Mulberry Coffeehouse — Restaurant in Hamilton

ANYONE WITH SERIOUS DIETARY RESTRICTIONS BEWARE!!!! As a master's student, finding a great cafe to study at is imperative to getting work done sometimes. After moving to Hamilton, and finding this gem of a spot, I've been coming here almost every week and have recommended this place to several of my friends. I have a severe allergy to nuts, always stick to nut free options with low chance of cross-contamination and am very vigilant in letting the staff know about my restrictions. Usually, the wait staff are very accommodating, and I feel safe eating here. Until my last visit this past sunday. There was a male blonde waiter, who had let my boyfriend know that there was nuts in the banana bread he was about to purchase, which I had been previously told before which was nut free -- this should have been a red flag for me that the wait staff was not only uneducated on the food products he was serving, but was careless enough to not do a double check before informing us on ingredients. However, i ordered the chicken panini sandwich, that I've had SEVERAL times before, and let them know of my allergy. The same male blonde wait staff came off as agitated, annoyed and irritated with my request as if my allergy was a nuisance. He said he would "try his best" and immediately sho'ed me away. I found this very abrasive but assumed he was probably having a bad day. Long story short, I ended up in the ER room twice, admitted to the hospital, under intensive care, given 3 epipen shots one of which i had to administer myself, with constant benadryl and steroids to keep me alive. I had put my trust in this establishment, and the carelessness of the staff could have cost me my life. Allergies are not a preference, and could mean life and death for customers. Either better cross-contamination practices should be implemented, with proper training for staff handling food, or all staff and clear signage should be posted advising customers with dietary restrictions that this is NOT a safe place to eat and accommodations cannot be made. I am posting this review not to bash the cafe, but to advise any customer who is eating here that has a dietary restriction that the staff aren't properly trained from my experience, and thats its better to be safe rather than sorry and avoid this establishment at all costs. Such a shame that I wont be...

mulberry coffee is by far the best coffee shop in this city. located in core downtown, it is a centrepiece for this mosaic of a city we call hamilton. when you enter you are greeted by the warm and welcoming scent of fresh espresso, and baked goods. following this earth shattering aroma you look around and see local art, warm colours, and light shining through the decadent windows. the atmosphere immediately fills you with joy. next up, you may wait in line… or you may not!!! the service is not only incredible but also efficient here at mulberry coffeehouse. on top of that, somehow they manage to hire the coolest people in hamilton to work here, everyone is cool and everyone is literally so nice it warms my soul. there is an extensive menu filled with coffee, matcha, teas, baked goods, vegan and gluten free food, basically everything you could ever want. the prices are reasonable and honestly it should be more expensive for the experience you receive at mulberry. it takes practically 2 minutes to receive your drinks and baked goods, and you are welcome to sit and wait at the numerous seating arrangements mulberry offers while you wait for any other food orders. my personal favourite is the window seat facing towards james street, great option if you enjoy people watching. you will never be let down by anything you buy at mulberry, seriously. every single menu item is good. great even. and when you finish your time at mulberry, you find yourself filled with happiness and ready to take on whatever your day holds, and if you have the time i greatly recommend that you walk around james street and take in the art and many other great stores surrounding mulberry.

additionally, i recently went to mulberry midnights - loved it. vibes were amazing. keep it up mulberry - you’re absolutely awesome.

personal menu favourites: vegan caesar, iced matcha latte - with almond milk, banana bread with espresso icing, avocado toast, lemon loaf, iced peach green tea - half sweet, and their cold brew is buss.

i move away from hamilton in 10 days, and i must say one of the things i will miss most is this cafe. thx for being my...

Consistently the worst "specialty" coffee shop in downtown Hamilton. The service is horrible and the coffee is pretty mediocre. I went back today because I was nearby and wanted to sit and have a coffee while I checked emails.

I ordered an espresso macchiato. I watched her make a double espresso, then pour hot water in it, and add at least 1:1 steamed milk. I normally don't say anything, but I've been having consistently bad experiences here in the past year so I said I just wanted an espresso macchiato: a double espresso with a drop of steamed milk and a thin layer of foam. She told me what she made was a macchiato, and I had to show her a photo of what I wanted for her to understand.

She made the espresso shot again and then poured way too much milk into it (no hot water this time). She set it on the counter without looking at me or saying anything and immediately walked away.

Why is it on the menu if your staff isn't trained on how to make it? I don't think ordering a menu item that is common in all other specialty coffee shops around downtown is an unreasonable request.

Why is the service so awful every time I've gone in the past year? Front of house doesn't greet you, or will ignore you to have a conversation with another staff member, and then look annoyed that you're there to spend money in the shop.

I've been going here for 5-6 years and it never used to be like this. The service and coffee used to be great. I stopped going a few months back and thought maybe I would give it another try because I was literally 10 ft from the entrance, but I seriously regret that. I wanted to ask for my money back, but I would rather leave and let them keep the money than have to talk to the front of...