Julia made this an incredible experience! I am so grateful for Julia and The Mule, as a celiac and anaphylactic to Peanuts and Tree Nuts, my time finding restaurants that I feel truly safe is rare. This was the first place in Canada where I felt that safety to just explore the menu, relax, and enjoy. Everyone that came to our table was kind, informed, and awesome! Also the food IS AMAZING! Best tacos I’ve had in Ontario. Thank you again to Julia and the team for making a memorable meal and amazing experience. Will be coming back to Hamilton just for The Mule!
We parked down the street in a parking lot that only accepted coins. $2/hr. (No cards accepted only coins)
When you first step foot in the door it's like being punched in the nose by an old moldy cloth. 🤢 Needless to say, we stuck around because we heard that that pop punk band 'Accident Prone' from the early 2000s has been seen there. 🤘
The staff are the cool kids you jammed with in school. Friendly enough and didn't seem to mind catering to our dietary restrictions of dairy-free and gluten-free. They were very accommodating.
If you are looking for Root Beer here, you won't find it. It's only Pepsi products (and even though Pepsi makes root beer, they didn't have it lol!)
The BEST thing about this visit.... APORKALYPSE NOW BURGER AND SWEET POTATO FRIES!!!!! I still dream of this pork on pork product. There is nothing as good as this. The burger patty is delicious, it's topped with regular bacon that was the perfect crisp and if that wasn't enough it was topped with chunky double smoked bacon (which I hope to be buried with one day). I swapped my provolone for vegan cheese (for those with broken bellies like me) And, if that wasn't enough.... they slather this little piggy in horseradish mayo!! Like what the funk?!? Who thinks of such a glorious burger lube?!? Bottle that and sell it, you'd make a killing!! I swapped the standard fries for sweet potato fries that came with a tasty dip and it was a match made on the farm!
I am STOKED that we stayed, that burger was like nothing I have ever eaten before. Thank you to whoever created it! It was simply gorgeous.
I hope to be back someday to enjoy that morsel once more!
They just put out a summer menu and it was excellent. Best to go with a group and share. They were able to accommodate for my celiac. Try the whipped feta. It was out of this world. The waitress was lovely and we didn’t need for anything.
We travelled 2 hours to eat dinner here. Destination choice. Us and our friends (4 top) The dining room was busy, loud and full of laughter. The Kitchen was on a lull when we sat down for our 7 pm table, as we had a front row seat to see what they are up to. What they are "up to" is a LOT. As is the whole restaurant. Great greeting at the door, good well timed and solid service by the whole team, table visit from the Manager to say hello and chat for a minute. Very well made drinks, good wine selection by the glass, big tables, nice big chairs. Details. They have these covered. As the second rush hit, and the Kitchen crew was heading into what I know was the second stretch of service in a 10+ hour day, they did not let up. All of the parts of the dishes we ordered had their full attention. The salad, venison carpaccio and squash fritters were delicious, proportional and looked fantastic. The frites on the burger and flat iron steak (both cooked as ordered, delicious and served hot) were crisp and seasoned. The gnocchi was so good my wife purposefully did not finish so she could take some home to have the next day and my duck leg had crispy skin, soft delicious meat and slightly textured cabbage, with potatoes, proper lardons and a balance of tart mustard. There was dessert too after all of that great food, a smooth and full-of-real-vanilla-bean brulee and a light lemon tart. Espresso martinis after the meal instead of coffee. I am a full blown celiac diner who understands that there will be dishes that I just cannot have and yet I had numerous menu choices as well as un-requested thoughtful additions provided (gluten free crackers for my carpaccio) This is a restaurant business that you can go to knowing that all of the people that are here are working to put out the very best over-all experience they can, and have been doing so for the past several years. In a changing time of eating out and deciding where to go and what to get, my wife put it perfectly - "Go somewhere that can exceed your expectations" The French does just that.
The atmosphere is fine, not very high end but not a pub. Service is good, the server didn't stand out in anyway but I was part of a large group of 12/13 so it can be a lot for a server. I had calamari to start, and it was excellent, super tender and the batter was light and crisp. The mussels in beer sauce, which were a tad overcooked, the mussels were quite small, and the sauce was extremely salty, normally I drink up all the broth/sauce from mussels and I couldn't with these. I also had a gluten free pizza, traditional, with garlic. I've had worse gluten free crusts, and I've had better. The toppings were more like a delivery pizza place than what I'd expect from a traditional Italian restaurant. I ordered a bourbon old fashioned, and I don't think they knew how to make it because I just got a rocks glass of bourbon, ice and an orange peel lol.
I was looking at the other things the rest of the group were getting, I wasn't super impressed, the carbonara looked too thick and chunky, the garden salads were heavy on iceberg and light on every thing else. I just think with the prices it should have been a little better.
I've gone to east side Mario's and had equal/better for less.
Ordered pizza from here for the family. It was delicious. I like that the pizza is not too saucy, the crust if fluffy and the toppings were abundant. I also love that they offer a gluten free option as well, it really made it easy to have the whole family involved in the pizza night! 10/10 would go again
Clean, well managed and good value for the money. I like my pork not so well done but I understand that restaurants have to be cautious and not everyone likes pork on the pink side. The portions were good and they have gluten free rice-based pasta that my wife enjoyed. They even had GF bread to make a garlic toast! We each had a drink and found them to be reasonably priced too. So many establishments are gouging on that element now. We weren't expecting much from initial impressions but we ended up pleasantly surprised and would definitely go back if opportunity presented it.
Our server Gabby was amazing and so attentive as I am gluten free, she made sure everything was going well. She checked on us a few times and was making sure we were in the loop about our food and timing, I appreciated that.
Also, I have never seen a manager be so active, Mike was running plates out to people, checking on people, we even saw him wiping the counter in the washroom. This was soo amazing! This is by far our favourite keg location out of all we have visited (hamilton, niagara falls, missisauga, toronto) and we will continue to come to this one.
We hosted our wedding at The Diplomat and everything was incredible! Our event coordinator, Kyla, was super helpful throughout the whole planning process and answered all of our questions promptly. The restaurant is beautiful and required such minimal decor. The staff working the event made everything run so smoothly, from set up, to cocktail hour, to dinner service. The servers were amazing. The bartenders are so talented and our guests loved the cocktails. All of the food was DELICIOUS! Our favourite canapés were the fried halloumi and the chili chicken. The braised beef was to die for. There were vegan and gluten free options for our guests with dietary restrictions. Our guests raved about the food! I would highly recommend The Diplomat for hosting events!
The Burnt Ends were tender and succulent, the Red Cabbage was just right--not too sweet-- and just as I remember as a kid at home, and the Fries were crisp and hot. Most important of the, the Staff were super helpful and friendly, and they went out of their way to make sure that the order was gluten-free, low salt, and that I was able to have it delivered. Exceptional service and food.
My partner and I frequently dine here for Sunday brunch. We always enjoy the tasty food, the pleasant service, and the relaxed atmosphere. Deb was our server today and she was lovely. I appreciate that they have a gluten-free toast option for us GF folk.
I’ve been here many times and always have a great experience. Really strong vegetarian options and able to modify to make gluten free with no issues. Also, one time AG kicked out a couple bigots for harassing my friend, even after we accidentally spilled salsa on her hello kitty shirt (we love you AG, sorry again). ALSO sick sonic drawings on the outdoor sign!!
Amazing space! The escape room was fun (we solved it!) And a great, fun environment throughout the building. We were upstairs with a group. I was worried I wouldn't be able to eat anything being brought for a big group (I have celiac and can't eat gluten) I was surprised how many things were naturally gluten free (including the shrimp and meatballs), but they also brought specifically gf crackers with the charcuterie board. So good! It didn't affect me, but they also have lots of dairy free options. Again, they had lactose free cheese with the charcuterie. Great experience! 5 stars! Will go back. I'd also like to know what the red sauce/jam was that came with the charcuterie. Absolutely delicious. Do you sell it in a jar so I can bring some home???
Exceptional experience. My reservation for two changed and I still went and very glad that I did. I ordered their Gluten Free Flourless Chocolate Torte. Tortes for those who don't know are made with a higher ratio of eggs and butter and as such a much smaller portion is usually the way to go. As a chocolate lover this was a fantasy come true. The density/texture balanced between fudge and a brownie was superb. The depth of chocolate taste was deep and luxurious. The sugar content was a perfect nudge down allowing for the chocolate flavour to reign. The presentation was lovely and the berries were carefully selected for peak ripeness and taste. They contrasted beautifully with the torte. I ordered a single scoop of quality French vanilla icecream for $1.50 additional. This allowed for a palette cleanser effect of sorts in between bites. I savoured this experience. My server was pleasant and not overly "nice,' and this was welcome and refreshing. For a Tuesday at 5 this restaurant had only two patrons, which was fine by me. My bill came to $10.74 and left enough room for a healthy tip. The server told me that the menu will be changing in a couple of weeks. I pray that when I return in about 4 weeks that this glorious dessert will still be offered.
100% Dedicated Gluten-Free
