I hope everyone’s enjoying the last of the long weekend! I can’t believe that it’s August already…summer certainly has a way of flying by too quickly.
Today I wanted to share one of my absolute favourite restaurants: the Black Forest Inn in Hamilton. If you haven’t been here, you absolutely must go! It ticks all the boxes: excellent food, drinks, prices, atmosphere and service. The restaurant was opened by an Austrian couple, Fred and Rosa Obbereiter, in 1967 – they had recently immigrated to Canada and wanted to share their culture with Hamiltonians. Eventually their son Wolfgang and his wife Gabi took over, and operated the restaurant until they sold in 2017. The new owners retained the original recipes – and staff – to ensure that the Black Forest Inn so beloved by local customers would remain the same. The fact that this restaurant is still thriving 55 years after its original opening – an incredible accomplishment for any restaurant – is a testament to its popularity with the Hamilton community! Tania and I rarely go back to the same restaurant twice (we prefer to try new places) but this is an eatery we frequent again and again.
The building’s exterior is adorned with vibrant murals by local artist Tim Nijenhuis.
The interior is so charming; decorated with cuckoo clocks, folk art and other nods to German/Austrian culture. All of the servers are dressed in dirndls and lederhosen; fully in theme! Here are some shots of the interior from a visit last December, when it was all done up for Christmas.
In the warmer months, we prefer to sit out on their Biergarten patio.
Despite the reality of inflation, the Black Forest Inn has managed to keep their prices very reasonable. We love to partake in their Friday beer special: $21.99 for any of their draft beer pitchers. You also get to keep the souvenir glasses!
The menu offers a variety of traditional German/Austrian mains and sides. My favourite thing to order is the classic schnitzel with a side of spaetzle (egg noodles) but you really can’t go wrong with anything on the menu. I typically get the Small Vienna, which is more than enough food. You can also get a fancier schnitzel – such as the Cordon Bleu, made with black forest ham and emmental cheese – or substitute the traditional pork schnitzel for a chicken or eggplant version. I am no longer a vegetarian but I was for several years, so I can vouch for the eggplant schnitzel – it’s delicious! Each schnitzel meal is served with bread and butter, a soup or salad, and a side of your choice.
If you have room for dessert, I highly recommend the apple strudel or the black forest cake (pictured below).
Thanks for reading my review of the Black Forest Inn! I highly recommend you check it out if you live in the Hamilton area – but even if you don’t, I promise it’s worth the trip. If you’d like to get a better sense of the full experience, check out this video of our recent visit to the Biergarten!
Wishing you a great rest of your long weekend!
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