The food was incredible, the service was impeccable, and the environment was perfect for a date with my wife. We arrived 30 minutes before our reservation and had a drink at the bar. The bartenders were knowledgeable and the cocktail menu had a little something for everyone. We were assisted by Andrew, who was meticulous in his discovery of our preferences (and shared some samples of an Orange Sangria which was delicious) and guided us in the right direction. We moved to our table and were introduced to the dining room manager, Frank. Frank made us feel welcome, poured our wine, and I could see that he was like a flight traffic control directing everyone working the floor. Our lead waiter, Daniel, and his trainee, Matilda, were friendly, knew everything about the menu, and were extremely professional. To give you an example, I saw Daniel stop himself to check in on us as me and my wife were in mid story/bite of our food. That awareness is not something everyone has but it just showed how skilled he was at his craft. In regards to his recommendations of food, Daniel was honest and accurate. I mentioned that I was interested in the duck on the menu, Daniel was clear in his preferences and that duck can be gamey for his tastes. He explained the size of the duck breast (7-8 oz), the chef suggests med rare, and the duck skin is rendered to a crisp. The plate was balanced perfectly with a blueberry reduction and a warm corn, asparagus, and mushroom salad. In short, his description was spot on and the plate was divine. We go to restaurants for food first, and everything else second. This was a rare experience where they nailed the food and the experience was made even better by the professionals at every turn. Would definitely come back here and recommend to friends and family. read more

The Hill - Warm butter cake with blueberries. It was the perfect amount and density after the meal to not feel weighed down! - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Closter, New Jersey

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Came here for the my mother-in-law's birthday celebration and was surprised with the food! I was not able to take photos of the food but for appetizers we had Clam Casino (today's special), Crispy Calamari and Mushroom soup and were all very good! For the main course, I and my mother-in-law both had the Sesame Crusted Yellowfin Tuna, the rest got Slow Cooked Halibut, Herb Marinated Flat Iron Steak and Porcini Rubbed NY Strip Loin. We had kids with us and we got them the Pasta with butter and cheese. And we all enjoyed our foods! We also got desserts: Espresso Crunch Cheesecake (which is my personal fave!), Warm Butter Cake and Chocolate Strawberry Cake. We also got coffees with our desserts but think that the coffee was a little bit over priced. The service was okay, can be better but not bad. The ambiance was very nice! My son even said it looks like a house but a very nice house. It really is a casual experience in an elevated environment. Definitely a must try! read more

The Hill - Sesame Crusted Yellowfin Tuna - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Closter, New Jersey

We have dined at The Hill a few times and the food is always great, service implacable and drinks tasty. Last month i hosted my wife's 40th birthday party in their upstairs Loft space. Planning was really a pleasure, the event manager Lauren was so accommodating and kind, was even there the night of which I didn't expect at all to ensure everything ran smoothly. They had a small hiccup with a meat delivery for the charcuterie board I have ordered but Lauren fixed it with some cheese boards and crudite and comped the platters. Our server was attentive, menus selections all looked amazing and all our guests were happy. Little touches like printing my wife's name and 40th on the menu and letting me have a playlist I made for the occasion playing in the room were super nice too. Great place for an event or a night out for dinner for sure. Thank you Lauren! read more

Finally made it to The Hill after having it on my list for years, and it was worth the wait! The service was excellent and their outdoor patio was perfect for a nice summer day. I started with a glass of the orange wine which I enjoyed, and the ceviche. It was solid but not my favorite thing I had. For my entree I had the duck which was absolutely phenomenal. It was pretty big yet I finished the whole thing. It was perfectly cooked, soft and tender on the inside but a bit crispy on the outside. My parents and I also shared the chocolate mousse for dessert and it was very rich and tasty. read more

The aesthetic of the Hill is on point, modern yet warm and welcoming. The service started off a bit slow but quickly picked up. The appetizer portions are much larger than expected (except the crab cake) be wary of this when ordering. The food is delicious, the only star removed is due to the scallops. This special was cooked properly and the scallops were tasty but I found the mix of lentils, squash & mushroom to be random... the scallop to lentil ratio was overwhelming. Will be coming back! read more

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The calamari was soggy, greasy, and was really bad so asked the manager to return it. The worst was that they didn't even try to fix the issue. Overall don't charge NYC price when the service is below par. read more

The Hill - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Closter, New Jersey

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This review is for a visit I made to The Hill on January 20, 2022 - the last visit for me under their current management. We were 7 ladies together for light bites & cocktails. Cocktails came out promptly were delicious with the perfect kick. Guac & chips served by Tommy, were inedible like a salt lick we all agreed. Tommy returned the guacamole to the chef who agreed too much salt. "New" guacamole came out barely edible instead of making a new batch it seems the chef folded in more guacamole--note to the chef this does nothing to remove the abundant amt of salt already in the dish. We decide to keep mum & skip food bcuz if you can't get the guac right enuf said--we ordered another few rounds. Our party broke up & 3 of us moved to9 the bar. Called my husband to stop in for a drink with us. Husband entered the bar & from my vantage point I saw him exchange words with the host who was on his heels as he walked over to the bar calling after him that he could not sit at the bar. He stopped when he saw my husband greeting me & the ladies. It was 6:30 on a Thursday evening & there were plenty of seats at the bar at least 3 seats beside me. Hubby said hello & goodbye without incident but texted me about the rude exchange. We promptly paid the bill & I waited to have a word with the host but the dining area had filled up & he was clearly busy. I shared my story with the server that initially greeted us and brought us our drinks. She did not appear surprised by the host's rudeness. Maybe The Hill doesn't need any more patrons--especially if that patron happens to be a BLACK gentleman out for a post work cocktail. No worries Andrew Tyler the ladies and I joined my husband at Stern & Bow for a fun evening of food drinks live music & a very welcoming vibe. Take a look at M.J. 's review below--seems to be a pattern with your pretentious establishment. Get it together, peoole-- there are plenty of black and brown people occupying space in Bergen County. Needless to say we won't be patronizing The Hill again. Giving 2 stars-- 1 for the welcoming woman that seated us and began our service & 1 for the bartender that made delicious cocktails and served us with a smile. read more

Waited too long to get here! Happy we did came on a very rainy night, the fireplace was on and the atmosphere was cozy, waitstaff was warm and inviting, a beautiful start to our dinner. I had the ceviche it was well seasoned and tasty followed by the blackened Mahi-mahi and finished with the crème brûlée So delicious. Thanks Hill!! We will be back!! read more

Perfect location for a family celebration. In keeping with distancing requirements, we celebrated our granddaughters baptism in an upstairs private room with only 15 guests. The staff was masked at all times. We had choice of wines or beers which were served to us and other guests as we all arrived. We didn't have to go to the downstairs bar. We had choices from 3 appetizers and 3 entrees. The crab cakes were excellent for starters. Everyone enjoyed either salmon, short ribs, or chicken all prepared well. A really light apple tart was dessert; good because we were full from the entrees! Service was friendly and attentive. read more

The food at the hill is perfect. Every time I go there, I order a burger, and those burgers are so juicy, and the cheese on it is amazing! The service is amazing too. The waiters are very nice and they bring your food in a decent amount of time. I definitely recommend this place, and you should go sometime! read more

(This review is for pre-covid visit) 5-star meals and service. Beautiful space inside and out. Chef Ben left NYC to open The Hill. He has received a Michelin star and three stars from NYT for his creative and flavorful cooking. There's a kids' menu too which is awesome if you want to go out for a nice meal and still feed the littles with their favorites. We look forward to returning! read more

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I graduated with my Doctorate and had my graduation party, a very special occasion, at The Hill in Closter New Jersey. They have an intimate private room upstairs and let me tell you they did NOT disappoint! I chose to have it done cocktail style and they had wait staff that were constantly passing hors d'oeuvres/appetizers. Lauren, who is the event Director literally did everything with precision and perfection! Not one detail was missed! She even had a signature drink, made for the occasion! The staff that was assigned to us was absolutely amazing! Justin seemed as though he was by my side every second and Jordan worked the room and made sure not one guest had an empty hand, whether it be hors d'oeuvres or cocktails! We were allowed to bring in our own dessert from a bakery however, they do offer a choice of dessert if you so choose. Chef Ben, who settles for nothing less than excellence decided he was just going to make the deal even sweeter surprising me by finishing off the night by handing out Wisconsin cheese curds, which was a major hit as we are originally from Wisconsin and major Green Bay Packer fans, and there were several Wisconsinites in that room that night and those cheese curds literally topped the show off and made us just love him and The Hill that much more! You cannot go wrong if you come here for a small intimate dinner party in the main dining room or have a couple of cocktails in the lounge or reserve the intimate private room as I did! read more

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Rude, A strong 3 stars the hill gets from me. Food wasn't up to my expectations, the calamari could've been better and the mac and cheese left a lot to be desired in terms of flavor (most of the food was under salted). As for the staff our server was friendly and expedient however I don't think any guest wants to be told over the phone that whether or not they can cancel without being charged is up to the person who is on the phone and especially with the amount of vitriol coming from the employees tone whom I'd spoken to about cancelling. read more

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Walked in at 350pm. Told the waitress 3 times pls not to rush us. We were literally rushed out of the place and we did not just show up. We had a reservation! 300$ later. We were served our dinner, appetizer, desert, & bottle of wine in less than 25 minutes. So over fed, I could not finish my food! Shame on this place. My advice? Hold back each course! Im really pissed off at this place for ruining my evening out with my husband. Seldom gotten. read more

I came in by myself and sat at the bar. The kind young gentleman behind the bar named Joe was excellent. The food was great! 10/10 recommend this place. Will see you soon, Joe! read more

if i could give half stars, i'd give this place 4.5, so i rounded up. i'm really happy there are so many more delicious places to eat in the valley now, very different from 20 years ago. this place has a chef who's worked in a lot of famous and great seafood restaurants, so i had some high expectations coming here. been meaning to try since before the pandemic, and finally got a chance to recently on a sunday for lunch. the four of us had the following: apps: blistered shishitos with yuzu mayo, delicious but hard to mess up usually. short rib mac and cheese was so creamy and good, can't eat a lot by yourself so it was perfect for a few bites for each of us. the garden salad was just fine. they also had a gazpacho special and that was pretty good, even though gazpacho isn't my favorite. mains: we had the rigatoni bolognese; very good and generous portion! grilled mahi mahi with fennel and sugar snap peas; i'm a sucker for anything fennel. cod with something creamy and wilted spinach; both fish were cooked perfectly and seasoned well. the brick chicken was so juicy and flavorful, loved the broccolini puréed sweet potato (or was it squash?) that came with it. desserts: this was the only kind of disappointing course. the chocolate mousse was fine i'm flavor, rich not too sweet, but the texture wasn't stiff enough. the banana tiramisu was not my choice as i hate banana, but i tried and honestly not much strong banana flavor and too many nuts for my liking. dessert was the reason i felt 4.5 stars instead of 5 stars was a more appropriate rating. service was excellent and prompt. space is nice with high ceilings. they have outdoor/patio seating, bar seating, and dining room seating. we sat in the latter, but all parts of the restaurant were well appointed and nice. parking in the back. read more

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Thank God I didn't spend my won hard earned cash on this meal. I was supposed to be in NY to have a team lunch but had a bunch of meetings and had to skip that outing. I said to myself, let me try and find somewhere close by to see if there's somewhere that I might enjoy. I've driven by the hill a couple of times and thought the place looked cute... went inside and was not disappointed. Let me interject here and say... I didn't dine in, so I can't comment on my dining experience. I think someone commented that bergen County has this very pretentious feel about it and I can't agree more. The Hill capitalizes on that pretentiousness. I ordered the Mac and cheese and short ribs, the lamb tagine and a steak dish. Hands down the lamb was the pick of the lot and I wished the rest of my selection was as tasty. The Mac and cheese was blah and the steak was more than underwhelming. My order seemed light for having spent 80+ on 3 dishes... so thats another sticking point. I could've put salt and pepper on my steak and it have more flavor than I was served. I'm very disappointed and will not be going back. I guess I gotta get out of bergen county to find good food. read more

This is a really stunning upscale restaurant in the suburbs. I've seen photos of people having bridal showers and date nights and it's a perfect venue for such. The rustic decor makes a really great ambiance- even down to the choice of silverware and plating. While every table was filled, it still was a quiet and intimate setting for our anniversary dinner. We made a reservation for 2 for Saturday night dinner with no issue. The patio was not open at the time, but it was great weather and I would have loved to sit there! Overall, great service, selection of drinks, and meal. We ordered the Slow Cooked Halibut and Duck Breast entrees and both were very fresh and delicate. I definitely recommend this restaurant! read more

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This place is amazing !! We were going to another place and they didn't answer, so we decided to go the hill. The ambience is amazing and clean. We ordered the guacamole and chips, Shitoto peppers and arugula salad. Each one of the appetizers was amazing 10/10. For my main dish I had the Burger and let me tell you, 12/10 -- recommended!!! For dessert I had the Oreo cheesecake, and that was also wonderful !! I recommend this restaurant for everyone !! Definitely a 5 star ! The employees were really nice and made the experience so much better ! Our waitress Jenna, was very attentive and knowledgeable. Noah was also very friendly and helpful. The whole staff is wonderful ! read more

The Hill - Oreo cheesecake - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Closter, New Jersey

Food: A+ Customer service: A+ Indoor ambiance: A+ My wife and I had dinner at The Hill and were blown away by the quality of the food, the exceptional service and the tasty cocktails (Casa Amigos margarita was delicious). This is a true gem hidden in Closter, NJ and we honestly cannot wait to go back! read more

Came here with a friend. We both agreed the food, ambiance and service was wonderful. We ate and talked for a long time. Patrons sitting around us came and went. We were never pressured and felt uncomfortable for staying late. Great night out. read more

Apparently there is a 72 hour cancellation time frame. If within 72 hours if u cancel you will get a fee. I did not make the reservation so I'm not 100% sure but I don't see why anyone would make this up. But 72 hours is absurd. The food was pretty good nothing to really rave about. I had the steak which was good. cooked to my liking (med-rare). The apps included calamari, shishito peppers and chips and guacamole which were to everyone's liking. I think this place is a great date spot. The resturant itself has a very cozy feeling. The servers are also very attentive and nice. I also like the fact that if you are taking home leftovers they give you a small key chain tag with a number and on your way out you hand it to the hostess who will provide your bag. It was great because the bags will be in the way of others or in the way of the desserts which were also pretty good! I recommend the cheesecake crunch read more

Yesterday's lunch with the Roomie was delicious! Nicely decorated location with friendly and hospital staff. The food was delicious, and we look forward to coming back to try more. read more

The Hill - Yesterday's lunch with the Roomie was delicious! (Top: Mushroom Risotto, Bottom: Moroccan Style Lamb Tagine) - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Closter, New Jersey

Perfect bland of good dishes and great service. We had Daniel take care of us and that added to a very nice and comfortable dining experience. We shared two appetizers and had each one main dish - it was a 3 out of 4 - main dishes (Duck and Halibut) was excellent - the tuna tartare was a bit bland but the beets salad was fantastic. Will be back! read more

Food is decent but the portion is WAY TOO BIG otherwise would definitely recommend has the best strawberry chocolate cake ever read more

Excited to try this place given the owners accolades. Was nothing but disappointed with the exception of service. Roasted carrot salad had very few carrots - it was mostly a plate of radicchio and sprigs of parsley. Oysters were very large tasted worse than old seawater - the mignonette barely did anything to mask the flavor Was really looking forward to the brussel sprout until I received them - mushy. They had lemon zest on top and a hint of sesame oil. Meh For my entree, I ordered the steak - rare. Came out perfect. It was served with 2 small fingerling potatoes cut in half - with such a small amount, I guess they were there only for garnish. Dessert- carrot cake thing. First bite was good until the OVERLY SWEET chuncks of pineapple. Destroyed the entire thing. My husband had the ice cream sandwiches and left all the cookies on the plate. Cookie texture was not a good paring with the ice cream. This was a one and done. read more

Place is beautiful, love the farmhouse/ modern decor.... Service was great and friendly. Food was delicious.... I could definitely eat the risotto everyday with their scallops. I believe it is their monkey bread with bananas, Omg ..... On point! Will be coming back again. read more

Overall *** 3.00 Weighted Stars from me. I mostly loved the look and our server was very good but unfortunately we both decided the food wasn't something worth really returning for. The chef wrote a cookbook that they display at the hostess stand and they graciously let me flip through it at our table. The book is all about fish so we were a bit surprised at the limited number of fish dishes on the actual menu. In these bizarre times though fish may just be too expensive to keep much of it in house. Setting **** The space is simply stunning with dark wood on the floors, barn wood on the walls and the main dining room has an enormous fireplace that gives off ski lodge vibes. The bar area itself is large and while the bar is wall facing there are plenty of high top tables to sit at. As a side note, they had the most bizarre music playing all night. It sounded mostly like punk rock and was mildly irritating. On an early cold Thursday night it was not busy overall with just a few tables filled. There is a large lot behind the building and they do have a covered outdoor dining area for warmer months. When it was Harvest there was an upstairs party room that could hold 20-30 and I assume it is still there. Service **** Our server Steve L. was efficient, professional and made recommendations with ease. There is no S&P on the table or offered which I find a bit pretentious especially considering there is an overall lack of seasoning to the food. Food *** This area was the big letdown as the food while ok, we found it generally lacking in flavor. I started with the Short Rib Mac & Cheese which looked fantastic but had virtually no flavor. I took two bites and decided I would take it home and doctor it up for lunch the next day. If you decide to try it I suggest requesting a spoon as the pasta is very small and falls through the fork tines. My wife ordered the Slow Cooked Halibut over steamed Spinach. It suffered the same fate, lacking very much flavor. My Lamb Tagine was a definitive improvement in taste with its Moroccan flavors but it wasn't particularly memorable. Value ** Mac & Cheese $18, Lamb Tagine $28, both portions were not overly generous for the price. Halibut at $36 is certainly on the higher end of the scale while top shelf drinks were $10-$12 each. All in for two before tip was $135 which is fairly steep considering we didn't really love the food. read more

Came in on a sunday night, it was not very busy. The food was very good, the ambience was good as well. The service fairly quick. read more

The Hill - Moroccan Style Lamb Tagine - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Closter, New Jersey

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One of the best meals I've ever had! I don't usually do reviews but this place was incredible. My girlfriend and I stopped by on our way home from a wedding weekend and stopped by this place to try it out. The manager, Frank, welcomed us and told us the best parts of the menu. We started with Shishito peppers as an appetizer and they were perfectly roasted and sweet. I got a perfectly cooked Strip Loin and she got a grilled chicken with a side of fries. Cannot recommend them enough. We will definitely be back read more

Went for dinner for my birthday. The place is very pretty but dark inside. Food was not as good as I wanted it to be. Had the fried calamari which was over fried. Some pieces were very chewy and others were little rocks. Ordered the steak bavette which was a rock of salt. Hubby had fish tacos which were also over cooked and over salted. Kiddos had the burgers with no cheese because they "ran out" of American cheese. They were ok but surprisingly lacked salt. Highlight of the meal was the short ribs mac and cheese. That was delicious. Service was also lacking. We were being served dinner while appetizer plates were left on the table. Hubby had to pile them up on the side. Also, when we got coffee, no sugar or milk/cream was brought over. Not the best experience. Would probably not go back. Stern and Bow down the block is much better. read more

Highly recommend this gem in Closter. Delicious and creative food and drinks! Service is superb!

My family and I just had the absolute worse experience at the Hill in Closter. The GM, Lauren, had a nasty attitude from the moment we arrived. They were going to sit us upstairs and I simply asked why not in the first floor since that is where usually eat when we go there. They had several tables open in the main restaurant area but she simply refused to put us there. She went talk the owner, Ben Pollinger, who then came out with an attitude himself; in a very rude manner and without even giving me an opportunity to explain myself he said to me, "listen, do you want the reservation or not, I just don't have time for you!". In all my years working in retail and visiting thousands of different restaurants across the world, I have never felt disrespected while going out to eat. I'm very surprised how Ben can run a business / restaurant while lacking the necessary soft skills and emotional intelligence. Rule of thumb, you listen to the customer before making assumptions. The room upstairs must have been 80 degrees and fell uncomfortable. This was by far our worst Mother's Day dinning experience ever. The truth is that the food here at the Hill is average at best. Rest assured, we will never set foot at this establishment ever again. Trust me, There are much better options near by and nice places with friendly staff, GM & ownership. Do yourself a huge favor, avoid this place! read more

Food is was good but we waited forever for food and drinks. I understand when it gets busy but this was a little ridiculous. Not even a complimentary drink. And here they want to charge if you have to cancel a reservation. So what are they giving for long waits?? Sorry but at this price point I expected much better. read more

A good local restaurant for a high end meal. They have a decent-sized deck behind the restaurant (away from the road), which is nice in this COVID era now that the weather is warm. The service is friendly, though a bit slow (not recommended if you're in a rush). Recommended dishes include the short rib mac and cheese and the slow cooked halibut. They also have a great cocktail list--the early bird is fantastic. read more

Food was excellent. So, why the 1 star? Let's see, they put scallops in front of my friend with a deadly shellfish allergy. After many apologies, we understood, accidents happen. Despite the fact that just inhaling the steam was enough to make her have to step outside for some fresh air. Nothing taken off the bill, not even a glass of wine. And despite the fact that you're paying $100+ pp, you're surrounded by tables with small children who were stomping around the restaurant as if it were Chuck E Cheese. I have kids, I've taken them to restaurants since birth, NEVER have they behaved in this manner. So, we won't be back. Is it an upscale restaurant, a family restaurant? Make a decision. And, after all of this, you have to chase down the server just to pay your bill. read more

I loved my brunch here. I was served by a woman named Unique, who was attentive and friendly. The food and drinks were well-executed, and the environment is beautiful. i look forward to going again. read more

Tiny oysters and taste little bit fishy ceviche. We were little bit disappointed with appetizers. Main dishes were very good. We had halibut and pasta. Had good taste and portions were good. Service was good and friendly. read more

Celebrated my engagement here and it was a wonderful experience. From the valet to the staff and chefs, they really take care of their customers. We had rigatoni to share, fried calamari and salmon. All delicious and beautiful presentation. For dinner I had the steak, fiancé had the short ribs and polenta and the groupa fish and another steak was ordered. Everything had so much flavor. We had mushrooms and Brussels sprouts to share as well. The Brussel sprouts had this honey glaze and if I wasn't so full I could've eaten it all on my own. For dessert, i shared the chocolate mousse, which came with a chocolate "congratulations" on the plate and chopped strawberries. The pumpkin cheesecake was also ordered and they loved it. Overall, a wonderful place with great staff, decor and food. Would 100% return and recommend. read more

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Last weekend we held a couples wedding shower at The Hill. The staff was so incredibly attentive, from the beginning when we booked the event, to all the little details of the day. The servers were extremely accommodating and committed to delighting our guests. The venue is beautiful and they just redid their gorgeous patio. The General Manager, Andrew made sure everything was perfect. And everyone raved about the food and the drinks. It was a beautiful day and we made awesome memories. We are very grateful to the staff at The Hill. read more

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