Eldorados
Gone now! A very sad day for me! Was my favourite eating place in Hamilton. The new owner (Lisa) has gone and killed Eldorados - it turned into "Stones Throw". First went there in '86 shortly after it opened. Lovely Mexican food, and the freshly killed salad is just that. Fell in love with the Chorizo sausage they used. My favourites were the Chilli con Queso, the Chimichanga, and the Fillet Relleno steak, with chorizo and olives. Boo hoo. And Hamilton has not had a decent Mexican since.
Bayon (Cambodian) Cafe
When Bayon shut, it was a sad blow for Hamilton eating. Thanks for a wonderful time, and some excellent food, you just picked the photo that looked the nicest. The Chicken with Lemongrass (used to be called Dry Curried Chicken) was great, as was the Chicken with mushroom, tofu, and cashew nut. Used to do lovely "fishs teak (fish steak)" and "stirfry with eggnoodle under". Apparently there is a small sign saying it is relocating, but no details. So we live in hope.
Number 8
There is a conspiracy here, my second favourite food place has now closed down! Thumbs up to the Caesar salad and the tapenade. They did a fabulous Christmas lunch banquet. Will be sadly missed.
Prime Noodle Cafe
Run by a very nice guy, who makes you really welcome. One of the best of the new crop of noodle places. Great food, real cheap - the Rice Hash is particularly good, and Jacqui says their sweet & sour is the best. Don't go in a party of more than 6 because they can't seat you all. Now gone! Sob! Sob!
Osciane
Run by Oscar of Oscar's Kitchen fame. A good example of fusion quisine! The Drunk Steaks were good, as was the tapenade bread. Sadly Oscaine was gone before I got a chance to say goodbye. Hopefully Oscar is gonna be back with something different again.
The Teahouse
Old Guernica/Cappadocia building. This place did an amazing selection of drinks, all of which are called 'tea', but not a monkey in sight. A nice place to go for a drink, that was not a Coffee house or a bar. The seats were comfy, and the teas were exotic - the black jelly 'pearls' in my tea were actually quite nice. I really recommend the "beauty purple" and "vitality age" iced froths. The "chicken pieces with special taste" were really tasty (and special too, I guess)!
Rustici
At the pricey end of the market, but good for a special occasion. The verandah was nice. The anti-pasta platter was gorgeous, and the game pie was nice. Closed down to make way for the Casino.
La Shiraz
The Butter Chicken and Rogan Josh were superb, and they come as part of the set menu - very much worth a go! Thanks for the free poppadoms. Did nice sweet lassis (not of the "come home" variety). The original chef now runs Chefs International Cafe, so go there if you want the taste. Otherwise the owners now run Kazana.
Portobello's
Authentic Italian food - the Lasagne was nice. The Deep-Fried Brie was a whole brie, which was a bit of a facer. Nice place, and very reasonably priced.
Spice Haven
The original Indian restaurant in Hamilton (if you ignored the Viceroy in Bryce St). In Farmers building, where the lighting place is now. Was very good and cheap! Took over from the Chinosery, which was a good, cheap chinese smorgasboard. Sadly both didn't make enough to survive the Farmers rent. Boo Farmers!
The Tanah Merah
Indonesian food - very nice, and the service was excellent. They even changed the set menu for us, which is the sign of real service. Went back and did a complete Indian meal with curries and naan - excellent! It was well worth tyring the curry banquet or set menu's for 4.
Great Wall of China
The Chinese equivalent of nouveau cuisine down by La Grande. The mains were all lovely, with the meat and sauce on one plate, and your veges on another, and a bamboo pot of rice separate. Some assembly required. The steamed bun was plain, not pork, so I was a bit disappointed, but the dumplings were good. I miss the lemon crispy chicken - the sauce was lovely. They had geisha-style hostesses who wandered around in costume. They did a buffet with 50 dishes - it was not as good as their a la carte, and probably spelt the start of their demise.
The Sichuan Genius
Where the short-lived Restaurant Euro was (see also Great Wall of China). Did not last long sadly. Had a $12.80 lunch all you can eat special. Tried the lunch - Sichuan cooking is on the spicy end of chinese, although most dishes were labelled as to how hot they were. The beef braised in brown sauce was nice, and the spring rolls with a sweet glaze was also good. They did lots of 'interesting' foods like chickens feet, pork brains and tripe salad. Dinner is from a long menu, and servings were HUGE - share one between two! Apparently, the boss of this restaurant is Bob who used to be the boss of Great Wall Restaurant.
Bossa Nova / One Black Cat
This site does not seem to survive well (even Steps was short lived). Bossa Nova was one of the first trendy cafes in Hamilton (DKD's style). Good coffee, and you can surf the Internet. One Black Cat was never open when I went past, and then died before I got there to review it. We will see what turns up next.
Blue Note
As far as I'm concerned a better version of Cullens. Food was just as good and better priced. More likely to get a table - its a sad fact that nice empty restaurants go under!. Live musicians are nice, but I wish they came with a volume knob.
Straus
Nice place on other side of uni. The mixed seafood grill was absolutely yummy! Also good for arriving at after the movies and having a gateau (I recommend the Drum, Chocolate and William) and coffee (although whatever you ask for you end up with a short black!).
Rocket
This place was great when it first started up. They baked all their own stuff, made excellent sandwiches with homemade bread, and closed shop when they ran out of food. Hamiltons second 'modern' cafe after Metropolis, it pretty much started the Hood st food revolution. Their coffee was/is too bitter for my taste, but some people sweared by it. The service and menu went steadily downhill, as far as I was concerned, but to be honest, I stopped going for the last few years.
Lime
Where The Tanah Merah used to be in South Vic. St. Modern cuisine. White walls and lime noen lighting. Food was good. The desserts were nice but $10 a throw. Now a pokie palace.
Royal Thai
Did good Thai food at the north end of Vic street. The soups were nice. They used to serve the rice from silver tureens - I never got used to someone coming up and dolluping a lump on my plate. My parents enjoyed the last meal they had there.
Fridays/Hungry Horse/The Foundry
This has been a restaurant for as long as I have been in Hamilton. Fridays was excellent, and a landmark in Hamilton. Hungry Horse was okay and I never got to try the Foundry. It is now 2 cafes.
Saglik Cafe
Little place in Ham East that did nice Middle East food. I was disappointed with the humus main dish, and they didn't give you enough warmed pita bread. The other dishes looked and smelt nice. Had small tables & hard chairs.
Pierres Pizza
Opposite Whitiora service station. Was the best pizzas in town.
Pigeons Cafe
The original Late Nite trendy Cafe in an old brothel in Clarence St. Closed in 87 but still not forgotten. Did great alcoholic ice-cream parfaits and toasted sammies.
Mandarin Restaurant
Nicest Chinese in town. Closed down when I wasn't watching.
Angelo's Pizza
Started by a Hamiltonian. The Ham East branch was very dead for awhile, but then seemed to have a new lease in life. Ooops, it looks to have died again.
The Prawn Bar & Grill,
A food and Bar place in the Hood St Market. Did nice "modern" food. Had several chicken & vegetarian dishes on the menu. The starters were all quite nice and quite sizeable. I never did get to have a prawn there. It had cool laser etchings on the walls.
Planet Burger
A trendy burger place that used to serve HUGE and very tasty burgers. Soups were nice, as were the kumera chips. Initially they always played techno music. But it changed hands and slowly went downhill (and stopped playing techno).
deVine
A restaurant/bar in the old Wimpy/Hou Sing/Battletech site, except that they completely gutted the place and turned it into something quite trendy. The open balcony was quite pleasant. The food was good, with several choices for salads. The sizes were not that generous (there was more lettuce as garnish on my Bread Platter than in the Lamb Salad) and pricey.
161 Restaurant & Bar
Where DeVine was. The chef was meant to be something to write home about. Top quality (and pricy) food, often with exotic ingredients. Never got to eat there.
Guernica
Used to be Cappadocia. A "Tappas Bar" - read, you can buy lots of small dishes to go with your drinks. The nibbles looked interesting, but there were no real mains as such. Vivienne said "As we had a group of 9, we ordered 18 dishes and shared them. The variety and taste was great, but the size was so small! A dish of stuffed mushrooms, produced 4 mushrooms about the size of a 50c piece. So after our 2 dishes we were all still hungry, despite the copious amounts of free crusty bread to mop up with. I would recommend 3 to 4 dishes per person, which would cost about $26.00."
Dal Monaco
Where La Shiraz was. Greek/Turkesh/Middle Eastern. The turkish bread was good, and the pancakes entree was also nice. Mikes baked flounder was great, but needed some fries. Most of the mains came with fries and a lettuce salad, which was a shame as the meat was good, and could have done with nicer accompanyments, especially for the price.
Montana
Montana was one of Hamiltons longest running restaurants. An up-market Cobb & Co< style restaurant, specialising in steaks and seafood (don't they all...). Did good outside catering.
Saffron
Another Indian restaurant. Said to be "for kiwis", and had some Kiwi food on the menu. The Indian was good. Nice orange light. Prided themselves on their service, but it was not that special.
Curry Pavilion
In the southern half of Dr Eyes/Hungry Horse/Fridays. Did a fine job, but nothing special. The onion bhuji was basically onion fritters. The coconut chicken was different, and quite nice (and I don't even like coconut!). The mango lassi's were good, and only $2.50.
Lakhy Bar, Hamilton & Cambridge
Not as nice as other Indian in town but cheaper. The Butter Chicken was nice, but you needed to avoid the Rogan Josh. The Mango Kulfi, was an interesting frozen dessert affair, quite nice and a nice change from Gulab Jammon.
Sakura
Used to be called Sakura Jima, then moved to underneath deVine/161/Armadillos. This was a good Japanese restaurant, but it was sadly under-utilised. The bento box was great. They did a good range including vegetarian if you ask nicely. The Teriyaki Salmon was to die for! It came as part of my Teriyaki Seafood mix and was melt in your mouth georgious! Forget the rest of the seafood and just get the Salmon. Also did 'Teppenyaki', but not at your table, so why it didn't just to revert to "stir-fried", I do not know.
Milan
Where Saffron was - an Italian place with a hard to read sign. This is quite good. A bit pricy, but less than Adrianna's from memory. Food was nice, and service was okay. We enjoyed ourselves. Pauline complained her steak was overdone, and they replaced it, so everyone was happy.
Cafe Spice
Indian restaurant on Vic Street. Did an okay job - the Rogan Josh was excellent, as was the Mango Chicken. Food was good, service was okay. The mushroom dish was not as nice as Little India's.
Armadillo's
Was at the North end of Vic Street, then moved to South End Vic St, into the old 161/deVine/Wimpy site (over Sakura). The menu changed from Tex-Mex to "modern-cafe" food (with a hint of Tex-Mex). The Tex-Mex dishes, like the Spare Ribs, Dixie Chicken, and the Blackened Fish (and the short lived gumbo & jalapino cornbread) were good. The Hoover Hog was a favourite. Overall food was good and service fine. Presumably closed so they could ditch the Tex-Mex altogether and just be a plain cafe.
Zanzibar
On Cambridge Road/Naylor St by the velodrome. Did real coffee for people who want to get off campus and away from the students & Grind (i.e. staff). Mostly cabinet food, which was nice. Teas are interesting. The date slice was great, and had a huge number of dates in it - some people have married with fewer. Hot chocolate was okay, could be slightly sweeter/stronger. The cream with the cake was nice, sweet & vanillery.
Magic Wok
On Alexander St, just down from Little India. It was bright purple on the outside and plain white inside. Had a menu of lovely looking Chinese dishes, mostly $12-$16, with more expensive dishes like whole fish for $20. We went there Thursday and had one of the best meals that I have had for a long time. The food was georgeous, we had 10 dishes for 9 people and each was delicious, and a generous size too. A small soup served about 4-5 people, even though it only costs $8. The two chilli dishes have a nice heat, but are not too hot. I really liked the crispy chicken, but I think everyone had a different favourite. The plain chicken with cashews is a bit bland after all the chilli dishes, but is a good bet for those who dislike chilli. Note that the fried rice comes with shrimps. Best in a group, so that you can share your dishes in the centre of the table and sample everything. We had 10 dishes, 2 soups, jasmine tea all night, and for 9 people it only cost us $20 each, fabulous food for a fabulous price!
Satya
Down behind Dr Eyes, used to be the Left Bank Cafe. South Indian food. Was very nice, especially the Dosa. Indian, but not like the normal Indian. The deep fried chillies were very hot, especially if you ate them from the small end.
Fuel/Revert
A large and very modern looking place under MonkeyFeather. Mostly looked like a bar but with much nicer decor - the sofa's were nice. The food was good - quite pricy tho. The quesadilla was very nice. My sezchuan peppered beef was an odd nod to chinese, and had far too much vinegar & mustard sauce/soup for my tastes, but reasonably tasty given that. Desserts were nice. Full marks for trying to be a real "foody" place rather than just a beer barn, shame it couldn't last.
Sohl
Trendy restaurant in Vic st, where Lighting Direct used to be. The last time I tried to get in, there were four people at the bar in masks, talking to everyone through a microphone, in a foreign language, but then it was Halloween. I never really got to do Sohl properly, mostly cause each dish had an exotic ingredient/element to it, that someone I was dining with would veto. So we would move on. Dana said "Service was very quick and friendly. Food was good and reasonably priced, although the menus didn't do the food justice. Ask whoever is serving you for a more full description of what you're going to get. The garlic bread is really good, but if you're having the chicken curry skip it cause that comes with garlic bread too. The crepes suzanne are to die for, and the waitress said that the chocolate dessert was very ordinary". My chicken curry did not come with bread, and the Zagreb torte was much like the old Straus' gateaus. (New readers suddenly wonder what Tim is on about - see the Straus entry on this webpage.)
Ruby Black's
On Peachgrove Road, tucked in beside the East St dairy. Had a nice outside area, with a sandpit to dump the small kids in, so is good if you have small kids to get rid of, but avoid if you want to avoid small kids. I really liked the food and the service is good too.
Esscaba
Trendy European-looking coffee house under Le Grande. Lots of shiny chrome and a large menu of coffee styles. Cakes were okay, food is okay. Although the Fish Cakes were a bit dull. Had a Bayleys & White Chocolate cheesecake there and it was very bland. The Tiramisu was nice. Jacqui says the mains were good also - I was not invited, boo hoo.
Tandoor
A Pakistani Restaurant where Oscaine used to be in Claudlands. Pakistani food is subtly different from Indian, but quite similar. They don't do Butter Chicken per se, but several mild chicken curries instead. The food was good, but the service was slow (we were a group of 13). The Ginger Chicken was gorgeous. The lassi's were a bit thin for my taste. Omar says "Try especially the "kulfi" ice cream. This is a special ice cream from Pakistan -- with Ruh Afza (which, literally translates to "soul soothing"!) rose-syrup." Turned into Bollywood Spice, but I never got to try it before it had a big fire and closed.
Alkatraz
In Vic Street, then moved to Frankton Village. The tables were a bit rough, and it desperately needed some pictures on the walls. They did "hot rocks", which were real fun and entertaining. Our chicken was lovely, as you could cook it as much or as little as you want, and the dips were okay. The salad was fresh, but the lettuce was all iceberg - they needed to invest in some other lettuce.
Gaura's Place
Vegetarian restaurant upstairs near Mark One Comics. Was a Hari Krishna restaurant, with two prices: a normal price of about $10 a main/meal, and a cheaper one where the teach you about the Hari Krishna faith while you eat. Sadly I never got to go.
Cobb & Co
The old Kiwi standby. Not sure when it happened, but Hamilton lost it's last one a while back. The salad bar was normally what made or broke the Cobb. When it was good, it was a great place to dine. Had a web site.
Zephyr
On Hood St, where the florists used to be. Dammit, I just start raving about this place, cause it does Churros, and then it closes. Did nice coffee and cabinet food during the day. People were very friendly. Imported all their coffee from Havana (via Wellington), so tried doing Cuban style food. It was interesting, and the plantain chips and churro's were nice. The Pibil was not as nice as the ones we had in Mexico (not slow cooked enough, so a bit tough, and not enough/any achiote paste), but it was reminicent enough, and closer than anything from Pancho's.
Goodfellas
The Ham East Pizza Haven turned into Goodfellas. The owner David emailed me to let me know I had the name spelt wrong, and they had a website. The menu was interesting, and the pizza was pretty good. Quite tasty and pleasantly non-greasy. It probably also helps if you are with people who can eat interesting food like chilli's and seafood. Sadly, there just doesn't seem to be the support for an alternative to mass produced pizza. The lasagna was good too!
MV Waipa Delta
Went here for Valentines day, the cruise was fun (until we found the floating body) and the food was alright. I must admit we were last in the queue, and not many of us were seriously into eating that night. Buffet style food with a hot roast of some sort. The other food was nice - they had made some effort on most of the dishes, although there was a pasta salad that was quite dry and unappetising. They did "Hot Rocks", but you had to ring up in the morning and see if it is not too busy before you book. They didn't do Hot Rocks on busy nights. Had a web site.
Granite
Modern Kiwi place where The Sechuan Genius was (between Browsers and La Grande). Extensive menu of cafe food and Pacific Rim. Not a lot of vegetarian. Food was lovely, and service was okay. Apparently it had attracted a posh crowd, but I guess that went with the recession. The steak with two side dishes was pricey considering what you get on your plate. and their aircon was never great if you were up at the back.
One ZB
The Balcony renamed itself to One ZB (since the building used to house the radio station). Bar & Cafe above Tables. Redecorated into tasteful red chairs with varnished concrete floor, and several booth tables. This was one of the top posh restaurants in Hamilton. All our meals were lovely. Food was very good, but not outstanding. I got talked into something that could be described as stew on mashed potato if you left out all the posh words. Price was reasonable. Their rice bubble crunch dessert was just dull. If you go to find the loos, watch out as the building must have been designed by a Marathon Map-maker (for PC readers, read DOOM).
Frankton Junction Cafe
A Trendy cafe in the wilds of Frankton village. Famed for its muffins. The cakes were expensive but amazing. Was Kwizeen for a short while.
Shebeen
Where New Delhi used to be in Hood St. Now I will never find out what South African BBQ meat tastes like. boo hoo.
CazBar
One of the early places in the Hood Street marketplace. Good food at a nice price. The steak was huge, and the peppercorn sauce was nice, but you don't get mushrooms with the peppercorn sauce, even tho the menu suggested that you do. Our dessert was okay. They have an annoying habit of removing the best bits off the menu, like the wonderful warmed turkey salad, and the stack of jacks. There was no pork option on the menu.
Pastamia
In Cassabella in Barton Street, where Beancounters and Lakhy and Athenian was. Had all sorts of fresh pasta (that you could buy to take home), and the sauce changed daily. Did evening meals on some nights. This was lots of fun. It was pretty good food, and good service too. Had/have a website for ordering dried pasta.
Al Dente
Used to be the Prawn Bar & Grill, in the Hood St Market. Italian food & wood-fired pizza. Place was very nice, and the food looked good. It was okay but not stunning. The garlic bread was bland without the extra toppings. My Steak was fine, although somehow overpowered by the cheese. Steer away from the 'mains', and go for their "signature" pasta or pizza dishes. Dana said their pasta dishes were good. Other people had commented well on their pizzas.
Souter House, Cambridge
The food was beautifully presented and the glasses are elegant. Posh dining in a refined (read quiet & stilted) atmosphere. An unkind person would say that the food was bland, but I will say that it was delicately flavoured. Not your Spice Haven here. Was one of the few silver service restaurants left. A place to go if you wanted to impress someone.
Gourmet Sushi Bar
The little sushi bar that was next to Al Dente. The sushi was the best in town. All of the bits I tried were about a dollar. The Sweet Tofu Inari was excellent. Did free Green Tea and filtered water.
Kobe
Japanese restaurant in the Clyde St carpark in Ham East. The setting is a bit plain, but this was a nice place to eat, and the food was good. Since the demise of The Teahouse, this is my next best treat with nice $10-13 dishes and green apple pearl tea. My Teriyaki salmon was lovely, but you need to buy the "set" to get the rice, miso and a small amount of pickle. The three "mains" are amazing, for just under $20 you get a feast of a dozen dishes/samples of food, like gyoza, sushi, sashimi, tempura, teriyaki meat, plus another meat dish, and the usual rice, miso & pickle. A lot of fun and tasty too - try it. Appear to have a branch in Hood St opposite Centreplace.
Singapore
This was one of the oldest restaurants in Hamilton. Upstairs over Garden Place. Went there recently after a long hiatus, food was still very good, especially the Chicken & Crab soup, with real crab! Take a candle if it is after dark tho - very intimate lighting! Fine if you don't have to keep an eye out for prawns. Look out of the windows when you are there - the glass is so old that it has warped and distorts everything!
Go Vino
Where Milan/Saffron was. Used to sell just wine, then added tappas food. My mushrooms were nice - made exciting by the whole cloves of garlic in the marinade. The bruschetta was excellent. Go with a few people so you can try lots of different things. More nibbles to drink with, but you can still make a meal of it if you want.
Flame
Indian place where Granite and The Sechuan Genius was (between Browsers and La Grande). No relation to the Flame/Flambe place in Chartwell. From the website it is in fact an import from New Plymouth. Has a website.
Tables (on the River)
Bottom of Alma St, under One ZB. Posh dining. Nice place, food was good. Great presentation, the desserts were amazing. Still not sure it was all worth $97 tho. The pear & rocket salad was nice.
Columbus
In Barton St, at the end of Casa Bella lane. Looks nice, and was pretty busy when I went past, so that must be good. Also listed in Third Degree's top places for coffee. I think a lot of their votes were from what is close to the polytech. Suzanne tells me "it has sensational food and coffee, relatively new and great service. Awesome little cafe, I recommend you try it." We did this once, good coffee and nice cakes.
Zingara Bakery, Cambridge
Used to be Le Quesnoy. Love their food at the Hamilton Farmers Market, so figured I should put them in here somewhere. Was in Cambridge somewhere (Bath St) down where Souter house was.
Le Dome
A "Belgian Beer Cafe" (read bar) in the front part of the new casino. The menu is really interesting. It requires a little bit of translation, but the food is excellent. Mains are $13-20, so a bit pricey for lunch, but cheap for dinner. The pot of mussels and fries is a great meal! and the chocolate mousse is great, although they had run out, so we had to share. Give it a go, I was impressed. Note that their phone number does not appear to be in the white pages, so being the great guy I am, here it is: 839-5152. Set up by the people who started The Occidental on Vulcan Lane, De Post in Mt Eden, and De Fontein in Mission Bay (all Belgian Bars in Auckland). Had a website.
Vespa
An Italian place where Zeytin was. Both short lived. This is a pretty good place. our food was nice. although I am not sure about the difference between the bruschetta and the zuchini bruschetta. sadly we didn't get to go back.
Boston
Restaurant & Bar over the Video Easy in Hillcrest - used to be Settlers. Reasonably nice. The Fish Special was very good, and my steak on Polenta was good. I had the peppercorn sauce and it overpowered the polenta a bit - next time I would go for the mushroom sauce instead. Both meals were a bit lacking in veges (again, the mushroom sauce would help there). Otherwise good cafe food in a bar setting, with mains from $21-$25.
Matangi Oaks, Matangi
Nice place just outside of town. Ann said "There's a newish place on Matangi Rd called Matangi Oaks - open for lunches - cheap but really good food - around $6.50 for example for Thai Fish Cakes with 3 salads. Good coffee and yummy cakes. Beautiful gardens to sit in and wander around." I guess Ann has a thing about gardens. [not reviewed]
Breakers
Always was an oddity in wet Hamilton where there is *no* surf. Cafe & Bar where Halensteins was on Vic St. Lots of corrugated iron, blue and surfboards. My Nachos was okay - fast and reasonable for a pub, but not something I would rave about. The burgers looked reasonable enough. From an email sent to me: "I dined there for the first time last night with a friend. The decor was a little off-putting, bright neon lights all over the place and the whole surfy theme just didn't work - so we sat outside. Our meals were served within about 20 mins so we were happy with the timing. The steaks were fat, juicy and cooked to perfection, served with a garlic sauce to die for. The salad let the meal down a little, plain lettuce with carrot and red onion, and two slices of old looking tomato, but the chips and steak were filling enough that I wasn't forced to consume the greenery. The presentation wasn't great, but the taste more than made up for it. We were so impressed with the meal we though we'd even try a desert. My hot apple pie was well presented, but a little bland. My friend had the death by chocolate (a basic mud cake with icecream) and it was a little dry, but again, well presented. All in all, the staff were friendly but lacked knowledge (new bar, new staff... figures). The meals were above average but the deserts were no different to your standard family restaurant. And the drinks were quite pricey. All in all, I will definitely be heading back there for more of that garlic sauce!" Had a website.
