The Hamilton downtown core has everything that you could ever need as a student looking for a fun day out
By Downtown Hamilton BIA, Community Partner
At the Downtown Hamilton BIA, we understand that as busy students you likely have a set routine that is determined by proximity to McMaster University, regardless of whether you live on campus or commute. However, if you are looking to venture outside of the McMaster area, downtown Hamilton is a great place to visit and it is only a short drive away. The downtown core has everything that you could ever need as a student looking for a fun day out and you are sure to have a great time when you visit!
If you are a student looking for a peaceful place to study, any one of the incredible cafés in the downtown core will provide you with a great atmosphere and even better food and drinks. Mezza Caffe, located at 28 James Street North, is dedicated to providing top-quality products and customer service, with a journey that started over 25 years ago in Venezuela before coming to Hamilton. The extensive menu is full of many delicious options, including specialty drinks, caffe, pizze, paninis and a variety of sweet treats. Another amazing café in downtown Hamilton that will make the perfect backdrop for your study sessions is Coco Fresh Tea & Juice, located at 96 Main Street East. As the name suggests they are focused on delivering high-quality tea products, with a menu that includes bubble tea, milk tea, smoothies and lattes. Visiting either one of these incredible cafés in the downtown core will give you the opportunity to complete your work in their inviting atmosphere and simultaneously enjoy one of their delicious menu items.
There are a variety of delicious restaurants in downtown Hamilton, perfect if you are looking to grab a bite to eat with your friends. One of Hamilton’s most popular and beloved restaurants is Lulu’s Shawarma, located at 32 John Street North. It is not uncommon to see a line out the door of the restaurant, the result of a delicious menu that includes Middle Eastern-inspired dishes such as shawarma, chicken and rice and falafel pita. Another delicious restaurant in downtown Hamilton is Kenzo Ramen, located at 21 King Street East. Kenzo Ramen sets itself apart by making its noodles in-house daily, with ramen broth that is stewed to perfection for over 24 hours. Their menu includes items like hot ramen, tonkotsu ramen, chicken karaage and katsudon. Each of these restaurants, like any in the downtown core, is sure to impress.
If you are looking for a fun experience to relieve stress from your classes, there are plenty of great entertainment venues in downtown Hamilton that can help. If you are looking for a high-energy experience Zen Lounge, located at 69 John Street South, is a great option. Each week they host Fiesta Fridays and Shanghai Nights on Saturdays, with extensive bottle menu, food, late night and drink menus. Another option is Escape Manor, located at 103 King Street East. This is an entertainment lounge that acts as a one-stop shop for a great night out, as they offer escape rooms, axe throwing, table games, food and drinks. Once classes are over, you can also reward yourself for all your hard work by attending the Downtown Hamilton BIA’s Gore Park Summer Promenade, an outdoor summer concert series. This year it will be running in Gore Park from May 25 to Aug. 31, with musical performances from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m., a community activation or event from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. and then an additional musical performance from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.
The Downtown Hamilton BIA constantly strives to promote the downtown core as a vital and prosperous part of Hamilton, full of incredible businesses that enrich the location and those within it. For more information about the BIA, you can visit our website at www.downtownhamilton.org. Our website includes a full directory of all the amazing businesses within our boundary, an events calendar, self-guided walking tours and links to our social media channels to ensure that you stay updated on all of the changes in downtown Hamilton. You are sure to enjoy your time in the downtown core, as it has everything you could ever need for a great day out!
C/O Yoohyun Park
Stringent restrictions on clubs and gathering spaces have changed student nightlife
Nights on the town replaced by Netflix parties, social gatherings constrained to a Zoom screen — those have been the realities of the university social scene for the last year. The spaces once meant for dancing and screaming at the top of your lungs just to find your voice gone the next day have disappeared over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. The hole left by where these social spaces once stood is felt not only by students, but also by business owners and the greater Hamilton community.
Restrictions and guidelines for nightclubs, music venues and entertainment establishments have been especially stringent over the course of the pandemic, largely due to concerns over the ability to enforce mask-wearing and social distancing. As a result, a number of local nightlife hotspots have had to creatively rethink the way they operate and do business within the Hamilton community.
“Nightclubs weren't even able to open up — we're lucky because we had seating and an in-house food menu. If you didn't have seats, you weren't able to open until July 2021, so we removed all our couches from the VIP area and moved bottle service onto the dance floor. It turned into a seated party,” said Dash Majithia, manager of Zen Lounge.
Brodie Schwendiman, owner and operator of The Casbah, a live music venue on King Street West, echoed similar sentiments in regards to the ways they’ve adapted their business to meet demands of ever-changing restrictions.
“From an operational standpoint, the main way we have changed how we interact with the community would be that we have a patio now . . . People know Casbah as a place to go to see music bands or listen to a DJ. Most people wouldn’t go to The Casbah for dinner so it required a lot of extra promotional energy,” explained Schwendiman.
Though the transformation of these spaces into mainly food establishments has allowed them to continue operating given the less stringent restrictions on restaurants, there’s been a disappearance of the floors once meant for dance, crowding and heat islands of energy.
The limited operations of these gathering spaces has negative ramifications on the student social scene and larger Hamilton nightlife.
“Why do people want to go to the nightclub? To talk to other people, to dance — all of the things that were not allowed. [At Zen Lounge] you had to sit in your group that you came with. There was a max of six or eight people per table. You weren't allowed to dance. You weren't allowed to walk around and mingle,” said Majithia.
There finally seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel in terms of McMaster students’ return to campus. However, having been away from campus for so long, there is now an entire generation of undergrads who have never had a ‘normal’ undergraduate social experience. And, those social experiences aren’t always easy to find — especially right now.
Schwendiman went on to describe that, even before the pandemic, there were difficulties for small music venues like his in reaching a student audience. Non-campus-affiliated groups had a more difficult time advertising events geared towards students in the areas around campus and the variable commute to off-campus venues added a barrier to access for many.
However, nightlife establishments have now almost completely lost their student client base. In a niche market where business owners often came to know their regular student visitors on a first-name basis, the undergrad and student crowds have been especially sparse as of late.
“I feel like we've lost touch with all these groups in the last few years because the people that were coming to us to do their parties and stuff moved on. The kids never came back,” said Majithia.
On the brink of a full return to campus for the Winter 2022 semester, students back in the Hamilton area can slowly find their way into the hustle and bustle of student life and with it, the nightlife of the surrounding areas.
“Finding the time is sometimes challenging, but what I would say to students is that I encourage them to carve out time to do their own research about Hamilton's cultural scene. Online, there's all kinds of places to learn about what's going on. Social media is such an important thing now, so it's very easy to access what's going on just by surfing around,” said Schwendiman.
Despite the difficulties posed by restrictions that nightlife establishments have dealt with in the face of the pandemic, business owners and the Hamilton community are excited to welcome students back to the area. Take a night off and see what it means to experience the vibrant social spheres of the Hamilton community.
