Hillside Supper Club

This place is incredible. Came with a party of 6. Ordered most of the menu. They have a super small kitchen so I was beyond impressed by the quality and presentation of each dish. The wine list was good, nothing outstanding but defiantly provides you a good selection of options. Service was on point too.
Really like this place and will suggest to my friends to check it out.
Side note: They have a great story about how this place came together :)

Oh yes please! Give me some more of that kale and roasted chicken salad! Yum! I had to force myself to eat every last bit, but only because it’s so good! Ambiance was pretty nice too. It wasn’t too loud given that it was a large open space for dining. Prices were all reasonable. Good service too! Definitely will go back again to try their other food choices. I’m already eyeing the omelet, saving that one for next time!

My partner and I had an epically amazing dinner here. It was our first time checking it out and we kind of stubbed upon it. Food was one point, perfect as a matter of fact. Wine on point. Wait staff was sweet, accommodating, and delightful. The chef came out to say hi to us as well, felt cozy and down to earth. Not sure what more you can ask for from a restaurant. Would highly recommend and will be a patron to this establishment. Thank you!

Went for dessert and drinks. We have been there several times (Relatives from Europe loved it).
Servers super nice and actually listen when you mention nut allergies and vegetarian (precita park café might take note here).
Only drawback no hot chocolate. Overall amazing space wish more vegetarian options but still good.

This has become my favorite spot for brunch and usually the place I suggest to friends because there’s never a 2 hour wait and the food is amazing. I order the lavender ricotta toast to share and the savory bread pudding every time. I can’t seem to want to try anything else. The only downside for brunch is they don’t have a liquor license so they use soju for their bloody mary’s. Grr. I’m ok with settling for a mimosa and coffee on the occasions that I come here, however. It’s that good.

Did dinner there and then went back for brunch the next morning because it was so good.
Great service, charming space, fun menu.
Dinner:
Nonna’s meatballs: yum. Small meatballs, not filling, perfect appetizer portion.
Roasted beets: not the most incredible beets but a solid take on them. The herb fromage blanc was amazing.
Ravioli: total yum. Glad we got the full order.
Lamb Crepinette: also total yum. I don’t like mushrooms but the mushrooms with this were incredible. They weren’t soggy and gross. They had almost a bamboo shoot like texture and the flavors they picked up were amazing.
Dessert was an amazing chocolate thing and a lemon cheesecake. Both awesome.
Brunch:
Rhubarb poptart: good but I think i need to stop ordering poptarts at places. That trend is dead.
Brioche french toast: dang good! I’m a french toast snob. This is in the territory of NOPA french toast.
Goetta (meat/​grain patty): yum! only problem was that i wanted more.
Amazing place. Obviously would go back.

We had a bad experience start to finish. We made a reservation for 6 for our monthly girls dinner. When making the reservation, they didn’t tell us it was their monthly producer’s dinner with fixed menu that night for $ 72 per person. Had we known, we probably would have gone somewhere else. When we got there, service seemed disoriented. And it continued to be super disoriented for the duration of the meal. They asked about dietary restrictions at the beginning of the meal, and had to keep coming back to verify. The first server didn’t even know if they could accommodate a pescatarian and laughed when we said one of us had that restriction. It took forever to get each course. We noticed many of the waitstaff was sitting at a table drinking the wine pairings for the special dinner. We said afterwards we felt like we wandered into a private dinner party that we weren’t supposed to be at. And to top it off, the food was not good. Of the 4 courses, only one (the shrimp dish) was tasty. The rest were super bland and lacking a lot of season. for $ 72, it was not at all worth it.
I’m bummed because I had been wanting to try this place and their regular menu looked interesting. Too bad, as I won’t be back.

First of all, the staff is amazing. The hosts/​hostesses, chefs, owners and the rest are nice, genuine people.
The food, I can order the same thing. Every. Time. The food is that enjoyable. Foie gras, liver mousse, anchovies. How can you go wrong? Johnny and Tony are geniuses.
If you’re interested in wine, then ask for Austin. He can recommend anything to fit your meal, or needs. The one thing that they lack is a liquor license, but to be honest, the atmosphere is much better that way. They most definitely make up with their wine selection and their great selection of local and craft beer.
I’d love to write more, but I highly suggest that you check this place out for yourself; let me know what you think!

Though I’ve never been a fan of sweet types of bread pudding, I go absolutely ape-​shit wild when I see a savory bread pudding on the menu, and Hillside Supper Club’s got it on theirs. Kale, carrots, bacon, & cheddar dot a moist muffin-​like structure & a sunny side egg is the crown it wears.
We shared a thick slice of toast topped with Bellweather Ricotta & Lavender Honey & the sweet/​tart combo was divine.
From our window seat that looks out on Precita Park, we chomped away happily, gossiped, ogled adorable dogs walking their owners, & planned our next Hillside Supper Club brunch outing.

Came here for my sister in laws birthday celebration dinner. To our surprise, they were kind enough to all sign a menu for her and draw some decorations to really make her special, a great touch above your traditional candle with dessert.
Onwards to the food, loved the beet salad, smoked trout appetizer, and meatballs
Pot Pie was flavorful, solid buttery crust and portion was great
Service was efficient and friendly
Overall Thoughts
I can see myself coming back again to see what they can do

Weeknight dinner review! Their menu isn’t very extensive, with ~10 starters and 4 entrees on it. The boyfriend and I decided just to split 5 starters instead of ordering any entrees since none of the entrees particularly caught our eye. After we ordered, they gave us a little bowl of pickled vegetables to start.
S T A R T E R S
1) PB&J foie gras — Daily special. Chilled foie gras with a thin layer of blackberry jam on top + peanut butter mousse + light, fluffy bread. Really interesting twist that I hadn’t seen before! The foie gras paired really well with the mild sweetness of the jam, but the peanut butter was a little overwhelming. I felt like I only wanted ¹⁄₃ of the amount of peanut butter mousse that was plated.
2) Steak tartare — Very well seasoned, tasty, and a pretty solid portion size.
3) Nonna’s meatballs — The highlight of this dish for me was the focaccia that it comes with. You get about 4 small-​ish meatballs in a sea of marinara sauce. The meatballs are decent, nothing amazing. The focaccia though was light and airy, buttery, and had the perfect amount of herbiness. Went great with the marinara sauce!
4) Seared scallops — Definitely the lowlight of our meal. Plated with some cauliflower, polenta, and other lackluster and not-​that-​flavorful ingredients, the scallops themselves were actually too salty.
5) Smoked McFarland Springs trout — YUM! A small smoked filet of trout, with a soft-​boiled egg, ikura, and taro chips. This was so good! The trout had just the right amount of smokiness; I love all soft-​boiled eggs; and the two went so well together with the contrasting of stronger and weaker flavors, plus the taro chips for a bit of crunch.
D E S S E R T
1) Affogato — Classic and delicious.
2) Chocolate custard farm egg — A little overpriced, but definitely novel. We had no idea what to expect when we ordered this. Would it be a hard-​boiled egg… covered in chocolate??? No idea, but we decided to be adventurous. Turns out this is basically chocolate custard and whipped cream presented inside an empty eggshell with the top cut off. Don’t get me wrong, the custard was fantastic, but, as you can imagine, the amount that fits inside an eggshell is not very much.
W I N E
1) 2012 Fenaughty Vineyard Syrah — I really enjoyed this syrah actually! Very full-​bodied. Though I feel like it was a little bit on the sweeter side.
There were definitely a few ups and not-​so-​ups throughout our meal, but this is a cute neighborhood restaurant, nested away amongst houses and apartments. I’d come back!

Though it’s the start of the year I think this might be one of the best brunches I will have all year. I almost didn’t want to write this review to avoid notifying the world of Unilocal how great Hillside is for brunch. This is a cute and cozy spot with a woody and warm ambiance that greets you when you walk in. I came with a friend on a Saturday morning and didn’t have to wait to get seated. Plenty of seats available so we chose a fun spot at the counter. Our waiter was super friendly and helped to answer all of our questions about the dish. I was wanting to order the French toast and was reassured that it would be made from a thick slab of delicious bread just the way I like it. My friend ordered the savory bread pudding and a Bloody Mary and declared them both amazing. Before we left I asked to order their pear pop tart to go and they sent me home with a toasty and tasty treat to share with my boyfriend who declared it the most amazing pastry he has had in a while. I will be back again to try out dinner but also to revisit their brunch.

Came here for weekend brunch. Charming atmosphere, hidden and nestled among the residential part of Bernal Heights. Love the airy space with large windows facing Precita Park.
The savory bread pudding with kale, bacon, cheese and egg was amazing — quite frankly the best breakfast dish I’ve had in recent memory. Served with a side of arugula with radishes and carrots. I’d come back for this dish.
Also delicious was the brioche French toast. Thick cut with warm pears and crème fraîche, very filling.
The Bloody Mary here is complex (with chaoji sauce and horseradish) and leaving a satisfying kick. Love the many layers of pickled veggies they garnish the drink with.
Place fills up quickly so best bet is to come early when it first opens (around 10am).

Found parking pretty easily on a Saturday evening for dinner. Had made reservations but the restaurant seemed pretty empty.
–thought food was pretty standard but really expensive
–cute appearance and has a cozy feel inside the restaurant.
–my duck pot pie was yummy. I did actually have some leftovers that I had asked to take home. However, one of the restaurant staff accidentally threw my leftovers away and they actually, without asking, took the initiative to make me a whole new duck pot pie to take home (exemplary service!!)
–the focaccia bread was delicious as well.
–some of the dishes did take a while to come out, but they had warned me the duck pot pie takes a bit longer, so its possible they were withholding all dishes so they could come out at a similar time for my whole table of 6
Overall, everything was A-​OK.

This place unfortunately does not live up to its cute appearance and its delicious sounding menu. I was hoping to have found a neighborhood gem, but instead was rather underwhelmed by the entire experience.
Our server was friendly, the wine was pretty good, and the menu seemed promising — but when everything arrived at the table, each dish turned out to be quite mediocre.
The beef cheek entrée that was recommended by our server was not good. It was overly chewy, with a fatty tasting consistency.
Our apps were a bit bland and uninteresting (grilled squash, octopus).
My black cod was the best dish of the night, but even that was un-​memorable and a bit boring.
Overall, the best word to describe our meal is mediocre. The prices are definitely high for what you get here, unfortunately.
I don’t like to write places off after one experience, so I would like to give this another shot at some point — but with so many amazing places in this city, it’s unlikely I’ll end up back here.

I wanted to rate this place well. but I cannot.
The atmosphere was very great. The server was great. The restaurant loos great.
We waited 30 minutes for our food to come out. The restaurant was not very busy around 1 pm that Saturday.
Frioche toast was great.
However, my fritata was overcooked and dry and tasteless. All for $ 15??? I could cook a better egg dish for $ 2.
SIgh.

I wanted to rate this place well. The décor is great and the server was nice albeit inattentive in a near empty restaurant.
We waited 40 minutes for our food to come out. The restaurant was empty at about 12:40 pm on a Saturday. My frittata was way over cooked and my potatoes were soggy and mushy. My boyfriends goetta was soggy and undercooked in the center and burnt on the outside. They forgot the egg on top to boot.
My boyfriend felt ill after we left the restaurant. Needless to say we will not be coming back.

Came here after having met Jonathan at a benefit event Hillside Supper Club supported. We had tasted the watermelon gazpacho at the event and were thoroughly impressed (highly recommend it and it’s on their ‘off the menu’ specials option).
The squid appetizer is out of this world awesome with incredible presentation, brushed ink sauce and a fabulous Yuzu vinaigrette which is the icing on the cake for this dish.
For mains, we had the pork chop and the white bass, but fabulous.
They have a great international selection of wines and we had all the red wines on offer by the glass (there’s 4, a Pinot noir, carignane, Syrah and Gamay).
For dessert, the affogato has a great espresso and chocolate panna cotta, on point.
Service was fabulous and friendly.
The restaurant is cozy, not too big, music is at a good level so you’re not all shouting over it and there is a private area for private parties (looked like an area for between 8 – 12 people). We are surely coming back with friends :)

Came here for dinner with a friend last week, before a nearby burlesque show, since it was another one of those restaurants that I’d been meaning to try for a while. Before getting into the details of each dish, at a high level, Hillside’s presentation of dishes was… interesting: whether intentional or not, every single dish reminded us of something else entirely!
* Steak Tartare — Among the tastier steak tartares I’ve come across in the city, and pretty enjoyable! This was the first dish we were confused by, because it reminded us an awful lot of tuna salad. Which is in no way a bad thing, because I, at least, LOVE tuna salad.
* Strawberry & Cream Foie Gras — One of the starters on their daily specials that night, it was a piece of seared foie gras, served with (compressed?) strawberries, orange marmalade, and cream. Upon coming out, the scent immediately reminded us of strawberry shortcake — sadly, the flavor was nothing like it, and we actually wished we had the dessert instead, as the foie itself didn’t pair particularly well with the sweeter components, especially as it was a bit more bitter and well, offal-​tasting.
* Lamb Port Pie — Swore I was eating beef stew. Which… was also a good thing! While the insides of the pot pie were a lot more stewy than either of us have had before, or even expected, the dish overall was quite tasty, especially given the deliciously buttery and flaky crust.
All in all, an enjoyable and somewhat quirky dinner! We both had ordered glasses of wine which I no longer recall, but which were recommended to us by the server, and paired perfectly with our meal. Solid 3.5 stars for these folks.
***Accessibility Info***
Venue — I didn’t pay as much attention as I normally do to venues this time, but the immediate area we were in seemed to be pretty accessible, with most tables distanced far apart enough for maneuverability. The restaurant itself, however, is located in an area that has some fairly steep slopes, as it’s at the base of Bernal: so, be careful where you park.
Bathroom — Didn’t try them, so no comment!

Now there were the Hillside Singers who sang about the joys of Coca-​Cola in a pastoral setting back in the ’60’s. Then there was the Hillside Strangler who terrorized LA back in the late ’70’s. And now we have the Hillside Supper Club. Even with that completely unrelated history, we were still hoping to be a little more enthusiastic than we were on our virginal visit here last month. It’s certainly a tribute to the new American economy when two young chefs, Tony Ferrari and Jonathan Sutton, with tenures at Acquerello and Michael Mina on their respective resumes, can benefit from a successful Kickstarter campaign to open a pop-​up and then graduate to their own permanent restaurant next to narrow Precita Park in Bernal Heights.
That’s a story you can take to the bank, but the result was mixed at best despite what appeared to be an enticing menu (photo:
). The large dining room has a nice rustic quality by way of Restoration Hardware with a wood-​beamed ceiling and Mason jars doubling as light fixtures (photo:
). Gratefully it wasn’t terribly crowded on a Sunday evening. The roller coaster quality of the meal started right away with a complimentary crudité of pickled vegetables, a house special of root vegetables sliced thin with a mighty sour taste (photo:
). Recovery came just as quickly in the form of the amuse-​bouche, a pair of Pickled Pear Crostini with a dollop of ricotta cheese (photo:
).
Here is where the pickling really turned something predictable into a unique bite. By this time, I felt Jamie W. and I deserved some special libation since he was out of town for a whole week, so I ordered a $ 33 bottle of Stoka Teran, a perky rosé that indeed brought a rose to our cheeks (photo:
). Jamie decided to hold himself close to the menu and ordered the $ 8 bowl of Chestnut Soup, a rather bland creation with pickled pioppini mushrooms, bourbon bacon compote and chives with a wedge of foccacia (photo:
). It just didn’t grab either of us as we were looking for something with a little more flavor in the broth. I splurged and took advantage of their off-​the-​menu $ 18 Foie Gras, my first time having it since the ban was lifted.
It was creamy decadent surrounded by the sweet flavors of huckleberries and a canela of peanut butter mousse with a pain perdu for makeshift scooping (photo:
). That was a no-​brain sensory rush. For his entrée, Jamie had the hearty $ 25 Venison Pot Pie with roasted brussel sprouts, caramelized salsify, juniper veloute and a butter crust (photo:
). Truth be told, the butter crust topping overwhelmed the dish making the deer meat a secondary player in its own dish. I fared better with another off-​the-​menu item, the bargain-​priced $ 16 Duck Confit Risotto. The dish combined the duck with wild mushrooms, foie sauce, crispy chicken skins and fine herbs on top (photo:
), so it had a lot in common with my appetizer which was not such a bad thing though probably quite fattening. It was gone quickly.
Even with all that richness, there was still room for dessert. Jamie ordered the $ 6 Affogato, a scoop of house-​made vanilla ice cream flooded with espresso (photo:
). Pretty much what you would expect. Mine was the $ 8 Chocolate Almond Cake completely lacquered in chocolate ganache and topped with a canela of amaretto cream and sprinkled with candied almonds (photo:
). That was good as well, but the predictability factor was what gave me pause to sigh at the end of the meal. That and the rather indifferent service hat made us think our young server saw us as little more than a table to turn over. Alas, Ferrari and Sutton have too much culinary talent to dismiss and I think they should keep refining and rotating what they serve. I’d like to teach the world to Unilocal in perfect harmony (video:
).
FOOD — 3 stars… fluctuating quality, high highs like the foie gras alternate with the less than memorable like the chestnut soup
AMBIANCE — 4 stars… warm setting works for the upscale comfort food they serve
SERVICE — 2.5 stars… a weak spot here as we felt the indifference more than once
TOTAL — 3 stars… probably needs a well-​tested rotation in their menu to live up to its potential