Amazing food! Ordered their golden fillet which arrived on a plate filled with assorted foods, yet it wasn't too heavy. Staff was very polite, and the restaurant is very elegant. Prices were also not too bad. Would definitely recommend this place for a special event!
The sardines, shrimp and calamari make you imagine being in a cafe in Portugal. Amazing portions and prices. Quaint decor with wonderful staff and service. The place to dine in The Hammer.
Exceptional Portuguese cuisine, friendly staff and really interesting decor! Definitely worth the visit, especially for all sea food lovers!
Jennifer Van Voorst-tanney
+5
It was by chance we stumbled across this hidden gem .... delicious food ... great atmosphere .... just fantastic
Good food, good service, good price. Hard to find such combination these days.
Great atmosphere, great food and entertainment . Very friendly waiters
Muito bom o ambiente e a comida como o atendimento muito bom adoro
Very good food and lots to choose from ,service was great and she was very knowledgable. Will definitely return
The best Portuguese place to eat in Hamilton!
Fantastic food, great environment!! =) love going there!!
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
This place has been on James St for decades and I have always wanted to try the place under the boat out front. Went her recently with my dining group.
Atmosphere- From the outside I would not have guessed this to be so big. There is a large room in the back. This is where we sat. The walls are wooden and give you a feeling of being in the hull of a ship.
Food- My group ordered many dishes featuring what else- Fish. a) Cod casserole- very good flavour but too many bones to pick out. ( I guess this is standard for Portuguese cuisine) b) Grilled sardines- excellent ( with full fish body presentation) c) fish dinner- lightly breaded and very nice. d) calde verde soup- a sausage and potato soup- I would have liked more sausage in bowl but it was tasty.e) salad was lightly dressed and refreshing. f) I split the fish platter and WOW! What a lot of fish. The prawns came ( you guessed it) complete with head and arms. I am not used to seeing full body presentation and i needed instruction on how to get the meat out. Everything on the platter was really good except the calamari- rings of rubber tires would sum them up. I absolutely loved the breaded fish. g) we had a few different desserts and everyone raved about all of them. The only thing I would really like to see if more vegetables. All the dishes came with potatoes and rice instead. ( It may be traditional Portuguese but I think we come to expect vegetables as part of our meals. )
Service- When I made a reservation for 16 I was tld that they could not serve us all hot meals together. however, that is exactly what they did. They served all meals hot and at the same time. The waitress we had was lovely. Everyone was told gratuities were on the bill by the waitress. However, they only add 10% for this. So if you do go I would suggest you add up to what you like to in tip.
Impression- Next time I go ( I will go for sure) I would order the breaded fish , a salad ( for my vegetables) , and a dessert for sure- they are really awesome.
Went to Ventura's for the first time over the weekend. We went on the last day they were open as they close for a month every year to visit Portugal. We were a little worried that the food wouldn't be fresh since it was their last day but the food was not only fresh but very tasty. The server was pleasant and she checked in on us periodically. The prices were very reasonable especially for the portion sizes. The decor was a bit dated but authentic. We really liked that all the tables had white linen tablecloths, it gave the restaurant a more classy feel and the garage door opening onto the street was a nice touch too. Definitely would be a return customer.
First time here and it was phenomenal!! One of those places you walk by all the the time and think nothing of it. We stopped in for a relaxed dinner and i was completely blown away. The seafood Ventura platter was more than enough for the two of us. Scallops, crab, mussels, clams and three types of shrimp - THREE! The shrimp was slightly over cooked but still good. Our garlic calamari was salty and garlicky and i could have bathed in it. Whole sardines - talk to me 😍😍
Really good place for authentic food. Great place if you like seafood. Love it!
We will be back!. We went to Ventura's for my birthday dinner and it was wonderful! We didn't have a reservation but it was early enough that they were able to give us a table. The service was very attentive and polite and the food was delicious. I had the coldho verde soup to start and it was very good, followed by the grilled chicken dinner. The chicken was perfectly grilled and the rice and fries were also very good. The sauce on the chicken had a bit of spice to it...nothing overwhelming though. My husband had the crane a case and enjoyed his meal as well. Both of our kids had grilled fish... Salmon for her and Halibut for him. Both of them enjoyed their meals as well.
the next time we go I want to get a seafood platter for two to split...they look really good!!
The bill came to $95 for the four of us and it was worth every penny! The portions are a good size and the food is well prepared.
Worth the wait. Fish is se.... Worth the wait.
Fish is served ..whole.. So leave your picky wimpy friends out of it. I had the grilled grouper it was very good.
Good Food but a long wait. So me and my boyfriend decided to go to Ventura on a Wagjag deal last as I have always driven past this past this place but never inside. I was suprised but how huge the place was. The decorations and rustic Portugese feel was def achieve here. Excellent ambiance. There was three other tables of pp when we go in. Right away we were seated, and given amazing fresh homemake buns. We ordered around 15 mins later. I ordered the "The Famous Baclhause" and he got the "Ventura Golden Fillet". We were straving but waited around 45mins for the food to come. The Baclhause was excellent, huge portion, lots of flavour!! My BF on the other hand was okay, the potatoes were amazing, alot of flavour and cooked to perfection, the fish was lacking any taste nor did it come with a sauce. He def wouldnt that plate again.
Fave Portugese Restaurant in town. I've tried a number of different Portugese restaurants in Hamilton and this is by far my favourite. The staff is always lovely, the setting is rustic and comfortable, with a real wood stove offset in the corner for ambiance during the winter. My favourite dishes so far are the grilled bacalhau and the grilled sardines. Fantastic! If you're into desserts the Portugese custard tarts are scrumptious. I'm not into desserts and I still love these.
Many of the fish items were not filleted and had bones that makes me rather hesitant and slow in eating. The shrimp and whiting were good but not very filling. Unfortunately I am allergic to mussels and do not really like sardines, however the group appeared to enjoy them. We completed the meal with Portuguese custard tarts (which are amazing) and espresso. The owner Virgilio Ventura is a great host and very entertaining.
I really enjoyed our meal here. The owner was especially friendly and the staff were polite and accommodating. We had the seafood platter, which is an assortment of fried seafood with generous potatoes and rice. The wine was also excellent. The dessert was an egg tart. It was fresh and not overly sweet like one often finds. Nice atmosphere and spacious inside. You can tell the owner loves his business.
Cannot say enough about how phenomenally delicious their seafood is that we had last night! Absolutely unreal food, with fantastically attentive and accommodating service. We definitely will be back to try more of the menu as there were so many good things to choose from it was hard to decide. Great work Ventura team!!
Delicious food. The portion is big. The environment is fantastic. 3 bars in it. Great place for party.
Carlo “Chuck D” DiNardo
+5
Excellent food overall. But if you are looking for fish dishes this is the place you need to go.
Very good typical portuguese food with generous portions. Nice ambiance and friendly staff who spoke English and Portuguese.
Had a great dinner beside the wood burning stove. The grilled sardines and bacalhau à brás returned me to feeling as if I'd returned to place on the other side of the Atlantic.
Great food- the olive oil is fantastic. Got the fruits of the sea. It is all mostly breaded but the shrimps aren't. Fantastic dish to share between 2 people. Plenty for leftovers. Service was fast and polite. Pretty expensive though
One of my very favorite restaurants. 5 STARS all around, food, atmosphere, service.The picture is one of my favorite dishes Halibut steak with veg sides
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