Food sickness from service this past Sunday. Unsurprisingly found online that this location has had several food storage / preparation violations. Only giving two stars instead of one as the service was very good.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 5
Shannon “Frenchi” Carr
This wouldn’t be the Hillstone in NYC that disregards food allergies and then blames the customers? As a former line cook i would hate to have a restaurant like that be super popular and expensive. Anyways if it is, do better be better. If its not then i will delete with review
jenna greggs
almost killed me by disregarding my food allergies after being told numerous times.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Bella McDaniel
This is my death row meal
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Maya Berkuljan
My friend and I came in for an early dinner on Saturday and were told we would have to wait because we did not have a reservation. We had a third person joining us, but were told the restaurant was fully booked, which was hard to believe considering the dining room was clearly not full at 4:00 pm.
The host informed us that tables by the bar were not available due to staff shortages and that they were not allowed to seat three people at the bar. While he tried to be polite, the explanations felt inconsistent and unnecessary.
I asked to speak with the manager. When Julia arrived, she introduced herself but immediately began talking about unrelated things without even asking why I had requested to speak with her. That alone showed a lack of basic management awareness.
We were also told that the booths by the bar were strictly for two people and there was “no way” to seat three of us there. The rigidity and unwillingness to find a simple solution were surprising, especially for a restaurant that claims to value hospitality.
Eventually two of us were seated at the bar, and shortly after a third seat opened right next to us. Yet the host was very demanding about getting our friend seated immediately, mentioning a five-minute grace period as if we were inconveniencing the staff.
Overall, Julia clearly needs more training in guest relations rather than just standing on expo, and while the host was friendly enough, the entire interaction felt unnecessarily difficult and poorly handled. For a restaurant that wasn’t even close to full at 4:00 pm on a Saturday, the lack of flexibility and hospitality was disappointing.
Food: 5
Service: 1
Jennifer Holman
Can I go back again really soon??!!! Wonderful atmosphere with cozy, elevated vibes. The service was spot on- our waitress had a friendly attitude, great menu suggestions and knows just when to check in. Cocktails- who doesn’t want their drink to stay cold? I do, and that happens here with cold glass replacements. The food was delicious. The menu has so many options. Our choices the night we visited were- the sushi (coconut roll and pressed). What a great start! Our entrees were the trout (so underrated) perfectly seasoned and the Hawaiian steak (med-rare) that was done perfectly and melted in your mouth. The sides we chose were the potatoes colcannon (mashed potatoes mixed with cabbage and kale) which were so creamy and broccoli nicely seasoned with butter and Parmesan. The slaw that came with the trout was delicious and not boring. This restaurant is definitely a repeat for sure!
Last night, I visited Hillstone for the 1,000th time. As usual, I was asked to remove my hat, which was fine since I shouldn’t have brought an expensive cashmere hat. Unfortunately, I accidentally left it at the table when I left at 6:40 p.m. My friend returned within the hour after we left, but the hat was nowhere to be found. The elderly people at the table didn’t take it, so it’s likely that an employee stole it. While there are many bigger problems in the world, it’s disheartening that an employee is stealing and Hillstone isn’t taking any action to address the issue. Personally, I would check all the cameras to ensure that a dishonest employee isn’t involved.
Mac Z
After living in the neighborhood for 13 years, I finally gave in and tried Hillstone, against my better judgment. Its reputation as a glorified suburban chain in the heart of NYC has always kept me away—why choose Hillstone when the city is bursting with fantastic, unique restaurants? Seriously, who craves artichoke spinach dip, something you could just as easily find at Chili’s, when you’re in New York? The experience was even worse than expected. My family eats out regularly, and our kids are well-behaved; we’ve never been asked to leave or even had a single complaint about them in any restaurant, anywhere in the world. But at Hillstone, the staff seemed almost eager to exclude us. Upon arrival, my youngest daughter made some sounds, and after she had waited quietly for about twenty minutes, we were met with rudeness and were actually asked to leave. Apparently, Hillstone’s idea of hospitality is to treat families like a nuisance and make them feel unwelcome. If you’re looking for a genuine, family-friendly dining experience in NYC, skip Hillstone. With so many excellent restaurants around, there’s absolutely no reason to settle for a chain that can’t even get the basics of decent service right. The only thing memorable about our visit was how quickly we wanted to leave.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Diana St. Macary
Customer service is the worst. I have been calling for 2 weeks and no one answers the phone. The reason why i was even calling is because their website doesn't allow me to make a reservation online for 2 people. The phone just rings out. I actually walked in on a Thursday night and complained that no one ever picks up and they acted like they had no idea what i was talking about. I even emailed Hillstone and got no answer. I don't understand this level of customer service.
RaQuitta Kemp
This place exceeded my expectations and delivered a wonderful experience.
I wish I could tell you my experience at this place but I have never been able to get seated. I am not a Karen but omg this is ridiculous. I live only two blocks away and have tried multiple times on different days of the week at different hours and not once have I been seated and it’s always because of some stupid reason that makes no sense.
This time we were put on a waitlist and didn’t receive text confirmation. After 25 minutes we tried calling the restaurant on different lines over the span of 10 minutes and no one answered. By this point since we didn’t hear anything we gave up and ordered online (the online system was fine and the food was good). We went to pick up the food and wanted to understand what was going on, the hostess was incredibly rude. I wish I had gotten her name because the level of excuse after excuse was ridiculous and so unprofessional. She kept putting all of the blame on us, saying it was our fault that the messages didn’t come through on our phone and that we couldn’t expect the restaurant to pick up the phone because all of the lines are always busy and the hostess does not have the time to pick up and greet guests. I understand this is a busy location, but this clearly a recurring issue (because we’ve called before on other days with no one picks up), and therefore the restaurant should resolve this issue. How is it my fault that you can’t manage your phone? On top of that, she never once apologized for the inconveniences and instead blamed us for all of these issues.
We didn’t receive text confirmation that our table was ready until 1 hour and 30 minutes after we had joined the waitlist, there is some issue with the waitlist because we got 3 consecutive text messages all at the same time saying our table was almost ready, our table was ready and then that we had lost the reservation. I don’t understand where the issue with the text messages came but I find it inconceivable that a restaurant like Hillstones does not have the staff to answer a phone because when we told the hostess the issue she immediately resorted to saying that the phone is constantly ringing and that they can’t pick up the phone. Tell me, what kind of restaurant is unable to answer the phone? To test this out we called multiple Hillstone locations across the US (notably, the Bal Harbor one which is a very popular location) and they picked up the phone after the first few rings. This behavior from Hillstone’s Park Avenue is inexcusable, it’s unprofessional and it has made this a very uncomfortable experience especially given that the hostess was so rude and trying to pin the blame on us when we did try and contact the restaurant multiple times (through the phone calls and even sending text messages through their waitlist texts). She also said that she couldn’t reply to us over the text, so then again I ask myself how am I supposed to get in contact with this restaurant if I have a reservation or I’m on the waitlist. This makes no sense and these are issues I’m sure get brought up a lot because the hostess had answers for EVERY SINGLE ONE of our complaints.
I do not think she was being professional but thing this is a larger issue with this particular location. I’ve been going to Hillstone’s and Houston’s on multiple locations over many years and NEVER have received this kind of treatment in my life. So disappointed, something needs to get done.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 1
Sannah Valenti
Amazing
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
CL G
I came on an early Monday afternoon. I got to the place at 12:55 but my reservation was for 01:30. The front desk told me that I would have to wait until exactly 01:30 for a booth, unless I wanted to sit at the bar. The place was packed, except for the bar. Quickly, the bar filled up as I continued to wait until 01:16, when they finally had a table ready for me. I ordered everything as soon as I sat down, but some of the questions that I had about the food had to be done by the actual waitress for that area because they do some type of server rotation. Let's get into the food: I ordered the coconut shrimp sushi, the artichoke and spinach dip and the french dip sandwich with fries. The artichoke/spinach dip was served first, quickly followed by the sushi. The sushi was amazing and they gave me a bottle of unmarked soy sauce, but since I didn't know what it was I didn't touch it. There was chipolte mayo sauce, dijon mustard and wasabi that I ate with it. The artichoke/spinach dip that I received tasted good and if you finish the chips they come by with more. I could tell they really wanted to fill me up before the main course. The main course was outstanding. I didn't know a sandwich could be that good. The rib eye really shines through with the butter toasted french roll. I also added cooked onions which added more flavor. The french fries that it comes with, they can keep that. It tasted like a warmed version of those potato stick chips that you buy at the deli. I did not get desert, although I was interested in their fall cheesecake. I was full and didn't feel like carrying food home. The waitress did say that I can come in and order to go. I believe they cannot do fries or ice-cream when ordering out. Maybe next time, I'll get the lamb sandwich. Inside the restaurant is very dark, there is a light that hangs directly above the table.
Food sickness from service this past Sunday. Unsurprisingly found online that this location has had several food storage / preparation violations. Only giving two stars instead of one as the service was very good.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 5
This wouldn’t be the Hillstone in NYC that disregards food allergies and then blames the customers? As a former line cook i would hate to have a restaurant like that be super popular and expensive.
Anyways if it is, do better be better. If its not then i will delete with review
almost killed me by disregarding my food allergies after being told numerous times.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
This is my death row meal
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
My friend and I came in for an early dinner on Saturday and were told we would have to wait because we did not have a reservation. We had a third person joining us, but were told the restaurant was fully booked, which was hard to believe considering the dining room was clearly not full at 4:00 pm.
The host informed us that tables by the bar were not available due to staff shortages and that they were not allowed to seat three people at the bar. While he tried to be polite, the explanations felt inconsistent and unnecessary.
I asked to speak with the manager. When Julia arrived, she introduced herself but immediately began talking about unrelated things without even asking why I had requested to speak with her. That alone showed a lack of basic management awareness.
We were also told that the booths by the bar were strictly for two people and there was “no way” to seat three of us there. The rigidity and unwillingness to find a simple solution were surprising, especially for a restaurant that claims to value hospitality.
Eventually two of us were seated at the bar, and shortly after a third seat opened right next to us. Yet the host was very demanding about getting our friend seated immediately, mentioning a five-minute grace period as if we were inconveniencing the staff.
Overall, Julia clearly needs more training in guest relations rather than just standing on expo, and while the host was friendly enough, the entire interaction felt unnecessarily difficult and poorly handled. For a restaurant that wasn’t even close to full at 4:00 pm on a Saturday, the lack of flexibility and hospitality was disappointing.
Food: 5
Service: 1
Can I go back again really soon??!!! Wonderful atmosphere with cozy, elevated vibes. The service was spot on- our waitress had a friendly attitude, great menu suggestions and knows just when to check in. Cocktails- who doesn’t want their drink to stay cold? I do, and that happens here with cold glass replacements. The food was delicious. The menu has so many options. Our choices the night we visited were- the sushi (coconut roll and pressed). What a great start! Our entrees were the trout (so underrated) perfectly seasoned and the Hawaiian steak (med-rare) that was done perfectly and melted in your mouth. The sides we chose were the potatoes colcannon (mashed potatoes mixed with cabbage and kale) which were so creamy and broccoli nicely seasoned with butter and Parmesan. The slaw that came with the trout was delicious and not boring.
This restaurant is definitely a repeat for sure!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hawaiian Ribeye, Coconut Shrimp Roll, Coleslaw
Last night, I visited Hillstone for the 1,000th time. As usual, I was asked to remove my hat, which was fine since I shouldn’t have brought an expensive cashmere hat. Unfortunately, I accidentally left it at the table when I left at 6:40 p.m. My friend returned within the hour after we left, but the hat was nowhere to be found. The elderly people at the table didn’t take it, so it’s likely that an employee stole it. While there are many bigger problems in the world, it’s disheartening that an employee is stealing and Hillstone isn’t taking any action to address the issue. Personally, I would check all the cameras to ensure that a dishonest employee isn’t involved.
After living in the neighborhood for 13 years, I finally gave in and tried Hillstone, against my better judgment. Its reputation as a glorified suburban chain in the heart of NYC has always kept me away—why choose Hillstone when the city is bursting with fantastic, unique restaurants? Seriously, who craves artichoke spinach dip, something you could just as easily find at Chili’s, when you’re in New York?
The experience was even worse than expected. My family eats out regularly, and our kids are well-behaved; we’ve never been asked to leave or even had a single complaint about them in any restaurant, anywhere in the world. But at Hillstone, the staff seemed almost eager to exclude us.
Upon arrival, my youngest daughter made some sounds, and after she had waited quietly for about twenty minutes, we were met with rudeness and were actually asked to leave. Apparently, Hillstone’s idea of hospitality is to treat families like a nuisance and make them feel unwelcome.
If you’re looking for a genuine, family-friendly dining experience in NYC, skip Hillstone. With so many excellent restaurants around, there’s absolutely no reason to settle for a chain that can’t even get the basics of decent service right. The only thing memorable about our visit was how quickly we wanted to leave.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Customer service is the worst. I have been calling for 2 weeks and no one answers the phone. The reason why i was even calling is because their website doesn't allow me to make a reservation online for 2 people. The phone just rings out. I actually walked in on a Thursday night and complained that no one ever picks up and they acted like they had no idea what i was talking about. I even emailed Hillstone and got no answer. I don't understand this level of customer service.
This place exceeded my expectations and delivered a wonderful experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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Exclusive
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Always a pleasure.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I wish I could tell you my experience at this place but I have never been able to get seated. I am not a Karen but omg this is ridiculous. I live only two blocks away and have tried multiple times on different days of the week at different hours and not once have I been seated and it’s always because of some stupid reason that makes no sense.
This time we were put on a waitlist and didn’t receive text confirmation. After 25 minutes we tried calling the restaurant on different lines over the span of 10 minutes and no one answered. By this point since we didn’t hear anything we gave up and ordered online (the online system was fine and the food was good). We went to pick up the food and wanted to understand what was going on, the hostess was incredibly rude. I wish I had gotten her name because the level of excuse after excuse was ridiculous and so unprofessional. She kept putting all of the blame on us, saying it was our fault that the messages didn’t come through on our phone and that we couldn’t expect the restaurant to pick up the phone because all of the lines are always busy and the hostess does not have the time to pick up and greet guests. I understand this is a busy location, but this clearly a recurring issue (because we’ve called before on other days with no one picks up), and therefore the restaurant should resolve this issue. How is it my fault that you can’t manage your phone? On top of that, she never once apologized for the inconveniences and instead blamed us for all of these issues.
We didn’t receive text confirmation that our table was ready until 1 hour and 30 minutes after we had joined the waitlist, there is some issue with the waitlist because we got 3 consecutive text messages all at the same time saying our table was almost ready, our table was ready and then that we had lost the reservation. I don’t understand where the issue with the text messages came but I find it inconceivable that a restaurant like Hillstones does not have the staff to answer a phone because when we told the hostess the issue she immediately resorted to saying that the phone is constantly ringing and that they can’t pick up the phone. Tell me, what kind of restaurant is unable to answer the phone? To test this out we called multiple Hillstone locations across the US (notably, the Bal Harbor one which is a very popular location) and they picked up the phone after the first few rings. This behavior from Hillstone’s Park Avenue is inexcusable, it’s unprofessional and it has made this a very uncomfortable experience especially given that the hostess was so rude and trying to pin the blame on us when we did try and contact the restaurant multiple times (through the phone calls and even sending text messages through their waitlist texts). She also said that she couldn’t reply to us over the text, so then again I ask myself how am I supposed to get in contact with this restaurant if I have a reservation or I’m on the waitlist. This makes no sense and these are issues I’m sure get brought up a lot because the hostess had answers for EVERY SINGLE ONE of our complaints.
I do not think she was being professional but thing this is a larger issue with this particular location. I’ve been going to Hillstone’s and Houston’s on multiple locations over many years and NEVER have received this kind of treatment in my life. So disappointed, something needs to get done.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 1
Amazing
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I came on an early Monday afternoon. I got to the place at 12:55 but my reservation was for 01:30. The front desk told me that I would have to wait until exactly 01:30 for a booth, unless I wanted to sit at the bar. The place was packed, except for the bar. Quickly, the bar filled up as I continued to wait until 01:16, when they finally had a table ready for me. I ordered everything as soon as I sat down, but some of the questions that I had about the food had to be done by the actual waitress for that area because they do some type of server rotation. Let's get into the food: I ordered the coconut shrimp sushi, the artichoke and spinach dip and the french dip sandwich with fries. The artichoke/spinach dip was served first, quickly followed by the sushi. The sushi was amazing and they gave me a bottle of unmarked soy sauce, but since I didn't know what it was I didn't touch it. There was chipolte mayo sauce, dijon mustard and wasabi that I ate with it. The artichoke/spinach dip that I received tasted good and if you finish the chips they come by with more. I could tell they really wanted to fill me up before the main course. The main course was outstanding. I didn't know a sandwich could be that good. The rib eye really shines through with the butter toasted french roll. I also added cooked onions which added more flavor. The french fries that it comes with, they can keep that. It tasted like a warmed version of those potato stick chips that you buy at the deli. I did not get desert, although I was interested in their fall cheesecake. I was full and didn't feel like carrying food home. The waitress did say that I can come in and order to go. I believe they cannot do fries or ice-cream when ordering out. Maybe next time, I'll get the lamb sandwich. Inside the restaurant is very dark, there is a light that hangs directly above the table.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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