Review Hot Belly Mama's - Peterborough

I've been coming here since 2006, and we have never had a sub par dish! Ever! Today we vetured out for our first COVID restaurant eat, and it was such an amazing experience! They really had their stuff together!!! The servers explained all the social distancing strategies in play and all the tables were more than 2meters apart... It made for a very calm experience! And the food was incredible!!!!!! I had the pulled pork sandwich with baked beans and corn soup (which was the best I have ever tasted!). The rest of my family got the blackened fish; Cuban sandwich; a chicken sandwich; and chicken strips (for the 5 year old). No take out bags needed!!! The portions, price, and service was right on point! They also take reservations (highly recommended) and their micro beers were an amazing compliment. The attached pictures do no justice to just how savory, juicy, and delicious the whole meal was!!!!! We live in Toronto, and we make the 1.5 hour trip to Peterborough or drive through it SPECIFICALLY for Hot Belly's!!!! We will be back!!!

I love this place because they make their own beer and I love the blackened chicken with sweet potato fries. They have a live band that plays when you happen to be there at the right time. The staff is friendly and the food is great. You can get in with a wheelchair and the washrooms are on the same floor. in the sum.er they remove the cront and it doubles as a patio, cool! Enjoy!

Nothing extraordinary, but a fairly cute restaurant. The last time I visited I had no problems with our waitress whatsoever, as other reviews suggested. I've only been a few times now, but our waitress (curly brown hair) was really sweet and offered fast service.

As lovers of Cajun cuisine and craft beer we were drawn to Hot Belly Mama's and Olde Stone Brewery. We ate at HBM'S, ordered shrimp PO boy and blackened catfish PO boy. Both with corn soup and sweet potato fries. The meals were quite tasty, fresh, and we'll-presented. The corn soup was amazing. Thick, creamy, a bit spicy, full of flavour, and with lots of corn kernels. The decor is very N'awlins with a lot of cajun bayou shack flair. The service was fantastic. Renata was our server, and she was very pleasant, friendly, and helpful. This was the perfect place for Roguetrippers to stop for lunch on our roadtrip through Peterborough on our way home from Ottawa. Stop in....you will love it.

Went here primarily because of "10 best restaurants..." rating, I have to say I thoroughly disagree with this assessment. Completely underwhelming in all aspects except for the patio and the awesome sign above the bar. I could go into detail about the boring food and the confusion around beer availability but it would be one of those annoyingly long winded critics. Utimitally what matters is would I ever go back, for sure no.

Sooooooooo good and great prices. Food was very yummy and service was bang on. On every level I really enjoy this spot and would highly recommend the burger.

amazing food, service could have been better after the food was dropped off no one came to check on us until the bill, i did get busy as we were there so i was understanding, not a place id go running back to but the food was that good

Great find while passing through Peterborough. Great selection of New Orleans inspired dishes. We had the shrimp Po'Boy and the Catfish Po'Boy. Both were very flavorful with nice buns. The sides were equally good - particularly the corn soup! They arePartnered with Olde Stone Brewery nextdoor, so have a great slection of craft beers. Highly reccomeded!

Nailed it! Dragged myself in mid evening on cold, wet Wednesday night. Too wiped to order and Server recommended Shrimp carnival. Shrimp fresh and perfectly sauted with veges al dente and lots of cilantro! Sweet potato fries skinny and hot and salad looked good but didn't need. Server perfectly paired a Stone Ale lager. Another server(?) Suggested chocolate chili creme brule for dessert that was delish. The wicked finish was a camomile tea with lemon, honey and bourben. Slept like a baby, weĺl done, Hot Belly Mama!

Very disappointing experience, first off barely greeted by our server who clearly didn't want to be there at no time during our meal did she crack a smile even once and when bringing dishes just dropped them on the table quite loudly. Server was also quite inappropriately dressed wearing an old zip up sweater and jeans, the other server was wearing a very nice blouse and dark pants. Food was also quite disappointing , ordered items that were not labelled on the menu as spicy nor by the ingredients should they have been but everything was spicy. The only positive was the catfish appetizer which was quite good. We won't be returning.

Sometimes service is slow, my waiter forgot to bring me water and my haberno sauce but it wasn't even that busy.. <br/><br/>Overall the food is great and the atmosphere is nice for catching up with your friends!

I have been eating at this restaurant for years and the food has always been amazing! Service recently has declined a bit but I still enjoy each visit. Nachos are a must and the sweet potato fries are the best in Peterborough

Great food and excellent microbrews. Very cool ambiance and decor. Love that it's in a repurposed garage. Great service and friendly staff. Completely package here, can't really suggest any improvements.

Food is Gr8 However The waitress was horrible!. Love the layout, Deco, and food but honestly worst service I've ever experienced by the end. The men that work there are nice but the lady that rang out my bill totally blew the tip away. She was so rude I will honestly never return while she works there. I actually feel bad for the guy that worked our table because of her I left a horrible tip. Boys who work there ring out your own bills.

Horror, the Horror. Worst restaurant I've ever had the displeasure of patronizing. Don't be fooled. Service terrible.

Won't be back. New to Peterborough, asked around for a good place to grab a bite and a beer, we were told to check this place out. I don't know if they have a new cook or something, but our $15 nachos came out burnt and not just a little bit, like oops I forgot to pull them out when they were ready and 10 minutes later burnt! Being a cook myself, if I screwed up that bad and was charging that much, I wouldn't have sent it out. Customers would rather wait an extra 10 minutes for edible food. And honestly, it's nachos...they're not hard to make! But mistakes happen, I understand. We also tried another appetizer, the cat tails and they were really just boring. I thought maybe I was being too critical, but after reading the rest of the reviews on here, it seems that it wasn't just an 'off night' for the cook and the chefs that run the kitchen! Staff was really nice though and the beer was great!

What happened. For almost 10 years I've pledged allegiance to HBM. But after hiring a new cook, the food has been awful. I've gone 3 times lately, hoping it would change. Recently I got the special, a sirloin stirfry. The steak was obviously 3 days old and cooked until inedible. The whole thing was rice noodles and a few beans, but was priced at 15 bucks. Ridiculous. I work in this industry (Keg Linecook) and have never seen such a disappointment. I am sad to say I won't be wasting my money there any longer.

Tried this restaurant for the first time today because of all of the great reviews. Wish I hadn't. The first thing you are greeted with is an overpowering smell of mould, or stagnant water or something. It was gross. The service is slow, beer is expensive, and the food it just ok. The cleanliness of this restaurant is concerning to say the least. The cute little voodoo dolls and empty beer bottles on high shelves are CAKED in dust and cobwebs. I cannot be clear enough...CAKED, COATED and COVERED in gross, dusty cobwebs. You can't tell me this is recent. The decor hasn't been cleaned aince this place relocated to the current location. Too bad. It had so much potential.

Great food. Really great food with generous portions. I would recommend the blackened catfish po' boy with sweet potato fries and beans and rice as sides (you get a choice of two sides with mains!). <br/><br/>For appetizers their corn soup is so delicious and the hush puppies are really great. <br/><br/>Really good vibe, quick service and very reasonable prices as well (at least for someone from Toronto!)

Yummy. Love their soups and all their food, excellent!

Amazing. An excellent restaurant with a terrific menu. The food is great and very flavourful. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the Peterborough area.

What happened here?. This used to be my absolute favourite Peterborough restaurant. Last nights meal was awful. I orderd the pulled pork with cajun potatos and red beans and rice. I was disappointed to see they took the jambalaya off the sides choices, but then hopeful when the red beans and rice came out looking like the old jamabalaya they used to serve. First of all, red beans and rice is supposed to be mostly beans with a bit of rice, this was a bland rice dish with a few red beans. This is a New Orleans staple, who do you think you're fooling. Second, there was no ham or andouille sasuage in the dish. If the trinity was there, I couldn't find any trace of it, not even the flavour. Next up was the Kansas City Pulled Pork, bland as bland can be, no spice, no vinegar, no smoke and no flavour. The cajun potatos were decent. Lets get some real Creole and Cajun flavour back, please, Im begging you. One last thing, stop calling that rice dish red beans and rice, it is a travesty that neither looks nor tastes anything like red beans and rice. You made me sad tonight Hot Bellys.

Very consistent food have been here several times. The best service ordered nachos but they took a while to come so they were on the house. So much flavour in all the dishes!

Simply Delicious!. My boyfriend and I were looking for a new spot downtown to go for dinner, so I googled some restaurants and Hot Belly Mama's caught my eye. Music can be heard from the street from inside the building, reminding one of New Orleans. While the restaurant was packed, we only had to wait a few minutes to be seated. The atmosphere is very laid back, most of the servers look like normal patriots. The decor was amazing & you have lots to look at while you wait for your food, which was served quite promptly. I had catfish for the first time and absolutely loved it! Definitely a great place to eat!

Fun!. This place has been pretty great all three times I have been. we had the crawdad boil which we really had a lot of fun with, and it tasted great! the atmosphere was very fun as well, and they have some great scotches as well as beer. the sweet potato fries are by farrr the best ive ever had. their pizzas are unique and the blackened catfish is very nice too. the only thing I did not like was the steak sandwich because it came out kind of soggy. but still a great place and great service!

Great. If you do anything, go here when in Peterborough. Cat tails, ribs and shrimp poboy. Great brew pub beer too.

Terrible service. If you want to be ignored by indifferent staff then this is the place to go.

Can't believe the negative reviews. My wife and I eat here often. The service has always been super friendly and attentive. If you show up at a busy time the kitchen can take a while with your order but its always been worth the wait. And the truly excellent beer makes waiting a pleasure. A pint of Pickwick's bitter, a Cuban sandwich, sweet potato fries ... can't beat it. Those who complain should ask themselves "why is this restaurant so busy when I don't like it?"

On the recommendation of family members we are staying with in Peterborough, we decided to check out Hot Belly Mamas for supper last night. After driving out from Manitoba, neither of us was terribly hungry, but we couldn't help but order an outrageous amount of food. At least, the 2 entrees seemed outrageous!<br/><br/>My wife had the Shrimp Carnivale, with sweet potato fries and salad, and I had the Blackened Catfish Po Boy, with Cajun potatoes and red beans & rice. <br/><br/>Both dishes were excellent. Cajun food is hard to come by in Winnipeg (at least in my experience) so finding this gem was a delight!!<br/><br/>Be sure to try their draft beer. 4 of them are brewed in house, with 3 feature beers from other breweries. <br/><br/>It was a fantastic night out, and we'll definitely be back, when we return to Peterborough!

Pretty decent food here but TERRIBLE service.  Waited 50 minutes for the meal (after waitinh 15 minutes to place out order) and the waiter looked,and acted, like we were annoying him just by placing our orders.  Like we were interrupting his day.

Great menu with a lively atmosphere and attentive and up beat staff. Great spot!

Good beer, OK food. We have been to Hot Belly Mama's quite a few times and every time I go away thinking, it was OK. That's it, just OK. Best thing on their menu in my opinion are the sweet potato fries. Extra crispy with a chipotle mayo to dip. Other than that everything is pretty standard fare. Not bad, just not "wow" <br/>They do have some great local beers on tap.

Is it just me?. So, straight off, I love HBM. I've been going there since it first opened and was over on Water St, where 38 Degrees is now. I love the food, the craft beer and the service, mostly. I'm a vegetarian, and there are few places in town with the range of veggie options that HBM has. If you like to eat food that tastes of something, you will love HBM. It's as simple as that. And yet, I'm having a real problem with the place, and I'm not sure I'll be back.<br/><br/>Last time I was there was Friday and the place was packed, as usual. It took a while to get our food, which is perfectly understandable. Demand was outstripping supply, and the staff were running their butts off. No. The thing that was doing my head in was that I was unable to hear ANYTHING the person next to me was saying, because the music was so loud. I'm not deaf. My partner isn't particularly soft spoken. The music was just off the scale loud. Everyone was having to shout over it, which of course made the whole place even louder. Not a pleasant experience. Like eating at the New York Stock Exchange on Black Tuesday.<br/><br/>I asked the server - a bald man with a shaved head, dripping with medallions - if they could turn the music down so that my friends and I could talk. Nothing doing. No way. That's the atmosphere, apparently. That's what you, the customers, want. You want to have some spotty herbert in the kitchen blasting his godawful music at you while you eat and shout at the person across the table from you. We've come along way from the gypsy violinist, ladies and gentlemen. All of it in the wrong direction.<br/><br/>I'm pretty sure they could turn the music down quite a lot, and you'd still be able to hear it, because the overall noise level would be lower, because people wouldn't have to shriek their heads off to talk to their neighbours, which is the main reason they're in the restaurant in the first place! Whatever that is, it isn't rocket surgery.<br/><br/>So I'm wondering. Is this true? Is this what you want? Have you (we) demanded idiotically noisy restaurants? Is a good time really directly proportionate to the ambient noise level? At home, if you want to create a nice atmosphere over dinner, do you crank up the Ramones full blast and then try to exchange the news of the day at the top of your voice with your significant other? No? Why not? <br/><br/>Fact is, they could drop the music volume plenty, and you'd still be easily able to hear it, because the shouted conversations that currently fight with the music for predominance could also be conducted at a lower decibel level. <br/><br/>Hot Belly Mama's has a lot going for it - great location, excellent food, friendly long term wait staff that suggests good stable management. If only they could seriously address their ambience policy, instead of just cranking up the volume a little more, it could be perfect.

I have never eaten something I didn't like at Hot Belly. The service is awesome (every server is great!) and it is even baby-friendly. They actually asked us where our baby was when we went in without her. By far our favorite place in Peterborough!

Went there for my birthday. Friendly server and although the wait was a little bit, it was well worth it. Nice to sit and chat and not be rushed through our meal. We ordered 5 appetizers and shared. Was huge amount and delicious. Price was great. Will defineately go again and again.

Love,Love It. Hot Belly Mama's is our go-to treat destination whenever we are "out with the girls". Haven't been disappointed yet. Working our way through the menu. My advice: just try something - you never know, it may become your new favourite thing. My new favourite right now is the caesar with the special ingredient, and coconut catfish soup.<br/><br/>And it's really not necessary to be so negative.

Service could have been better. Visited a couple times. Food was ok, but the service could have been better. Long wait for bill...

Great place if you like a little spice!. This was my second visit to Hot Belly Mama's, and I loved it!! The decor is focused around old New Orleans, blues/jazz musicians, and a hint of voodoo for some added flair - it's fun to sit with one of their house-brewed beers and just look around the place to see all the cool stuff they have on the walls. The only thing I would caution potential visitors about, is that almost everything on the menu is at least a little bit spicy - so if you can't handle hot food, this may not be the place for you.<br/><br/>I tried the Hush Puppies as an appetizer which are AMAZING! Make sure to have someone with you to share these with; there are six on the plate and each is larger than a golf ball. They were seasoned perfectly and had just the right hint of heat.<br/><br/>For my entree I had the Pulled Pork sandwich with Sweet Potato Fries which I also enjoyed very much. The meat was seasoned beautifully and the fries were also seasoned very nicely. <br/><br/>I would definitely visit this place again next time I'm in Peterborough!

Fantastic atmosphere, courteous service, wonderful meal! We started with the hush puppies, which were HUGE and very flavorful. A group app for sure. I had the butter chicken, which was spicy and tangy all at once. My husband had the pulled pork which was one of the best I've ever tasted. Great craft beers on tap. Will return for sure. Reservation was required.

The best place to eat in town by far!

Hands down, grrrrreat. I have never, ever had a bad meal here just like at St. Veronus. And, just like St. Veronus, the quality of service and food is always consistently good and friendly. Portions are very good, service is spot on and flavour is great. There's nothing else like it in town that I'm aware of and the sweet potato frites are great! They are comparable to what you'd get at The Works in Ottawa, with a spicy mayo. Prices are worth the value of what you are getting in food and service so don't be stingy and go eat here! I recommend the jambalaya, the ribs and the po'boy sandwiches! They have take out too which is great!

Scorcherly Delicious. If you got to Hot Belly Mama's, you must have the pulled pork sandwich with the sweet potato fries. Excellent!!

Wow! Food was amazing. We had the blackened chicken. Blackened catfish. Cajun potatoes. Rice and bean. Ribs and all were fantastic. We are picky eaters and am very happy to have stumbled onto this restaurant. Will be back again and again.

Good grub. A very decent place to eat in Peterborough if you have a craving for Cajon food.<br/><br/>Their Gumbo is a must have to start. Thick, rich and nice and spicy. I'm not sure if I should give this away, but here goes. Its vegetarian! But you would never know that from how rich it is, you'll swear there is meat in it.<br/><br/>With your meal you can order one of the in-house brews from The Old Stone. All their selections are strong ales which compliment the spicy food. Yes I know you tend to pair a large with spicy, but the food is also rich enough that the bitterness of an ale pairs very nicely.<br/><br/>A favorite of mine is the blackened catfish. The spices are both hot and full of flavor, and the fish is cooked correctly, not over or under done.<br/><br/>The sweet potato fries are defiantly worth a try, but may not be to everyone's liking.<br/><br/>World's best Cajon restaurant, well no, are you going to write and tell all your friends, probably not, but it's certainly decent and more than worth a visit.

I love this place! The Cajun fried catfish, sweet potato fries and bayou boil (crawfish) are phenomanal!!!

Amazing food. Sweet potato fries and carb roti is my fav'

Still the best. I'll never get tired of this place. The hushpuppies and crawdads are my favourite snacks. Their pecan pie is unreal.

Great spot! Excellent peel & eat shrimp, blackened catfish, red beans & rice, and pulled pork. Great service and fabulous house-brewed Wilde Olde Ale.

Service was great, pulled pork sandwich is out of this world.Found the entire meal was above average

You'll think you're in Louisiana. Great place in downtown Peterborough. Although I live in St. Catharines (300km away), it is worth the drive to Peterborough for the food and atmosphere.<br/><br/>Start with the corn chowder and try the jumbalaya - you won't be disappointed. Entrees are all excellent and can be served "blackened-cajun" style - make sure you finish up with the creme brule.<br/><br/>A buddy who lives in Ottawa and I meet in Peterborough (1/2 way) and this is our destination of choice.

Packed to the gills on a Monday! Blackened Catfish was flavourfully spicy and blackened just right. Corn soup was tasty with a nice spicy undertone. Good Cajun style food.