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So when I was but a wee lass, this was a favorite destination for my family. Perhaps a foreshadowing of what was to yet to come in my life (ie: my conversion to vegetarianism), at about 3 years old, I said this to a waitress here when asked about what I would like to eat:
"Lady, just bring me some bread, and a salad."
This has clearly turned into something of a family legend. And I must say, currently, the bread and salad is all the Hilltop has (had?) going for it. My last visit, I was still eating fish, and the schrod I had wasn't too bad. But it took forever to get service, and then food, and the steaks my family ordered were distinctly subpar.
Great childhood memories, but it's just not the same.
My dad is a huge steak lover, and when he saw the Food Network's segment on the best steakhouses in America, this was one of our first stops after arriving in Boston.
The place was huge, and there are hundreds of other reviews explaining the giant cacti and cows in the front, so we won't go into that. Even though the place was fairly empty, they seemed short staffed. The waitress was nice and friendly, but service was very slow.
When the steaks arrived, they were much more cooked than we had ordered. I'm from the west coast, and when we order a medium rare steak, there should be a warm red center. This steak was completely grey inside and out, and was pretty crisp. My best comparison to Hilltop steakhouse is Sizzler. Actually, I don't think that they burn the steaks as bad at Sizzler.
I'm sure that this place was good back in the day, but don't get fooled by Food Network's so called best steakouse list.
This isn't your parents' Hilltop.
Like many of the other Yelpers, I have gastronomic memories from the Hilltop of my childhood. My parents would have to drag me there because, not unlike many ingrate children, I didn't like the idea of driving about a half hour in Route 1 traffic, waiting over an hour to be seated, only to not get a Happy Meal and have to eat big kid food.
But I respect the fact that this place is a landmark and one of the few remaining businesses from that magical post-war era in Massachusetts during what we might understand as the first-phase Framinghamification of the commonwealth (the destruction of the original Shoppers World and its replacement by the uninspired new version in the 1990s being emblematic of phase two.)
Sadly, the only good reason to ever go to Saugus is but a memory now.
I hope they keep the sign up forever. It was a sad day when thy brought the Dunkin Donuts sign down on Market Street in Brighton. (By the way, if you want a good steak in Brighton, well, you know where to go--if you are really from Boston and not some joker who never heard of the Hilltop until it was on the god-damn Food Network. You f'n clowns, move back to your Rhode Islands or your New Jerseys, why don't you.)
Where was I? Oh, right. The Hilltop sucks. Don't go there.
I went here after seeing this place on food network like most yelpers as the top 10 best steakhouses in the nation. All I can say is how the heck did this place get to be top 10 best steakhouses in the nation?? All I can say is that they give you a lot of portions of crappy meat for a decent price.
It is one of the biggest steakhouses I've been to (over 1000 seating) but one of the crappiest steakhouses I've ever been to.
Don't even try this place. It's not worth your time and money. Don't even finish reading this review. Go look for another steak house.
No. Do not want.
My friend saw this place on the travel channel. We figured it must be good. His mother also went there a long time ago and said it was very good. It is not.
First off: we walked in and were greeted (by who I now know is the manager) in a rude fashion. We sat down at the bar to wait for a table. We were wondering why we had to wait for a table with over half the restaurant empty, but it wasn't a problem, we were in no hurry.
Did I mention the place was filled with old people? Not that I have anything against them, but it made it feel like a diner.
Our party of 4 was seated and the waitress in our section was hustling. She didn't get to us for a little while, and was very apologetic that it was taking so long for her to help us. She said she was very "backed up" and that the restaurant sat her and extra table. Again, no worries.
We ordered apps (some chicken fingers and the onion flower), our meals, and salads. The salads came out first, and were huge. These were fine. The apps took a while to come out, maybe 20 minutes. These were also fine.
Then the wait began. We waited over an hour for our steaks, after we received the apps. It was probably around an hour and 15 minutes. Numerous times the waitress came over and said "Oh my gosh they are so backed up in the kitchen, I'm so sorry!" The place is empty! Other people that sat down after us are getting steaks before us!!
Finally they came, and of course by this time our brains had already told us we were full, but we were eager to try the steaks anyway. We all ordered medium, with one of us medium rare, and we all got the large filet, with one of us getting the small.
The small came out VERY well done. It was gray. No pink.
The other steaks were just OK. There was almost no seasoning, though, and very little flavor. Pile on the steak sauce. The person that ordered medium rare had his steak cooked properly. Mine was pretty spot-on, too.
When we complained about the well-done steak, they offered to go cook another one. No. We had already been there for almost 2 hours by this point. The (rude) manager came over and said (rudely) "Your steak was overcooked? How about another one?" (after we already told the waitress we didn't want to wait another lifetime for a steak). We told the manager we didn't want another steak and then she said "How about a dessert?" No. No apology, and she just walked away.
We specifically asked for the steak to be comped, and they did in the end. Let's go home.
Certainly not Boston-quality service, but I guess you can't always expect that outside Boston. The steaks lacked flavor, but were dirt cheap at $19 for a 12oz. filet. It took WAY too long to get our food.
Stay away.
Wow, this place made the Food Network list of best steakhouses? It's amazing what a little PR money can buy.
I grew up in this area and used to come here to eat a lot. It used to offer some very good food and large portions at insane inexpensive prices. But it hasn't offered any of those three in a long time - about 10-15 years. I still go here about once every year or so just for the memories. I feel sorry for those of you taken in by the evil Food Network.
Look for this lot to be another route 1 strip mall or hotel in another five years.
The restaurant leaves a lot to be desired but if you want to take advantage of this 50 something year old steakhouse that you cannot miss driving on RT1 you have to check out the market in back. They have so much good stuff and at relatively good prices. This is the only reason why I ever travel there.
And to see the cows...
My mom was a beef eater, as I am. Nothing would keep us away from the Hilltop Steakhouse. This place is huge! I came here as a kid and we would wait an hour for a table just to get our steaks. It was very, very popular when we were younger and not having a car didn't make it easy for us.
I remember NY steak and every bite was very good. I think growing up with Chinese food everyday, Hilltop and lots of other American restaurants seemed especially delicious to us kids..
I know they still have those cows out front from the last time I was in town, lol
Twice I've been and twice I've been disappointed. I've had the sirloin and the rib eye. Both times they were burnt on the outside, leaving bitterness and grit. The second time, I had to send the rib eye back because they overcooked it and it came back out still overcooked. The sides are nothing to write about. When appropriately staffed, service is nice.
But it's honestly not worth the trip to Saugus.
I will always love this place. I know the portions have gotten smaller and it's a new ownership but I will still always be loyal to it.
If it wasn't so damn crowded all the time I would go more often.
Now please give me my steak!
1.6 Stars.
Normally, I like using Yelp to rip on places that suck. This is the only poor review I have given that I'm not pleased to give.
Years ago, this review probably would have been three stars.
Today, the Hilltop is just another roadside POS. And it's very sad inside. All empty and stuff, and the people who work there also seem very sad and empty inside...like their life's work has been for naught.
The food hasn't impressed me here for a while. But what made this turn into 1.6 Stars: When they took my "Medium Well" instruction as "burn the living fuck out of it until it's a giant lump of carcinogenic charcoal, then serve it and act all surprised that it's not to my liking, and refuse to make any sort of concession."
So yup. Just another place that sucks.
Thankfully, because it's conveniently located on Route 1, the Hilltop is very easy to just drive by.
P.S. -- As amusing as it is to think of how it would make a hardcore PETA-member vegan feel, there is something vaguely unsettling about having your placemat pictorially discribe all of the different cuts of the cow, using an actual picture of a cow as a diagram.
Where else can you see a giant cactus with a dead guys name on it & a herd of plastic cows? When I was a kid we went here on "special occasions". Back then we waited in line for what seemed like hours. But when we finally go to that counter with that 80 year old lady standing behind it, oh what a sight to behold. It was the the old west! and it was the biggest restaurant I had ever seen! I don't even remember what I ate if anything. I was a picky kid.
For years I lived just 5 minutes from Rt 1 in Saugus so once a year or so I would go as an adult. I grill a great steak so I would usually order seafood (I know, I know), & I was always disappointed. The last time I went I said why not, just do it, & I ordered the rib eye. It was good, no better than I make, but I won't complain. No more lines. No more Frank Giuffida and I suspect someday no more Hilltop. They also have a butcher shop with really good prices. Function rooms, catering & a huge parking lot. The legend is stronger than the food. 2.5 stars for the food & decent service, .5 for the memories.
The first time I attempted to eat here, I showed up at 10 PM (I know, the nerve of me on a Saturday night!), but they had just closed down the grill, so it was a no go. I brought some friends here tonight for a celebratory dinner and walked away kinda like "mehhh, I'm not sure what the big deal is."
First of all, you can't miss the Vegas-style sign or the fake cows "grazing" outside the front doors. Personally, it's not my style and I'd rather not see, intact replicas of the animal I plan on chowing down on. Though the paper place mats showing how to hack up said animal and what the various parts are called and how much, percentage-wise, they make up of the entire animal might've been enough to make me run to PETA. But I digress.
Our waitress attempted to be helpful by explaining why if I ordered the prime rib "special" I couldn't get a house salad as a side even though it came with the full dinner. Uhm, okay. Instead I ordered a baked potato and green beans, but I just realized now that I never got the green beans...which is probably just as well anyway.
We ordered the appetizer sampler, and the food was tasty, but we were all starving. I picked at a friend's salad which was like iceburg, radishes, a few pieces of tomato and some onions. It was like those bagged salads you can get at Shaw's for $1.99. The "creamy italian" dressing looked like bright yellow infectious goo and tasted just as well I'd imagine. I barely put any on the salad because it was frightening.
Our waitress came over twice to say our food would be out "in a minute" but we waited an hour for it and at least 15 minutes from the last "minute" she promised us. When it came out, I wasn't that impressed. The prime rib was excellent, but the potato was just a plain baked potato, and I never got my other side. My fiancé ordered the steak tips marsala which I thought were pretty disgusting. They tasted like teriyaki, not marsala, and had sesame seeds on them. Why? This wasn't supposed to be asian fusion!
Everyone else seemed to enjoy their meals. I opted out of dessert, which I rarely do because I'm not a big fan of chocolate (half the dessert options), nor do I want my strawberry shortcake to be served on a "biscuit" and I have zero interest in eating grapenuts for dessert (seriously, grapenuts custard! What IS that abomination?)
Last but not least, our waitress was named "Babs" which is no fault of her own. However, she reminded me of Divine's character from "Pink Flamingos" and it completely ruined my meal. I kept expecting her mother to come out and ask us about the Egg Man.
Now that I've been there, done that, I'm happy to say that my curiosity has been satisfied and I don't plan to return.
Was a favorite. Keyword: was* I remember the days when I was a kid and my dad took me here for some cow. I remember the long, long wait outside before we were able to get seated in Sioux City.
Things changed when Frank Gifford died.
+ = pros
- = cons
+ reminds me of when i was a kid going here
+ old school favorite dishes
+ old school steakhouse
+ nice old lady hostess
- the food sucked
- ny sirloin was a piss poor cut
- clam chowda was all cream and no clam
- corn looked like it had been sitting out for a while
- our waitress was too busy bullshitting with ppl from another table to be attentive to us
- way too expensive for what you get in return
- service was slow
- food was lukewarm when it got to us
- took forever for the waitress to get us our check
Oh man, I wish this place was how it used to be. So much has changed. I'm definitely disappointed.
We saw the bit on this place on the Food Network featuring steakhouses in the NE. My mom was excited to try it out and given the catchy cactus sign, I got a little excited myself. The one thing that surprised me when I got in was the wait. We came in on a Sunday evening and there weren't many people dining in, yet we had to wait 15 minutes to sit down. The Food Network said that this place could hold up to 1250 people!
The menu features several different types of steaks and then the usual sides like baked potatoes, veggie of the day or french fries. Nothing special here, folks. I got the classic cut filet mignon with a baked potato and broccoli. The filet mignon had the appropriate amount of redness for medium rare but it was awfully dry and did not taste seasoned. I ended up pouring half the bottle of steak sauce on the dried up piece of meat. The baked potato was good because it was covered in cheese, bacon and sour cream. The broccoli, on the other hand, was this weird shade of light green like it had been steamed for hours until all the life had been sucked out of it. It didn't taste much better than it looked, even with salt and butter added.
All in all, this place was a disappointment for having such a long legacy and being featured on the Food Network. The food was inexpensive but the quality really didn't even live up to the price we paid.
After a dozen years in Denver, I was spoiled by the great steak out West. 12 oz of filet mignon for $18.95 cooked right to order, but not as juicy as other meat I've had. Dinner for two w/ beer and a root beer cost $38.95 - not bad for a Sunday.
So, while I was not amazed by the cuts of meat at Hilltop, this place is worth a meal because it's an institution with friendly service and a kitschy atmosphere. Giant house salad, yummy rolls, and cold beer.
Real Winchesters on the wall, a small herd of cows in the front yard. Set the way-back machine for late 1970s and stop in with the kids. You half expect to see Clark Griswold asking the host to cash a check.
You likely won't find the "in crowd" here. Wish another generation would discover and embrace it. My favorite piece of meat ever was at AJ's Steakhouse at the Hard Rock in Vegas. Hilltop is a long way from that kind of swank, but I will take it over the chains any day.
Steakhouses have to do a few things right and one of them is cooking a steak to order. Unfortunately, I gave Hilltop two chances at a medium rare steak and they got it wrong both times. That's simply unforgivable in a place that cooks steaks all day long. (First attempt was well done by any standard and the second charred on the outside and med. rare on the inside.)
Sides were decent and our waitress was very good. Great chowder to go with dinner and excellent company with friends and colleagues. All in all a fine night out, but nowhere near the top of my steakhouse list. This was my first & favorite steakhouses when I was younger but it's just not the same anymore. There's much better options out there.
My experience at Hilltop was a little disappointing; however my expectations were probably artificially hyped up.
For years and years I passed the RT 1 establishment on my way from Logan airport to Durham NH. The massive cactus simply captivated my attention; the constant segments on shows such as 'Greatest Steak Paradises' etc only increased my curiosity of the place.
I had the marinated steak tips as recommended to me by one of my friends who is a big fan of Hilltop. I have to admit I was not very impressed; not much taste to the tips, and the peppers and onions were on the mushy side, as were the side dish of carrots. Their dinner rolls, however, are very good.
One of my friends had the rib-eye and enjoyed it; the other had a 'mixed grill,' consisting of turkey, chicken, and steak tips and also commented on the absence of flavor of the steak tips. (I was not aware of turkey or chicken tips--the whole meat 'tips' seems to be avery New England practice)
Service prompt and knowledgeable. Fair selection of beer and wine. I suppose I'd go back and try another steak and hope for a better experience.
I used to love this place years ago. Wow, things have changed, and not for the better. I ordered steak tips medium-rare and they came out almost raw. Another in my party ordered her steak well done and it was almost burnt on the outside and medium inside.
I also found almost no flavor to the tips, very bland.
I don't know how many stars to give this. So the place is huge, and the outside decor is awesome, I mean who doesn't love a huge cactus shining on Rt 1 with fake cows grazing out front?
So its Monday, its pretty empty and the wait staff was nice, but I just felt like she didn't know what she was doing maybe. I don't think she was new either, probably just annoyed to be there, but still friendly?
Anyways, we ordered drinks apps and entrees, the drinks came quickly, even the appetizer and salad came fairly quickly. It did, however, take longer than it should have for rolls, we were starving..we just needed something but they brought the rolls out just a minute before the app..ok thats fine. The buffalo chicken was really good. The salad was sad, it was iceberg from a bag nd not fresh looking at all.
Next, no kidding...we waited almost an hour for our entrees. There were 4 of us, Monday night, empty restaurant. Every time our waitlady walked by us she told us just another minute, this happened about 3 or 4 times in a 25 minute span, and finally my friend was like "ok, you keep telling us just a minute and its been like 20 minutes, what is the deal??" No answer, but the food finally came out finally after an hour and 2 baskets of rolls! Something that I thought was strange is she asked my friend if she wanted horseradish for the prime rib, it was in a cup on the plate, my friend said no thank you and the waitress took the cup off the plate. I thought that was just odd, no? I mean just leave it...she also didn't know who ordered what, usually not a big deal but she just seemed strange, which is why i thought she was new maybe.
The food was good, I can't complain about it and my friend's prime rib looked so good, my BBQ was good, everything was good, but the wait for it was ridiculous and it wasn't worth that long a wait.
So, I hope to come back and not go through the same thing, their prices are really reasonable and the food was good, but the wait for the food ...not so much.
OH and apparently they have a breakfast buffet, which I would like to go to..even though I gave this place 2 stars...for service.
I've only been here twice. The first time my steak was awesome but my boyfriends plate was awful, literally I tried it and I threw up a little in my mouth. He's not a complainer so he took it like a man and ate when we got home, though I told him to complain! Then the next time we went on a double date. This time, none of us enjoyed our meals. Service was eh, nothing special.
Don't think I'll return here unless I'm in the area and dont have a choice, but on route 1, how can you not have a choice?
14 Votes for no alcohol, are you serious? They totally serve beer here, dont like people's ratings fool you.
Cheezy Weirdness!
I love Saugus for the sheer Kitsch Factor. Rt 1 is the Kitschiest place in MA, hands down.
And, Hilltop is the only place you will see a huge Neon Cactus, in NE.
The steaks are their claim to fame, but really aren't that great.
And, oddly, the entrance makes you feel like a steer being channeled in to the slaughterhouse. What's with that experience? Was it intended to make you empathize with your intended meal?
That's just Wrong, Dad!
The kitsch meter is off the scale, from the GIANT neon cactus out front to the fiberglass cows on the front lawn to the dark wood interior to the horns on the walls. The bartender at our hotel recommended it for the steaks, I was hoping for a nice steak place, but instead I felt like I was in a old 60's Vegas all you can eat restaurant.
The food was decent, but over priced and the service was slow, had to ask for refills and the check.
Gargantuan cactus that immediately captivates your attention. Artificial cows grazing in the front. "Steakhouse" in the restaurant name. It was hard not to visit this glitzy route 1 establishment. It was like Vegas in Saugus. This place looked incredible.
I was amazed by the sheer size of this place. This place can hold the entire population of Bulgaria and still have room for every Chilean on Earth. After slapping back into my senses, I took a seat and was ready to try Hilltop's famous steak. And that's where the downhill journey begins. I ordered one of their sirloin specials- bread rolls, mashed potatoes, salad, and sirloin steak for $10.99. Good deal, quickly regretted it.
Apart from the bread, everything was disgusting! The salad was just lettuce, tomatoes, and carrots with the most disgusting variant of dressing possible. What about my croutons and grated cheese that I oh so desired? Then the steak and potatoes arrived, and once again, I was repulsed. The mashed potatoes literally tasted like grits! This ain't the South, cowboy! What the hell is this? If i wanted grits, I'd have gone to the Old Cracker Barrel! After one taste of that, I decided to eat the spotlighted food.
And boy did that steak suck. It was extremely tough to chew (despite having it cooked medium well), and it lacked flavor. I never chewed on a piece of cardboard box before, but I'm sure this would be a very approximate simulation of that.
And the audacity of these people! I asked for A1 steak sauce to drown out as much of the miserable away from the steak as possible, and the waitress told me that all they had was their own sauce. They were so confident their sauce was tops, that they decide not to carry A1. While I applaud their effort, it sucked. It was bland and tasteless. There are brands in this world that should always be carried by every restaurant: Heinz, French's, Grey Poupon, and A1. Any attempt to recreate their concoctions to your own specifications is futile.
So while this place may have a hypnotic effect on the outside, the food is nothing to smile at. Don't go here. As a matter of fact, tell your friends not to go here. This place is awful.
OK, based on the other yelpers reviews, I am thinking you may have needed to grow up with this place to really, truly appreciate it.
As a little kid, driving by the Moo Moos on the lawn meant we were halfway between my house and my Grandparents house, so I knew i wouldn't be trapped in the backseat for much longer (lol)....
And this was the place we would go to when something big was going on...it was a special treat....
As I grew up, it was sometimes a date place....and once I was on my own and they had the butcher shop opened up out back, I would often stop for their wonderful hard rolls and fresh Filet Mignon's to bring home. Oh,and their awesome salad dressing! mmmm, yumm!
Waaaay back when they did not accept credit cards, they were a cash only business (you can figure out why, I'm not sayin'!) but I guess they take them now.
This place is so huge, they can seat so many people, hundreds at a time......and even with all their various dining rooms, the line was always out the door!
OK....I am digressing.....let me get to the 'meat' of things here......I have NEVER had a bad meal here. Maybe that's because I always get the Filet Mignon, and its hard to screw that up. It's always been perfectly cooked, seasoned, with the most perfect Baked potato.
The service has been quite good most times. They are usually older women who have worked there for decades. They may be short on chit chat, but they know their jobs and they 'turn and burn em' out quickly and efficiently, but yet, they do not make you feel rushed.
Do not expect some fancy schmancy steak house. This place is a landmark and it should be enjoyed for what it is, a simple yet kitschy steak house.
Don't forget to moo at the cows as you drive by, It's part of the fun! :oP
It is sad to see this place deteriorate the way it has. I use to love this place and came here with my family for my graduation dinner from college. Hate to see a non chain restaurant become extinct.
Came here on Monday and there was about 15 cars in the lot for a restaurant that can seat 1200+ customers. The other reviews were right. Portion sizes decreased. Quality of the meat is probably USDA Select, not even Choice like supermarket qualtity.
My wife and I had the 14oz sirloin strip and had zero flavor. Cooked pretty well but you can taste that the quality was not there with visible grizzle and uneven shape of steak. My son had the buffalo chicken finger appetizer as his entree. Terrible. Fries tasted like unsold baked potates cut up and refried. My side of rice pilaf tasted like it was about a week old.
Sad....
I remember the very long lines 20 years ago - although I didn't remember too much more of it. Took the lady there and had a pleasant laugh at the faded decor. Food was alright, a touch better than what a bloke would find at The Outback or some such place...
Plenty of empty tables may have spoken about the translucency of our blessed economy or maybe people don't like aging 1970's Italian heavy hitter turned cowboy kitsch... Speaks faintly of the bygone days when Joseph Bonanno (aka Joey Bananas") left the rackets and settled in Arizona.
I was visiting the area to see friends and they took me to Hilltop. This was some awesome steak, I was hungry for real food. I got the Porterhouse (24oz - $24). I got the salad and mashed potatoes. The salad was HUGE, the mashed was awesome and the steak was cooked perfect. The rolls were excellent as was the iced tea and service.
It's OK...Food is cheap and ample quantity. We went during lunch and all we saw was old people at the restaurant
As a disclaimer, I was not too thrilled about this place, but I give it 2 EXTRA STARS because our server Jenn was a SUPER TROOPER. To provide stellar service, to not lose her cool with our finicky party, and always believe "The customer is always right"...well, let's just say she was the BEST server there. Someone please give this girl a raise!
Hilltop is one of those steakhouses you have to walk into with an open mind. The front is flanked by HUGE blue, black, and white cows with sunglasses. The insides? More odes to cows, including horns, a water buffalo head, and rifles. Our table settles in after about 15 minutes of waiting because the waitstaff had to reorganize for our large group.
Poring over the menus, I was very torn about what to get and so were a lot of people. Discontentment with the prime rib was a complaint in one of the reviews I had already read. I skipped that, and went with the rib eye instead coupled with a French onion soup (it said bubbling!) and a baked potato hold the sour cream and butter (what, no bacon bits!). My brother had the same rib eye with a salad and French onion soup, my cousins the sirloin with mashed potatoes and a salad and the teriyaki chicken with a salad.
The French onion soup didn't have enough depth for me, as the broth was not beefy enough (strange, we were in a steakhouse where the bones of the beef are prevalent) and it missed a certain "spicy" quality, like maybe ground black pepper or some hot sauce; I did however, appreciate the gooeyness of the cheese. The salads were nothing special, as California has spoiled me into expecting a high level of freshness.
The entrees came, and I have to say, why did I expect more? Oh yeah, BECAUSE WE'RE AT A PLACE THAT STEAKHOUSE IN THE NAME! The rib eye was decent, cooked to the requested medium rare, but it was more chewy than anything, and not a pleasant chewy either. It stuck to my teeth because it was TOO STRINGY! I tried my cousin's chicken teriyaki, which had a pleasant char on the outside, but too dry for my taste. The prime rib that managed to make to the table was NOT medium rare, but MEDIUM. Honestly, I'm not exactly sure why a place that claims to be a STEAKHOUSE cannot cook a piece of meat correctly.
However, everyone else seemed satisfied with their meals, so that was all that mattered.
p.s. - The rolls are pretty tasty too, with a great crunch on the outside and very soft and warm on the inside.
p.p.s. - We were in fact the most fit people there. Why? It might be the fact we were not loading up on tons of butter. Word to the wise: If there is still plenty of butter on the table, there is no need to bring any more out.
Let me start out by saying that I didn't go to the Hilltop Steakhouse for steak. I went to the Hilltop Steakhouse tonight because I came home from work, sat down, and said "Damn... I want a burger." (I wasn't talking to myself, for the record - my boyfriend was in the room)
So here we are - a guy who's not really feeling steak and a guy who doesn't eat any beef - making a run for the giant, glowing cactus in the distance. We walked in and I immediately thought that the decor looked like my grandmother's house - or, rather, what my grandmother's house WOULD look like if she were Annie Oakley.
I ordered the basic cheeseburger with monterey jack cheese, and BF ordered a cajun lemon pepper grilled chicken sandwich - we also decided on a whim that we'd rather die young, so we started the meal with an "Onion Cactus Flower. The appetizer was total greasy deliciousness served with a side of tasty, zesty sauce - the best part was that it only set us back $5.95. When the sandwiches arrived, my cheeseburger was predictably fabulous with gobs of cheese dripping down the sides (predictable because no self-respecting steakhouse would put a hamburger on the menu if they planned on doing a crappy job making it). My darling companion's chicken sandwich had excellent flavor, but it was just a touch overcooked and thus slightly tough and stringy... but really, nobody expects awesome chicken at a steakhouse.
When all was said and done, we had both of our main courses, an appetizer, two sodas, AND free warm rolls and the bill only came to a little over $25.00. If you have a high tolerance for Wild-West-Kitsch decor and old people, and if you're feeling a little light in the wallet, this is decidedly a pretty decent place to get a meal.
We've dined here many times, but it has been several years since we were here. When we used to go, you could be guaranteed of a long line out the door waiting to be rounded up and taken inside for a table.
The food was served in large portions and it was good. I would always have the smaller filet mignon or the fried haddock and fries. The fish sandwich, is awesome with beer battered thick pieces of flaky haddock topped with lettuce and melted cheese.with tartar sauce.
The service was always friendly and efficient. I'm sorry to hear that they have gone downhill and from what I read downhill literally to Braintree and that is not working out too well either. What a shame as they once had a great reputation.
When i went to the Hilltop steakhouse I was pleasantly suprised at how at how friendly my waitress Tayla. She was very helpful with the menu, and had a beautiful smile. The steak was cooked to perfection. Sides were plentiful. Would recommend it to anybody.
*Request Tayla when you go*
NJ
This place is good! If you want a hell of a steak give it a try. Their salad dressing is to die for. I am sure it is horrible for you .
I actually went to a wedding reception here. They have this gorgeous ballroom upstairs and for two young adults paying for their wedding themselves, it was reasonable.
CONS: LONG WAIT
Drive is a PITA
LONG WAIT FOR FOOD
THE PLACE IS HUGE, SO A BIT CHAOTIC AT TIMES
It's a long story as to why but my fiance and I ended up eating here the other night. It was a mistake. Actually, I think all of Route 1 is a mistake but that's likely because I'm a South Shore girl by birth and a city girl by choice.
Anyway, service with an attitude ("No, you can't get steak on your house salad. You can ONLY get it on the Caesar salad", overcooked steak of questionable quality and a sad looking outdated atmosphere - that's what you'll find at Hilltop.
When we left we both looked at each other and said, almost at the same time, something along the lines of "You know, I really don't think there's anything wrong with raising our kids (if we have them) in the city."
This place is good, but you have to go into with the right expectations...
This place is like the Reno of steakhouses, it has never been as high end as Morton's, and never pretended to be. Instead it is content to have a gimmick (don't tell me I am the only one who sees a paralell with the 'Biggest little City in the World" sign and the 30ft neon cactus planted in the front yard), and still retain some of its honest run down charm left over from the good old days.
The food isn't great, but the prices make up the difference. Go with low taste-bud expectations, a desire for adventure, and you should have a good time.
I went back here a few years ago after not having been since I was a kid in the 80's. It was definitely not the same. I know some things can be chalked up to an over-inflated imagination, but not this. The lines outside this place used to wrap around the building and it would take nearly an hour to be seated. When we went there it was empty, and they didn't even have veal parm on the menu anymore, which was my whole reason for going. So sad.
We went for the breakfast buffet on Sunday, and we were expecting it to be busy. There wasn't a wait for a table, but the restaurant was pretty full. It's big enough to accommodate a large crowd, though.
The buffet line was huge, but it moved steadily. I reckon it'd have been the same amount of wait time if you'd ordered and been served by wait staff.
The presentation was nice and there was a lot of options. K loved that there was watermelon and cantaloupe available. C had a waffle and said it was good. The fresh whipped cream was really good.
They don't offer soy milk, which seems strange. K even asked the waiter. There's none in the building. Seriously? It's 2008.
We both decided that it was just okay, and that we're probably not going to go back.
Perplexing!! The giant plastic cows and the enormous cactus outside confused me. and the sign on the back of the building labeled "slaughter house" frigtened me.
However, the ribs were, by far, the best ribs Ive ever had, and were seriously as big as my arm But the whole time I was tense with the fear that I would hear a poor cow screaming for its life and for that reason I wil never go back!!
Disgusting.
We had dinner here a while back and while the food was so-so, the service was abominable. The waitress stuck her nasty thumb into my mashed potatoes and decided to use her bare hands to place the rolls into a doggy bag for us.
I'm sure sketchy stuff goes on in the back but for goodness sake, not in front of me.
Simply AWFUL--just thinking about it makes me gag.
Weymouth, MA
Category: Steakhouses
Saugus, MA
Category: Italian
Saugus, MA
Category: Italian
Saugus, MA
Category: Meat Shops
Saugus, MA
Category: Steakhouses
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