Downtown Bureau

Some of my Favourite Things

This is simply a sampling of some of my favourite things about Hamilton.

By Jason Leach
Published February 19, 2005

So often, we get too busy with life and forget to enjoy the nice things or take the time to find new things in our city.

Here is a listing of some of my favourite things about Hamilton. You may not agree on all of them, but I can guarantee that you will be fascinated, surprised, enriched and come away with a new perspective of our city if you'll take me up on this offer to discover some hidden gems in Hamilton that you may have never heard of, and re-discover some well-known ones that you've probably taken for granted for too long.

I'll break thing down into categories for your ease of discovery, but other than that, don't read too much into the order in which things appear. This is simply a sampling of some of my favourite things about Hamilton.

Food

Anyone who knows me won't be surprised that I'm starting with this category. Our city is blessed with the third largest immigrant population in Canada and folks, the food is heavenly.

Asian

How about some Asian fare? You know we're a multi-cultural city when 5 new Asian eateries open downtown in one month. This past December saw exactly that. Here is a sampling of Hamilton's Asian fare, but first - the new kids on the block.

Now, on to some others that have become heavyweights in the local dining scene:

Middle Eastern

Have you ever tried a shawarma or souvlaki? You should.

There are amazing little middle eastern markets and cafes that are so easy to miss, but have become huge favourites in our city.

Indian

Did someone say 'Indian spices please!' No prob.

Sandwiches

How about a big old sandwich?

Bakeries

Man can't live on bread alone, although you'll want to after checking out these bakeries.

Hamilton Farmers Market

It speaks for itself, and is one of the greatest institutions in this city. The BEST coffee you will ever have is sold here by a Colombian immigrant located at the bottom of the escalators. Simply amazing!

You'll find everything from cheese, meats, fish, breads, desserts, spices, sauces, recipes, fruit, veggies, flowers and of course, the world-famous muffalata sandwich at Sam's Meat and Cheese at the top of the escalators. You won't believe your tastebuds. I'm not kidding!

Ok, enough of the food talk - my stomach is rumbling! Let's move outside so we can walk off all this grub.

Waterfront

Hamilton is extremely blessed to have a vibrant waterfront. Many cities (see Toronto) ruin their waterfronts by driving out the shipping industry and scenic views and replacing them with ugly, massive high-rise apartments that block sunlight and create roaring wind-tunnels.

Kudos to Hamilton City Council for having the wisdom to put our redeveloping harbour through a strict planning phase before allowing developers to kill it. The end result will be a place we can all be proud of and enjoy year-round.

Hamilton has so much to offer and so much to enjoy. Get out and enjoy your city. You'll love what you find!

Last Month - Coffee

Jason Leach was born and raised in the Hammer and currently lives downtown with his wife and children. You can follow him on twitter.

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By daniel (anonymous) | Posted August 31, 2015 at 23:13:00

You sure you posted that Feb, 2015?

A good number of the restaurants you mention don't even exist anymore and haven't for quite some time.

Harvest Moon is hardly new. Tim's been there since before I moved to the Hammer 6 years ago.

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