Hillstone Midtown NYC

My friend and I frequent this location and usually have our meal at the bar. The staff is always super friendly and cater to your every need. The decor is nice and lighting is dim, good for romance. The dining room is big, but if you want to be cuddled up to a date, sit at the bar instead because the tables are huge in width. The food is freshly prepared, comes quickly, and tastes good. I recommend the mango sushi roll and the French wine martini. I didnt give them a 5 because no one is perfect and I'm sure they have room for improvement. more

The Hillstone restaurant group decided to change the name of its NYC Houston?s locations and the rumors as to why have been flying. One says that keeping the name Houston?s (at their multiple locations) would have caused them to have to list calorie counts on all menus. The other invokes the long standing confusion with the fact that Houston Street contains neither location. more

Live jazz, friendly yet polite waitstaff, good food and an attractive, warm space. For us, a lucky accidental find, but we will definitely return! more

dont walk passed... RUN Cons: limited menu, location, service more

We went to Houston's on 53rd Street. In all my years of eating in NYC, I experienced a first. At dinner, my friend ordered a second glass of wine and the waitress insisted she finish her first before agreeing to bring it. There was one sip left in the glass. No one was drinking excessively or acting inappropriately. When we expressed our dismay to the waitress (who otherwise did a very fine job by the way), she told us it was corporate policy and was clearly uncomfortable talking about it. Who makes the rules in this place? This is New York. If you order a glass of wine, you shouldn't be refused or given ridiculous conditions. more

Six months ago, I dined at this Houston's location and really enjoyed my meal. The food was good and the atmosphere was cozy with dark wood cubicle-type tables. Although the restaurant is a bit dark, my visit would have garnered a 4 star review. Last night I had a completely different and uncharacteristically poor experience. This review will focus on this most recent visit. Pros: Romantic atmosphere, Good value, Portions are good size Cons: Chef reused food from other diners, Loud jazz band, No reservations, No tables to hold more that six, Crowed bar more

I had been to this particular location a few other times--to meet friends for drinks--but this was my first dining experience. After a day of shopping, my mother & I went for a late lunch. I didn't realize they only served local/small brewery beers (which I don't generally drink). Our server, CARA, was very accommodating and brought me samples of 2 beers to try (I went with a glass of wine). My mom ordered the Asian chicken salad(?) and I went for the Black Bean & Rice veggie burger. I asked our server a few questions about what it had on it. When it came, I noticed right away there was mayonaise on it. (I hate mayo.) Okay, so I scraped off the mayo and was planning to make the best of it. I took a bite--it was awful. There was some sort of barbeque sauce on it. I took another bite to see if maybe I could like it; but it was really bad. I took off the ""burger"" and was just going to eat the roll & toppings (b/c I didn't want to be a pain in the a** customer who sends things back) only to find there was also mustard on the bottom (hidden underneath the 'burger'). Yuck. Just as I was trying to salvage something from my meal, CARA walked by and asked how everything was. I said I was discovering all sorts of toppings that I did't realize were going to be included. She was so apologetic and offered/insisted having the kitchen bring out a new 'burger' without the mayo, mustard or bbq sauce. She brought it out about 5 minutes later (and it came with a whole new order of fries too!) and it was 1,000% better tasting. She came back a couple minutes later to check and see if I was happy with it. When the bill came, they did not charge us for the second 'burger.' The fries were awesome and my mother said her salad was great too. When we left everyone from the host to the other servers were extremely friendly. I don't know if I would re-order the same meal, but I would definitely go back because the great customer service made up for what could have been a very bad meal. Pros: Very good customer service, spacious booths, quiet. Cons: Lighting was too dark for the afternoon. more

Service was great. Spinach dip is a must have. Everything looked good, but alas my eyes are bigger than my stomach and wallet. Good for couples, dark and mysterious. Pros: I was full and I enjoyed everything I ate. And wanted what everyone else had on their plate, lol. Cons: Kind of pricey, but you get what you pay for. more

My friend and I went there at 4:30pm for an early dinner. It was not packed at all and the hostess wanted to give us a tiny booth. I notice that there were plenty of empty larger booths available and requested one of the larger booths being that we had tons of bags from shopping all day. This blonde hostess must of had her hair bun too tight, gave me the look of death for requesting a larger booth. She then rolled her eyes and guided us to the booth requested and did not say a word. If she was paying for our meal I would have taken any seat but her attitude was unbelievable! Pros: Great drinks Cons: Bad service and disappointing prime rib steaks! more

On a rainy or cold day, there is nothing more reliable than a cozy satisfying meal at Houstons with some friends. Share some spinach dip, have a gigantic glass of wine.... Dig in to the knife and fork ribs (so named because the juicy meat just falls off the bone, so you eat it with a fork rather than picking up the ribs). and substitute the fries (which are a little too stringy for my taste) with a baked potato with the works. Wow. I've met quite a few baked spuds in my days and Houston's makes the perfect specimen. They top it off with a pat of butter, a dollop of sour cream, some shreds of cheddar, a shake of moist bacon bits, and a sprinkle of chives. There's nothing better. Pros: Fresh high quality comfort food. Professional staff. CONSISTENTLY EXCELLENT. more

I've been to Houston's several times. I can't figure out why this place is so popular when the food is so-so and not really worth the price. You might as well go to Smith & Wollensky's for a few extra bucks if you want a really good steak. The spinach appetizer is good but you can get the same dip at TGIF...big deal! The wine menu also needs some improvement. Pros: Service was good! Cons: So-so food not really worth the price! Terrible wine menu too! more

Steak is my favorite. And this place is my favorite place start from NOW. I have ate steak around New York as Ruth Christ, Pastis, Haru, Outback and any place. But their steak is unbeliavable, is soo tasty. Added with Live Jazz, romantic place, it is supposed to be the best in new york. Great, the waiter have great service. Don't forget, don't leave without try the spinach dip for appetizer. Spinach dip appetizer, and Rib Eye steak. Just it, perfect combination and you will have to pay for around $ 50 / person. Not bad for high class steak house huh ?. Pros: Tasty food, romantic, live jazz Cons: Waiting list, parking more

This place continues to impress me. I have been dining at Houstons since they opened 8 tears ago. It just keeps getting better. The Thai salad and Crabcakes are to die for. I day dream about the food. Everyone is so nice you almost forget your in New York. Pros: Food quality, Service , Decor Cons: Long waits more

I love this place. Ever since '00. My Fiance and I are ""good restaurants hunters"" and Houston's remains to be our Number 1. Food is great. (recommend BBQ Rips). Starting at 8pm they have a great Live Jazz Band. Great service from the staff. Pros: Great good, Good average price, Live Music/Romantic Cons: 30+ wait time more

Houston's is one of my favorite casual/date restaurant to go to. Especially this one. There's usually a little jazz music on busy nights, which helps set the mood. The food is delicious! The spinach dip is a MUST have! My favorite entree is the Fork and Knife Ribs. Great for a group but they don't take reservations! Just head upstairs to B&N while you wait. If they tell you the wait is 40 minutes, they're usually very prompt about it being 40 minutes and not a minute longer. Pros: Spinach dip & ribs, Ambiance, Good for groups Cons: No reservations, Service a little slow more

I went to Houston's with a group of friends and had a wonderful time. We were seated promptly in a large, cushy booth, and ordered burgers and salads. I had a bite of my boyfriend's burger, which was juicy and delicious. My seared tuna salad was delectable. My only complaint would be that our server refused to serve our friend who did not have her I.D. on her. Seems a little extreme, but other than that, we had a great first experience! I will definitely be going back. more

Monday night around 730pm, met with friends in the bar area, service was friendly. Moved to a table after a few drinks, don't know if my friend made reservations or not. Waiter was nice, food was good. I had baked chicken, buddy had ribs, the girls had the chicken salad minced and so did one other guy.. guess it was good. Price was reasonable, nice atmosphere, not too fancy, but nice enough for after work or even a date too. Pros: intimate, yet casual, good food, service not bad more