Review #20 - B Side Social

$$

For this dining adventure, The Diving Divas ventured to downtown Hamilton to explore B-Side Social, a charming BBQ restaurant with a pub-like atmosphere inside a house. Nestled among a vibrant strip of eateries not far from the heart of downtown, B-Side Social offers a unique culinary experience. However, be prepared for street parking, as the restaurant does not have its own parking lot.

Atmosphere

The dim lights set the mood and brick walls add a rustic, industrial charm. The red chairs pop against the earthy tones, inviting you to sit back and relax. The decor was fun with some Halloween decorations. The oldie-but-goodie rock music had us tapping our toes. There was a Gordon Downy mural on one wall that pays homage to the legendary musician, a fitting tribute to the old-school vibe of the place.

Drinks

Angie

I had the Firery Pineapple. A sweet pineapple flavor drink with Tajin dusted on the rim that gave a sour and spicy kick with every sip I took. The drink was good as I waited.... a while. I was drinking on an empty stomach, so it might have hit a little harder.

Tanisha

I started with a glass of prosecco. It's only $10 a glass on Sundays, so why not?!

Next, to drink, I had the Fiery Pineapple Margarita. This drink is sweet but the salt around the rim is spicy. I'm not sure I would order it again since it's a bit too sweet for me, but the spice did tone the sweetness down. All in all, I would say that it was good...different, but good!

Nads

For my drink, I tried their signature drink, which was the B- Side Bourbon Sour. It consisted of House Infused Vanilla Maker's Mark Bourbon, Triple Sec, Orange Juice, Simple Syrup, Lemon, Lime. It was a little too sour for my liking, so it took me forever to finish. It burned down in my belly with each sip, lol.

Menu

Angie

This place definitely had the meat 😅. There wasn't a lot of vegetarian options.

Tanisha got the table The Jalapeno Dip. It was a creamy, cheesy delight—oozy and savory with just the right kick of spice. The bread it comes with is perfectly crispy, garlicky, and buttery, served warm and fresh. It’s the kind of bread you want to keep dipping until it’s all gone. We asked for more, and without missing a beat, our server had it ready and waiting for us. Now that’s top-notch service! 😆

I chose a side of the Apple Cabbage Slaw, it's a refreshing blend of crisp cabbage and tart apple, with a tangy hit of apple cider vinegar that gives it a bright, zesty flavor. The crunchiness of the slaw makes each bite satisfying and vibrant.

I got a side of The Mac and Cheese. This was rich and creamy, the kind that comforts with every spoonful—cheesy, velvety, and indulgent.

I also got a side of sweet potato wedges. They were perfectly cooked, firm with just the right balance of crispy edges and tender insides. The natural sweetness of the potatoes comes through, add some ketchup, and that makes them deliciously addictive.

Tanisha

For an appetizer, we had the Jalapeño Cheddar Dip and it was out of this world! We ordered more bread because there was no way we were letting any of that dip go to waste. The server brought it out right away because they knew we would want more, which makes me wonder why they didn't bring more bread initially, but I digress LOL!

I took a little taste of the bacon jalapeño cornbread that Nadia ordered. The cornbread was light and full of flavour but I wasn't a fan of the bacon, just my preference.

As my main, I had the Chorizo Sausage and cajun frites. I asked for BBQ sauce and our server brought out 3 different sauces, all made in-house! A maple bourbon sauce (LOVED it!), a honey apple jack daniels sauce(LOVED it even MORE!), and a Chipotle BBQ sauce. The honey apple jack daniels sauce was, by far, my favourite. Generally, I'm not a huge fan of Chipotle BBQ sauce but this one was pretty good, although the flavour isn't as bold as the other sauces. The fries were alright but they weren't really cajun - it just came with a Chipotle mayo. All around, I did enjoy my meal.

Nads

To start, we shared the Jalapeño cheddar dip. It was surprisingly really good and not overly hot either. Just the right amount of kick. The crostini that came with it was very warm that it kinda melted in your mouth with the cheese, lol. I would say this is more of a one-person dish - it's that good, plus you don't get a lot of the bread, so we had to ask for extra.

They had a Bacon Jalapeño Cornbread that sounded interesting, so I had to try it. I didn't really taste any bacon at all, just mostly jalapeños only. I also found it very crumbly to eat by hand.

I had the chorizo sausage, which was gluten-free. I liked how after each bite of the sausage, the heat from the pepper just lingered in your mouth. I tried two different sauces with it. First was the Maple Bourbon sauce, which was alright. The

Honey Apple Jack daniels sauce was my favorite. It paired well with the heat of the sausage to give it like smokey taste to it. For my side, I had creole sweet potato wedges. Which were a little too burnt for my liking. I could taste the burntness after each bite, which I didn't really like.

Service

The service at the restaurant was notably slow, leaving us waiting longer than expected and feeling quite thirsty and hungry, which made the time drag on. Initially, it seemed like there was only one server for the entire restaurant, and even when another server joined, the pace didn't improve much. We ended up scrolling on our phones to pass the time. Despite the slow service, the servers were nice, helpful, and pleasant to deal with. We were seated fairly quickly, which was a positive start, but it took a while for someone to take our drink and food order. Nadia even noticed a lipstick mark on her glass, and we waited about 15 minutes, if not longer, just for water. Even after a few tables had left and we were practically the only table remaining, it still took a while for them to check on us. It would have been nice to see more staff or attention to speed things up.

The divas give this restaurant Two Snaps