Three Square Grill

my favorite restaurant in hillsdale. love the low country shrimp and grits. service is great. love the sunday brunch too!

We were looking for a good burger last Saturday night and stumbled upon this small family run gem in Hillsdale. Fantastic burger! And great spicy fries. Very accommodating and just great food. Other items on the menu looked enticing, and all reasonably priced. Will definitely go back, if only just for another juicy burger!

Had high expectations, especially for the burger. The interior was cozy and the service was great, though.

3 ½ stars ( Unilocal doesn’t do ½) we liked Three Square a lot. The food was really good, not Great. I had gumbo and my southern wife had the shrimp dish. She thought her food had too much sauce and lacked in presentation. I liked the gumbo but it needed more spice so I added the delicious pickelopolis hot sauce, this stuff is terrific. In case you didn’t know these folks make the pickelopolis products. We also bought some of the amazing cranberry sauce that they make around thanksgiving and has been featured on the Food Network.
The last, but not least, complaint I have about Three Square Grill is the décor, namely there isn’t any! The place looks like they plunked some chairs and tables down in a really old office space, and they have the crummy office carpet to go with it. This is not the chic warehouse look, this is just drab and boring. There is absolutely nothing on the walls, and a giant cheesy «eat here» arrow hanging from the celling. Common guys get a decorator already, this could be a really quaint neighborhood restaurant with just a little work.

Don’t know why some reviews aren’t very good, my husband & I had a wonderful meal and great service. The staff was friendly, answered our questions about the menu, and the food was great! I ordered the roasted chicken w/​wild mushrooms and it was perfectly cooked, juicy and very flavorful. My husband hand the low country shrimp with grits & he ate the whole thing! Make sure you save room for dessert, the chocolate genache cake is amazing!

In our hood, Three Square Grill has been dishing up their take on American favorites, sourcing locally whenever possible, for over ten years. While we’ve always intended to go there, we had never made it, until last nite, and we’ve been missing out. Mrs. Burgerdogboy had called from her daily errands and suggested a date night, and it was a superb idea.
A bright and cheery space, Three Square bakes their own bread, cures their own meats, and most notably, cures a lot of charming and tasty pickled products that one can find, purchase at Three Square as well as around town. The menuvaries daily.
Service is affable, prompt, and diners are started with a half baguette and butter plate. We ordered the «pickle sampler», which was a variety of pickled cukes (both sweet and garlic), beets, beans, delicious radishes, and more.
Mrs. BurgerDogBoy went with the «Low Country Shrimp and Sausage with Grits and Greens», a delightful riff on a Creole standard, with grilled shrimp and sausage in a flavorful sauce on a bed of grits and greens. Nice.
And I opted for the Highland Oak Farms ½ pound burger with cheese and bacon, side of fries. The massive hand-​formed patty was prepared to my request of medium rare, and the bun was (to me) reminiscent of a fresh potato roll. It comes with pickle, tomato and lettuce on the side, naturally you can request other condiments, but I chose to tackle it «au natural» to enjoy the flavor of the beef.
It’s a damned fine burger, a great value, and was too large for me to pack away at a sitting.
Sunday breakfast is offered, we’ll get back to try that.
If you’re craving their pickled products, you can order online.

I really wanted to like this place. We love breakfast. I love grits and greens and all things southern.
We came on a rainy weekend morning for breakfast. We had a wait. Other customers were greeted like old friends, we were not. I think they have their regulars and they play to them, which is ok, but a little warmth couldn’t hurt with new people to make THEM regulars too, you know?
Our host and our server seemed completely disinterested in us, they plunked us at a table and could hardly be bothered to take our order. There was an attitude I couldn’t put my finger on, maybe it’s because we were in jeans and wet? but so was everyone else!
Our kid had beignets, which she liked. They had powdered sugar all over them, of course she liked them! They arrived in a very very hot cast iron skillet. It scared me. But she liked that too and she didn’t get singed which was my initial fear.
Husband had some hash kind of thing. The potatoes were a bit burnt. I honestly can’t remember what I had, and this was pretty recent, but I know it had grits and eggs and came with one piece of toast, and when I looked on our table for jam, we had none, so I swiped it from another empty table after waiting a while for a server to appear, which they didn’t… (and got dirty looks from the host person). If they’re on television for their jam and preserved pickly things, I’m going to try them, no?
I don’t think we will be back. It was kind of stuffy pretentious, but really not so great, and I had such high hopes from their homey website and menu. Also, the parking lot is terrible. I will brave it for Baker and Spice and their almond croissant, but not for these guys.

Great service and friendly staff. So, it’s not them. Kids ordered the french toast which was great. Also ordered the Benets and they were good too.
This was our first time.
I had the Vegetable Hash. Since I had not a clue what was in it, I ask. Winter Root Vegetables. Carrots, Turnips, chard.etc. Comes with Potatoes. Ok, bread? nope, but you can order an Organic Egg. OK, ordered.
Wife ordered Joes Scramble without Onion, but add spinach or Chard…
Coffee was good.
Veggie hash came, looked good. Wife’s food came and it was a mound of eggs and a mound of potatoes.
All I had was cheese, brussel sprouts, onion & potatoes. Oh and SLICED PORK! At no time was I told or read about this. Good thing I am a meat eater.
Wife’s food was mush with eggs. Texture was watery. She complained, I didn’t. Her’s got taken off.
Again, service was great. Left a good tip based on what the whole bill should have been. But food was something totally unsuspected. Back to Fat City, Marco’s.

Oh Three Square Grill. My love affair with you has been so tumultuous over the past 6 years :-) I started going here back in 2002 when they had a very vibrant/​active brunch menu and the place was hopping those mornings. But for whatever reason, the Barbers (the ones who own this gem) stopped serving Brunch on Sundays sometime in 2008 (which was the only day I would ever go) I found out later when I contacted them (and never heard back) that I was one of several hundred people who were upset by the loss of the Sunday Brunch. To this day, no one has ever answered the question about why they stopped offering this for so long when it was, I ‘d argue the real reason most people went to Three Square.
Recently, I discovered by word-​of-​mouth that they have now resurrected Sunday Brunch. I finally stopped in a few weeks back and was hoping it would be like «coming home» for me. The result? The «new» Brunch menu is a third of the size of the original and some of the dishes that made them famous (Florentine Omelette, Chimayo Turkey Hash, Collard Pot Likkr) are conspicuously missing :(I’d give them more stars because in their heyday I loved them but I’m not sure why they’ve scaled-​back so much.

Sunday brunch is awesome. loved the french toast. can’t wait to go back.

One of the things I love about Three Square Grill is that it’s so unassuming from the outside, in the middle of the Hillsdale strip mall. But once you get inside and order, everything is delicious and you really get a community feeling inside.
While we adore the dinner menu, by far our favorite has to be weekend brunch at Three Square (which I think is only served on Saturdays). Breakfast comfort food is great here, and there are handmade jams to put on everything that comes out of the kitchen.

I’m a big time foodie! I love good food and great service! Three Square Grill fits the bill on both accounts. My husband and I like to go their for our date nights. The service has always been spot on and I love that the menu changes w/​the season. And they seem to buy local b/​c they put on the menu what farm some of the main ingredients are from. If you go there try the spicy vinegar fries (yummy yummy) and try not to fill up on their fresh baked bread they put on the table before they bring out the courses. Also the chef is from North Carolina and brings that kind of comfort food style with him. Don’t be in a rush and you will enjoy a great meal…

We had our 2010 Thanksgiving meal there. It was a predetermined menu that included Turkey, Pork Loin & Duck with all the fixings. The service was good, the dining area was nice and quiet but the food was disappointing. To be fair, I really enjoyed all the side dishes and dessert, but you if don’t like the main course, the overall experience isn’t good. The duck was really fatty and hard to eat. The turkey seemed a little over cooked and dry. The pork was fine but a little under seasoned. We haven’t eaten there on a non-​holiday so perhaps their day-​to-​day food is much better.

I’ve been here a few times. I don’t know why we don’t go here more often as we live very close by. Good wine/​beer list and great food. They even have an excellent kids menu — not all fried food like some places. I love that they source their food locally as much as possible.

We had dinner here last night, and we enjoyed it.
We started with the Picklopolis sampler, and all of the pickled items in it were excellent, each with its own unique brine. (I didn’t try the pickled jalapeño that was included, but hubby liked it.) We also split the Western Divide salad, which sounded great on the menu, but in reality, was a bit bland and one-​note due to a totally forgettable dressing.
Hubby had the Lexington pork sandwich (basically a pulled-​pork sammich), and declared it good, especially the Carolina-​style vinegar-​based sauce that came with it. However, the bun they chose for the sandwich was really not up to the task, and he had a ‘bread malfunction’ halfway through it. The breads are from Baker & Spice two doors down, and were pretty good.
I had the roast chicken, which was a thigh and wing with skin on, but bathed in a sort of reddish sauce. It came with roasted yam and green beans, and a pile of sauteed mushrooms. I would have much rather had the chicken served simply from the roasting pan without any sauce, so that the skin would have remained crispy.
The sides were all good, beans perfectly cooked. However, that red sauce was greasy and there was a red oil slick left on the bottom of the plate when I was done.
I was impressed that they had a few good local micros on tap, and was appreciative that I could enjoy a HUB IPA with my dinner.
When it came time to contemplate dessert, however, we were bummed that they were out of the huckleberry ice cream they had listed. (We ended up going to Freddy’s and buying some ice cream to eat at home instead.)
Service was good, attentive and refilled drinks in a timely fashion. Our waiter may have been one of the owners, as he seemed to have good knowledge of the menu, and used the terms «my» and «our» alot.
Location is great, right in the heart of the village in Hillsdale, with adequate parking in the plaza.
To sum up: while it was a perfectly fine dinner, I can’t quite muster up the enthusiasm necessary to give it 5 stars.
Typically when I review an eatery, I start at 5 stars and then deduct stars for any serious flaws. In this case, I dunno, maybe I just wasn’t in an enthusiastic mood. Objectively, there was nothing wrong with the place (and plenty of things that were right), but yeah, 4 stars. Maybe on a return trip it will net 5.

Three Square is the place to go for comfort food in Southwest. Dave has a knack for taking an old recipe and turning it into something that you’ll swear is brand new and Barb works the crowds that regularly pack this strip-​mall restaurant.
I’m really pleased to see that they started offering Sunday morning brunch again. I really look forward to that on my next visit to Portland. Their burgers are always great, but the constantly changing menu is the real star. Wine selection is great and the beer choices are acceptable (as one would hope in PDX). The staff is the most professional and loyal I’ve seen in the entire city.
Nothing in Hillsdale beats these guys.

One star for each of the squares seems more than generous in this case. I will be back only because I believe that even the worst food joints deserve a second chance.
On to the lengthy review…
The staff was attentive and very knowledgeable about the various dishes and they did make good recommendations. However, three of the four dishes that were suggested to us were unavailable to order. The same went with alcohol.
So instead of salmon I ended up with shrimp and grits and instead of roasted chicken she ended up with meatloaf and mashed potatoes… no wait they were out of mashed potatoes… so she ended up with microwaved polenta. As an appetizer we shared some deep fried okra, pickles and hush puppies.
At least the shrimp, grits and bar food tasted good. I can’t say the same about the meatloaf though. Really the lackluster meatloaf was enough to ruin the experience for me. Not only was it her third choice (as the first two were unavailable) but it wasn’t good meatloaf.
«Bad Meatloaf» is a phrase that rarely gets uttered because it is a dish that is almost impossible to mess up. On a similar note, how can a restaurant «run out of mashed potatoes»? If I am on my game they will take me 20 – 30 minutes to make and I am a horrible cook. Dinner took far longer to get to our table than 30 minutes so they don’t really have an excuse in my opinion.

This is the ideal neighborhood grill. A great revolving menu based on local ingredients. The only problem we usually face is choosing.
We usally come here right after tennis class and we are hungry but let me just say the portions are a bit on the HUGE side. But rather than most places where more equals bland and boring, 3 Square Grill just gives you enough to have lunch the next day.
Steak with Yam Fries, Meat loaf, Chicken especially paprikash, Chili, always a veggie dish for those of you so inclined. Comforting food well prepared and with a level of skill and flavor above most all of its peers.
The wine list is preffect short and sweet with little mark up.
The servers are great. And if by some miracle you have room for dessert it is certainly worth the slurge.

Went her with three kids (two infants and a toddler) so it was quite a risk. Also with four adults. Called about an hour ahead to give them a heads up and the caller didn’t pass the message along to the right people. I was worried there would be a problem at that time. Boy was I wrong…
They were great in setting up the perfect table for our party. They were attentive to everybody at the table even providing my daughter with some things to keep her attention. A plastic monkey goes a long way.
I got the meat loaf and others got the lox. All good comments on the grub. Comfort soul food with great flavor. Carrot ginger soup had great flavor, garlic fries had just enough for my taste buds.
A great food and service experience all around. Nice job to the staff.

Comfort food, southern style
Thank God for good reputations since most hole-​in-​the-​wall places wouldn’t stand a chance if you judged them from the outside. Ironically, though, these are often the places that have the best food in town. Three Square Grill is one of the spots that keep people coming back for its comfort food.
I heard this place was great for brunch, specializing in grits. Having gone on a road trip through the south last year, I was keen to try their spin on a southern favorite. I ordered the grits with shrimp, Cajun style, and they were delicious. If that dish wasn’t creative enough, we also tried some okra hushpuppies. They were equally outstanding.
You won’t find another place like this in these here parts!
Tip: Go on a Tuesday for fried chicken night.