I’ve made it my mission lately to find the perfect fish and chips in Hamilton the past few weeks and this brought us to Hutch’s Harbour Front at Pier 4 in Hamilton. We’ve been to the other Hutch’s location down at Van Wagners Beach several times and though the food is decent, it still isn’t filling that craving I have for battered deep fried fish, the kind a cardiologist would cringe if he saw you eating. After getting Caron at work, we headed down to waterfront.

Originally we were set to go have coffee at Williams, then go for a walk along the bike path which leads to Cootes Paradise after. But I remembered there was a Hutch’s location down here, so I convinced Caron to change our plans. She’s a doll and usually up for anything!

The first thing you notice when you go to order is that there’s no debit accepted, however there’s a little interact machine located within the building… which charges a user fee (of course). The menu is your typical grill/fryer fare, plus you can order milkshakes and ice cream here as well. We came for the fish and chips so we didn’t pay much attention to anything else. Well, except for the onion rings which Caron wanted.

After placing our order of fish and chips with a side of onion rings we headed outside to dine on their patio/deck area. I  love fresh cut fries, fish and other fried foods but I don’t care for the smell, so dining indoor was not an option. After a few minutes our order number was called and I went in to get it with high hopes.

Pepsi or was it Coke? – Check, Fish and chips – Check, ketchup, mayo and tart tar sauce – Check…. onions rings accounted for! Just gotta have mayo with your fries. I was already getting in a foul mood when on the patio area where we were dining there was another couple who just happened to be looking for attention with their ferret pet on a leash. I know this section was outdoor, but who brings pets to a restaurant? Especially one that looks like a huge rodent!

The fries were not bad, but how can one screw that up? Same can be said about the onion rings which were nice and crispy with a soft creamy texture on the inside, with well cooked onions. The fish was a different story altogether. Not only did the two pieces we got very small, I’m not sure what they did wrong, but the batter was rather heavy (almost dough-like) and separating from the fish as if they had a huge fight and just couldn’t stand being together. Due to the heavy dough it was also saturated with foul tasting oil. This is definitely not what we’ve come to expect from Hutch’s, so I do hope this was just an off day. However we will think twice… maybe there times before going back to this Harbour Front location of Hutch’s Fish and Chips.

Hutch’s Harbour Front‎
325 Bay St N
Hamilton, ON L8L 1M5
(905) 546-5508

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Nothing signals that summer is here than feasting on a large plate of  fish and chips at Hutch’s on the beach, after you’ve enjoyed the sights and sounds of all the activity at the beach. We had spent the morning trying to launch our friend’s sailboat and by noon we were getting frustrated, tired and needed to replenish our fuel or risk passing out in the heat of the midday sun. We were 2 minutes walk from Hutch’s, so it was the obvious choice.

Be prepared on warm days to experience long lines to place your order and people hovering over you to claim your seat in the cool 50′s styled dining room as the place gets very crowded. On these beautiful summer days, the beach and boardwalk (paved trail) is usually packed and everyone seems to end up in Hutch’s to cool down, grab a bite or get a frozen dessert from the ice cream store built within the restaurant itself.

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We were lucky enough to find an empty booth, so the girls claimed it before someone else did, while I joined the line to place our orders. The line was rather long and went to the outside of the building, No worries as it moved quickly. Order placed I went back to our table since you’re given a ticket with your order number, which is called over the overhead speakers when it’s up. I think we waited about 10 minutes, which wasn’t that long of a wait considering the amount of people that packed the restaurant.

Marko and Toni each got the large fish and chips plate which goes for $10 (still can’t believe they eat it all). You get two pieces of battered, deep fried fish covered with a pile of fresh cut fries. Since I’ve been trying to eat a little healthier and we knew from our last visit that the large order is huge, Caron and I decided to split one. If you’re like me and like your fries with mayo, be sure to ask the person at the sales counter to include a small container for you. I doubt that it’s made inhouse, but it’s tangy and creamy – perfect for dipping those wonderful fresh cut fries.

The chips are short and thick and I honestly believe that they could have been cooked a couple minutes more. But we were hungry and were enjoying them just the same. The fish on the other hand was VERY greasy and the batter seemed to have been over cooked. However this was probably due to the thickness of the fish, which I’m sure had to stay a bit longer in the deep fryer to cook all the way through. The thickness of the fish is also to blame for the sort of wet or soggy interior when you broke through it with your fork. Just too much moisture for my liking! But I was the only one at the table who felt this way.

The tall cup of orange Crush really help tie this fried dish together and I love the fact that there were no fishy smell or taste to the fries. The tartar sauce comes in little plastic envelopes and though the ketchup comes from one of those pump containers where you serve yourself, it’s fresh and of good quality. There’s the usual salt, pepper and basic vinegar on the tables.I can be a bit nosy (not intrusive)  in restaurants and I noticed on the table across from us they ordered what seemed to be the footlong hotdog and the other person had the cheeseburger. Both looked very tasty and I immediately wished I had gone for the hot dog instead, which looked like of of those tasty all-beef ones.

Done to mimic a 50′s style diner (actually I think the place was built back in the 50′s), there’s a huge juke box at the front where you wait for your order to be called and on each table there’s a miniature version (see pics above) as well. The walls are covered with a tons of sports memorabilia and if you didn’t know better you’d think ti was a shrine to local football and hockey. The bathrooms are clean, but in the ladies vanity area I was told that the taps were installed incorrectly. The ones marked hot is cold and cold is hot.

The best seating option for me are the ones directly facing the paved path of the beach area as you can people watch while you enjoy your meal as well as watch the boaters and on a clear day you can see across the lake to Toronto. Great use of windows to bring a bit of the outdoor activity and scenery in.

The staff at Hutch’s does a great job keeping the dining room clean, as we saw on at least 3 occasions the teenage staff were busy sweeping, wiping and removing garbage… with a smile on their faces.

To recap… be prepared for lines on warm days, if there’s 2 or more in your group (BTW the seating can only accommodate 4 people at the tables) one should place the order while the other secure seating, the large fish and chips order feeds two people easily and ladies don’t forget about the switched taps in the bathroom.

Hutch’s On The Beach Diner.

Address

280 Van Wagners Beach Road,
Hamilton, ON
L8E 3L8

Phone : (905) 545-5508

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