La Cantina's co-founder and executive chef, Maurizio Grande, was born in 1963 the youngest of four boys. Life was difficult as a youngster, opportunities scarce and a dream brewing.
Great food, interesting wines and beers, good service. Carefully prepared, good quality ingredients, always consistent.
The hub and I come here occasionally, usually for the ceasar salad which I have to have with the grilled shrimp (too good!) and he has one of their spicy wood oven pizzas, which I steal a slice of. The wood oven pizza is soooooo much better. Sometimes we share the mussels, maybe because they are so good, and maybe because it gives us an excuse to have more of their delicious, chewy, crusty house made bread to soak up the sauce (don't want to leave that hanging around!).
Quite often I get a hankering for some pasta. I have tried other Italian restaurants in Hamilton, but none of them are nearly as tasty as La Cantina.
My pasta was cooked to perfection, the fazzoletti was incredibly yummy (with a generous portion of mozzarella) and the wine list was fairly good considering the selections available in neighboring restaurants.
I have only three complaints
1. They do not do take orders for take out over the phone.
As I can understand how this might be the result of past situations, I am not a huge fan of hearing "it is against our policy"
2. Although my pasta has always been cooked perfectly, my dining partner (on several occasions) has received their pasta practically raw.
3. The service is nothing to brag about.
On any one of my visits, the server has neither been engaging or informative. These days, a dining experience should consist of a little more than dropping off the plates and disappearing.
Overall, I love visiting La Cantina and will continue being a frequent diner :)
Will never go again The pasta was swimming in sauce, they say on the menu 1 kilo of mussels
(2.2 lbs) Not, looks more like one pound the facioletto(calzone) was cooked on the outside but ingredients inside not, cold sauce this is not fine dining, this is fine Dive......they have no clue about Italian food..
Gone downhill! There are too many other restaurants in Hamilton to choose from... this isn't one of them. People who write these positive reviwes have no clue what Italian food is.We have been to la Cantina a few times times last nite really topped the negative list...I ordered il Facioletto which is really a Calzone the dough was burned and the inside which was with boccongini and raw tomatoes and smotherd with cold tomato sauce Number two Disaster, my wife orderd Penne Arrabiate when we saw the pasta made us both ARRABIATE.the penne were swimming in sauce accompanied with very chewie challots a real MANGIA CAKE DISH,THE PASTA VERY PRICEY AND SO WERE THE MUSSELS ON THE MENU IT READS 1 KILO OF MUSSELLS THATS 2.2 LBS NOT EVEN NEAR IT.. WHEN PLEPLE SAY THE PIZZA AND THE PASTA IS OUT OF THIS WORLD...THAT MEANS THEY HAVENT BEEN AT A TRUE FINE DINING ITALIAN RESTAURANTE ( TRY LITTLE ITALY ON COLLEGE STREET, THAN YOU CAN REALLY SAY THE PIZZA AND THE PASTA IS OUT OF THIS WORLD AND NOT PRICEY.. ENOUGH SAID, iIWOULD BE HERE ALL NIGHT WRITING..THIS IN NOT FINE DINING, I CAN SAY THIS IS A FINE DIVE.....
