Open daily 8 AM to 2 PM · All-day breakfast754 Main St E, Hamilton · (905) 549-1754
Big TopFamily Restaurant · Est. 1952
The Big Top Family Restaurant storefront and sign on Main Street East
Since 1952 Main & Sherman, Hamilton

Breakfast under the Big Top.

Hamilton's family diner for more than seventy years. Big plates, fresh-cut fries, homemade pies and a coffee cup that never stays empty, served all day from 8 to 2.

Open 7 days8:00 AM to 2:00 PM
754 Main St EAt Sherman, Hamilton
(905) 549-1754Takeout & reservations
$10.50 Special2 eggs, meat, home fries & toast
House favourites

The plates people come back for

No frills, no fuss, no shortcuts. Fresh-ground beef, fries cut by hand and breakfast all day long.

The Super Breakfast at Big Top Family Restaurant

The Super Breakfast

Two each of eggs, bacon, sausage and pancakes, with home fries and toast. Bring an appetite.

$13.95
Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes at Big Top Family Restaurant

Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes

Golden stacks with syrup. Add bacon, ham or sausage and make it a proper morning.

$10.50
Toasted Western at Big Top Family Restaurant

Toasted Western

The Hamilton diner classic: egg, ham, onion and green pepper on toast. Add cheese for a buck.

$8.00
3-Egg Omelettes at Big Top Family Restaurant

3-Egg Omelettes

Ham, bacon, Western, Greek, spinach and feta or the Meat Lovers'. Home fries and toast included.

$from 10.25

View the full menu

Big Top Family Restaurant sign reading Family Owned and Operated Since 1952
Since1952Hamilton
Our story

A corner grocery that became a Hamilton institution

In 1952 Gerry Kavanaugh turned a small grocery at Main and Sherman into the Big Top Restaurant, and painted a Barnum & Bailey-style circus across the west wall: clowns, a carnival barker, a strongman and kids with candy floss.

The mural disappeared behind drywall for decades. During renovations in 2013 it came back to light, and it's still watching over the booths today. Kids who grew up eating here now bring their own.

Read the whole story
What the neighbourhood says

Loved on Main Street for generations

4.3
★★★★☆
680+ Google reviews
4.0
★★★★☆
Tripadvisor diners
1952
Est.
70+ years at Main & Sherman

Huge portions, fair prices

Regulars keep coming back to the same point: generous plates of home-style food at prices that feel like another decade.

Service with a smile

Friendly servers who know the regulars by name, free coffee refills, and nobody ever rushes you out of your booth.

Worth the weekend wait

The turkey club, the peameal and the spaghetti get the raves. Get there early on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

Fresh off the grill

From our kitchen

Grab it to go

Call ahead and your breakfast is hot and packed when you walk in. We're also on the delivery apps.

Call (905) 549-1754Browse the menu
Come on in

Find us at Main & Sherman

On Main Street East at Sherman Avenue South, with free street parking nearby and the Main Street bus stopping close by.

  • Open every day, 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM
  • Breakfast served all day
  • Dine-in, takeout and delivery
  • Kids' menu and high chairs
  • Wheelchair-accessible seating
Hours & directions
The Big Top Bulletin

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