Hillstone, San Francisco CA

Easily my favorite restaurant in the Bay Area. Nothing comes close to the level of food quality and service. Stefan, our server, was new and did an incredible job - we made sure to pass this feedback onto the GM so that his hard work did not go unnoticed. I will be returning as soon as possible!

Sunday, July 16,2023
5: 00-6: 30pm

Our worst experience at SF Hillstone ever, covering over two decades.

Service was slow, food was cooked incorrectly, even after two tries.

To top it off, the general manager, Tavia Blount, was extremely rude and unprofessional.

We are done with Hillstone, after 20+ years (Houstons then Hillstone).   We visit at least twice a month, driving 30 minutes each way, spending over $500 each time, dependent on how many are in our group.family, friends, business associates.   Our bill has surpassed $2,000 on many occasions.   We even had our wedding reception there.   (Sad, I know.)   We have spent well over $50,000 in the past decade alone at SF Hillstone.

We will not even consider returning as long as the current GM of SF Hillstone, Tavia Blount, is there.   The restaurant was unorganized and staff was untrained. They were embarrassments to themselves.   We were very kind and patient even though our server was clearly not trained properly.   He was very nice and we gave him all the slack he needed and we were very appreciative of his efforts.   We knew it wasn't his fault that he was untrained and the amount of staff was insufficient for the quality of service expected at Hillstone.

We managed to overlook the lack of food and service quality, chalking it up to being a Sunday. We enjoyed our evening with our elderly mother nonetheless.

However, after dinner things got worse and very disturbing.   The general manager, Tavia Blount, approached us and rudely accused us of being in their private area.   On our way out we stopped at a public area that has two chairs and a window overlooking the Embarcadero.   This area is directly connected to the dining room and we have been told in the past, by servers, that this area is for guests to enjoy, with a drink, just relax, wait for a table or whatever.

We stood in this public area less than a minute reminiscing how there used to be a live band. Upon exiting the area, the general manager, Tavia Blount, abruptly approached us and rudely told us we shouldn't be in their private area.   What? We were NOT in a private area.

When I asked her to please explain what she meant by "private area" she threw her hand up and said "no, I'm not going to do that, leave" and walked away.   I followed her asking her again to explain and she then called me "crazy" for being upset and that since I was upset I must be obviously guilty.   No, I'm upset because you have accused us of something we did not do.    We did not go into any private area.all is clearly open to the public.

Tavia Blount is not a good fit for Hillstone or any public interaction in my opinion.   We have never come across anyone at Hillstone who has ever been rude.   Not even close.   Everyone is always overally pleasant.   She is a horrible employee.   How Tavia Blount became a GM is absolutely mind-boggling.   Good help is hard to find, I know.   I imagine her employees must be suffering under her as well, if customers dislike her.

GM Tavia Blount's staff can thank her for my boycott and the money they will not earn because she is incapable of professionalism and making their customers feel welcomed, not scolded and demeaned with false accusations.   She had a big giant fake smile as she falsely accused us.   Disgusting.    She didn't even want to entertain the notion that this was a misunderstanding of some sort.   She told me she was "doing her job".   Someone in corporate needs to explain things to her.

All of the above doesn't even consider the fact that SF Hillstone no longer offers live band music in the evenings (since 2020).   They destroyed that entire area of the restaurant, building a big box where tables and the band resided.   They use that for storage, we were told years ago.   So, it is now a smaller, more crowded venue with no music and a horrible GM, Tavia Blount.

Time for us to try some of the many other options we are so fortunate to have in the Bay Area.

The manner in which we were treated and spoken to at SF Hillstone by current GM, Tavia Blount, is inexcusable and unforgivable.

The woman at the reception, I don't know her name (wears big glasses, dark hair) insulted me in front of my children, this is already too much.you come for dinner with your family, and you get insults and very rude communication at the place of food.guys, if your employees are in a bad mood, you somehow don’t let them communicate with people.
P. S.the incident was due to the fact that after a long wait, this woman simply ignored me, I decided to attract her attention and it would be better not to do this.
07/22/2023

Very disappointed with the limited number of vegan options. I was only able to have fries, and two sides. The two sides, broccolini and tabouli, were made vegan and were both very good. The restaurant was very nice inside and the service was great, just annoying to have no real vegan options. It’s not hard to make a good vegan dish and more upscale restaurants should really invest in at least one vegan dish.

Our server Alex went above and beyond to make sure our dinner was made to perfection and aligned with my dietary restrictions. Hands down the best service we got in San Francisco our entire trip. The food was delicious and cooked to perfection. Being in the food industry myself for my entire life, it takes a lot to impress me, and this place checked all the boxes. 10 out of 10 I recommend this place to anyone who visits the San Francisco area.

This was an overall amazing experience. The customer service was amazing, and the food was delicious. I'm honestly considering moving to San Francisco just so I can come here again.

The Hawaiian steak is a must! Pork chop is their signature dish, also recommend! Friendly staff.

It can get quite busy even on weekday evenings. Better make a reservation to make sure you can get seated when you want to be seated!

We had a very tasty dinner here and very tasty wine to go with it. The service was great and so was the ambiance.
Reservations recommended.
Absolute recommendation!

Consistently good across the companies’ brands (cherry creek grille, etc.)! Wish there was more around if you have to wait but otherwise good

I’ve come here multiple times now, and loved every single one. The food is delicious, the service is phenomenal, the atmosphere is great, and the quality is of the utmost. 9.5/10

To start off, I went by myself, I was attracted to this place by the pictures online, it looked quite nice on the inside. Upon walking in I was immediately bombarded by all the extremely loud talk throughout the restaurant. The hostess was very kind and I told her I just needed a table for one and she said it would probably be 35 to 45 minute wait, she took my number and I received a text as I walked out the door informing me I would be notified once my table was almost ready. At the time I walked in it was not very busy, I did look around and noticed there were booths available around the restaurant. After 45 minutes I decided to wait 15 more minutes. After a full hour I walked back in and asked about a table. By the time I go back in to check with the hostess it had gotten much busier. The hostess was an extremely apologetic about the long wait and a table should be available in 10 to 15 minutes. I waited 20 minutes, quite upset at this point, having paid for parking for 2 hours only to have spent majority of that time sitting in my car. I finally left having been fed up at this point and went to another restaurant. It's extremely upsetting that I wasted almost 2 hours waiting for them, more time than that honestly when you add up the time to driver to another restaurant then ordering and waiting for that order to come in. I never received a text saying my table was ready. I will not be visiting another Hillstone restaurant.

Thanks for wasting my time Hillstone,

Hawaiian steak was really crazy. It's the first time I've had such a delicious steak. Roastery chicken was also very well seasoned. I tried Akichoke for the first time, but I didn't eat it on the outside. The stem is very soft.

Really classy this American restaurant, there is a choice on the menu, the dishes are very good, the service impeccable, a little dark but it is intimate and above all not noisy, I recommend

Always fantastic
Going there over 20 years when it was Houston's on the Embarcadero before Hillstone.
French Dip is amazing, won't order another from anywhere else

The service and the food was good, however that said they don’t enforce the Dining Guidelines & Attire Standards. We felt over dressed as others wore shorts, hats, beanies and hoodies with graphics and logos on them. They state the restaurant isn’t intended for large groups while multiple large groups of workers came in and a family of at least six people, I spent $300 on a special Birthday dinner for my boyfriend because of what I read on the website which is misleading. So in short our experience wasn’t want we expected? !? ! If you don’t stand behind your statements on your website, delete them because it’s misleading.

All the staff members have wonderful smiles, and I could feel the atmosphere of being proud to work here. The food was fresh and delicious. I asked for a $20 glass of wine, but the wine was not served from the bottle and was already poured. A restaurant of this class should serve from the bottle and show the brand. So minus 1 star.

Hillstone Restaurant is a top-notch steakhouse in San Francisco that offers an exceptional dining experience. With high-quality cuisine, attentive service, and a sophisticated atmosphere, it's no wonder that the restaurant has received so many positive reviews from customers. The restaurant offers a menu that features a range of steak, seafood, and salad options that are prepared using fresh ingredients and expertise.

Bit dark. Food was very good, but pricey. Enjoyed ourselves! Busy on a Friday evening. Fresh squeezed orange juice for screwdrivers. Limited selection of mixed drinks and beer.

The food is primarily American cuisine but done with extra care. Everything is flavorful, from slow roasted chicken to fresh ground burgers to desserts that aren’t too sweet yet rich in flavor and savor. It may seem like it’s a tourist spot, but it’s been one of my favorite destinations for over a decade (it’s gone through a few iterations) as a local resident.