As the Canadian music industry heads to Hamilton for the 55th Annual JUNO Awards, visitors (myself included) will be looking for more than just arena shows and industry parties. One of the best things about a week like this is finding the places in between: the restaurants worth lingering in when you’ve got a break between meetings, the breweries and bars with actual personality, and the intimate live music rooms where you can feel like you’ve stumbled into your next favourite Canadian artist before everybody else catches on.
This is exactly where a creatively driven city like Hamilton shines.
The city’s food and drink scene may be a little more compact than in some larger Canadian centres, but that is part of the charm. Hamilton knows exactly what it is, and over the past decade of visiting on and off, I’ve come to appreciate just how well it delivers when you want somewhere with character. During something as celebratory as the 2026 JUNO Awards, that matters. Skip the chains, skip the predictable stops, and make time for the gems Hamilton has in no short supply.
As if JUNO Week were not enough reason to pay attention, Hamilton has also been having a bit of a moment on screen lately, with Heated Rivalry filming at a number of spots across the city. Consider it one more reason to skip the obvious stops and actually explore.
In other words: build yourself an itinerary before getting to town. As a food writer with unabashed opinions on, well, just about everything in the culinary world, allow me to offer a few starting points.
Where I love to eat and drink when visiting Hamilton
Start with an old-school donut, grab a pint when downtown starts to feel a little too shoulder-to-shoulder, settle in for dinner somewhere fun, and then cap it all off with a live music experience that feels a lot more special than shouting over a crowd in a packed room.
Grandad’s Donuts is, in my opinion, one of the best donut shops in Canada, full stop. There is something wonderfully old-school about it, like stepping back into a time when places like Tim Hortons still baked on-site and everything felt a little less corporate and a lot more delicious. If you are in Hamilton for a busy few days of showcases, meetings, and general music-week chaos, this is the kind of low-key start to the day that just feels right.
If you are craving a breather from the downtown core, Fairweather Brewing Co. is well worth seeking out. It is a little off the beaten path if you are unfamiliar with Hamilton, but that is part of the appeal. For craft beer fans especially, it is a great place to reset, regroup, and sip something excellent before diving back into the JUNO Week whirlwind.
When it comes to dinner, Hamilton has plenty of strong options, depending on the kind of night you want to have.
First up, Maipai is a total vibe: part Detroit-style pizza destination, part tiki bar, and unlike anywhere else in Canada. From the second you walk in, it feels like you have left Hamilton entirely and entered a tropical cocktail den, but make no mistake, this is very much a restaurant first. In other words, no 2 a.m. zombie-fuelled chaos here, friends, and that is probably for the best. Regardless, it is a very fun place to start the night or settle in for a casual dinner.
Meanwhile, Rapscallion & Co. has long been a favourite in the city, known for its thoughtful use of regional ingredients and playful, well-executed dishes. The room has an easy, cozy charm to it that makes you want to settle in and stay awhile, which is usually a good sign. And for those who want a cocktail-and-snack stop with a bit of energy to it, Born & Raised remains one of Hamilton’s go-to places for parking yourself at the bar, catching up with a friend, and pretending one drink will definitely turn into just one drink.
Of course, if you are looking for a Hamilton stop that blends longstanding history with entertainment, Capri Ristorante should be on your radar too.
A longtime city staple, Capri is beloved for its pizza, pasta, and old-school Italian restaurant charm. But the real sense of occasion kicks in upstairs. Its storied Blue Grotto Lounge has a long history of live entertainment and, while it may not host performances as often as it did in the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s, walking in, you can still feel the energy of bygone eras of lively parties, bands, and celebrations.
Blue Jay Sessions comes to Hamilton’s Blue Grotto Lounge
During JUNO Week, the Blue Grotto will host a special Ontario pop-up of the award-winning Blue Jay Sessions on March 26 and 27. Originally launched in Western Canada, the Blue Jay Sessions have built a national reputation around a warm, songwriter-focused format that feels far more intimate than a standard concert or typical acoustic music night. Rather than one artist barreling through a headlining set, these shows unfold like a shared conversation, with performers trading songs, stories, and the sort of candid moments you rarely get to witness in larger venues.
It is the kind of format that feels especially well suited to JUNO Week, when so much of the fun lies in being close to Canadian artists at every stage of their careers. The Hamilton pop-up features a strong cross-section of independent talent, with Thursday hosted by ZENON alongside Josh Ritchie, Ashley Ghostkeeper, Sam-r, and Dayna Reid, while Friday shifts gears with Jessie T joined by Kaeley Jade, Nix Ironstone, Rich Cloke, and Misty Blue. With two sessions each night, it offers locals and out-of-town visitors alike a more stripped-back, story-driven side of Canadian music during one of the busiest weeks on the calendar.
And because no Blue Jay Sessions stop would feel complete without something good to eat and drink, Capri’s pizza and pasta will be part of the equation, available for ordering alongside cocktails, wine, and craft brews from Alberta-based Sea Change Brewing Co.. Call me slightly biased, but I think this makes for a pretty ideal Hamilton night out: good food, good beer, and showstopping live music performances that feel plugged into JUNO Week while still pleasantly adjacent to the chaos of the city’s larger-scale events.
For anyone heading to Hamilton in late March, this is exactly the sort of plan worth making time for. Come hungry, stay out a little later than planned, and carve out at least one evening for the kind of smaller room where the songs and the stories behind them actually get a chance to land.
Blue Jay Sessions: Hamilton Edition takes place March 26-27, 2026, at the Blue Grotto Lounge inside Capri Ristorante. Tickets range from $12.50 to $20.
Full lineups and ticket information are available through Showpass.
