Celebrity Chefs Are Secretly Obsessed With This Chain Dubbed 'America's Favorite Restaurant'

Many self-proclaimed "foodies" would turn their nose right up in the air and balk at the notion that one can indeed have a high quality meal at a national chain restaurant. Some claim you might miss on the homespun charm of a family restaurant like Casale's Halfway Club in Reno. Most celebrity chefs would obviously defend a local institution such as Anthony Bourdain's professed love of LA french dip originator Philippe the Original. Even going to bat for a celebrated local chain like LA's best chicken spot, Zankou, is more respectable. But in the case of Hillstone, customers and celebrity chefs alike confirm that they are bonafide devoted fans of the chain with many opinions given on a favorite dish. Noted restaurateurs like David Chang and Danny Meyer count themselves among the legion of Americans who would probably agree with Bon Appetit's assertion that Hillstone is indeed "America's Favorite Restaurant."

Founded in 1977 as "Houston's" in Nashville, the Hillstone Restaurant group has expanded to include 39 restaurants in 11 states operating under 15 different names. But whether you're going to Honor Bar in Beverly Hills, California or Woodmont Grill in Bethesda, Maryland; you can expect the same level of amazing service (like really noteworthy service) and that dynamite Ding's Crispy Chicken Sandwich that will be of the same quality as if it was ordered in any other place in the country. That's the deal with Hillstone, the consistency amongst the entire restaurant group is frankly stunning. It probably explains the wide diaspora of people who have had a sensational meal there and why they can depend on it when they inevitably return.

Picking a favorite dish at Hillstone can be tricky, as the chain features a remarkable variety of cuisine while also doing them justice. It might seem odd at first to have standard American fare and sushi on the same menu, but Hillstone prepares everything they serve with top shelf ingredients. They even bake the bread they use for their hamburger buns that same day. As noted in Bon Appetit, David Chang's go-to is the USDA Prime French Dip sandwich, stating that the delectable sandwich "haunts" him. Shake Shack founder Danny Meyer's "usual" order involves the famous aforementioned Ding's Crispy Chicken Sandwich (which must be tasted to be believed) accompanied by an order of yellowtail sashimi salad. Samin Nosrat, a James Beard award-winning author and TV host of "Salt Acid Fat Heat", has also praised Hillstone publicly.

One undeniable signature dish of the chain has to be the spinach artichoke dip. With hearty morsels of artichoke and spinach with a cheese pull that comes straight out of a dream, the appetizer served with tortilla chips is a staple. Servers who've noticed that you might have run out of chips don't mind replenishing them either, which is a good thing, as the patron might have to resort to more primal methods to get every last savory bite.

Sometimes in order to get a taste of some hot new restaurant, one might have to endure a cacophony of voices and activity that comes with such popularity. Not so at Hillstone. The seating has been pared down to a dining room full of comfy booths, doing away with tables awkwardly placed in the middle of a flurry of activity. The restaurant actually discourages the inclusion of younger children and recommends only parties of two. While this atmosphere may ring slightly of a fine dining atmosphere, and you do indeed pay for what you get at Hillstone. The experience (as well as the delicious and plentiful entrees) however, make it well worth your money.

One aspect of the place that also makes the price point understandable is the level of service you can come to expect at Hillstone. The staff is constantly working in synergy with one another, tending to the customer's needs right away while not overwhelming themselves with more tables than they can handle. Jon Shook, of famous LA restaurateur pair Jon & Vinny, joked about their quality hiring practices, saying "They're really good at hiring too. They didn't hire me when I applied for a job there." There's a reason Hillstone received the coveted "Platinum Plate Club" achievement, their highest honor, from the popular comedy podcast about chain restaurants, Doughboys. Though it may be a chain restaurant, Hillstone's quality is too obvious to not be noticed by the top brass of the food industry.