Review: The Hill Bar & Grill is a good weekend hangout

The menu at The Hill Bar & Grill, a restaurant opened in the summer of 2013 by Wine Dive owners and brothers Brent and Brad Steven, has a lot of variety, including hamburgers, a black bean burger, a turkey burger, seafood, steak, chicken, pork, pasta, salads, desserts, cocktails, kids meals and more. It even has a Saturday brunch.

With so many choices, we asked our waitress, Anastasia, to recommend some of her favorites, and she had some good suggestions.

We started our meal with a half of The Hill salad, an artisan blend of lettuce, pepperoncini peppers, cherry tomatoes, feta cheese, olives and a feta vinaigrette dressing. It was the perfect amount of salad to share before our entrees arrived. The feta vinaigrette dressing was flavorful, and the kitchen was generous with the toppings on the salad.

I had the street tacos, which come three to an order and are served with black bean salsa, Spanish rice, lettuce and sliced avocado. I chose the “pick three tacos” for $13 so I could taste the various meats. The tacos are constructed on 4-inch gluten-free white corn tortillas, and you get two tortillas per soft taco.

The pork carnitas had salsa verde, diced onions and cilantro; the chicken had grilled chicken, red salsa verde, pico de gallo and cheddar cheese; and the carne asada had steak, pico de gallo, queso fresco and red salsa verde. All were tasty, but my favorite was the pork carnitas. The smoky flavor of the pork was delicious.

My husband had one of the daily specials: the chicken nachos. His plate was piled high with thin and crispy tortilla chips covered with sliced grilled chicken, guacamole, nacho cheese, lettuce, tomato and sour cream and served with The Hill’s own salsa. The guacamole was smooth and creamy, and the sliced grilled chicken was a nice change to the shredded chicken you find at other restaurants.

Finding gluten-free items on a menu in Wichita isn’t easy, but The Hill offers more than 15 gluten-free items including appetizers, salads and entrees. Daily specials are available Mondays through Thursdays, and an a la carte brunch offered from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays features eggs Benedict, omelets, pancakes, breakfast burritos, tacos and more.

The Hill has more than 20 flat-screen televisions, including two in the men’s restroom. The restaurant has dark wood tables and booths that provide an elegant setting. There is even a coat hook on the end of each booth, which provides more room during winter months. The booths are tall and offer privacy. There is plenty of seating available for small and large groups.

The Hill Bar & Grill is a great place to meet friends, family or colleagues after work or on the weekends.

This story was originally published January 15, 2015 at 5:09 PM with the headline "Review: The Hill Bar & Grill is a good weekend hangout."