Rush Sugar Bar

Mezcals little sister is kicking ass and satisfying your sweet tooth

Rush Sugar Bar, Hamilton’s newest dessert and soft serve restaurant is a lively and fun experience from the moment you walk through the door. As a little sister to popular taco joint Mezcal and tapas restaurant Uno Mas, the walls are covered with beautiful Mexican-inspired murals which add to the overall experience that owner Kristy Ferreira is trying to create.
“Atmosphere is huge and that’s why we put so much work into the aesthetics of this place. It’s not blank walls, it’s gorgeous,” says Ferreira. As a native Hamiltonian, Ferreira knew that Hamilton was in need of a good soft serve place and she decided to put her fifteen years of experience in the foodservice industry to good use.

Ferreira began her career in office administration but realized that she had a passion for working with people and turned her attention to the service industry instead. What Ferreira likes most about the industry is the relationships that you get to build with people in the community, “You get to kind of grow with people, you know, like you see women come in and they’re pregnant and then they have their kid and you see their kid progress, it’s nice.”

Along with community building and atmosphere, Ferreira also cites a personable staff and superior food quality as the cornerstones of her new business. What sets Rush apart from regular ice cream shops is the unique flavour-burst soft serve machine, the only one of its kind in Hamilton. This means that the machine has standard vanilla, chocolate and twist but also has a choice of rotating flavours which you can add to your standard cone. Options include strawberry, banana and butterscotch as well as more unique flavours like cinnamon bun and birthday cake. “Ice Cream is kinda like a comfort food,” says Ferreira, “Once people hear all the different flavours we have their eyes light up. They’re like children in a candy store.”

Rush also boasts a variety of ice cream toppings and dips, various desserts, a signature coffee blend and a selection of alcohol. “You wouldn’t assume that a dessert bar would have a liquor license but we do,” says Ferreira, “Come have a dessert and even if you don’t want a dessert come have a drink.”

The dessert bar works in tandem with both Mezcal and Uno Mas, which often have long wait times on the weekend as well as limited dessert options. Rush is a solution to these issues as customers are encouraged to have a drink at Rush while they wait for a table, or stop by after a meal for dessert.

Ferreira works as an administrator for Uno Mas and Mezcal and now as the owner of her own business, she has been learning to balance her personal life and her work life. “It’s exhausting,” she says with a laugh, “but you have to remind yourself that the situation is temporary. It’s definitely challenging but it’s rewarding to know that you’ve worked so hard to get to where you are now. People always think that working in a restaurant you can’t build a career from it but you absolutely can, if you work hard enough, if you put yourself out there enough and every day you try to be better at something.”

Rush is located at 156 James St S and is open every day from 11 am to 11 pm.

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