Hillstone Restaurant

I have definitely encountered the most HORRIBLE experience that you can have at a restaurant. The hostess was cloyingly rude, with her greeting and the way that she snapped at me. I was a party of one and several people were sat before and when I mentioned it, she had the audacity to inform me that I had 8 more minutes. At this point, I’m like go figure. If it weren’t for the wine and red snapper that I had been longing for, I would’ve definitely left! I am thoroughly disgusted and won’t be returning, so it looks as if my friends and I will have to find another location for lunch on Wednesday’s and we won’t be returning for dinner.

Had my favorite veggie burger. It was great as always. The service was solid and efficient. Always love the ambiance there it’s first class casual & comfortable. The only minor negative was that when we requested ketchup they brought a very small ketchup portion. A little petty I know but I hate to have to ask for more. They still deserve a solid 5 stars though.

Everything was great. Had the ribs, wife the pork chop. Service was great, food great. Some of the best ribs I have ever had. The spinach dip is awfully good, and different.

Great Restaurant and outstanding service. Chicago spinach dip is great. Love the burgers, French dip and Hawaiian steak
Drinks are great love their Bloody Mary’s
Does get crowd so get their early

Hillstone never disappoints! The quality of food is amazing and the customer service is even better. We had the Hawaiian rib eye, salmon, and Thai noodle salad. Everyone was satisfied with their entrée. I live in Los Angeles and this hillstone has lived up to the expectations set at the Manhattan beach location I will definitely come back.

Food was excellent but service is not worth the cost or the wait. I honestly couldn’t even tell you who our server was. There was no greeting, introduction or follow-​up from the same person twice and we felt like we had to inform the next person who showed up at the table what we had just requested from the previous server. Additionally, although a starter salad is clearly an a la carte option on the menu, when you order it, make sure to clarify to whomever takes your order that you would like the salad to start. Although we even provided the information regarding the fixings on our baked potato that came with our entrée, we received the salad with our entrée and minus the baked potato. They ended up taking our entrees and placing them under a heat lamp (which ended up causing the meat to be overcooked) so they could add the potato while we ate our salads. It was very odd. It also took almost 15 minutes to pack our leftovers to take home. We were there on a Tuesday night with a reservation and still waited for a table.

The grilled artichokes are the best around! The service and atmosphere is great with a diverse menu that is always fresh.

When there’s a craving for French Dip — this is where I go — hence the 5 stars rating! High piles of tasty thinly sliced prime rib inside a perfectly crusted French roll! Great bustling atmosphere and cheerful luncheon service! If it wasn’t for the long wait, I’d come here a lot more! Cheers!

Way to turn down $ 800 minimum. The lady told me she can’t accommodate a work group of 8 people and that she can put us in two separate booths. If I was the owner of this company, I would be highly disappointed at this customer service… will never eat here just because of this!

Not sure what to say about the service today… oh wait yes I do… AWFUL!!!
We’ve eaten here many times before and had great service!!! I’m not sure if they were understaffed or just had an inept wait staff today!!!
The one star is for the food which is always good.

The service and food are exceptional! There is a nice patio as well. The ribs are excellent and fall off the bone! The spinach dip and brownie are a must! The only people rating this restaurant poorly are just simply overly judgmental.

I had a great time over here:-) services was excellent. Food was good but kinda too big portion. Environment was nice. Will come back to try other menu when I get a chance since it is only a few minutes away from me

I’ve been saving up some reviews until now… We’ve been to Hillstone a number of times and every time we go we have AMAZING FOOD… all the food is great no matter what you order and the staff is great.
If I had ONE complaint it would be the wait time for a table really any time after 5:30p.m., so if you are in a hurry… Hillstone might not be the best idea.
You can’t blame them for being popular… I guess.

Really unfortunate experience we had here today. We had a party of 6 adults and 2 kids, and we had called ahead to make sure there was something for us. We were told we couldn’t put 2 tables together and so the 2 kids (ages 5 and 7) had to sit on their own table. When we asked the manager if we could add 2 chairs to our table, we did not mind the table being tight, she told us that we could do, 4 and 4 on different tables. When 5 out of 8 are visiting from out of town, the last thing we want is to be in 2 different tables. What kind of 80^th birthday is that? Couldn’t even spend his 80^th birthday having dinner with his grandchildren.
We heard so many good things about this place, and we are truly disappointed at how unreasonable they were at adding 2 chairs for two little CHILDREN to sit with us and have dinner with their family and their grandfather who was turning 80 years old. I hope you like your kids eating alone, unsupervised and far from where you are sitting.
We will be telling everyone we know about how unreasonable they were at this restaurant and will skip it and go somewhere else, somewhere nicer perhaps?
Our server, however, was very nice.

Another enjoyable lunch at Hillstone! Today, my daughter was off work, & while we were out & about, we decided to head on over to our favorite spot to grab some lunch.

We were both craving our favorite, Club Salad w/​honey mustard dressing… nobody does it better than Hillstone! We started off w/​our usual Spinach Artichoke Dip… it’s the perfect dish to wake up the ol taste buds & start up the good conversation.
It all made for a wonderful mother /​daughter lunch & it was all delicious, as usual.
‘Till next time.

Houstons/​Hillstone is always a wonderful dining experience– the reason why they are so successful. Consistently great service and food. I am never let down when I go here.
I recommend the grilled artichoke or spinach dip for an appetizer and the seared ahi tuna salad or the burger for your entreè. But honestly, you can’t go wrong with anything you order. It is all delicious!

For happy hour time on a Tuesday, it was packed! The bar had no empty seats and the dining area was quite full as well.
The crowd you ask? Primarily business professional attire… Plenty of «Cougars» and older money.
Food wise, I had the spinach dip appetizer which was average at best. I also had the apple dessert which ended up being alright.
One thing I cannot get over is having no wi-​fi.
I doubt I’ll go back unless I happen to be in the neighborhood and need a strong drink.

I have been coming to Hillstone (previously Houstons) for many years and I have never once been disappointed! The one and only downside to eating here is that it can be very crowded, a testament to their incredible food!
Once you swing open the wide heavy door, you are greeted by the savory smells of grills to your right and the sounds of cheerful chatter all around. If you are lucky, or early enough for lunch or dinner, you won’t have to wait 30+ minutes to be seated.
I strongly recommend ordering spinach dip, that is, if you even like spinach dip. If you do, order it! Hillstone’s (aka Houstons’) spinach dip is by far the best spinach dip I’ve ever tasted. If I were to pick my favorite thing on the menu, I can’t decide between the seasonal Faroe island salmon with a side of cous cous or the classic Hickory Burger, which is my favorite burger of all time. The quality of food, and the wait staff, is consistently excellent.
This restraint would receive 6 stars from me if that were possible.

Great, all-​around experience, for a dinner I recently had. Comfortable environment, but nice. Not too much of anything, but enough of what it has to make very nice. Open, but easy to have conversations. Nice selection on the menu, but not too much. Service staff were classy and capable, but not stuffy.
If I lived within 20 minutes of here, this would be a favorite spot.
I went with a salmon dish, and cabbage as the veggie [waitress and I bantered playfully about the necessity of a vegetable on my plate, in order to have dessert]. Meal was very good. My colleague visits here frequently, and attested to the overall quality of the menu.

So right away this is going to be one of those reviews that should not technically exist. A little more than two years ago, I gave this place five stars and called it a day. Since that time, I’ve been here for dozens of occasions and it’s been a five-​star experience each and every visit. Essentially, this is an updated five-​star review to retire my previous, outdated five-​star review. This update has been a long time coming, but, in a spectacular example of history repeating itself, the general impression that Hillstone (formerly of Houston’s fame) extends to both first-​timers and «regulars» is (again) one of professionalism blended with fantastic takes on American cuisine classics.
Let’s get the (imitation) designer handbag-​carrying elephant out of the dining room right up front: yes, this place is in the throes of Parks Cities aristocracy, so from approach to exit, you will be surrounded by everything from people driving cars that cost approximately 27 times more than my annual income, to $ 30,000 millionaire ladies pretending they like each other while hunting some unsuspecting prey dressed in Bugatchi at the theatre-​in-​the-​round bar. There is no getting around it so just mentally psych yourself up for it and go with it — besides, the majority of the customers will be too self-​absorbed to notice you exist, so everyone wins!
Hillstone is nestled in the corner of a main thoroughfare with two parking lots to park in. The one immediately nearby is kind of cramped and shared by everything from Orvis to whatever that restaurant is across the way that I cannot remember the name of. The parking lot across a relatively non-​busy street is much wider, and also a haven for valet parking at night (even during the week). You’ve got options for parking, so do not get discouraged if you end up hoofing it to the door from quite a ways away.
Once you get inside, though, you realize it was all worth it. From the friendly hostess desk that immediately greets you, to the moment you realize you have to stand up and walk out after eating way too much food, the Hillstone experience is a sharp and polished one. I’ve never had a visit here that was less than exceptional, and that includes everything from frequent weekend lunches to crowded dinners, and even a midday trip to the bar to avoid sitting in afternoon traffic following a dentist appointment.
This actual visit I’m touching on was a Saturday lunch my folks and I stopped in to enjoy, as they usually do on weekends (and as I sometimes successfully convince them to take me along). Getting here at any point after 11:15 is a gamble because this place gets packed, and fast. The hostess team on duty was prompt and courteous in their greeting and escorting to the table, and if you’ve never been here, do take time to marvel at the random artworks scattered about the dim, but modern, dining room: paintings have replaced a former wall of mirrors, a penguin statue stands guard near the bathrooms and I believe a model of the Titanic is just sort of there because where else do you store your model of the Titanic?
Our server, Jennie, probably delivered the greatest service any of us have had here in years of dining. And that’s saying something, because the waitstaff here are the most attentive and accommodating people you will ever meet. The team helps each other out with everything from refills to bussing lemon wedges off the table — clutter must be an offense here, which is kind of cool and makes me wonder if they do office calls so I can see the surface of my desk again. My Dad and I are coffee snobs (black coffee only, please) and making the fresh cups of coffee here is kind of an ordeal I don’t think a lot of customers appreciate: that Jennie had a fresh cup for the both of us frequently went a long way in my book.
But what about the food? Yes, it’s lunch, and yes, we almost always stick with sandwiches and salads, but trust me when I say these «safe» choices are among the best you will ever have. Club salads adorned with pieces of cheese toast, the best French dip you will ever taste (I promise) and their limited availability chicken sandwich will convince you lunch can be classy without being obnoxious. Sure, the prices are such that you may have initial sticker shock when looking at the two-​sided menu, but they are well worth the cost of admission. No one I know has ever had anything bad here… though I will say the key lime pie dessert leaves that brownie far behind.
All in all, the staff is more than on top of their game, the chefs could very well be miracle workers and the general experience is relaxing, yet well-​paced. The waits can get long on just about any night of the week but, at least in this case, Hillstone is a fantastic dining option worth waiting for. Plus, the clientele can be wildly, inadvertently entertaining, making your wait that much quicker.