Our bright, elegant and well-appointed dining room offers friendly comfortable dining, while our back bar area, with its warm wood tones, a granite bar, and state-of-the-art big screen TVs, offers an informal yet classy space to watch the game and share a pitcher of draught. Our downstairs Lounge, with its over-stuffed leather furniture and a fireplace, is a great spot to hold your next family or work get together. Dine with friends and family and sample foods with global appeal, including our famous Chorizo and Seafood Gumbo. We take great pride in our attention to detail and make it our goal to ensure all our guests have an enjoyable experience.more...See more text
We just visited Acclamation and I'm inclined to write a review to tell you a honest review. We had such great service and such delicious food! I ordered the risotto and my husband ordered the seafood pasta. I eat risotto where ever I go and I fell in love with this one. (I'm already craving it if you want to know the truth!) The seafood pasta was perfect (yes, my husband shared). You get a large portion of seafood, including lobster! The service was absolutely great. Unfortunately, some people say otherwise (which is disappointing) but the service we received was fantastic. They were quick, efficient and had plenty of smiles. We really felt welcomed and would definitely recommend this place to anyone looking for a great meal!
Came for lunch and service was pretty quick. Patio is nice for the summer. Fries are pretty tasty. However, soup was bland as well as the sandwiches. I had the braised lamb and fiancé had the pork cutlet. Decent but nothing special. Coke was flat too. I'll be happy to find better places. No need to return here.
My sister's and I wanted to take our mom out to dine somewhere to celebrate her engagement. We had heard great things about this restaurant, so we thought it would be the perfect place to go. We were greeted by a nice hostess and seated very quickly. We ordered our drinks, which came out almost immediately. After ordering our foods, we chatted and waited. Before we knew it, a half hour had passed by, and still no food. A party that had been there long before us had not even received their meals! We asked the waitress how much longer it would be, and she did not even apologize for the delay, but instead acted as if it was a bother to check on it. The waitress was very rude, and most definitely needs to cut the attitude. She told us it would be a few more minutes. By this time it had been an hour, and we were yet to receive any food. We were told it would still take a little longer, so we decided that that had been enough and we left without eating. The restaurant had a maximum of 20 people, if that, and waiting over an hour for chicken and salmon is just completely unacceptable. Needless to say, we went to a different restaurant, and received everything from our entrees and bills within one hour! I would not recommend this restaurant unless you want poor service and are prepared to spend over an hour waiting on your meal.
My fiancé and I decided to try this place on a drive-by whim. We are so glad we did. The food was fantastic! I had the gumbo appetizer, and was glad I only ordered that (and I'm a big eater). The scallops were perfectly seared, the big cherry stone clams were delicious and perfectly cooked, as were the shrimp and mussels. My fiancé's pizza was loaded with fresh ingredients and on a perfect crust.
The wine list was very good and surprisingly well priced, and the selection of beers was far better than anticipated.
Not only will we be back, but I've already recommended this place to everyone in my office.
Excellent food at an excellent price! Can't wait to try the braised lamb fettuccine!
Seriously??? What do we need to do to get some service? Our pretty blonde waitress spend more time in the kitchen then serving our table. Cant even say it was busy. 4 guys sitting at the bar, another table of 3 and us. We over heard the other table of 3 saying the same thing. We didn't eat, we left and went some place else that appreciated our business. To bad, great atmosphere.
We were with a group of 22 people that had reserved the basement room.
The atmosphere was good the Heat was cranked up and the food was not as ordered and was not of great quality.
I ordered (ahead of time) the 8oz striploin cooked to medium well it arrived and looked lik a 6 oz striploin that was sliced as thin as liver and was well done. The one scoop of mashed potatoes tasted like petrolum product and the 2 spears of asparagus and couple of slices of peppers rounded out the meal.
I was not $40.00 per person well spent....will never return.
They menu is influenced heavily by Portuguese cuisine and has a good variety.
The specials were a little more creative when Chris was the chef (If you are reading this Chris, we miss you!)
The staff are very friendly and attentive.
The wine list is not that extensive but OK. (I wish they had half litres)
This restaurant came highly recommended from co-worker who lives locally. Being new to the area, we were open to suggestion and gave it a shot.
We went on a Wednesday evening, so it wasn't to busy. We were seated right away, at a cozy little table in a nook near the front door. The atmosphere was cozy and inviting. There is a bar/lounge to the rear of the restaurant, but a devider wall allows for a quiet dining experience at the front.
Our server was great, made recommendations and was on top of keeping our experience enjoyable.
We started with the Spicy Shrimp appetizer, which was a great start to the meal.
The Roasted Lamb stuffed with chorizo sausage was amazing and my wife loved the chicken supreme.
We finished our meal with a Chocolate Lava, which was made to order. It was cooked perfectly and topped off with some fresh blueberries, raspberries and pomegranate seeds.
Before we had even finished our main course we had already decided on what we were having on our next visit.
Give this one a shot, you won't be disappointed.
Had been there earlier this summer for lunch & we all had a very good meal, so I decided to take an out of town friend this week, we chatted over the anti pasto, but were both silent over the entrees, I found my lamb? to be overcooked onto a pile of soggy rissotto rice, as for my guests meal I took it from her silence that it was nothing special,
The coffee was probably the best part of the meal.
I am ashamed to admit that James St is the last place I think about when it is time to go out, but I am completely sold on it now! We left another restaurant because we had higher expectations. One of the guys recommended Acclamation.
First of all this place has tons of parking, and is an absolutely beautiful place! I was seriously suprised, I guess I expected it to be more run down. The guys grabbed the corner seat on the patio which faced James St. I was once again mystified by the character that James St had. Free entertainment but all good. It feels like you're in a fancy place until a nutbar comes down the street dancing and yelling. Good times.
The waitiress was awesome and recommended some great wine. We ordered Caesar salads to start and based on the presentation and portion size I could tell this place knew what they were doing. The guys ordered steaks and I had the lamb with chorizo.
I gotta tell you, I tried the steak and next time I go, I will have the steak for sure. Best piece of meat I have EVER tasted. The lamb, which is usually out of character for me was incredible! I was seriously impressed with the food. So much in fact that we had another bottle of wine.
We topped the night off with some espresso and brandy. Our service was incredible and I've gotta say, I have a whole different opinion of James St. now. This was one of the best places I've eaten in a long time! THANK YOU!!!!
I think this place is over-rated. We decided to visit Acclamation after reading a few of the reviews on this site. We're still trying to figure out what's the hype all about? Food was bland and over cooked. There are better lower key portugese restaurants further north on James street suggest less money spent there and more satisfaction.
I had not been to here in over 2 years (first visit I was not impressed), thought I would give it another go, hearing that they have a new chef, etc..
Food was good, server was good if a little over the top.
Overall, I feel this resto is once again claiming to be more than it is. The food is not as good as THEY think it is, and the price dictates.
My husband and I have eaten at Acclamation before and loved it. This visit started off no differently. We were greeted promptly and the restaurant was warm and comfortable...(love the new wine rack)! We tried to order the house Portuguese wine, but they were out. So we ordered a local shiraz instead. Okay, that's fine. We ordered our lunch, gumbo's to start (delicious) and a salad and pizza to share. After ordering, we heard the server telling another table a special that nobody had even mentioned to us. And naturally it sounded delicious. When our salad and Pizza arrived (felt like forever) we were told that the cheese for the salad was different than usual and 'sorry I forgot to tell you". And the vegetarian pizza we had ordered had meat on it. Fortunately we don't mind meat so we ate it anyways. Uncooked in the middle and overcooked on the edges. great. We mentioned to our server that it was the wrong pizza and got the reply 'I can change it for you, but it might take a while because the bar is really busy and the kitchen is getting ready for a party tonight.' We'll pass, it already took a long time. She was actually really nice but if there is such a thing she was overly attentive and then not attentive enough! It seemed like every bite we took somebody was asking us how we were. And yet our water glasses stood empty. The whole time. Even when the manager checked on us...twice! We assumed it was a manager, even though we were more overdressed than he was and we weren't exactly dressed up. We finished our meal and wanted some coffee, but we couldn't see our server for 5 minutes because , as she told us after reappearing, she had been told to go downstairs and prepare for the party. When she finally came into the dining room again, she just gave us our bill with no offer of further beverage or dessert. They must have been saving it all for the party. We asked her for coffee when she dropped off the check and what we got was cold! She must have known because she didn't add it to the bill. And then she was gone again! So we walked ourselves over to the bar where we were recognized from previous visits and helped to put our credit card through. The bar didn't seem busy at all, we should have eaten in there to begin with! Guess we will next time, if we ever get desperate enough to try it there again, seems like we took a back burner to more important guests and priorities!
We read "BRUTAL" review and wanted to see for...
We read "BRUTAL" review and wanted to see for ourself. It was REALLY, REALLY GOOD. EVERYTHING. These other people must have been there when the place was so busy that everything was sold out. That alone speaks for the quality of the place. It's easy to be upset but please be objective and not just mean. WE LOVED IT and we'll be back for sure. Very nice patio and cold beer.
Best patio in the down town! My date and I took...
Best patio in the down town! My date and I took advantage of the weather and spent a great afternoon on the patio. We tried a couple different house wines and had some roasted garlic and goats cheese crostini, ( loved the walnuts with the goats cheese) & calamari (perfect! tender and crisp, comes with a yummy citrus dip) for our mains we had the steak and frites and a California salad with chicken. The steak was large and perfectly cooked and came topped with a small mountain of mushrooms, salad was great although the chicken was a bit on the spicy side. Our server seemed a little new but she was very friendly and enthusiastic. I had the chocolate pate for dessert which was awesome!! We also ordered cappuccinos which took a little while to come, but were delicious and ended our afternoon perfectly.
Lovely warm ambience on a cold wintery night. An...
Lovely warm ambience on a cold wintery night. An oasis seemingly in the middle of nowhere on James Street North. We munched on appetizers for a couple of hours and emjoyed every bite. Good service, food well presented and look forward to going back an listening to music while we dine. Reasonably priced beers and nice Ontario wines selection. Be sure to order the creme brule with white chocolate mouse for dessert!!!
This was not my first time here - I love the atmosphere and overall ambience of the place. If you ever just want beer/wine and appetizers - try the antipasta plate - unbelievable - top it off with the calamari and you will think you've died and gone to Portugese heaven.
My wife and I love the place and will be back again and again.
The wine - suggested by the waitress - was excellent
The menu choices were good and although the food...
The menu choices were good and although the food prep was average to just slightly above average, the presentation was lovely. The entertainment was phenomenal. Jorge Lasso is Hamilton's best kept secret and musician
bar none.
Acclamation is a true gem of a restaurant, where...
Acclamation is a true gem of a restaurant, where exemplary service, and a combination of traditional Portuguese, and "fusion" bistro-style cuisine satisfies just about anyone. Depending on how upscale you would like your experience to be, you can be seated in the pub/bar area, where families and sports fans happily share drinks and Portuguese sandwiches, bowls of mussels and clams, etc., or you can be seated in the beautifully apointed front room, to be enchanted by linen, flowers, and the sound of gurgling fountains. My guest and I sat in the front room, and ordered a combination from both the "taste of Portugal" and bistro menus.
The courteous waitress brought us a heaping pile of fresh bread and butter to begin, and promptly offered samples of the house wines upon our request. Forewarned about the generous portions, the two of us shared the soup to being- this was a portion of hearty homemade steak and mushroom soup large enough to feed a small family!
Mains were executed with precision-the traditional fare of Portuguese pork sandwich with peppers was large and well seasoned, though a teensy bit tougher than ideal. It was accompanied by a light, flavourful salad, and fried potatoes (so incredibly good!)
The bistro special of the day, a seared tuna for $23, was about as pricey as Hamilton gets, so I had high expectations. Sure enough, the tuna was seared (though my palate expected MORE rare!) well, served atop a bed of wild rice, and accompanied by fresh buttered asparagus and broccoli. This dish signalled, to me, the end of staunch traditionalism in James North Portuguese fare, which I applaud. If only the lime rinds in the peppercorn sauce were blanched and added just prior to serving to reduce the bitter aftertaste, I would have eaten a perfect dish.
The service throughout was phenomenal and attentive- our server was present at just the right times, presenting fresh napkins, butter, and wine. She even graced our table with candlelight at dusk, making for a most romantic meal.
But, all is well at Acclamation-with up and coming cuisine, and expert service, what's not to love?
My co-workers and I had a delicious lunch at Christmas time and i was eager to introduce the restaurant to my husband for dinner. I had the daily catch and my companion had the steak. Food was tasty, however my dinner was served cold. It was apparent the "waitress" must have been filling in for someone who called in sick, because she didn't know how some of the specials were prepared and was forgetful of our order and had to ask us again. Really want to give this place a second chance, because of the first experience, but if not good on the third time, that's three strikes and we won't return again. We did taste some seafood gumbo at the food and drink event and hopefully this will be added to their menu because it was fabulous.
