Called to make reservations for Saturday nite. Was told there were two parties that ought to be finished by 5:30 or a bit later. Not taking reservations; just walk in and you'll get a seat. Showed up at 6:30. Told that without reservations we'd not be seated. "We don't guarantee a seat when you don't make reservations. You agreed to try walking in; that's not on us." Liars. read more

Stoney Creek's original Express. My favourite thing to have is the grilled vegetable salad which was amazing. I ordered the margherita pizza . It was good. Nice crust but it was a little different than most margherita pizzas because it had sliced tomatoes. It was a good size, so I ate half. The osso buco gnocchi looked delicious . The service was really good and the server was polite and informative. The server took our payment and then allowed us some time to talk and reconnect, something that only a place with a lot of seating like this one is perfect for. It was midday so they were pretty full of people by the time we left. read more

This used to be a great place for excellent pizza. Today I was in the area again and ordered an 8 slice pizza with two additional toppings. The pizza was fine but my experience was quickly and completely soured when the bill came! $ 27 for a little 14" thincrust pizza!! What a ripp off. There are you FAR better places to spend your money. STAY AWAY!!!! read more

I ordered bruschetta found some staples in it after taking a bite, not even an apology and paid full price. Wouldn't recommend to anyone. I now have a cut on my lip due to these staples. Bonne appetite. read more

The Express - ordered bruschetta found some staples in it, paid full price. Wouldn't recommend to anyone. I now have a cut on my lip due to these staples. - Italian Near Me - Hamilton, Ontario

Can't believe what we lucked into. Needed somewhere to go for an hour while our car was being worked on so we decided why not try the Express instead of Tims down the road. All we can say is WOW. My boyfriend had the special (butternut squash ravioli) and I ordered a vegetarian panini. We split our meals and we were not disappointed. We've both never had Italian that tasted so good. The decor is lacking and the building is a little odd. If you were to take this food and place it in a prime location with high end decor you'd have to book months in advance it's that good. read more

The food here is actually better than I would expect based on the decor and atmosphere. The table settings look pretty cheap and remind me of being at an East Side Mario's or some other chain Italian restaurant. Also I unfortunately came when there was a big party, and the noise from the live music really took away from my experience. My meal however wasn't bad. I had a garden salad, which wasn't anything special, and spaghetti alla milanese (shrimp sautéed with onions and diced tomatoes served in a light white wine lemon sauce). It was simple and something I probably could have easily made at home, but it was enjoyable. If I could be guaranteed an evening without a large party, I may come here again. read more

I will start that I never write a scathing review but this experience was just that bad for everyone at our table. The restaurant reminded me of going to a wedding reception in converted auto body shop. Atmosphere is nonexistent starting with the location being in the car repair district and 30ft industrial ceilings. It's a noisy open area for seating with plastic tablecloths and a second level for someone to watch you eat. Service matched the atmosphere. Short of a buffet line the service could not get much worse. Wicker baskets for bread you had to ask for. Drinks came warm for cold and cold for coffee. Close to an hour from ordering to see the first meal delivered. Not one of the 3 people seemed to have been a server before. Plates, cutlery and drinks were literally dropped haphazardly at the table with "fend for yourself" tone. They admitted the construction mess had ruined most of the menus so they only half the ones needed for the table. Food: if you read to this part and thought the food was going to save them you will be disappointed. The primary flavour is salt without much after that except for garlic. Food was hot but as mentioned, close to 90 minutes after our seating. Again service was an issue since the first plate and last plate arrived 10 minutes apart. Only one error on the order so it felt like a small victory. We were left alone while our server checked out for the night and left the remaining server to mix up the bills. Fitting ending to a disappointing evening. Make the drive to Burlington Express the Stoney Creek version is just terrible. read more

I really like this place, good atmosphere & wood fired oven make it a hit. It's counter intuitive to think that such good Italian food would exist in such an industrial section of town. I've order numerous items off the menu, ranging from stracciatella soup, fettuccine Alfredo, calzone, Diavlo pizza. I've found each visit is a good as the last, if it was not so far to drive. I would frequent this place much more. I highly recommend any item out of the wood oven. read more

We have lived literally down the street from this place for a year and didn't try it until last night. We cannot believe what we were missing! Decor leaves a bit to be desired. I don't think it has been updated in years. What they lack in style they make up for with exceptional service and some of the freshest home made Italian food going. The marinara sauce was home made and amazing. The calzone was again home made and stuffed with cheese and meat. Check this place out if you haven't. You won't be disappointed. read more

turned out to be a bit pricier that I anticipated as the Panini lunch for 12$ is only served during the week and I went on a Saturday. The food was good - we got bruschetta to start and pastas - penne, gnocchi, and spaghetti and some shared deserts to finish off. The sauce was ..ok. (The sauce is what can make or break a good Italian meal in my opinion) my guests were not over thrilled with the sauce but finished their dishes without complaint. It's quite dim and could use table lights. Service was ok. I would come back again for the M-F lunch. read more

The Express - Bruschetta - Italian Near Me - Hamilton, Ontario

Decent place. Fancy warehouse look with old dinner seating. A few things could make it a lot nicer. They seem to stay quite busy. Loaf of bread & oil was good. Bruschetta was nice. Mussels in tomato sauce were good (wine sauce likely better). Service was just ok for the amount of customers it could of been better. Felt rushed to leave. I'd go back. read more

The Express - Bruschetta - Italian Near Me - Hamilton, Ontario

My husband and I were in Hamilton so that I could run the marathon. We originally had a reservation elsewhere but then he found The Express since it was closer to our hotel. I'm so glad we came here! The food was delicious and our server was so nice (actually all the people that tended to our table were incredibly friendly). We got the calamari appetizer which was grilled perfectly (nice change from the typical deep fried calamari), and we both got pasta dishes as entrees. I got the Penne All' Arrabiata and my husband got the Spaghetti Alla Rapini - both were fantastic. I would come back here in a heartbeat! read more

My favorite restaurant in town. Not a fan of Hamilton but will always come back for this!!

About a month ago, I was in Toronto. At the same time, I traveled an hour west to visit a friend of mine who moved from Chicago to Dundas to take a position at a nearby university. Anyway, he took me to this restaurant. He apparently had read a review of their pasta carbonara and thought I would enjoy. As any good Jewish boy, I love pasta carbonara. If its on the menu, I order it. I have had outstanding versions, like in Rome, at Roscioli's or Armando del Pantheon or Da Gino, or Fraschatti in Trastevere. In New York City, I would choose Crispo, or La Carbonara or Otto Enoteca Pizzeria. I love the version they have at Cafe Med in LA. So does the Hamilton Spectator's review of The Express's pasta carbonara have any truth to it? The exact quote from the paper reads: "The carbonara at The Express is one of the best I've had on this side of the Atlantic, and superior to a lot on the other side." Clearly we had two different versions of this pasta, and we definitely don't eat at the same places in Rome. The Express served me a thick, very heavy on the garlic spaghetti in a pseudo carbonara cream sauce. It should have crispy guanciale or pancetta, I believe some pork product was there but in large, uncooked strips thrown on top. Like someone took strips of Oscar Mayer Bacon and threw them on top. There was no fresh black pepper, and the only taste that was evident was garlic, and not fresh garlic, but garlic that comes from a jar. The salad was a standard bowl of romaine lettuce with a restaurant supply Caesar dressing. The pizzas were okay but nothing amazing, and certainly not worthy of praise. Its a standard italian restaurant in a very industrial part of a city. If Calvin Trillin had tasted this spaghetti carbonara, he may not have wanted to replace it as the standard Thanksgiving dish. read more

We have attended the restaurant different times over the years and for the most part it has been good food. Recently attended where the service was terrible and the food was non par. They presently have a Summer Menu where they promote a tomatoes and cucumber salad with highlighting seasonal tomatoes.... When they brought the salad the tomatoes were anything but seasonal, unless they define seasonal as the no flavor american tomatoes that are brought into grocery stores for winter months. They were hard with no flavor at all and the dressing was sparse and not tasty. I only ate a few forkfuls and left the rest. When the server asked me how everything was I made a point of nicely telling her that not happy with the salad and the reasons why. She replied that she would tell the manager. No manager ever came to talk to me. She brought the bill with the charge . I paid it and left. I also got a pizza which was just okay. What is more upsetting than anything is the lack of response from the restaurantmanagement. Will never attend again. read more

I had my bridal shower here 5 years ago and it was the perfect place! The food is fresh and good quality! I can even eat gluten free if I need to. Most people come here for lunch and enjoy the fire oven roasted pizza and calazone! Today we continue to dine here and maybe take a calazone to go! Stoney Creek is defiantly my home town and where all the Italians know where the best pasta is;) Thank you Sunny and Santino! read more

I was just at an engagement party here and everything was fantastic. From the service, to the food, everything was delightful. We started with the thin crust pizzas (as many brought to each table as we would like), then some pasta, and then chicken and pork. Lastly, we finished with a light salad to "cleanse the palate". The wine never stopped flowing, the servers were always making sure there was enough food and bringing more over. The day ended with coffee and rum cake. My only complaint, if it can even be called that, is that it was a little dark in the restaurant. read more

Brutal. If your good with plastic table cloths, old banquet chairs and glass frames covered in smudges and filth this is the place for you. The staff doesn't smile and the best part is when the manager pushes past you without saying excuse me. Pizza is Pizza go somewhere else that cares that your there. read more

This was hands down the worst meal I've ever been handed! Me and my family actually drove the entire order back after picking it up and taking it home.(minus the one or two bites we tried to swallow) the pizza was extremely dry and just un-edible. The pastas were over cooked and sauces were dry aswell. This was extremely disappointing seeing as how it was our Saturday family take out night. To be quite honest I don't think the chef or his sous chef were around because if they were I don't (and hope) think that they would not send it. Really basic stuff that was easy to fix that they didn't. I know, if it's not right you don't send the chit, and these were some legit mistakes. Sad really and disappointing, wouldn't give them another shot if it was on the house! read more

What a find!! Not going to say anything except fantastic food. Service very attentive. Food is prepared fresh from scratch so allow a little time and have a drink and an appetiser. A great find in the Hamilton outskirts. Will be spending more time here. read more

Visited them little while ago, Tried their thin crust Pizza it was really good. Salad was good, but their service was bit slow. They might need to work on that. Hopefully they improve the service part. But will visit them again. read more