Hammer Time

Ten new restaurants, bars and cafés that are worth the drive to Hamilton

- BY LINDSEY KING

ROSALES DINER 303 Dundurn St. S., rosalesdiner.ca

Rosales operates out of the former home of Ray’s Place, a longstanding morning-to-late-night watering hole.

When Roman Kremnev took over the space in 2024, he kept the local feel but made it more family friendly. Cue big booths, frosty milkshakes and an all-day breakfast menu that includes diner classics—fluffy omelettes, yogurt parfaits and buttermilk pancakes sized to share—all made with locally sourced ingredients wherever possible. Good news for caffeine fiends: Rosales’s very good drip coffee, roasted by Detour, is bottomless. The diner closes at 4 p.m., making way for popup nights with emerging chefs or one-off collaborations with other restaurants once or twice a month.

WHAT TO TRY: A tuna melt with a side of tater tots ($21) and a slice of seasonal pie ($9) topped with a swirl of vanilla soft serve ($4.50).

Le Tambour

Chef Teo Paul—the guy behind Union, Côte de Bœuf and Heart’s Tavern—opened his Hamilton satellite in late 2023 to local acclaim, and after appearing in a couple of episodes of Heated Rivalry, the restaurant is buzzier than ever. Fans of Paul's food will find Le Tambour’s steak-centric Parisian menu, quality wine list and wine-barrel high-tops familiar. But one key difference is Le Tambour’s open-fire grill, which lends prime cuts some extra smoky pizzazz. On Fridays and Saturdays, diners can rock up to the chef's table for a five-course meal served “Hamilton style,” which, according to Paul, means no bells or whistles. That said, the current menu lists dishes like oysters chawanmushi, beef Wellington and whole grilled turbot.