Alright time to crack some knuckles. Here is my primer to any fans making the trip down to Hamilton to watch the final
PARKING
Parking around the arena has wild fluctuations in pricing. The lot directly across the arena on Bay St for example (and you'll see a guy waving people into the lot) is usually a ludicrous 20 bucks. Parking under Jackson Square is a bit more reasonable, usually 10-15. Behind City Hall is also an option, but I believe it is a flat $7.50 most of the time. However, I've also had good experiences with the lots across from the library on York Blvd (usually $6) but the lots I would recommend are the large lot on Wilson and John as it usually goes for a reasonable $2.50-$4.50 after 5pm
FOOD
If you want good food, I recommend most of the restaurants down James St N and King William St which will work out quite well if you to park at a very large lot at John and Wilson or the York Blvd Parking Garage. In particular, Mesa (Mexican), Salt Lick Smoke (BBQ), Jack and Lois (Panini), HAMBGR (Gourmet Hamburgers), FSH & CHP (Fish & Chips), Capri (Italian), My Thai (Thai), The Mule (Tacos and Beer) and I'm told Sagarmatha curry palace (Indian) are all good options. There are also a galleries and the like down James St N and there are a host of other restaurants there, so there are also some fine dining places that don't exactly work out with a hockey game. Every third Friday in the month they have Art Crawl down there, but sadly one isn't scheduled in time for the series.
In Jackson Square itself, you will want to avoid The Honest Lawyer and The Works. I don't know what it is, but the service of both these places is god awful. The Honest Lawyer last I went also ran a limited menu during game day and The Works (while the food is decent) we had a party of six arrive at 5:30 and we didn't get our food in time for the game at 7:00pm. They both seem to be completely incapable of staffing correctly for a game. I wouldn't chance them. A better recommendation is the Farmers Market (if you get there early enough) has some excellent vendors, with the Hawaiian Pokeh bar, a real Ramen shop and some hybrid cuisine options.
If you are looking for a sports bar, The George Hamilton (Pub like), Wendel Clark's (Sports Bar) and Buffalo Anchor Bar (Sports Bar-Wings-Pizza) are also good joints, but I wouldn't call them world shattering but if you are looking for a more traditional sports pub experience they are the places to go. Wendel Clark's is a bit more upscale then the others.
If you are looking for Craft Beer Merit Brew Pub, Rust City Brewery and The Brain are the places to go. The Brain is often crowded so get there early but has probably the best food selection. Merit sticks to Sausages but they brew their own beer there and it's unique. Rust City is mainly Cafe Food but have an excellent selection of regional brew pubs.
If you are willing to walk a bit of a distance further up on John St is also Mezcal (Aweseome Tacos and Tequilla), Wass (Ethiopian) and the Pheasant Plucker (Scottish Pub) but they would be a bit of a hike. Apart from them, the only one I'd also recommend in walking distance is Lou Dogs (BBQ and Bourbon) in Hess Village but that's on the other side of the arena.
BREWERIES
I know when I go to a local place, I like to checkout the local breweries if I can. In Hamilton the three most likely Candidates are Fairweather, Grain and Grit and Collective Arts. Fairweather and Grain and Grit are closer to McMaster a bit of a distance from the arena. I mention them however, because they are practically across the street from each other, so you can kill two birds with one stone. Collective Arts can be found at the base of Victoria St and it is also a distance, but they are in my eyes the best brewery in the city with their Gose and Porter. The other two breweries in the city are Shawn and Ed (which resides in Dundas) and Clifford (which resides in the East end of the city) and are quite a long haul from the arena proper.
Seriously I'm a lifelong Cats fan so I'll always have a soft spot for any team from Hamilton.
