Jack Astor's Bar & Grill Eastgate — Restaurant in Hamilton

Daughter and I went yesterday for a personal family celebration, it was around 4pm so there was no hostess so we just stood and waited until we were greeted and we got seats in the bar area, fine. We got served right away (waitresses should mention their names when greeting customers, "hi thanks for choosing Eastgate Jack Astors, my name is * and I'll be your server" .. I think shows a bit more professionalism, but anyway.. we ordered our drinks, I ordered not alcoholic and my daughter had a margarita .. the non alcoholic drink was tasty (strawberry punch something), we ordered the Brushetta as a starter, the bread was so fresh .. the toppings were tasty, was so yummy. For our dinner I ordered the wings and had the Caesar salad on the side: wings were great but the caesar salad could use a bit more dressing as it was slightly dry, caesar salad should be creamy, and my daughter got her usual where ever we go chicken strips.. which she also liked. I liked that the music playing wasn't loud that I couldn't hear across the table (Ivhave some hearing problems. So it was appreciated that the tvs and music were to a minimal and only a background noise.. (Bathrooms could use a bit more service, the hand towel dispenser didn't work so I had to use nasty toilet paper to dry my hands).. they reminded me of a gas station washroom.. didn't fit the rest of the restaurants vibe.. (I know some ppl wonder why I mention the washroom) cause it's part of your overall experience of a restaurant.. right down to clean environment)..

We were satisfied with the service and food was nice as well.. just wish our waitress mentioned her name so we could give her a great review as well.. DARK haired lady.. thank you for your friendly quick...

We were not seated very quickly, it was Mothers Day but we arrived around 4:30 and there were plenty of empty tables, but it took the host/hostess a good few minutes to debate where to seat our party of 5. Once seated, we immediately noticed that under and beside our table/booth there were a bunch of chicken wing bones and French fries all smushed up; the floor had clearly not been swept up in a little while, and certainly not before we were seated. We ordered our drinks and they came out quickly and the lovely server gave two of my daughters Mothers Day tattoos. When our meals were ready and brought out, we did not have any cutlery or napkins at all, of which we did not notice until that time - I feel the host and hostess should have ensured the table was properly cleaned around and under it (the table itself was clean), and that it was set for the next customers to be seated. Our server was not the one to bring out our meals and the one who did whisked off quickly before we could even notice that we needed cutlery and napkins still. We asked another server who was passing by to bring some to us, and did so immediately and was very kind. Our food was hot and prepared as per our specifications and our server checked in on us frequently to ensure we had what we needed. She brought a dessert menu at the right time, and cleared our plates from the table quickly once we had finished. We did get some dessert; the peanut butter cheesecake said it served 2 but it was quite small. I think that the menu should be changed because it was not sized for 2 at all. Portion sizes for everything else...

I read a review that said their reservation was honoured and there was no wait time…. Which is the whole point of a “reservation”. That was certainly not the case for me. My partner and I had a reservation for 5:15 and did not get seated until 5:35 because they were “only” using the bar side and patio and it was full, AND THEN they decided to open the dining area anyways for other families (20 mins after we were seated). The hostess should’ve been telling the walk ins they had to wait while they filled up the tables for reservations…. Or just opened up everywhere to begin with. My partner and I always went to this location every Friday before March 2020 and easily have spent thousands of dollars, while I understand staff might be “rusty” because it’s been so long …. Reservations should still be honoured and if the other side was opened eventually anyways I don’t see why they couldn’t have done it for us (not trying to sound entitled, it just literally makes no sense). I’m sure the staff saw that I was visibly irritated which is why I had a great waitress who did a great job attempting to turn it around. We tipped “her”, and I guess the chef that made the chicken wings beautifully as always. Before March 2020 this place was 6-7 stars to me with the amazing staff, consistent food quality, and cleanliness (the bathroom taps and mirrors were always shiny). As a well known restaurant it should have been expected that dinner hour would be busy on the first day of indoor dining, so all areas should be open...