The Bedrock Bistro Inc — Restaurant in Hamilton

Decided to try out this place with the family today for lunch.

First impressions - after a short wait for a table and a dismal greeting from the hostess we were sat at a booth. We were given loose cutlery from a bin without napkins that was still dirty. Hostess returned with napkins unprompted before our server came.

After about a 15 minute wait we were greeted by our server to take our drink orders. Server was very kind and went out of their way to get us a kid's menu and crayons. Drinks arrived shortly after - no issues here.

Food orders were placed and arrived in a timely manner with the appetizer coming quite quickly. While we waited I was unfortunate enough to watch a server try to sneak behind a door near the back only to reach her neon nails deep up inside her backside and adjust her underwear. I immediately observed her return to running food without even considering to wash her hands.

We chose the works nachos which were mostly edible. I'd definitely recommend a few things like in-house fried tortillas, better quality cheese, fresh instead of canned jalapenos, seeding tomatoes before dicing and more than a partially full 2oz takeout ramiken of sour cream and salsa.

Chicken Parm with spaghetti was very underwhelming. Dry, underseasoned chicken, underseasoned sauce, cheap barely melted cheese, overcooked spaghetti tossed in a watery tomato sauce with oblong chunks of undercooked carrot. Overall a very strange, bland and soggy mess.

Brontosaurus burger was extremely bland and unbalanced. Underseasoned, burnt patty, old tasting bacon, half melted cheese, cheap bun and served with packets of off brand mustard and relish.

Strawberry crepes were soggy, sticky and stone cold. Pre-made crepes, pie filling out of a can, and whip cream out of a can.

Kids nuggets and fries smelled and tasted like fish and dirty oil. My son refused to eat these and opted to just sip his lemonade for the duration of our stay.

Atmosphere is worn out, outdated and I'm honestly shocked to see all the positive reviews. Perhaps this is the kind of greasy spoon you just get traditional breakfast and chat about the good old days of smoking sections.

The best part of the experience was our server, Becky's, constant efforts to joke and make light of the situation;which we hadn't at all brought up, but something tells me she's worked in establishments with...

BB's is a classic family diner that serves a huge selection for their all-day breakfast, among a wide lunch & dinner menu, at a reasonable cost with old school portions - you won't leave hungry!

While it may be a bit dated, the atmosphere is what you would expect (& appreciate) for an old diner that's been around for years: Their healthy portions, great cups of unlimited coffee, and friendly wait staff check all the other boxes one would expect for a seasoned diner.

Speaking of seasoning, I find that one suggestion to easily move their food rating to a 5 would be to add 'some' as soon as it comes out of the fryer or goes into the pan. While the fries and light battered onion rings are great and easily corrected with their delicious gravy, ketchup, and/or some table salt, I miss the satisfying savory melted-in saltiness that is expected after grabbing your first steaming fry with your fingers and crunching through the crust into the pillowy center.

On the other hand, if you are a fan of fried pickles, it is worth the drive to satisfy your craving to just order their "pickle fires". Now I've tried many, & I have to say, hands down, these are the best side or appetiser on the menu. Served with a ranch sauce for dipping, these thin-cut, lightly battered, tangy, & savory pickle spears are a festival in the mouth!

My Mom & I keep heading back even though its a bit of a drive from West Hamilton and recommend the Philly Cheese-Steak, hot hamburg, or their sizzlin' hot iron fajitas. The latter is a fun sharable dish that would satisfy 2 adults easily. While flavour wise it's a little lacking and the chicken option tends to be overcooked, it could easily be a stellar dish with the addition of some garlic powder, salt, chilli powder, & cumin mixed into the chicken & vegetables: my humble suggestion to the cooks. Otherwise, I still enjoy it with some added Frank's, table salt, & salsa added to the 4 fluffy steaming flour tortillas its served with.

I'm sure you'll agree, its worth the trip and there is something on the menu...

Update: Oct 20th 2024 We went for lunch at about 1230 and the location was very busy as expected but we got seated immediately. Our waitress got to us when she could but it took a while as they were clearly understaffed. Our waitress was extremely pleasant and friendly. My wife ordered an omelette and asked to add bacon to it. As she ate it she noticed no bacon in it. The waitress was so busy my wife finished her meal before we could show her. We said it's ok now but can we make sure we don't get charged for the bacon. She said there is no manager on site to take it off the bill so she'll pay us the $2 out of her tips. She wouldn't take no for an answer so we just left the $2 on the table along with the rest of the tip. Very understaffed and no manager on site isn't a good sign. We really like going here but staff under extra stress like that can cause big issues!

Update: September 8th We got the good service and good that we have come to expect here. The location was clean, the staff were friendly and the food came out in good time. I had the Fred's feast which was not only delicious but for $11 I don't think you would get that much food anywhere else.

Update: July 5th Another good experience here... The staff were friendly and accommodating, the food tasted great and was not greasy. The price is still reasonable as you do get big portions. One thing on this visit was that the scrambled eggs I normaly get are usually quite fluffy, this time it was like a thin sheet of egg that was cooked then sliced up. It's tasted fine it was just a bit strange. Keep up the good work!

As usual, a great experience. Update: still great service and food was good. Never disappoints, the most consistent breakfast...