Hillstone - Santa Monica

This place is absolutely amazing! I had a fantastic meal, and the bathrooms are incredibly cool—it's like something straight out of a James Bond movie. The whole atmosphere feels like it's right out of a detective film.

The food and service were excellent; however, the parking situation is quite frustrating.

Wow, the ribs here are incredibly tender and delicious, literally falling off the bone. But my favorite part is when the server comes back to your table to pour your unfinished martini into a freshly chilled martini glass, even if you’re only halfway through!

Where do I even begin? The food was exceptional. The service was attentive and the waitstaff were friendly. The ambiance is quite sophisticated. Plus, the prices are very reasonable. I absolutely loved it! It's definitely worth a visit. We ordered the chicken salad, rainbow rolls, and a chicken sandwich. While the dishes may be familiar and straightforward, the flavors elevate them to another level.

My girlfriend and I kicked off our meal with the spinach artichoke dip, which was pretty standard. I also ordered the Caesar salad, which was tasty but definitely not your typical version. The lettuce used wasn't romaine; it had a texture somewhat similar to kale. It also contained corn and cornbread squares as croutons (which were soft and not crunchy). The dressing was delightful, and the plate was perfectly chilled, leaving me pleasantly surprised. Overall, it was good, just different (BOA still has my favorite Caesar in Los Angeles). Next, my girlfriend had the avocado roll while I opted for the nigiri plate. Both were great, although the spicy mayo had a different flavor than what we're used to, and my girlfriend wasn't a fan of it. For the main course, my girlfriend chose the veggie burger with fries. The burger was just okay—neither of us was particularly fond of it—but the fries were quite good. I had the Hawaiian Ribeye with a fully loaded baked potato, both of which were outrageously delicious! It was probably the best baked potato we've ever had! The Ribeye was quite different from what I usually have, being coated in a sweet Hawaiian sauce, but it still tasted fantastic and was cooked to perfection (medium rare). To finish, we shared the brownie a la mode. I enjoyed it a lot, although my girlfriend wasn’t a huge fan. The brownie was a classic chocolate fudge brownie with nuts and possibly raisins, topped with French vanilla ice cream with espresso chips. It was a mix of interesting flavors, but I thought it worked well! Overall, I highly recommend this restaurant, and we will definitely be back!