I remember years ago when I first stepped into a real Chinese bakery. Actually, it was probably…read morethe first time in any real authentic Chinese place. I grew up in Scarborough (yes...Scarberia, Scarlem, ...blah) and Chinese food was your standard sweet and sour chicken balls, fried rice, egg rolls and fortune cookies. Thank the Lord that I went to UofT in downtown Toronto. It was an education in people, places, and things!!! I got to experience many flavours of Asia. Especially food from different parts of China and surrounding countries. It was wonderful, but I never liked was their desserts. Always found it artificial tasting, lacking in basic amounts of butter, milk, sugar, even technique. I didn't expect much walking to Hui Lau Shan, however, the business has done a wonderful job of modernizing and making the shop comfortable. Numerous seats and bench for you to plop yourself down and enjoy a meal on tables that have been made by one of the staff's significant other. Fun fact! It turns out that this is a chain from a famous dessert place back in Hong Kong. Here is a wiki on them: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hui_Lau_Shan The story of how this location was put together and opened was quite charming and cute. One of the owners came to Canada over a decade ago and wanted to have her favourite dessert place. Worked with a couple of people and opened up this franchise. Standing next to her husband, they recount the tale of how the place opened and what they wish to accomplish. The main attraction at HLS is the MANGO. They take painstaking steps ensure that they get the right variety and do their best to ensure that it is just ripening. Much detail to the freshness is seen in all their ingredients and finished products - they will not sell their mochi mango balls if they have been sitting for two days. Production must be well thought out. Their are plenty of choices on their menu. So many items in both to go cups and sit down and enjoy goblets. The number of ways they can produce a mango dessert is mind boggling. The way they prepare and plate is well thought out too. My personal experience and review, is based on the hospitality of the place, and the takeout that I had. I ordered a mango pomelo sago drink, and 6 of their mango mochi. WOW!...flavour explosion. Move over ice cream and waffle joints, move over french cafes, and Italian bakeries. Asian desserts have landed! You can really taste the freshness of the mango, the sweetness and just the little tartness that I like. Their sinful mochi is stuffed with a generous chunk of mango and dusted in coconut shavings. You cannot stop at one...or even 2. I had my espresso after the mochi as I didn't want to spoil the taste of each bite. I think that there is an HLS nearby and hope to have the same experience there, but I will make a note to drop by here if I am running through Hamilton. OR hmmm...any Commuting Yelper can pick me up a dozen please!!! Cheers!!!

Calling all Mango lovers out there! Rejoice for a menu filled with mango options from mango sago to…read moremango pancake! The cute little dessert place will surely be a popular spot for late night cravings in the heart of downtown Hamilton. The owner is a cute couple that I was able to chat with. The wife loved this chain of dessert cafe in Hong Kong so much she and her husband decided to open a location in Hamilton. They ensure the freshness of the products they serve and everything is made fresh the day of, even if the process takes longer, their integrity is there. That is why I loved this place! Their Mangoes are perfectly ripe and sweet and they use the smaller mango that has a better taste and texture compared to the big mango that's more stringy and not as tasty so you are paying for quality ingredients. You can just tell by the colour that the mangoes will be sweet. I loved their pomelo mango sago, mango pudding with in house milk sauce and topped with mango chunks, the mango romance is a trio of mango mochi, sago and mango ice cream, a bit of everything to try! My hands down favourite though, would have to be their Mango coconut noodle dessert. I loved slurping the smooth and cool coconut flavoured noodle dripping with their Mango sauce. Boy that's a treat for me because I've never had something so unique and tasty! Durian lovers can enjoy a thin pancake filled with fresh whipped cream and durian. They also sell fruit teas as well. This chain has become popular in China, Malaysia and South Korea. I know that they will continue their success here as well because they are far better compared to chains like Sugar Marmalade, that have tasteless fruits in their desserts from my past experiences. Drop by today and check them out! I'd be here a few times a week if I lived in Hamilton or at least weekly if my wallet allows me to!

We came here specifically for dessert and I'm so glad we did. The dessert menu wasn't terribly…read moreextensive but did offer a variety of options. There is also a bubble tea menu which I hope to explore the next time I'm up this way. We ordered "a brownie thing" on a signature buttermilk waffle with vanilla ice cream. (They also offer green tea and charcoal ice cream flavors). As you can see in the photo, the waffle was a decent size and was enough to share (if that's what you so choose to do). The customer service was pretty good, the aroma of the fresh waffles was amazing and the interior was stylish and welcoming. I highly recommend!

I haven't been back to Hazel Tea since I've moved out to Toronto but my boyfriend really wanted to…read morego back to try their waffles. Walking in Saturday night it was really quiet. There were maybe 2-3 other tables that were taken. It does seem like a really nice place to study. The place is clean, with soft lighting, and lots of outlets! We ordered a Belgian waffle, with soft serve ice cream, & the mango cheesecake as topping. The total came to $15 which was a little surprising. The food took a little longer than expected. But it came out looking great. The swirl was sesame & vanilla which had hints of both flavors; subtle and not too sweet but it was a little icey rather than creamy. The waffle was fluffy. I did not like the mango or the cheesecake as they tasted somewhat stale. Overall, I think for $15 it was pricey and I would prefer heading to Toronto for a egg waffle for $3 instead.

Cute coffee and healthy brunch spot in walking distance from AGH. I got a matcha, made with harmony…read moresteamed whole milk (a fave organic dairy). Non dairy options available. Friendly service. Homemade baked goods. Not a lot of seating, but is there a back room...? Hope to try their coffee next time.

Once upon a snowy time, my favourite work crew took a field trip to Hamilton. Our first order of…read morebusiness? Find a place to post up with good coffee, snacks and wifi. Ark and Anchor filled all of these needs. Beautiful upstairs coworking space, buzzing lattes and a decent snack selection. Check, check, check! If Hamilton were home, you would find me here on the daily.

This place is awesome. Just like street and night market food in Taiwan, you get to order small…read moreportions and try everything.

I gave this place 2 stars because the food was close to inedible. We ordered wings and fries that…read morewere so salty that we couldn't eat them. They have a house seasoning salt that someone in the back is over using. The atmosphere and vibe is really nice tho. I like how dim and relaxed the environment is. I got an iced coffee, daughter had a milk tea and we really enjoyed the beverages. Would I go back? Just for drinks, possibly for dessert. It's nicer to sit in Tea Hut than Coco.

Fantastic and beautiful spot for afternoon tea. Reservations are highly recommended to secure a…read morespot at this tea house - make sure to book in advance! On a side note, parking is free. You need to pay for admission into the garden though, even if you have reservations at the tea house. It's off season right now, as we booked to go when Bloomland In Oz (floral showcase) was already finishing up. The Turner Pavilion was easy to walk to - there is a pathway and tunnel you across through the garden. The tea house is absolutely gorgeous. It's a beautiful space with lots of sunlight. My friend and I ordered the Rose Garden Tower set and chose two different Sloan teas to try. Everything was perfectly divided, delicious and filling. I highly recommend this tea house! It would be beautiful in the summertime when everything is fully in bloom.

The team room is so cute. We visited in winter so as you can imagine the gardens were non existent…read more The tea room is located in the gardens looking out. The lady who served us was very nice. We had the afternoon tea for two of us. Wasn't keen on the sweet treats the savoury elements were good. I was disappointed we didn't get clotted cream with our tower. We visited during the wizard of oz event so the menu was different. Can't recall the names of the items.

We've been pretty happy with our Door Dash meals from 8090 Tea House. We like to get a bunch of…read moresmall dishes to share and usually get the beef wrapped enoki mushrooms as a starter. I love enoki mushrooms and I usually only get to eat them in ramen soups, so it's fun to have another way to enjoy them! We've also have tried the edamame and chicken wings. But the star of our meals has been the ramen. Our tip for anyone ordering soup / broth from any restaurant is to heat it up again once it's delivered, and serve in your own dishes. You will have a few extra dishes to wash but there's nothing like piping hot soup. It's almost like going to a restaurant. Thanks to the staff, delivery drivers and chefs for helping feed Hamilton during the pandemic! We appreciate the effort and variety offered.

This place surprised me. So did the HUGE size of their large iced tea. Lots of variety. I got a…read moresmall Korean spicy fried chicken, and I gotta say, it was the first time I've ever had it and now I'm on the hunt for some more. Absolutely delicious. I also ordered a lychee black iced tea and it was in a huge beer stien and so fresh. Took a while to get but you could see why when you tasted how fresh it was. My only complaint is that they didnt have the A/C on and it was definitely hot and sticky in late June. But besides that this place is great. I cant wait to go back and try more iced teas

Fire ass frozen lemonades, timbits, donuts, farmers wrap etc. If your looking for a good Lunch,…read moresnack, cold drink, pastries go to Tim Hortons on upper James.

This Tim Hortons is a small branch located inside a small shopping center. The customer service was…read moregreat but their food options were limited to what they offered on the menu. The grilled cheese sandwich was under cooked and the coffee was average. The timbits donuts were of course delicious but the waiting area for your items was very small. There were only two tables to sit down at and they were full! This is definitely a grab and go Tim Hortons. I recommend not choosing this location for a sit down experience.

PSYCHOTIC co-owner who takes pleasure in publicly BULLYING visitors!…read moreRead all the "lowest rated" reviews before heading here. Many people say the exact same thing. What actually happened: I came in and sat down, right away we got a legal document with all rules and regulation and menu was also in a legal document type. Just typed out on white paper (about 6 pages, see photo) it felt more like a contract than a café menu. I wanted to actually see what sweets they had so I came up to their counter. I chatted with a server lady who was nice, and I took a video of cookies I wanted to get (didn't even think much of that!). Right away the co-owner woman rudely told me to stop recording (there were no signs saying not to record but apparently that's in the 6 page document we got). I called her out on her rudeness and told her I will be leaving as I do not take being disrespected lightly (and that I would delete the video). She for some bizarre reason decided to ESCORT me out! (I was already leaving) making the situation far more dramatic than necessary and ensuring other customers were aware of it. It felt intentionally humiliating and completely disproportionate to what had happened. I don't understand how these people are in business or why so many good reviews. I trust many reviewers just simply haven't had the "pleasure" of meeting that owner (or are fake) In addition, this was the first cafe ever that had black tarp on its windows making sure nobody from the outside sees whats inside. This makes me question this place even further... Her going off on me like that SIMPLY because I took video also makes me question something is not right with this business. The co-owner is clearly unstable, takes very clear pleasure in disrespecting visitors. I would not support this business, eat her food and especially would not bring my dog here under any circumstance.

We don't have a dog but are dog lovers so stopped by this coffee shop to to see what it was about…read more We were so happy we did... Great selection of coffees and snacks... Amazing warm atmosphere for humans and doggos... The seating area is cozy and separated from the food service area so no worry about contamination or anything. The servers were extremely friendly and helpful. We ended up ordering an apple pie for an event we had the next day and it was one of the best pies I've ever had. Stop reading this review and go immediately, great great establishment!

Tasty food, and lots of it!…read more First off, it's not really $30 AYCE hotpot, as you have to pay an extra $4-10 pp more for the broth, depending on how many you choose and what size. A quick note, their communication is poor. They're not being mean or ignorant or rude or anything, but for some reason it's just hard to figure out how to order, or to get supplies, etc. Even the signage isn't great, and their servers just seem kinda perplexed that you don't just know what's going on. Like, what is this extra $4 charge? What drinks are included, and for what prices, in the AYCE menu? How do you turn on this induction stove? How much food will we get? How much should we order? Can we choose spice levels for each of the broths, or just the one? Is dessert included in the AYCE? etc etc. Anyway, communication aside, there was a lot of food, and it was tasty! We underestimated the amount of food they would bring us after we circled our selections on their paper menu. We were afraid to get charged for leftovers so we just kept eating, and eating and eating. The meats seemed fresh, and there was plenty of it. We really appreciated having the hot food too, like the fried tofu, chicken wings, etc. We also ordered the popcorn chicken as part of the AYCE but they forgot to bring it. Overall, now that we understand how this restaurant works, I'd come back again for the quality and quantity of the food.

After so many month of planning and finally, First time visiting this place with my friends for…read morelunch and I'm in a mixed feeling not sure how I feel about it lol. The place itself is nicely structured... BUT, everything was so messy and cluttered w pile of papers boxes.. It didn't give us vibe of being at restaurant but rather visiting at my old uncle's Roger's house. The food wasn't too bad, had lots of great varieties of stuffs, meat and vegetable options to choose from, everything was neatly stored in container for self serve. I had tomato broth and it was super sweet like dessert. DO NOT ORDER IT! I replaced to pork bone and was so much better. The service though.... The servers weren't attentive, lack of attention, no instructions, no communication, lack of service over all and I was pretty confused to the point I felt bad kept interrupting them asking for almost everything... menu, plates, utensil... chopsticks, napkins.. literally EVERYTHING to start off my meal. They were probably owner's kid? Idk.. they didn't seem like to care and were hanging out at their own table w computer, device and eating their meals... . We weren't mad, just thought it was so hideous cuz no one seemed to care. The other customers at other tables.... Were filled w bunch of Highschool kids hanging out, they weren't really eating.. yet some were laying on table napping.. playing W phone... listening to music quietly.. (not much noise) . It reminded me so much like school detention room. Over all, they weren't rude or anything, so we just minded our own business eating away w girls and left. We did had a good meal thoughts cuz we were in our own zone cuz no one really disturb us or no interaction, made us felt like HOME to do whatever we needed.. helped ourselves! There is lots of room for improvement to bring more customers if they care enough to give better ambience and service. Will I come back...? Hmmm, if I'm so desperate for hot pot and around the corner May be... otherwise.... I won't even recommend it.