Koosh

What happened???

After hearing rave reviews, we booked a reservation for dinner with our guests from out of town. We arrived a few minutes before our resevation time and were seated right away. It was VERY hot in the restaurant, must have been the same temp as out side....37+. It was very uncomforatable. We all placed our orders ( the waiter was great at giving us the specials etc.) Then....we waited. 1hr and 20 minutes for our food to arrive. When it did start to appear it was staggered to the point that some were almost finished thier meals whilst others started. The food was tasty, but cold.

Favourite corner of town

I've hosted all kinds of events at Koosh: from retirement lunches to important dinners and so on. They are flexible and can cater to all kinds of needs. Otherwise, I go often with my family and have never been disappointed. The wine list is extensive, food is noticeably fresh and the wait staff is lovely. The Robert Simpson beers are delicious, too. I'll typically order the grilled pork tenderloin but I'm also a fan of the veal gorgonzola, veal marsala and lamb shank. For lunch, the pasta or pizza specials are also quite good. If find yourself there on a weekend morning, the pancake is thick and meaty and quite unlike anything I've ever had. A great gem in a quiet and decrepit part of town. Bean bar and Bistro 1010 haven't been the same since Koosh opened.

Disappointed

I was looking forward to dinner here but was very disappointed. The food choices are no more interesting than what you'd see on the menu at an East Side Mario's type of restaurant - nothing original. The deserts were also pretty standard fare. The service was very poor - it was obvious from the moment we walked in that we were not welcome, and there were few other diners in the place. The server could not have cared less whether or not our dining experience was pleasurable. I've had more pleasant service at fast-food drive throughs. We won't be back.

everything great except our waitress

We were very excited to try this restaurant in Westdale village based on the positive reviews and description of the menu. When we arrived the atmosphere was very nice, small but in a nice bistro way very urban. The decor is very tasteful. We were immediately escorted to our table. It took a little while to be greeted by our waitress but that did not upset us as it seemed to be quite busy in the restaurant. We ordered promptly and the food was brought out promptly and was nice and hot from the kitchen. Absolutely no complaints about the food!! it was delicious and well presented and the quantity was more than generous. I ordered the mussels special, (mussels in white wine sauce with green onions), they were a fantastic appetizer!! it is rare to order mussels in a restaurant in Ontario and get the large sized tasty mussels all opened. All but one was open and they were large and delicious. Then I ordered the veal in a white wine mushroom cream sauce on tostini with potatoes and vegetables. It again was delicious and everything was cooked to perfection. This restaurant is blessed with a great chef obviously! So everything was great with the exception of our waitress. Her whole demeanor was just unfriendly to say the least. She was not interested in smiling or giving us a warm welcome, my impression was her conveying, "hurry up and order your food and then just leave promptly!". She was obviously either having a bad night or just hates her job.!! she never asked us how our food was and never smiled. We tried to be as pleasant as possible to her to try and get her to "lighten up" and she did not respond. She never asked us if we would like more beverages throughout the meal even though our glasses sat there empty pretty much after the appetizers. She never checked on our food and then at the time of ordering desert the kept asking, "is that everything??" we felt pressured to leave even though we had only been there for less than an hour!! The worst of it was at the end she had an opportunity to redeem herself and at least ask us how it was. Not only did she NOT ask this, she NEVER EVEN SAID THANK YOU! pretty basic stuff!! nor did she wish us a good night!!! nothing!! had we known we should not have left her much of a tip!! I guess we were too kind! her attitude was as though she was doing US a favour serving us. So disapointing and I would like to let the owner know that she could damage the reputation of his establishment if she continues this way. We would love to go back but never be served by her again!

Active Citizenship Group's review

Koosh Bistro is one of the gems you can find nestled in the Westdale Village. If you have not been to Westdale Village or have not been for dinner recently, I would strongly suggest that you visit this subtle restaurant tucked away in the west end of Hamilton. Walking in to Koosh Bistro, you will find yourself in a place with a trendy, upscale atmosphere - the kind you would expect from a Yorkdale establishment in Toronto. There is art hanging from the walls from local artists, with a new artist featured every month, and it vastly adds to the current styles imposed by Koosh. The types of people who can be found frequenting Koosh's Bistro range from doctors and professionals from the university down the street, to students out on first dates, to trendy hipsters and artist types both young and old. With that in mind, if you think you might not fit into an upscale-looking establishment such as Koosh, you would be mistaken. The food is not something easily overlooked. That the pasta hand made fresh each and every day can only add to the sensationally flavoured cuisine from beginning to end. Every meal is started with complimentary French bread with a vinegar and oil mixture that sets the tone for more to come. I started with the Mushroom Artichoke Bruschetta ($9.99) while my dining partner had the Pesto Bread ($8.99). The Bruschetta had a wonderful garlic cream-based sauce over mushrooms and artichokes on a large slice of French bread and had multiple layers of taste that left me wanting more. I was able, after much hesitation, to try a piece of the Pesto Bread. The tomato and basil were fresh, complimenting the wonderful cheese combination of mozzarella and parmesan. I started my main course with a Caesar salad. I enjoy my Cesar salad and itwould not be an exaggeration for me to say that this salad is in my top five of all time! The fresh bacon and the tang of the dressing were excellent and it took much self-control not to wipe the dish clean with my fingers. Following that was the Riva ($19.99), a pasta seafood dish that I found to be exquisite. The fettuccini was perfectly cooked and the mussels, shrimp, clams, scallops and calamari were more then I expected, both in quality and quantity. The marinara sauce that topped the dish was rich, but not overstated, and it complemented the seafood and pasta perfectly. The cream sauce that my partner had on the Koosh pasta ($17.99) was excellent as well. Again, it was fettuccini, but this time in a cream sauce with prosciutto and mushrooms. It would be hard to decide which I enjoyed more and would have eaten both if there had been room. Dessert was much discussed but, by this point, both of us had eaten enough. We will be sure to grab some next time. One other thing that should not be missed is the great wine list available at Koosh. Overall, the service, atmosphere, food and whole experience was beyond any of my expectations and Koosh Bistro is a much needed and welcome addition to the Hamilton dining experience. I have no complaints except that it will be too long until my next visit (in a day or two)!

I ate it all and then some ......

Oustanding Food Service and Preparation! Considering that ALL the food is prepared from scratch it is no wonder those "FAST FOOD JUNKIES" cannot appreciate good food when put in front of them. Inmagine going out to eat and having everything prepared from the best and freshiest ingredients ! There's no Place like a Second Home @ Koosh Bistro! "Great restaurants are, of course, nothing but mouth-brothels. There is no point in going to them if one intends to keep one's belt buckled. ~Frederic Raphael PS Don't forget to taste the TIRAMISU ! hehehe

The Little Guy

I think that Koosh ownership should take a look at one of the more successful restaurants in the area and re-think their menu structure. waiting to long for food, bad service and "Holier than thou" attitudes. Not only will I not be back but I can only hope the doors permanently close soon. Take this restaurant as an example on how not to operate a small business.

This is NOT an ITALIAN restaurant- Horrid!

They list this restaurant as Italian? What a joke. In Italy they wouldn't even feed this food to their pigs. If you are lactose intolerant this is not the place for you. If you are a celiac this not the place for you. Just abouit every pasta dish is mixed with unwhipped whipping creme - not even quality cooking creme. Their vongole pasta (clams) is straight out of the can looks like it's dumped on the pasta. The pasta is over-cooked paper mache paste texture. I gave this restaurant two tries by my choice and once I was there as someone else's guest. Three times. Not again. The menu is boring no originality at all everything tastes the same. It's too bad because when you walk into this cozy looking place you have expectations. It's disappointing. Service at Koosh is not great either the waitress at last visit was rude and obnoxious. To bad Westdale could use another little trendy spot. I'll stick to the Bean Bar when I'm in that neighbourhood.

Italian Delight

This was our second visit. We recommend everyone in Hamilton visit this place atleast once. The pasta is freshly made and the chef conjures these magic carbs and combines it skilfully with your favourite proteins. The carpaccio is to die for in terms of tenderness and freshness. The place is small and will fill up quickly once people find this place out. They had live jazz on our first visit which was on a Sunday. The service was excellent and our hostess knew her menu and the specials and guided us efficiently through the combinations. The food was consistently good from the start to finish on a weekday evening and i feel the chef is most likely capable of more given a special day or a challenge. Forget the so called "favorites" in the steel town and come and taste real pasta in this small but delightful Westdale secret.

A great experience for any diner.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with this place. The atmosphere is nice, the service is great, and the food is spectacular. Perfect portion size, absolutely delicious, and all in all a total treat. A great experience for any diner.

Superb in all senses of the word. A very comfortable spot in a great neighbourhood. The atmosphere, staff and food are all reasons to return. The veal gorgonzola is absolutely to die for. They truly know how to give your palate an exciting dining experience. A must try.

Favourite place in Hamilton

I was very impressed with the professionalism of this restaurant. They know exactly what they're doing, and every detail has been thought out. Cuisine is fantastic and service is great. I recommend the chicken pesto, veal gorgonzola, tuscan chicken or any of the specials. Sunday nights there is live jazz and $15 all you can eat mussels. I'm very happy to have found a place like this in Hamilton, nothing really compares.

Amazing!

This place was incredible. We had a delicious meal and had two of the specials that evening. We were also treated to complimentary coffee and dessert as they felt our meal took too long ( we didn't agree - the wait was fine). We will be returning there soon. Highly recommend.