Hamiltons' at First & Main

Highly recommend! My husband and I are huge foodies and enjoyed every bite at Hamiltons. We ordered the spring rolls for an appetizer, and for the main course we chose the crab cakes & beef tenderloin. I’ve never had a steak that was so tender and packed with flavor. The crab cakes were fairly thick and weren’t fishy. The wait staff was very attentive and kind. Great place for a date night. Huge compliments to the chef! He clearly knows what he’s doing.

Nice atmosphere with indoor and outdoor seating. They have a great bourbon selection to make include: Eagle Rare, Buffalo Trace, and Blantons. Grilled mushroom appetizer was fantastic, definitely recommend. Crab corn chowder also amazing. The mushroom pasta was okay, would try a different dish next time. Service was really good. Great dining experience and glad we came for date night.

Enjoyed the scallops, chowder and a Dark Horse cocktail at the bar before heading out for a concert nearby. Excellent food, great service, fine atmosphere.

Hamiltons' on First & Main was a wonderful surprise. As first time diners, we were impressed with the attention to detail in the restaurant. The decor was beautiful. We were promptly greeted by friendly staff and taken to our seats. Our waitress (Chelsea) was exceptional. She was patient and polite as she took our orders, gave us time to go over the menu, and checked on us throughout our meal. We started with spring rolls which were presented beautifully and tasted wonderful. We also had the local mushrooms. These were not as appealing visually. However, the variety was interesting but wouldn't be a repeat experience. We ordered swordfish and crab cakes. Both presented beautifully, almost too pretty to eat. Both meals were delicious! As it was our first visit, I wanted to include a dessert for the review. We had the lemon tart with coffee, and affogato. The coffee was good. The lemon tart was bright with a strong lemon tempered with the blueberry garnish. The only note would be to have more blueberries. The affogato was a nice pick me up to round out our experience. Hamiltons'on First & Main is definitely an experience to enjoy.

This restaurant was more than we expected—it was one of the best meals we’ve have had in Charlottesville. And my husband sang the Hamilton soundtrack throughout the meal, so that was fun. Every single thing we ordered was absolutely amazing. Cheers to the genius chef! We had the crab cake sandwich (super fresh crab, tomatoes, arugula and the bread was crazy good), the crab and corn chowder (the best I have ever tasted), a side salad (lightly dressed with an amazing sesame dressing) and the salmon entree (cooked perfectly and very fresh). We also had the flourless chocolate torte for dessert that was made the cocoa beans sourced from Central America. This restaurant uses amazing ingredients and it is evident in the taste of the food! We also tried the white wine from Slovenia that was a perfect pairing for the meal. The service was also very good as our waiter was a clear expert in his field and gave us great advice on what to order. Can’t wait to go back to Hamiltons’ again!

Innovative, amazing, and fresh! Whether you are looking for a great vegetarian dish, awesome seafood (try the shrimp and grits or/and carb cake!!!) or awesome small plates this place has it all. Nestled on first and main with charming outside seating, great ambiance, and well crafted cocktails. Cheers! 🎉

Daytripping during the pandemic you don't know what you might discover. Yesterday we ended up in Charlottesville and found Hamilton and Main- what a marvelous find! Every dish was beautifully presented and thoughtfully made. We began with the open face smoked salmon appetizer- colorful and delicious, although the Swedish bread was on the dry side. Then we moved on to the entrees- crab cakes for me and a lamb burger for my husband. Both had great depth of flavor and were perfectly prepared. We finished by sharing the lemon tart- a fine ending to a great meal. Our server, Geraldina, was efficient and attentive without being intrusive and the open air seating on the mall was lovely. All in all, a beautiful evening in such uncertain times.

Excellent dinner and drinks on the mall in Charlottesville! Drink wise, the Dark Horse and the Gin based Old Fashioned were spot on. I questioned the waiter on the Gin old-fashioned, and he described it spot on. Highly recommend. Food-wise, starters were scallops, haloumi and ham Biscuits. All were sooo tasty. Split 2 mains betwixt us. Fish of the day was Swordfish and it was perfection. The grilled Tenderloin called to us through the blue cheese potato souflee.. mic drop on that one. Everything was excellent. Service was top notch. Can't wait to come back for more of the menu! P.s. chocolate tart and panned cotta for dessert...

Hamiltons' (perhaps a family and/or individuals-with-a-name-commonality's business?) at First & Main has a nice interior. During my visit, I experience solid customer service; an employee knows the menu so well I think the employee is a/the chef (who) makes navigating Vegan options so easy. The establishment is very accommodating for Vegans as well as gluten free eaters even with only so many options for either. The Tomato-Garlic (and more) Soup is good: every bite is full of not-hot spices offering rich flavors with every bite (a soft puree type texture). The Grilled Mushrooms are so good especially the hairier looking ones (with Rosemary particularly); the lengthier mushroom tastes like chicken and the mushroom with a lot of heads tastes like crab meat (texture and taste wise—not that I miss eating animal products or anything like that—I like food 😋). Make sure to make a reservation. The establishment accepts different forms of payment.

We had a delightful dinner here while visiting. We sat outside which, in my opinion, had a better vibe than inside. Inside was fine but the outside really shines with its location on the pedestrian walkway! We had a great server. The food was definitely the highlight though. The halloumi was perfect, as was the soup of the day. My husband had the beef tenderloin which he proclaimed was the "best steak" he's had out, and he doesn't say that lightly. I had ghe shrimp and grits which was very unique and delicious, much lighter and fresher than most. The dessert was absolutely amazing as well! Highly recommend this for a wonderful, romantic dinner while visiting Charlottesville. You won't be disappointed.

We had a great dinner at Hamilton’s and would do it again anytime! Wine was a fabulous Bordeaux, the scallops and the steak were cooked to perfection and Geraldine our waitress did a magnificent job.

We had dinner at Hamilton's this evening and we had a wonderful time. It is a lovely atmosphere, the service was great, and the food was delicious. We will definitely go back next time we are in town.

Professional service and great food. Since it's a smaller restaurant, you'll want to make reservations. Make sure you try the shrimp and grits or The crab cake!!

Our first stop before going to The Paramount Theater. Excellent service, food and atmosphere..ake reservations early as they typically are booked.

Wonderful food experience, great service with nice atmosphere. Will keep trying their menu.

Heaters make outside seating great this time of year. We all had soup and a smorgasbord. Perfect amount of food and beautifully presented.

The chicken and waffles was delicious! I was hesitant to order it at first because I had only had bad experiences with the dish, but it was SO worth giving a second chance! Service was fast and friendly! We'll definitely come back.

Terrific! Was a bit of a wait to be seated (with a reservation) and the service was a little slow at first, but the food was completely worth it! Too be fair, the table service was great, it just seemed to be understaffed or overwhelmed at first, but no matter. We thoroughly enjoyed the experience and wonderful menu!

Fabulous food for dinner. We had the crab cakes and the beef tenderloin special followed by dessert of chocolate of many ways. The meal was prepared to perfection. The service was excellent. Highly recommend.

This is a great place! The staff is so helpful and friendly! The food was so good!