Hutch’s Dingley Dell

The moment you walk in the door, you’ll realize that time has stopped at Hutch’s Dingley Dell. This is the place to get tasty, old fashioned deep-​fried fish and chips wrapped in newspaper.
There is plenty of painted wood diner-​booth seating. The booths in the back are set by large windows overlooking the lake. It’s truly an amazing view.
There’s a slight lingering smell of lake, sand, and fried food that will take you back several decades to your childhood summers, but it’s not unpleasant. and the moment your food arrives, you won’t notice anything but how hungry you suddenly feel.
The portions are large and the fish and chips are classic: Thick battered fish and salty greasy fries. MMmmm! It hits all the pleasure centres of the brain.

Saturday Night Date Night, any weather, 364 days a year. Beach like atmosphere.
Amazing ambience! We have enjoyed the best fish ‘n’ chips on ‘date night’ for the last 14 years! Tonight, being windy and cold, Hutches served up the same quality food, piping hot and ‘super yummy’!
We can hardly wait to treat the grandkids when they come (all the way from Alberta to visit!)
I would have awarded 5 stars, but the restrooms (although very clean) are cold as a fridge!

Went for ice cream yesterday (Labor Day) and boy was it busy. But, the line moved pretty quick and they give you a ticket to pick up your order.
We ordered a cone and a shake and both were really good but they use Nestle ice cream which you can just buy in the grocery store. Small come was very reasonably priced. The service was friendly. The only downside was the place was super hot inside. I guess the A/​C was set pretty high.

Great fish and chips — order the single, the large was too much food. Quite the local’s hangout, but the location is great and the food is fast and good. Don’t expect gourmet — this is a diner type hangout that is very busy at lunch time.

Food is good for on the beach fish and chip place. In the summer has a great beach location. Usually busy. Food can come out a little greasy but the portions can feed 2 people or you can take some home for later. If you are looking for a casual place just to grab some fish and chips or ice cream and just wander the beach this is the place for you.

A Canadian institution. Prices are creeping up, but you pay for quality. Burgers are excellent, fries are without peer on this planet and the beachfront view ain’t too bad either. Call me a fan of this place… consistant quality from my first visit way back in 1980. Ice cream too.

I love this place. It is a Canadian icon and a true part of the heart of Hamilton.
The casual décor captures the local community and great sports moments of Hamilton, not just professional sports.
It is not rare to see local celebrities standing in line to order a small fish & chips or a sportsman burger.
They are known for their fish and chips, but the burgers are excellent and my daughter loves the hot dog and fries with a milkshake.
This is the place we head to looking for a great value, great location and for something you can’t get anywhere else.

Hutch’s Dingley Dell sponsored my baseball team when I was 10 years old and I still haven’t forgotten. It’s a Hamilton institution down by the Beach strip. It’s on the water (Lake Ontario) and just a perfetc place to go for an old fashioned burger and fries with a coke or a shake. There are too many seagulls but what are ya gonna do eh? take the kids or just go yourself for some good grub and a walk on the lakefront. P. S. Lots of the rocks on the beach have fossils embedded. Gives the kids something to do when they get tired of tossing rocks into the lake.

My favourite fish and chips place, by far. Large portions, fun atmosphere, and fantastic prices. The food is greasy, but it’s part of the atmosphere. There’s a reason it’s a local landmark!

Pretty close to the worst ‘food’ I have ever bought. Inedible.

Work now brings me to The Hammer once a week and Hutch’s helps make Hamilton a good place to be… for lunch!
Hutch’s has found itself right along Hamilton’s beachfront front for the last 60 years and with it’s level of success probably at least 60 more in it’s future. I came here for lunch and was blown away by the size of the line at 1pm on a Thursday! For 6 $ I left stuffed and very satisfied by my lakeside meal :) as the previous review mentioned, the fries could probably use a bit more frying but the fish is spot on perfect!
If you find yourself in Hamilton, make it a worthwhile trip and check out Hutch’s!

The portions are HUGE, the price is right and you get to ogle the sometimes horrifying specimens that choose to dine here. I don’t know which sewer some of these people crawled out of, but it’s like a combination of a casting call for Jersey Shore, Trailer Park Boys and Deliverance. Lots of gothic typeface forearm tattoos of names like «Kailey» and «Jayyden» and poorly sketched portraits of children’s faces, if you knowwhatimean. Oh, and a beautiful lakeside view of the greatest of Great Lakes (Ontario).
I order fish ‘n’ chips with fries and a drink (don’t you dare fill that pop cup till your number’s called!) for $ 8.
Cheaper and more entertaining than a horror movie.

I’ve had the pleasure of eating here a good number of times now and if you’re looking for that old fish and chips, greasy, diner goodness than Hutch’s is hard to beat.
You will be waiting in line when you get there which is good because there’s a pretty big menu to choose from and that gives you time to take it all in.
They have plenty of seating both in the front and back. You will probably want a table in the back as it’s a little less noisy and there are giant windows to look at the lake through.
I would argue that the whole place smells like lake mixed with fried foods but I can’t really see that being a put off. Once you’re face to face with your food it will have all your attention.
Hutch’s is a nice spot in the summer for just grabbing a shake or an ice cream and sitting by the lake but the drive is kind of a bummer. I’m pretty sure it’s closed during the winter months but don’t quote me on that.

What: Stop 4 of 4 on Niagara mini crawl — Sarah L’s 5 star faves
Who: sarah l, Kat F, Dale M, and me but no Carleen L :(
Why: Because we are gluttons
This was the final stop of the crawl before heading back to Toronto. After already consuming a massive 3-​egg and bacon breakfast, and a chorizo taco within a few hours, we were already testing the elasticity of our stomach linings… still, we soldiered on. We’re Unilocalers, goshdarnit!
We bellied up to the counter and ordered the large fish & chips ($ 9.90): two pieces of fish and a mound of fat fries to share among the four of us.
FOOD
The thick batter on the fish was crunchy enough to pierce an ear drum. The fillets within, for the most part, were meaty and succulent. The chips had potential but maybe needed more time in the fryer to crisp up around the edges. The itty-​bitty fry forks were a nice touch.
SERVICE
No waiter service. The middle-​aged man at the till looked like he’d been working there forever. I think Kat F. said his name should be Hal (or was it Bud)?
VIBE
A stop along the road with a 1950s-​diner charm and sweeping views of Lake Ontario; we sat in a booth by the window and could see the Toronto skyline in the distance. They have a small display of souvenirs: Hutch’s T-​shirts and hoodies and play-​hammers made of foam that say, «The Hammer“[1] on them. This place is a delight for tourists like myself but why do all these places on this crawl make me feel like I’ve gone back in time?
BATHROOM
Reminds me of public school bathrooms
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[1] This was my first trip to Hamilton and found out that «The Hammer» is a nickname for Hamilton. I still don’t know why.

There is a picture of me when I was 4 or 5 ice skating on the pond across from the original location of Hutch’s. My Dad had a ginger moustache at the time and used to take us skating and then inside to warm up with hot chocolate and fish and chips.
His Dad, (my «Poppa») used to take HIM there in the 60s and they would go body surfing in Lake Ontario (before it became the polluted disgusting mess it is today) and then go inside and warm up with fish and chips.
Even when my family lived in Winnipeg for 10 years, we used to come home for the holidays and make a special trip to Hutch’s every time. They have moved their location (just up the road) from it’s original glorified shack (where you used to have to stand in a separate line to get fries — it was a separate fry-​counter) and I think they brought their original fry grease with them which is what makes them so special.
The good:
— The food is awesome, cheap and plentiful. Favorites are: fish & chips, the sportsman burger and the 12 inch hot dog.
— Fries… are the best. End of discussion.
— There is a vinyl jukebox that they put Christmas albums in for the holidays. 3 plays for 25c!
— They sell Stoney Creek Dairy ice cream from a separate counter in the back
— There are booths that line the back wall and look out onto the lake
— You can pick up a little red fry fork at the ketchup and napkins stations
The bad:
— the bathrooms smell like lake
— in the summer, it’s busy as all hell here on weekends and Friday nights
I have so many weird-​and-​funny stories about Hutch’s… like the time a guy cut us in line in a wheelchair, and we were like, fine, he’s in a wheelchair… until he wasn’t! He literally hopped up and ran from the food counter to the back to get ice cream, and I felt like I had been had.
In summary… I love Hutch’s and you should go there and see the charm for yourself.