Hamiltons' At First & Main

Stopped in during our visit to 'Charlottesville and had a wonderful brunch. Presentation of the food was great, taste fantastic and great service. Would certainly like to try this out for other meals.

Delicious food and wonderful atmosphere! Really enjoyed our meal!

Food was great. The building was a bit loud. We sat where we were staring into the kitchen all night. Not a pleasant veiw.

We got the perfect table. The only negative part was the fact that our server forgot my husband’s wine. When he reminded her she said he didn’t order one but when she checked she acknowledged her mistake but did not apologize. Other than that, everything else was perfect. Our friends from out of town loved the food.

Vegetable plate excellent rockfish plate terrible. Server was pleasant and friendly.

Very nice brunch with my daughter and her roommate from UVA . Excellent attentive service. Grits were a little extra rich and potatoes could have been hotter. But overall food was good, as well as atmosphere would recommend Hamilton’s for brunch. Strongly recommend reservations for brunch. We had A reservation for shortly after they opened and by the time we left your restaurant was completely full with a fairly long wait.

We had a wonderful dinner for a girls night out! Noshed through the Charcuterie plate and then all tried different entrees and they were all great! Service was superb! Make reservations!

Service was really slow. Were told to wear business casual but there was no apparent dress code because there were people in sweatpants, shorts, and jeans (obvious casual wear). Food tasted great but the portions were on the smaller side for their price.

Have gone to the restaurant many times. But, yesterday we waited 40 minutes for our food and my daughter’s chicken and waffles was soggy. I could see our food waiting at the heater, but for some reason my salad held up the rest of the order. Just a bad experience this time

We had reservations for 6:15 and arrived prior to the time. We had to wait 45 minutes for our table. While the hostess was apologetic the manager did not appear nor was any compensation offered. Food was excellent. Service good.

The food and drinks were marvelous! The Carolina shrimp and the Rockfish were absolutely superb.

I love this restaurant. Great food , fine dining. The service is professional and just perfect with timing and attentiveness.

Great food and great waitress. Very friendly and knowledgeable. Highly recommended.

Overpriced food that barely reaches average. The 13 dollar Cubano grilled sandwich arrived with the cheese unmelted, and was loaded with deli meat. The housemade lamb pasta was bland and poorly executed. The kitchen was very slow.

Charlottesville has so much more to offer than this place. Skip it for one the many superior options.

Waitress was excellent but it took a long time to get our meal so I gave service only three stars.

Delightful but limited lunch menu with appropriate portions and prices. Lovely light-filled room, service was excellent. Central location on the downtown mall with convenient pay parking lot directly behind. Will definitely recommend and return.

we wanted to enjoy a special dinner for our 25th anniversary. The food and service were wonderful, the noise level became intolerable, and we left before ordering desert. Also, I had made reservations three week in advance, and had expected a better table location, than instead near the kitchen.

Wonderful dinner last weekend. Reservations were promptly honored. Wait staff was attentive without being intrusive. Food was exceptional- from the first appetizer to the last dessert. Definitely cr is charming but not fussy. Would be a standout in any city.

We enjoyed a lovely dinner for a special celebration. The grilled romaine salad was delicious but definitely big enough for two people despite our server's recommendation. I had the duck which was cooked perfectly and my companion enjoyed the crab cakes followed by a delicious apple-pear dessert. Apart from waiting an exceptionally long time for my glass of wine - it was a perfect evening....

We were seated on time and the food delivery was timely. My friend and I both order the Blue Plate Special which is a vegetarian meal and we loved it. Very tasty! I would go back to this restaurant and recommend it.

We had to wait for our reservation, but were well cared for by everyone from beginning to end. Our table was tiny and crammed up against a wall, and so close to the table next to us that it was hard to hear each other. This place attracts a loyal, older crowd until 8, when some UVA students start to trickle in. Food was okay but a bit overpriced for the quality. (Better shrimp and grits at Rocksalt.

We shared "Charred Octopus with Salsa Roja" which is small portion but was tasteful. My entree is Pan Seared Duck Breast. I never had duck cook like steak, but surprisingly tender and flavorful. My daughter had Housemade Pappardelle, not bad but no comparision with duck. Both of us love the duck. Potion of both dish is consider as small but prefect size for us.

I had the crabcakes. There were 2 without any filler that I could detect. Big lumps of crab. They were small, but very rich...just enough to satisfy my taste buds. My husband had the rockfish, also excellent. Highly recommend!

Really nice local restaurant - excellent meal! We went early before going to a concert on UVA's campus and it was timed perfectly - 5:00 reservation and made it to our 7:00 show with no trouble!

Never disappointed with food, service and ambience.

My husband had what he claimed, was the pork chop ever!! I had the delicious crab cakes and our granddaughter had, calamari and a salad.

Very creative and nice menu. My wife had shrimp and grits and I had the chicken with fried green tomatoes. Both were excellent choices. Drinks are very reasonable and are nicely portioned. Also enjoyed the live music on a Wednesday evening. Service was great and attentive. If we lived closer, we would come here frequently.

The restaurant is smaller than I thought. We were seated promptly, only about 25% full. Food choices were excellent. However, my husband ordered soup, a salad, and an entree, and I ordered a salad and entree. His salad and soup were brought out together, along with my salad. Not what we expected. We ordered a second drink and we waited and waited. Finally I asked our server to check on our drinks. He said they were on the way.
But he walked thru the bar and then I saw the bartender start pouring my wine and my husband's martini. So someone apparently forgot our drink order. The food was delicious: tomato salad, romaine salad, chicken breast, trout.

A favorite spot that my wife and I enjoy for special occasions. Our latest visit, a birthday celebration, was another memorable evening with marvelous food and outstanding service. We don’t get a meal and service very often that stand out as a “10” dining experience. Definitely somewhere to consider for your next night out.

This was not my first meal at Hamilton's, but it was my first brunch there. We had the table at the front window, which is nice because it is away from the busier center of the restaurant. The food was wonderful, and our server was excellent, personable but not intrusive.

Our first visit and restaurant lived up to it earlier evaluations. We did the Sunday morning brunch and the four of us ordered
different entrees. Each prepared and presented nicely. The prices were reasonable and service extremely good and attentive. We will be back on our next visit. Loved the smokey bloody mary!!

Great food and service. Very close quarters though. Small tables.

My husband and I went for our anniversary dinner. The cocktails were great and the food was amazing! We shared from each coarse so that we could try a little of everything. The service however was not so attentive. We have advised them it was a special occasion which was not acknowledged (not looking for anything comped but maybe a little more timely). Had to find someone simply for water, couldn’t find her to get the check. A little disappointing considering all tables were not full. I would consider trying brunch as the food was great, just less expectations next time.

We had the crab cakes and the chef's special, beef tenderloin. I always try a chef's special if it fits my tastes, and this one was exceptional. The calamari appetizer was interesting, tasty, and more like a salad. I would definitely order again. The remoulade on the crab cakes was fantastic, and not over powering! We sat near the front so was quiet and intimate with a nice view of the pedestrian mall. Our service was the best part though, Dee was attentive but not invasive, and was so honest and professional with her responses and suggestions. Highly recommend. Great wine list too!

I've been going to Hamilton's since it opened two decades ago. I have never had a bad or disappointing meal there. Excellent service and excellent food. The Blue Plate Special is a great choice at lunch time. All vegetarian and each element carefully crafted and presented. Oh, and the crab cakes are great. And the shrimp and grits. And the desserts.... I could go on!

A Gem!
First time eating at this restaurant and what a surprise! We visited my daughter who attends UVA. We have walked by this mall so many times. Finally we decided to try a new place. This place is IT. Our waitress is wonderful. We had watermelon gazpacho could be served cooler. It was tasty. Fried oysters appetizer was delicious. Main course halibut, roasted chicken & crab cakes. All very delicious and tasty except the chicken breast a bit dry. Dessert was white peach and mix berries sorbet and rosemary cream olive oil cake with strong espresso & latte. Overall, this is a place we will come back. Do make a reservation!!

Delightful as always. The food was incredible. Service top notch. Loved it!

Celebrated our anniversary. They acknowledged us with Happy Anniversary when we arrived. Seated very quickly. Server, Chelsea, was very friendly and accommodating. Food was excellent. Roasted chicken, shrimp and grits and chocolate many ways were served very attractively. Happy Anniversary was written in chocolate on our dessert plate. Had Ceaser salad, which we shared, and they plated it in the kitchen. Atmosphere was very nice.

Great location on downtown Mall with both indoor and outdoor dining. Extremely friendly and attentive staff. Varied menu with just enough choices. Extremely enjoyable and delicious food and great presentation.

Perfect for an upscale lunch when you wish to shun the usual cheese burger entrees. Four of us for lunch so two ordered shrimp and grits at our servers suggestion. Servings were very flavorful and portions were just right for lunch. Another order was the vegetable plate which was very satisfactory. Third was a chicken sandwich on toasted ciabatta bread which proved to be as tasty as the other entrees. The all white decor lends an air of openness and space to the restaurant making it a delightful choice for an enjoyable meal.