Hutch’s on the Beach — Restaurant in Hamilton

*Do you want to read HOW I got to a point ordering my food? It was a Saturday evening. My best friend and I were spending a well deserved downtime hanging out at the lakefront. We parked facing the lake and watched people attempt a long walk on a deceiving cold sunny day. It got chilly super fast after the sun went down. We were hungry and I turned and looked to my right and there it was, Hutch's! To my surprise it was incredibly busy. I called and called and it finally rang after several attempts. Mind you I could have walked inside and ordered. I was lazy and felt to order it from my vehicle. I want to congratulate the management and the staff for creating such an ever flowing customer service. You call, they give you the near exact time to pick it up( plus minus 5mins) I had to wait an hour to get my food (I ordered Fish and Chips). It was chilly and cold, but the spirit of Canadians wasn't going to deter the people of Hamilton from getting their food. I saw people lining up in LINE .. outside waiting to go inside and order their meals!. I saw people patiently waiting to hear their name being called on a loud speaker.There was mutual respect between everyone waiting to get their food. As my time neared, I too joined the crowd. I wanted to find out WHY. Why wait eagerly to get your food from this place. Why wait OUTSIDE in the chilly lake effect wind to get your food? I may have stood 10mins, why didn't I go back to my vehicle? Maybe because I didnt want to miss out on hearing my name. So I thought, but you can easily hear your name from your vehicles. I finally got my order. 2 large fish and chips. My friend finished half of it but I devoured the whole order in a flash of under 10mins. After my last bite, I waited a few minutes as the food made it way in my stomach and settled for digestion. There was so much MEAT under that fried batter. I was amazed by the texture and its flavor. On a normal day 1 large fish and chips should suffice a couple. But I was in 'munchies' mode, and I needed my fill, ha! I enjoyed the whole experience. From watching people getting their food to the point where I fully was satiated. You can't beat the fish and chips and customer service in this place. I am eagerly waiting to go back. Thank you for the meal during these harsh times we have gone through as a community and as a...

This place was well worth the money... Or so it use to be.... Here's my 5 year feedback. You could feed a family of four for less than 40 bucks drinks included... portion sizes were huge and the food was deliciously good. The staff was friendly and professional five years ago and the bathrooms were clean and well maintained. The tables were clean and it really was an amazing retro feel. I had heard some bitter things about this beloved joint that has been a staple in this community for 75 years. It's sad to say that those comments came as some very sad truths. Sad to see how things can go downhill when complacent behaviors emerge. Very unfortunate because I saw a lot of talent in some of the young adults and youth who work there and they definitely have a bright future in the trades and aviation, best of luck to them. I would have loved the chance to bring this place back from the grave and work with a few talented individuals, shout out to the ones hanging in their to finish off those 40 plus years. Unfortunately, due to a few who don't want to make the efforts to change or ensure the health and wellbeing of others, I am unwilling to put my name on the line. In my humble opinion after the bearded lady losing her fingernails in the fish and the extra boogies they like to add with dirty hands from wiping their noses and not washing up before entering the kitchen, not to mention the bags of moldy buns I watched be taken back out of the garbage to save the buns without visible mold I will say as a professional who has been in the culinary game for a long time, Godspeed to anyone eating here. I offer my best wishes and a happy retirement to the elders whose hands are tied due to cancel culture and the complacency of a few bad apples. This is a place of days gone...

10 MONTH UPDATE:

I have to downgrade my review from three to two stars unfortunately. Perhaps we keep getting unlucky when we order from here as I see some positive reviews, but our takeout was not great. The fries were fine, delivery time was good, and the included sauces and the like were more than reasonable - the rest of the food however, was not. Aside from virtually everything being bathed in unpleasantly greasy oil (the fries were the healthiest thing on that plate lol), the dish also lacked flavour.

I'm not sure how that thick, bland, gooey layer of batter was approved. It is a shame because the fish inside wasn't overcooked, and the portion size was very fair! Aside from lacking virtually any seasoning (seriously, it just tasted like old fryer) the batter was so thick that it started to fall apart in the short delivery time to our place (I don't expect it to be the same as in-restaurant obviously, but yikes...). The bottom of our bag was soaked and leaving oil stains on our table, probably from the oil rings- I mean, "onion" rings.

We both experienced some moderate food poisoning after the fact, so I cannot recommend it to those with a proclivity to stomach issues. What the heck! As a lifelong Hamiltonian, I'm just sad that one of my childhood staples is just coasting along on its old reputation rather than trying to produce a quality product.

PREVIOUS REVIEW:

Unlike the last time we ate here (years ago), the food was a tad disappointing, bland undercooked batter, unsalted fries, and unseasoned fish, but with enough ketchup it's ok. The staff were absolutely lovely however, helpful, and the food wasn't a long wait. The atmosphere is fun with an awesome retro aesthetic! We may come back in the future pending...