CLOSURE: Vegan restaurant closing after almost 10 years in Hamilton
Published April 28, 2025 at 10:53 am
A woman-owned vegan restaurant and bakery in Hamilton has announced they’ll be shutting their doors.
The Hearty Hooligan serves up from scratch “vegan junk food,” with options on the menu like all-day breakfast, pizza pockets and rolls, hot dogs, soups, salads, sandwiches, loaded fries and burritos.
“The Hearty Hooligan is a woman owned, LGBTQ2SIA+ positive, all vegan restaurant committed to local sourcing and from scratch food. You know, the quintessential millenial run business. I opened at the beginning of 2017 with a vision for creating what has been called the ultimate vegan stoner food,” reads the Hearty Hooligan website, going on to say that the owner dropped out of grad school to open the restaurant.
“I’m still so humbled every day by the fact that I’ve gotten here; that I have regulars, people who have made eating my crazy creations a part of their routines; that people travel from out of town to come eat here; and, that there are ACTUAL PEOPLE out there who say that this thing I’ve created is their favourite restaurant. It’s mind blowing for me and just never gets old. Honestly. Thank you, Hamilton, for all of your support.”
Now, the owner has posted a closure announcement to The Hearty Hooligan’s social media that’s just as emotional as the story of how the restaurant opened.
“Just shy of a decade, I don’t even know how to fully say this with all of the gravity that it feels like it carries, but I am ready to move on to something else,” reads the post.
“I don’t know that I ever planned to run The Hearty Hooligan forever. I was so excited to get it off the ground that I never stopped to wonder if I wanted to do it my entire life.”
View this post on Instagram
While some businesses unfortunately aren’t able to give their community much notice before they shut down, there’s a silver lining to The Hearty Hooligan’s announcement. While they may be closing, it won’t be for a while.
“At a time where so many people are closing their doors, I don’t want the dream of opening a small business to die. I want you all to know we didn’t flop or go bankrupt – this was a choice I made over a year in advance,” reads the post. “I want to assure you we still have lots of time together. The Hearty Hooligan isn’t in any state of panic. We will continue running as normal for the rest of the year.”
Even more than a silver lining, there’s also actually the possibility that The Hearty Hooligan may not close down at all.
“If anyone feels like they want to take over and keep The Hearty Hooligan alive, I would be so happy for it to enter a new phase with someone else,” reads the post.
The post has nearly 2,000 likes on Instagram and many comments from people expressing their heartfelt gratitude for the restaurant’s presence in Hamilton over the years.
The last day for The Hearty Hooligan will be Oct. 30.