5 Hamilton restaurants make list of 100 most popular brunch restaurants in Canada

If you still haven’t decided where you will take your mom for Mother’s Day (or just where you will enjoy your next serving of eggs Benedict), Open Table has five Hamilton restaurants for you to consider. 

Open Table, a restaurant review and reservation website, recently released its list of the 100 Most Popular Brunch Restaurants in Canada for 2023. 

With Mother’s Day coming up soon, now is as good a time as ever to lock down a reservation at one of Hamilton’s many brunch spots. The five spots that made the list this year include:

• The Ancaster Mill
• radius
• Rapscallion & Co.
• The Mule
• Undefined

The Ancaster Mill, located in the Hamilton suburb of Ancaster, sits beside a creek and boasts a large dining room with a view of a waterfall. The restaurant, which offers a range of locally-sourced ingredients, hosts a buffet brunch every Sunday. 

radius, which focuses on local cuisine and is known for using farm-fresh eggs, baked goods and seasonal vegetables, will host a Mother’s Day brunch on May 14. The regular brunch menu features several staples, including eggs Benedict (including a mushroom and black truffle butter option), Korean fried chicken waffles, a steak and egg sammy, a vegan scramble and more. 

Rapscallion & Co. calls itself “a mischievous and vibrant part of Hamilton’s restaurant scene, dedicated to offering the city’s culinary connoisseurs a full nose-to-tail experience.” The Beatles-themed brunch menu features Eggs McCartney (with avocado and pico de gallo), a Bacon Stack with pancakes, bacon, pork jowl, fried egg, brie cheese, veal jus, maple syrup and foie butter, stuffed brioche French toast, cinnamon roll pancakes, mimosas and more. 

The Mule describes itself as a place where “tacos, tequila and bourbon come to party.” The resto boasts an impressive brunch menu laden with drinks and such creative fare as guava pancakes, a scrambled egg meal aptly titled El Gringo, fried chicken, egg-based tacos and more. 

Undefined, a King William St. resto that takes a “whimsical’ approach to cooking from scratch offers diners an extensive array of memorable brunch options. The menu features an eye-popping selection of creative mimosas, including lemon and lavender, candy apple and pink hibiscus varieties. As far as food goes, the menu boasts biscuit boards, chorizo huevos rancheros, banana and sourdough French toast, a farmer’s sausage and potato skillet and more.  

Open Table says this year’s brunch list, based on more than one million reviews, features restaurants spanning five provinces. Ontario tops the list with 49 restaurants, followed by BC with 29, Alberta with nine, Quebec with eight and Atlantic Canada with five.  

“Our data indicate that Canadians’ appetite for eating out remains strong, with restaurant dining up 4 per cent year-over-year this April, and we expect that enthusiasm will continue for Mother’s Day dining,” said Matt Davis, country director, OpenTable Canada, in a statement. 

“Whether your mom loves classic Bennies and mimosas or an elegant afternoon tea, OpenTable’s 100 Most Popular Brunch Restaurants list features a diverse array of delicious brunch spots that are sure to make your mother figure feel spoiled. Make sure to book by May 9th to increase your chances of securing a reservation at mom’s favourite spot.”  

Last Mother’s Day, the average spend per meal was $48, and the most popular cuisines were American, Italian and Canadian. Canadian and American restaurants make up the majority of the most popular 100 restaurants this year.

Open Table says people gravitate to restos offering farm-to-table cuisine, comfort food and Middle Eastern fare.