Hami’s Cafe & Catering

Downtown Dartmouth, you sneaky bugger… how have you been hiding a Build Your Own Breakfast Sandwich Bar from me for so very long?
Whole wheat, white, English Muffin, eggs, meats, fresh veggies, cheeses… I wanted to eat about six different combinations but luckily stopped myself at one. And? Delicious, freshly made, sizable, ready in about seven minutes and grease-​free compared to fast-​food alternatives.
I had planned to take my breakfast bounty to go but after being taken aback by the bright, warm space that they’ve created, I decided to take the twenty minutes to actually enjoy it in the shop with a nice latté and a copy of The Coast. A lovely Friday morning kick-​off!
I perused the lunch menu and saw some pretty impressive salad combinations, far more than you’d expect of a little café in downtown Dartmouth. Avocado, nuts, mandarin… this ain’t your average ‘garden or caesar’ kind of joint.
Hami’s is that nice balance between good food fast and sit-​down restaurant that Dartmouth has been lacking. A nice win for all the HRM employees working across the street!

Y’know how some people get anxious over the idea of meeting new people? That’s how I feel about eating at new restaurants.
Despite knowing that Hami’s opened in downtown Dartmouth (a relatively short walk from where I live) months ago, I hadn’t tried them until very recently. Fortunately I had a much bolder friend who convinced me to swing by for a few minutes. I grabbed a cookie and a lime Italian soda. Okay, it was two cookies. And I only got lime because it was green and looked really cool. The point is they were both delicious.
After our first date, I knew I was going to give Hami’s a second try. As others have pointed out, it’s a very warm and welcoming location. Good colour scheme and décor. It was also the middle of a Friday afternoon, so not terribly busy on my first visit.
Our second date was on a Saturday afternoon. I hadn’t eaten yet and they were closing soon so I thought I’d grab a slice. Disappointed to find they had no veggie slices left. Not their fault, they were closing in an hour, after all. And it didn’t matter because it gave me the chance to try their veggie sandwich.
Now, I’m a vegetarian. But I often find veggie sandwiches to be. uh. boring. I was reassured when Hami began describing it as «Feta and…» And really, he didn’t need to continue. I also got roasted tomatoes with olive oil and garlic.
Best. Veggie. Sandwich. I had planned to meander my way through my meal while reading a book but the food essentially disappeared as soon as the plate landed in front of me.
Our third date was at lunch on Monday. Much busier! Which gave me a bit of relief. Both previous times I’d been were off-​peak hours and it was pretty quiet.
I got to try their spinach pizza. And another Italian soda. Hami’s definitely re-​ignited my love for Italian soda.
The pizza was fantastic! I don’t know that it was the best pizza slice I’ve ever had but definitely the best spinach pizza.
My friend had the BLT and it disappeared as quickly as my veg sandwich had. Which I take to be a good thing. Did I mention they have Jones Soda?
For all three visits, I had a great experience and the prices were great as well. Hami’s definitely makes a delicious addition to Dartmouth.

Hami’s Café is a pleasant addition to the downtown Dartmouth scene. I walked in from a blustery day, and the warm, vibrant décor was very inviting. A few other patrons were scattered throughout the place, but there were many tables to choose from. Probably had a lot to do with the weather, and it being a Saturday. I walked up to the counter and checked out the large chalkboard menu. After deciding on a turkey sandwich and a Coke, I picked one of two window nook tables, located on either side of the front door. These bar-​height tables would be a great spot to hunker down with work (did I mention the free wifi?) or even a book, as they are situated a bit away from the other tables. And of course, you can’t beat the view of Halifax Harbour. I really enjoyed the music — I’m not sure what it was… maybe Cuban? It was lively and eclectic, but very much in the background — just right.
Hami, the owner, brought my order over. There are 2 turkey sandwiches on the menu, and I got the #1, which is turkey, lettuce and reg or cranberry mayo on either white, wholewheat, multigrain or foccacia. I chose the cranberry mayo and foccacia. I must say the cranberry mayo made for an interesting visual. It kinda looked like there was beet juice in my sandwich. I enjoyed the thick slices of white turkey meat, the fresh, crisp lettuce, and the soft foccaccia bread. The cranberry mayo added some flavour to the mix, but it seemed like the cranberry and mayo cancelled each other out a bit. There was no distinct mayo flavour, which I missed, and the cranberry flavour could have been sharper. Overall, the sandwich was still quite good. But I may go for the regular mayo next time. Their sandwiches come with a sliced length of dill pickle and your choice of potato chips or carrot sticks. Now, I was going to get the carrot sticks, but having read the previous review I felt it was my duty to have the chips and report back. Yeah… that’s it. The chips were thick-​cut, crispy, plentiful, and not stale. The price was right — my lunch came to a little over $ 8 including tax.
Hami’s Café serves a variety of sandwiches, soups, salads, pizza, sweet treats and more. They have a large selection of café beverages — I must go back soon to try a cappuccino or latte. Check out their website for more info. Actually… let me just take a moment to discuss the website. It looks like it stepped out of 1995 (Geocities anyone?), but there is a LOT of information here if you have the time to sift through it. You’ll find way more info than you’ll ever need, but it adds a bit of character and history to the experience.
During my meal, I took a few photos with my cellphone, which caught Hami’s attention. He came right over with a smile and asked if I was a reviewer. This could have been off-​putting, but you can tell he cares a lot about his café and was curious/​hopeful. I explained I was a Unilocaler ( Unilocalite? Unilocalee?). I say this as a disclaimer, because at the end of my meal I was treated to a complimentary lemon square made by Hami’s mom. He grinned and told me he wasn’t «buttering me up,» but just wanted me to try it. Heck, if you’re giving me free desserts, you can butter me up all you want. It was the perfect light sweet treat to end my lunch on a high note.
Okay, Dartmouth. It’s your turn. Support your own. I want this place to stick around.

A little place with some spirit in a tough location. This is a little hole in the wall on Alderney Drive in Downtown Dartmouth that opens up into a rather warm and inviting setting. The colour scheme, paintings and music are Cuban and thus make the very most of a very small location.
Dropped in for lunch and we had a special and their namesake — both sandwiches with some chips on the side. We had a decaf latte on the side. They have a full selection of espresso servings which is a nice surprise.
The sandwiches were tasty — with some separation of tastes within the panini. The chips on the side were meager and maybe a bit stale.
We left not feeling full — which is kind of what one would expect for the price.
Must go back sometime to try their pizza.
This is not worth crossing the harbour for, but it makes for a little variety in downtown.