IOS Estiatorio — Restaurant in Hamilton

Went in with my son to get an objective opinion about our service and the meal because we all know 13 year olds have no shame haha! We felt like a hassle being a walk in (bit of confusion as to me wanting to order to go but sit and have a drink while we wait); but once seated it was nice to be able to take in the atmosphere, enjoy the music, and have a cold drink. We bought the lockdown special one chicken souvlaki and one pork gyro. I love how the gyro isn't a mix and match of meats but soley pork or lamb - authentic. Service still felt off, chicken felt to be a touch over but good all the same for the price. Pork was alot (maybe because it's pork lol) and a tad dry but tasty and love the greek salad with the chunk of feta (gives the option), but didn't quite like the chunks of everything else (tomatoes lettuce red onion) - bite size is bite size I reckon. My mama said 6/10 ( she said 10/10 for quantity), the son said 7/10 (he wanted more sauce and juiciness) and I say 6.5 (gotta be civil lol 😂). All in all a good filling meal for the price.

reply *3 months ago - I felt that my experience at IOS was okay because there were a couple of times where I felt uncomfortable during the outing and I also thought the food to be okay. I felt that my dinner partner was judged based on his appearance and this was reflected throughout our dinner.

months ago - I arrived before him and was greeted and seated with a smile, upon his entrance he was greeted with uncertainty and the body tone of the employee was visibly guarded and unwelcoming. Hostess was surprised that he did in fact have a reservation and that it was with me - off to a great start, I waived him over and thought nothing of it; he did just get off work (construction), maybe she was surprised to see the lunch box.

Once seated I felt pressured during the ordering process as did my friend who ended up just ordering the braised beef rib special and a salad (he has never ordered a salad in the 9 years of dinners out with him). He did not eat the braised ribs and found it to be 80% fat - I did mention this to the server who initially stated that she would remove the meal from the bill but ultimately at the time of payment it was 20% off (I did not push the issue - we did take the side salad and the side green beans). We were offered the choice to replace the meal and again the suggestion of chicken was quickly put forward and as much as I commend the server for her knowledge and passion for the food I again felt rushed to a decision; menu would have been helpful in order to look over food choices again. What I couldn't understand was why the server kept looking at me to confirm my friend's order - as if he were incapable of making his own dinner choices - I ultimately had to say no to a replacement because I felt the exchange to be embarrassing for my friend - it was clear to me that they felt more comfortable speaking to me as well as serving me.

We stepped out for cigarette and I felt the need to leave my coat so that we wouldn't appear to be dinning and dashing (surveillance prompted this) and like a child heading to the bathroom I made sure I made eye contact with two employees waving my cigarette so they knew where we were going.

I ordered a Caesar salad and chicken skewer - was surprised to find the salad already dressed with vinaigrette, it was soggy, caesar dressing in plastic container on the side was good but a bit difficult to spread on salad. Chicken was perfect, seasoned to perfection, grilled well - juicy.

Ordered a second round of beers and was quickly told the bar was closed - I didn't think this was right and after checking my phone to confirm 850 we were reluctantly given a second beer - this just felt odd as the table behind us was brought a flight of fresh pints.

Hope that helps to clarify,...

For my February foodie adventure, I chose to have dinner at IOS Estiatorio & Wine Bar, located on the Hamilton escarpment on Upper James Street. I lucked out phoning in for a reservation, the hostess said that they were booked, I managed a table for two a half hour later than I originally planned. Not bad. Upon arriving, the parking lot was full, but spots opened in a minute or two. The restaurant itself was warm, with a bright entry way and smiling greeter. We were ushered to our table, right next to a party of twelve celebrating a teacher’s retirement. The seating was crowded, and conversation was difficult with my guest and myself nearly yelling at times to be heard. Once an initial water offering was brought to the table, it was about 20 minutes before our waitress arrived with menus. If you view the menu on their website the prices are about ten dollars more in the restaurant versus the website so be prepared (Since then I have not checked their website to see if it has been corrected). Our waitress returned 15 minutes later to tell us what the feature dishes of the day were, and to take our orders. For Mezedes (appetizer) we ordered Spanakopita. I ordered from the Psari (Seafood) menu, specifically the Lithrini (red snapper) with grilled yellow peppers and zucchini, and an herb seasoned rice (The website showed a price of $40.00, my bill showed $50.00). For purposes of this review, I will only be talking about my order. It took about 45 minutes for appetizers to arrive. Spanakopita should be a lovely golden philo pastry wrapped around a well seasoned mix of feta and spinach. I was disappointed to see that the pastry was dry paper bag brown and burnt on the corners. The filling was perfect after I peeled it open. My main arrived 30 minutes after finishing the appetizer, the snapper was splayed open to show the flesh across the plate. A good mound of the herbed rice was off to the side of the plate. A small bowl of dip sauce sat on the edge of the plate. The grilled veg were brought out on their own large plate. Our table for two was quickly crowded with plates and our drinks. Trying the rice first, I was immediately hit with the most wonderful flavors. An almost buttery savory with a slight kick of spice at the end. Well cooked, not gluggy. The snapper was underwhelming. I started from the center and worked my way out from moist, perfectly cooked flesh to dry, and in some places over cooked flesh. The flavor was there, the texture was the let down. I tried the sauce and was repulsed by the overwhelming taste of olive oil that was either on the edge of going bad or poorly seasoned. With dinner completed, I asked for the dessert (Glyka) menu. I have a nut allergy and five of the seven desserts have walnuts in them. I was going to order the Bougatsa, a phyllo pastry filled with custard, but our waitress informed us of the dessert special of the day. Chocolate Cream Mousse cake, if you are looking for a decadent, moist, perfectly flavored chocolate mousse cake, look no further. This was the highlight of the night. A generous portion with a dollop of whipped cream on the side. Overall, an expensive dinner for a slightly above average offering. The noise and crowded environment do not make for an intimate evening. The staff were friendly and polite, which helps make up for the length of time from start to finish. I would not go back unless it was for a very special occasion, and I was not paying the bill. I give them 3...

My family came here for dinner tonight for a girls night. The restaurant was not full. I arrived after everyone else but they all waited for me to place our orders. We all ordered dinner at the same time. I was the last person to place my order of our group but we ordered at the same time. The food came out quite a bit later and when it arrived my order did not come. A little bit of time passed and the server asked me to remind him what my order was. He came out a few times over the next hour to tell me it would be coming soon. I was friendly and understanding the entire time but it was obvious that he forgot to put my order in or a mistake was made in the kitchen. Once everyone was packing their orders into take out boxes I asked for mine to just be boxed as well if it was coming. A few minutes after it came out and the server asked if I still wanted it boxed which I did because we were planning on leaving soon. After quite a while they asked if we wanted our bill and my mom went to pay for everyone as a treat. When she went up she asked about my meal and the manager told her because I placed my order late it was our fault it didn’t come out at the same time. Then she told my mom she could “try” to comp an appetizer and my mom just asked for the whole bill as it was obviously an inconvenience to her to take responsibility for their own mistake. I am shocked that the manager blamed the situation on us instead of taking responsibility for her employees mistake and rectifying the situation. I’m not sure what the communication was behind the scenes and if she was told the truth about what happened from the server, but everyone at my table was sitting there and heard me order when they did. If I had ordered late I would understand but we ordered our food at the same time. It is insane to me that the manager would try to convince my mother (who was sitting beside me) that what she saw and heard happen with her own two eyes didn’t occur. They brought out a piece of cake for me but I don’t like cake. I appreciate the gesture but that did not make up for what happened or how it was dealt with and again, I don’t like cake. I definitely will not be eating here again and would not recommend you come here if you want to eat your dinner with everyone else at the table. I would recommend you come here if you would like to be gaslight by the manager of the...