We were for a somewhat more unique dining experience in Hamilton, and we stumbled upon Wild Orchid…read more The decor inside felt a bit dated, and the restaurant didn't immediately catch my eye. However, service was friendly and our food tasted great (and visually approved by a Portuguese friend)! Without having a comparison point, it's hard for me to say whether this was "authentic" or not, but we enjoyed our food. Pricing was a little high for the paella, but it's not often that I get to try Portuguese food, so I was fine with it.

Good spot for Portuguese seafood in the Hamilton area. Large restaurant with lots of tables and a…read morefull-serve bar at the back. Portion sizes are quite large and hearty. Salada Portuguesa - Comes in small or large size. Pretty nice salad with mixed greens, cucumber & tomato slices, red onion, and drizzled with olive oil vinaigrette. You can opt to add goat cheese. Mixed Seafood in Pimento-based Sauce & Garlic Bread ("special" appetizer of the day) - Large portion for an appetizer... comes in a large bowl with 2 different types of mussels, clams, scallops, tiger shrimps, and 4 large toasted garlic bread. You can ask the sauce to be non-spicy. Pao (Baked Bread) Stuffed with Cod - Best dish in the restaurant. It's quite large and best to be shared. The Pao is freshly baked, crispy on the outside and soft, tender, and very aromatic in the inside (cod mixed with garlic and other spices). It's so good that it can be a filling meal on its own when paired with salad. Bacalhau Da Casa - Cod loin is quite salty, but comes in a nice big chunk with bones. The grilled vegetables are over-cooked and very mushy. The roasted potatoes are ok. Grilled Pickerel - Portion size of all the fish and seafood dishes is quite big. This one comes in 2 large & long pieces of grilled pickerel, topped with a delicious tomato-based sauce. The seasoned rice with peas is very yummy! It also comes with grilled vegetables (zucchini, red pepper, eggplant). Arroz De Marisco - The large size comes with a good amount of shellfish and rice. It's more saucy and has more liquid / broth compared to the more mainstream Spanish paella. It's best to let the liquid / broth evaporate first (it keeps warm really well), to give time for the rice to soak in the sauce. This dish is quite flavourful and I like the mix and amount of shellfish (king crab legs, lobster, mussels, clams, black tiger shrimps, bay scallops, etc.). Dessert: Portuguese Tart topped with cinnamon & ice cream - The Portuguese tart comes out warm, with crunchy crust and soft topping. It's one of the best Portuguese tarts I've had. The cinnamon sprinkles just take it to the next level.

(Back-to-back Portuguese food in the GTA (is Hamilton included?) - 1 of 2)…read more I was planning to look for a casual Portuguese diner or bakery but it was nearing the hour that they'd all be closing. This meant I had to eat at a regular Portuguese restaurant. I looked on my phone and found this one - Toma-La. I thought it was a weird name. Toma-La sits in a shopping mall along a big north-south artery from Hamilton out toward the airport named Upper James Rd. There is a good sized area of parking right in front of the store. I assumed you went up to the counter to order because I saw other people doing that. There is table service, too. Still, I ordered at the counter and the food was brought out to my table. I don't "do" chicken piri piri and I couldn't settle on anything from the regular menu, as it was later in the evening and I was tired. I looked at their specials menu, which changes (almost) daily, and saw they had salmon. I saw that it came with potatoes. I asked that they not be fries and the platter came with boiled potatoes. Now, being in the "Maple Leaf Country," I didn't worry too much about ordering salmon. (For that matter, I once had a surprisingly good salmon platter at a Denny's near the beach in Jacksonville, FL.) They delivered on the salmon. It was a nice filet and it was very tasty. With the platter, I had a pastel de nata and a bottle of the Sumol maracuja flavored soft drink, which I order often. I liked the ambiance of the restaurant. It's a little boring on the outside, but, inside, it's sort of modern rustic and industrial at the same time. I received very good service and there were other patrons in the restaurant as well as people coming in for Door Dash and Uber Eats. Who does that, anyway? I've never done this Door Dash or Uber Eats thing. Would it be those reasonably well-paid people who tech remotely and have a penchant for Thai food to counterbalance their often accurately profiled personalities? And, along with this service, I got a mini-seminar in culture because I asked about the parts of Portugal and its diaspora that the ownership and employees hailed from, and they were glad to oblige. The prices are standard for a mid-priced ethnic food eatery in a conventional suburban outdoor mall. Also, consider the exchange rate (divide by ~1.33) to arrive at American dollars. Note that the specials are nicely priced and they feature some interesting ones over the course of the week. As for the name, the word "toma" is also found in Spanish and is a verb meaning take. It was told that "toma-la" is a Portuguese expression meaning "take it" and I've also seen it as "toma-la da ca," which means "take it from here." The moral of the story is live and learn ... and eat.

Spectacular. We here for lunch with my dad today. Got the marinated chicken dish which comes with…read moretwo sides. So much flavour and fantastic portion of meat they give you! The seasonings and flavours are out of this world and stay with you the entire day. Couldn't help but eat everything entirely off my plate. The potatoes are so delicious as well as their piri piri sauce. We also shared onion rings and they were the most flavourful, and crisp crunchy onion rings I've ever had! 10/10 highly recommend!

The food was delicious. The Perri perri sauce is really good and actually spicy…read more The chicken was well done and their ribs are fantastic but the potatoes take the show. They take their time and grill their chicken fresh right in front of you. The staff was friendly and they have space to dine in. The next time I'm in the mood for Portuguese cuisine... I will definitely come back here!

This is a great find in Waterdown. My daughter and I found this restaurant when we were out…read moreshopping, and loved it (chicken cutlets in mushroom sauce, great, fresh cooked vegetables, salad for her, bifada pork cutlet sandwich with sauteed peppers and onions for me and a plate of spiced olives to share, AND a tartes de natas). GREAT lunch and lots left to bring home. I took my husband there for lunch later in the week (grilled half chicken with potatoes, Caesar salad for me and cod and potato dish for husband, and more of those fantastic olives. We are not big eaters and had enough left over for another lunch. We all swooned over the egg custard tarts, highly addictive. This hidden gem is near the Shoppers Drug Mart.

(Back-to-back Portuguese food in the GTA (is Hamilton included?) - 2 of 2)…read more The Little Grasshopper Cafe' is where I had originally planned to eat, but they would be closing. I then considered it for the following day so that it would act as breakfast and lunch ... an early lunch. The name was interesting, but I didn't ask about its etymology. Portugal has a strong symbolic relationship with roosters and hydrangeas, but I was interested in eating and moving along up the QEW toward Toronto proper. Nonetheless, it's a smaller cafe' behind a brick storefront that is roomy inside. I did not want a big meal and I did not want Canadian food. I selected a fish sandwich, which was a good sized filet. It worked very well for what I needed. I washed it down with a bottle of Sumol. And, on the way out, I added an impulse purchase - a pastel de nata - which was gone in a flash. It was all good. The proprietress of the restaurant was on hand, took my order, and was the server. She was very pleasant. The prices seemed fair. Hamilton is a surprisingly large city, with about 3/4 of a million inhabitants. While it sits in the kink in the "Golden Horseshoe," its downtown core sits inward from the lake. And, in between the lake and downtown, there are residential neighborhoods and small businesses. The area changes very quickly, with some parts being frayed and others being gentrified. The Little Grasshopper Cafe' is in a nice enough area and street parking can be found very close to the restaurant. Additionally, it has a somewhat hippie-dippy mural on the exterior that will also help you locate it. I would return, but I think it would also make a great place for morning coffee and an omelette or pastries.

Wow. I had the vegan burger, fries and the Sabby salad with tuna. Oh! And the London Fog. It was…read moreabsolutely fantastic! I had it delivered with Skip and it came perfectly packaged, hot and seriously good! Everything was great. The burger was probably the best vegan burger I've ever had. Sabby salad is definitely going to be my go-to salad! Will absolutely be back asap!