shawarma but have less of an appetite, the chicken shawarma wrap is just as tasty. All the same toppings and sauces apply. Another customer favourite is the chicken shawarma poutine, which tastes as delicious as it sounds.
For vegans and vegetarians, do not fret as Bastoni’s falafel rivals the popularity of their signature chicken shawarma. In addition, other popular meat-less items include their hummus, tabouli salad and lentil soup.
There are few things in life better than local, neighbourhood food spots that forgo pretension and thrive off honest and good food at solid prices. Bastoni’s shows that you don’t have to settle for mediocrity purely due to the confines of a budget. With generous portions and hearty ingredients, a trip to this Mediterranean kitchen guarantees a scrumptious bang for your buck that hits the spot. The restaurant is also open late on most days, satisfying late night munchies of Hess Street party-goers and neighbourhood regulars alike.
By: Adrianna Michell
What it isÂ
The V-Spot Vegan Café & Eatery is like the cool vegan mom on the block, and they’re bringing delicious ethical eats to Hamilton one wrap at a time.
You’ve probably already seen the V-Spot on your Instagram feed without even realizing it. Their vegan dishes are a treat for the eye and the stomach. Serving smoothies, wraps and bowls the V-Spot is ideal for lunch with friends or a study date.
How to get there from Westdale/Ainslie WoodÂ
Grab the next 52 bus at Main and Emerson Get off at King at Ogilvie and walk west along King to Miller's Lane. Make a left onto Miller’s; the V-Spot will be on your right on the next block.
How muchÂ
Prices range from $4 to $15, the cheapest option being the Three Bean Chilli. Beverages range from $2.75 to $6.50.
What to getÂ
Their fresh mango-avocado spring rolls are perfect for a lighter, refreshing meal.
During the colder months try their spiced garbanzo and coconut stew—it’s as sweet and savoury as it is satisfying. For the best deal, however, get the pizza of the day with a side salad or fries. It will fill you up for only $10; the toppings change with the day, but you can count on something delicious.
As a caffeine lover, I’d be remiss if I didn’t recommend getting a coffee to wash it all down. Every cup is made with fair trade locally roasted Relay coffee.
Why it's great
The V-Spot’s atmosphere is warm and inviting, and their staff are friendly and passionate about ethical eating.
It's a place in which you can truly feel at home, especially considering it is a house to café convert. As soon as you enter through the family home façade, you are welcomed to a calm space perfect for studying or catching up with friends. The back porch during the warmer months offers a back-yard barbeque vibe for every visiting patron, with the quiet bustle of Dundas as the soundtrack.
The décor and food are equally Instagram-able, with flowers usually on the tables and plenty of light to brighten up your day.
As long as you enjoy good food and good company, the V-Spot is the place to be.
I’ve brought my non-vegan mom and non-vegan friend to the V-Spot, and they both enjoyed their meals. Bring your coffee date, visiting parents, friends—vegan and non-vegan alike.
By: Rebecca Murray
Harvest Moon is Chinese restaurant beloved by downtown residents. You won’t find chicken balls on the menu, but you will find a massive selection of authentic foods from Chinese cuisine.
One of the major strengths of this restaurant is the size of the menu with a generous amount of vegetarian and vegan-friendly options. It has been a go-to spot for my friends and I who all have a broad range of eating preferences for years.
Along with a large selection of dinner options, Harvest Moon also has all day dim-sum, hot-pot, and a sad/awesome live seafood tank so you can get fresh fish, crab and lobster if that’s your thing.
Located at 80 James Street North, Harvest Moon sits just above the intersection of Wilson and James. Grab any downtown bus and get off at the MacNab bus terminal.
Walk east to James St. and then north down James to the restaurant. If there's too much bad weather you can walk into Jackson Square at the north end of the bus terminal and walk through the mall exiting at James and Wilson through the City Centre portion (if it looks like some 1980s “Mall of America” shit you're in the right section).
This shortcut route usually limits outdoor exposure to a matter of minutes.
Most of the dinner selections are priced from $10-17 and all have huge serving sizes. (The average menu item can feed 2-4 people depending on how much other food is ordered). There are also $7 lunch combos before 3 pm. The more expensive items are the live seafood and Peking duck which are usually priced at $30-50.
Since the serving sizes are so large, my best advice is to go with four or more people and order a bunch of things and then split the bill. This tends to end with each person paying $15-$20 for a tonne of food, and sometimes leftovers. Harvest Moon is food that is meant to be shared.
For vegans/veggie kids my favourite things are the spicy fried tofu (which is so salty, spicy, fried and delicious I would marry it if I could), the Buddha’s Delight and the spicy fried stringbeans without pork.
Buddha's Delight is mixed stir-fried veggies with fried tofu and an amazing assortment of mushrooms/fungus. The spicy fried string beans are just fried green beans with this amazing spicy sauce on them, but are still considered a favourite by almost everyone I know who eats there.
For non-veggie items, the curry beef brisket soup is recommended by my meat-eating pals. It's a bone broth soup with lot of tasty brisket and tendon. Fun fact: bone broth soup is apparently super good for irritable bowel syndrome so the more you know I guess.
One of the best parts about Harvest Moon is its low-key status among the newer and trendier restaurants in the area.
The decor feels like stepping into an early 90s Seinfeld episode (in a good way) and the frequent patrons are often just large families sitting at the huge round tables. The staff are the perfect mix of friendly and cranky and the food is always fantastic.
There is no lack of character or flavour at Harvest Moon and for a reasonable amount of money, you can share a meal with a large group of friends and eat to your heart's content.
What it is
Brunch is my favourite meal of the day. It’s the perfect mix of sweet and savoury, going out and being lazy. And at the Harbour Diner, the staff have nailed that balance.
Offering a range of omelettes, fried eggs, bacon and sweet treats, this restaurant is a must-try for anyone serious about brunch.
For its seasoned patrons, the restaurant is a neighbourhood favourite and it’s no wonder it has been featured on You Gotta Eat Here! and many other food blogs and websites. The diner’s plain exterior reveals a cozy collection of tables and chairs inside, welcoming both regular guests and new fans.
How to get there from Westdale/Ainslie Wood
Hop on any downtown bus (1, 5, 51) and get off at Main and Bay. Walk north half a block on Bay Street to the Bay and George stop and wait for the 4 Bayfront bus. The Harbour Diner (486 James Street North) is just south of the James and Picton stop.
How much
For brunch, prices range from $7 to about $15, but the average price is around $10. For lunch and dinner, prices start a little closer to $10, and the restaurant website recommends making a reservation.
What to get
It’s no secret that I love bread, so my go-to at the Harbour Diner is their cinnamon raisin French toast. It’s everything I’m looking for in a brunch dish: a little crunchy around the crust, but the centre of each piece is fluffy, creating the perfect, oh-so-important bread to syrup ratio.
To cut the sweetness a little, order a side of their home fries (or steal them from your brunch date). They’re crispy, a little greasy and delicious.
Why it’s greatÂ
Between the old, slightly peeling wallpaper and the mismatched retro furniture, the Harbour Diner feels like home from the moment you walk in.
The food is presented without pretension on a variety of plates that could have been scooped up at a selection of yard sales and the Motown and 70s pop playlists only add to the restaurant’s cozy atmosphere.
I love the Harbour Diner because its vibe feels perfect no matter what time of year it is.
It’s close enough to the bus stop that you’re not left to the elements for terribly long in the winter, but it’s also a short enough walk from Hamilton’s bayfront that in nicer weather, your day out practically plans itself.
My first trip to the Harbour Diner was with a good friend after a pretty rough week last winter.
It was that kind of heavy, miserable weather so common in Ontario in March, but I could feel the coziness of the diner from the moment we walked through the door.
Food may not be a cure-all, and it can’t cancel out a bad day, but if any food could, it would be from the brunch menu at the Harbour Diner.
