Bitten Bakery on Locke Street
In recent years, the city of Hamilton, Ontario, has experienced a food renaissance of sorts. The culinary and gastronomy scene in Hamilton has grown from just ho-hum, to become a real hotbed of amazing restaurants, bars, breweries, and of course, bakeries. Whether you are a local Hamiltonian or just a visitor to the city, eventually you will make your way to the area of Locke Street South, which has definitely been at the forefront of this rebirth.
“Built by Hamilton. Crafted by Community”
In this approximately 10-block section of town that runs from Main St to Aberdeen, you will discover a quirky and vibrant community filled with many great businesses. There are upscale restaurants, trendy eateries, coffee houses, and many unique stores to do some great shopping. This is where you will find Bitten Bakery, the purveyors of gourmet cupcakes, whoopie pies, and butter tarts.
Bitten Bakery, Locke St Hamilton
Bitten Bakery is a cute little bakeshop located in a converted old-century home. When you walk in, it is bright and vibrant, and you will immediately see the display case full of gorgeous cupcakes in an array of fantastic flavours. Off to the side are racks and racks of packages of butter tarts in packs of plain, raisin, and pecan, or a combination of all 3.
When we walked in, a lady was purchasing cupcakes and advised me that these are the ‘best butter tarts she had ever had”. We bought a six-pack, some cupcakes, and a whoopie pie, so we could sample a little of everything they are known for. The butter tarts, like all of their baked goods, are beautiful. They put a lot of attention to detail in everything they make to ensure they are pleasing to the eyes.
Pastry:
The crust was fairly flaky, light, and a little crumbly. The thickness was good, and it held the filling in nicely. The pastry was a tad oily for my personal taste, which led to the pastry feeling moist and soft. It was well-baked with a light golden colour. and a nice hand-pressed appearance.
Filling:
The filling has the type of appearance that I look for in a butter tart, with a good crust-to-filling ratio. It has a very smooth consistency with a creamy, buttery texture. The sweet, decadent brown sugar /butter flavour is delightful. The filling was thick enough to stay inside the tart, but just enough ooze to give that gooey drip that makes a good butter tart. This is a butter tart that you can enjoy on the go – but make sure you have a napkin.
Overall Experience:
Unfortunately, our first experience with this butter tart was not as good as I had hoped. While there are some very positive attributes to this butter tart, some weird tastes detracted from the overall experience. There was a vinegary-tasting note to the tart that made it taste more sour than sweet. I know many bakers include vinegar in their mixture to help dissolve sugar. However, I may have received a batch with a touch more vinegar than likely intended. There was also a subtle note of a burnt caramel taste as well. This made for an unpleasant experience while eating these butter tarts.
Beyond the Buttertarts:
The cupcakes and whoopie pies come in various flavours that change during the week and season. Their cupcakes are gorgeous, well-decorated, moist, and delicious. The flavour combinations are plentiful – they have at least a dozen different options available at any given time. The icing is perfectly piped on, and each cupcake is beautifully decorated to represent and quickly identify the flavour within. The whoopie pies are deep pillows of light & fluffy cookie clouds that are filled with a decadent, rich buttercream filling.
Everything they make is baked daily in-store, using only the finest and freshest ingredients, including fresh eggs, cream, fruit and citrus zest.
High praise indeed.
I have heard so many people rave about the butter tarts at Bitten, especially Hamilton locals who visit often. People I know and others online have exclaimed that Bitten on Locke is ‘the best’; ‘it is the place to go’; ‘it is amazing’. When so many people claim these are the ‘best butter tarts they have ever had” – they can’t be all wrong.
Please note: I recommend that if you are in Hamilton, visit Bitten Bakery and try them yourself. They have a beautiful little bakeshop with friendly staff, and their cupcakes and whoopie pies are phenomenal. As I am confident that my experience was a one-time issue – and as such, I intend to try them again and update this review as needed.
You can find Bitten Bakery at 216 Locke St. S in Hamilton.
take a Butter Tart tour of the Hamilton Wentworth Area
*note: All butter tart reviews are the opinions of Roguetrippers only, based on our experiences and personal preferences. Your opinions may vary.
If you know of a great bakery making what you think are Ontario’s Best butter tarts, we would love to hear from you. Let us know about them, so we can plan a future road trip to check them out and include them in our #ButterTartQuest.
Contact Roguetrippers with your suggestions.
