Another iconic Boston-area restaurant announced last week that after 52 years in business, they will be closing their doors at the end of this week. The Hilltop Steakhouse on Route 1 in Saugus was once one of the busiest restaurants in the nation. They were “the place” to get a steak and featured a very good menu. The dining rooms with their western motif were all named after western cities.
In 1989, Hilltop grossed $60 million and served more than 2 million customers. That year it was said that the Hilltop was the busiest, highest-grossing restaurant in North America, and some say, in the world.
I remember my first trip to the Hilltop in the Hey days of the late 70’s. We waited in line that wound outside the front door and into the parking lot. The property had a mock pasture with fiberglass
cows and a giant cactus. I fell in love with the place and that first chopped steak with mushroom
gravy that was to be my first meal there. I made many trips back through the years to enjoy the sirloins, filets and rib eye steaks that they were so famous for. The last time I was there was about 10 years ago and there were no more long lines waiting to get seated. This landmark had fallen out of vogue.
I thought, nothing had changed as far as the restaurant looked. The place was so completely old-school I wondered where is the sign declaring it a National Historic site. It was a bit tattered and could have used a polish but the big change I noticed was the quality of the food, it was just not the same.
In 1989, Hilltop grossed $60 million and served more than 2 million customers. That year it was said that the Hilltop was the busiest, highest-grossing restaurant in North America, and some say, in the world.
I remember my first trip to the Hilltop in the Hey days of the late 70’s. We waited in line that wound outside the front door and into the parking lot. The property had a mock pasture with fiberglass
cows and a giant cactus. I fell in love with the place and that first chopped steak with mushroom
gravy that was to be my first meal there. I made many trips back through the years to enjoy the sirloins, filets and rib eye steaks that they were so famous for. The last time I was there was about 10 years ago and there were no more long lines waiting to get seated. This landmark had fallen out of vogue.
I thought, nothing had changed as far as the restaurant looked. The place was so completely old-school I wondered where is the sign declaring it a National Historic site. It was a bit tattered and could have used a polish but the big change I noticed was the quality of the food, it was just not the same.
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