Here’s what will be replacing Aceti’s in East Hamilton
Published May 7, 2020 at 4:16 pm
While the closure of Aceti’s Pizzeria and Sports Bar in East Hamilton has saddened many in the community, we should take heart in the fact that something new and exciting is coming soon.
While the closure of Aceti’s Pizzeria and Sports Bar in East Hamilton has saddened many in the community, we should take heart in the fact that something new and exciting is coming soon.
Main 88 Pizza Pub in Hagersville has been serving families in the area and from further abroad for almost 30 years and now the operation is opening a second location where Aceti’s used to be.
Owner, Paul Bettencourt, who is himself a life-long East Hamiltonian, says he’s been looking at bringing Main 88, which he opened in 1992, to the city for years and saw a pretty special opportunity at the former Aceti’s site.
“I used to work there when I was 15 for the original owners,” Bettencourt told InTheHammer.
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“It was so busy back then. I quit because I didn’t want to be flinging wings all summer,” he joked.
As a resident of East Hamilton, Bettencourt felt that in recent years, the neighbourhood was lacking a family establishment like what they have in Hagersville.
“I really wanted to get back into Hamilton,” he said. “Bring what we’re doing there [at Main 88] here.”
Last year, Bettencourt says he visited Aceti’s and noticed that it could use a little love to breathe some new life into the business and he saw an opportunity.
Today, he’s the proud owner of the legendary establishment at Main and Barons and he has some big plans for its future.
“People are going to be blown away by it,” Bettencourt says.
He says they have plans to return the building to its original brick exterior, bring in big industrial windows and revamp that gorgeous patio, among many other projects.
“There’s going to be extensive changes,” he said.
Main 88 is popular among Hagersville residents, but it’s also a destination for people outside of town who find their way there on their way to their summer destinations.
“Even in the offseason, people will take a drive and stop in to eat here,” Bettencourt said. “We bring in people from all over the place and we’re looking to bring that to the new location.”
How do they keep people coming back for more, you might ask? By keeping things simple.
“We don’t do anything really fancy,” Bettencourt said. “It’s all about quality. We use simple, locally sourced ingredients.”
While their bread and butter, so to speak, is pizza and wings, they also serve up a lot of pub favourites, including burgers and fish and chips.
As for when Hamilton’s version of Main 88 will open, it’s really up in the air while the pandemic continues to keep businesses closed and people home.
“We’ve had some major setbacks with the pandemic, like everyone,” Bettencourt said. “We’ve been closed since this started. We might open later this month but who knows?”
With all of the changes planned for the former Aceti’s, Hamiltonians could be waiting a while for pizzas to start coming out of that kitchen again.
All good things, however, come to those who wait.
Photo courtesy Main 88’s Facebook page
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