The Hillstoners Guide to Hillstone
Where take-out fries are forbidden and the spinach artichoke dip is sacred
What American restaurant chain is famously secretive, with its own mythical lore and secret rules?
Where the name for each location changes city to city?
Where there are strict rules about dress codes, reservation etiquette, and what you’re allowed to take home in a to-go box?
Where ribs and sushi share a menu, and the spinach artichoke dip is worshipped?
Where chefs like David Chang and Jon Shook call it their favorite place to eat?
If you guessed Hillstone Restaurant Group—congrats. You get it.
To the unconverted, a Hillstone restaurant might not seem particularly riveting. It’s restaurants (currently 44 locations across 11 states) are at first glance, unassuming. They’re not particularly trendy or overly designed, but aesthetically inoffensive— think dimly lit, booths aplenty, and rich wood tones. The menu is equally understated, full of unexotic American classics like burgers and chicken sandwiches.
But dine at a Hillstone just once and you’ll feel a special, indescribable magic. You’ll tap into a higher chain restaurant power, and convert to the religion led by my true prophet, the reclusive and press-shy co-founder of Hillstone, George Biel. Because a Hillstone Restaurant is about the DETAILS. Firstly, the IMPECCABLE service. Your server (who will be the best server you’ve ever had, until you come back for your next meal) will introduce themselves by name within 3 minutes of you sitting down (it’s a rule!) and they will happily provide you a hot towel if asked. The food - while decidedly untrendy - is always FLAWLESS. I have yet to meet a Hillstone dish that isn’t a perfect 10. Your martini glass will arrive ice-cold, and before your filthy, hot hand can warm it up, it will be swiftly replaced with a freshly chilled glass.
And if that weren’t enough, there’s lore. Secrets. Unwritten rules that are passed through the oral tradition by those that are truly Hillstoned. Only parties of 4 or fewer are allowed to book reservations (allegedly to allow for better service). Reservations are HARD to snag, booking out months in advance. There’s a enforced dress code, including no hats, flip flops, or tank tops. The locations rotate between different names (R+D Kitchen, Houston’s, South Beverly Grill, Bandera, Gulfstream, and many more) supposedly to skirt federal regulations around printing calorie counts on menus (a claim the company denies).
Once you become truly Hillstoned, it all clicks. You start to understand why Hillstone has a rabid fanbase that includes famous chefs, Shaq, Kim Kardashian, and food snobs like me. It’s unpretentious yet meticulous. Reliable yet elevated. Nostalgic yet timeless. Consistent—but never boring.
This Substack is my humble guide to Hillstone: the hits, the myths, the menu highlights. I even tapped a few fellow devotees for their insights and favorite dishes.
Takeout Rules
Hillstone has unwritten rules about takeout—especially when it comes to fries. If you dine in and want to take your leftovers home, a server will happily pack up your meal—except for the fries, which they’ll ask you to pack yourself. They’re stricter for takeout orders: no fries can be ordered with a takeout meal, no exceptions. The rule isn’t posted anywhere, but ask around and you’ll find it’s quietly enforced across locations.
Employees
The servers at Hillstone are the best in the biz. But excellent service comes at a price. The company is notorious for its insanely high hiring standards and a grueling training process famous for driving trainees to tears. Where is my reality show about Hillstone server training camp ? Hard Knocks: Hillstone ! Ted Sarandos if you’re reading this, make it happen!
According to a reddit thread I found, Houston’s have one of the highest employee turnover rates in the entire industry, due to intense rules and regulations that its servers are required to follow. Servers are required to memorize all ingredients, dry clean their uniforms, follow a specific protocol for taking orders, the list goes on and on. I found rumors that female employees are required to wear lipstick and slick their hair back. And the rules are rigorously enforced, french fry style.
Service
The service feels different at a Hillstone because it is different. There are no food runners and no bussers—your server does it all, including getting your drinks, orders, and clearing plates. Which sounds insane, but it’s somehow made possible because no server ever has more than three tables at one time. And allegedly, every Hillstone dining room is designed so the total number of tables is divisible by three. George Biel is out here playing 3D chess.
Wobbly tables? Not a thing at a Hillstone. Because they’re all drilled into the floor, eliminating all possibility of wobble. Are you convinced yet?
The Food
The food at Hillstone is ridiculously high quality—and it’s all in the details. Take the French Dip, one of my favorite menu items: the prime rib is sliced to order, and the bread is baked in-house that morning. The fries? Potatoes are cut throughout the day, soaked, blanched, and cooked to order. Each location even has one designated Mauviel copper pot used solely to toss the hot fries with kosher salt. At a Hillstone, things are made in house, as opposed to most chain restaurants where things are cooked off site. George Biel, the man you are!
Discrimination Against Children
Hillstone restaurants are famously unfriendly to families with kids—in fact, they’re borderline antagonistic, which, honestly, I respect. No high chairs. No kids menu. And if your child is loud? After two warnings, you're politely asked to leave.
My Must Order Items
The Emerald Kale and Rotisserie Chicken Salad
This is my absolute number one must order. I dream about this salad - chock full of cruciferous veggies like kale and cabbage, piled high with a delicious peanut dressing, freshly grated reggiano, a bunch of herbs, and tasty chicken. It’s crazy flavorful and herbaceous and absolutely drowning in dressing, which I love. TikTok salad queen Baked by Melissa says it’s one of her favorite salads, and recommends ordering it chopped with dressing on the side.
French Dip
The Hillstone French Dip is the stuff of legend. David Chang says it’s so good that “it haunts him.” The meat actually melts in your mouth - a phrase that is overused but it genuinely applies here.
Sushi
Of course most Hillstone locations have a sushi bar—because why wouldn’t they? And yes, the sushi is great. A little Americanized, sure, and you better believe they go heavy on the mayo-based sauces, but who’s complaining? I’m obsessed with the Osaka-Style Pressed Sushi: a little sushi sandwich layered with rice, avocado, and spicy tuna. And the Thai Tuna Roll? Full of tuna, avocado, and crushed macadamia nuts, giving the whole situation a a little sweetness and crunch—not for everyone, but I find it addictive.
The Sides
I never hear people talk about the veggie sides at Hillstone, which is weird because I think they’re lowkey the most underrated part of the menu. The braised red cabbage is a personal favorite - a sweet, tangy, and goat-cheesy hearty bowl of cabbage that I could easily eat every day for the rest of my life. The side of crispy, garlicky, cheesy broccoli? Has pretty much ruined all other broccoli for me.
Honorable Mentions
The Spinach Artichoke Dip. Much touted—for good reason. It’s molten, cheesy, absurdly flavorful, and served with thin, crispy tortilla chips and a side of salsa. I’ll be honest: spinach artichoke dip as a genre doesn’t do much for me. But I respect its place in chain restaurant history. Rumor has it the dish was invented at a Houston’s in Chicago. People on reddit are desperate for the recipe, and people say this one comes the closest to replicating the Houston’s dip experience.
The Knife and Fork Ribs are the Ribbiest Ribs I’ve ever had. Very fall-off-the-bone. Tony Roma’s wishes.
Ding’s Chicken Sandwich. A fried chicken sandwich of your dreams. My friend Olivia Sui (before she went vegetarian) ordered hers lettuce wrapped with toasted sesame bread on the side, which best believe I will be trying on my next visit.
Black Bean Burger - Multiple veggie friends including my friend Faye Orlove told me Hillstone’s black bean burger is the best in the world. I’m not sure if it’s still on the menu - I don’t see it on the menus for the LA-area Hillstone restaurants - but hoping for my veggie friends that this black bean masterpiece is still out there somewhere.
The Hawaiian Steak is a favorite of my friend Jeff Stern, who said “I think the Hawaiian is the best steak on the planet. If you get leftovers, ask for a side of the seasoning salt they use on the fries to go. I keep a little container of it in my cupboard and use it to cook lol.”
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I spend a majority of my life talking about Hillstones / Houston’s and I can’t even tell you how good their chicken fingers were back in the 90s /2000s
Thank so much i needed this !!!!