Capri is established
The foundation is laid for a long-running Hamilton Italian restaurant.
Established in 1962
Homemade with love, history and the Fiorino family.
A restaurant story shaped by Calabria, Hamilton and generations gathered around the table.
The Fiorino family
From a teenage cook to the heart of Capri.
Capri was established in 1962 and opened on John Street North in November 1963. Its first owners, Bruno and Elena Cariolato, created a neighbourhood Italian restaurant remembered for lineups, a pizzaiolo tossing dough in the front window and generous family-style cooking.
In 1963, Anna Fiorino arrived in Hamilton from Calabria as a teenager and began working in Capri's kitchen. She cooked the homemade Italian food she had learned from her family—dishes such as gnocchi, risotto and cannelloni—and those recipes gradually became part of the restaurant's identity.
After Bruno and Elena, the restaurant continued through their daughter Yolanda and son-in-law Matteo. When they retired in 2004, Anna and the Fiorino family purchased Capri so the tradition could continue.
Today, Anna owns Capri with her husband Genaro and son Salvatore. The dining room has evolved, but the family's approach remains recognizable: handmade sauces, pizza dough prepared throughout the day, generous portions and hospitality intended to make guests feel known.
“A lot has changed since 1962, but the love and passion we have for our customers remains.”Call the Restaurant
A Hamilton legacy
More than six decades of food, family and familiar rituals.
The doors open
Bruno and Elena open Capri on John Street North; Anna arrives from Italy and joins the kitchen.
The Fiorinos take ownership
Anna and her family purchase Capri, protecting its traditions while renewing the dining room.
The Blue Grotto returns
The cave-inspired upstairs room reopens for private celebrations after a long closure.
A family-run landmark
Anna, Genaro and Salvatore continue to serve handmade pasta, pizza and classic Italian hospitality.
Inside the kitchen
The craft behind a Capri classic.
Built by hand
Dough made throughout the day
Finished in the ovenA restaurant people remember
Local details became part of the folklore.
The front-window pizza maker, the small dough ball placed on top of Capri pizzas and the cave-like Blue Grotto upstairs became details generations of Hamilton guests remember in their own way.
The Blue Grotto was created to evoke La Grotta Azzurra on the island of Capri. Its concrete stalactites, theatrical blue light, stage and bar turned the second floor into one of the city's most unusual celebration spaces.
The setting has changed over time, but the promise has not: generous food, warm service and a place where families can return year after year.
Discover the Blue Grotto