Hillstown Kitchen in Ballymena

We both had a lovely lunch, coffee was good too, I'd definitely recommend you give these guys a try.

Really disappointing lunch to Hillstown Farm Shop. We were delighted to hear the cafe had re-opened as it was always good and busy but we went for lunch one day and it was dead. Service was very slow. Place felt like there had been no heating in it for days. Very limited menu and sooooooo expensive. Crazy prices for what you get. My husband ordered the honey chilli chicken and chips, only to be told that they had run out of chips?! Could they not have chopped up some potatoes, given that it is indeed a farm shop?! Or had they ran out of their frozen chips, which I expect was the case. I had the panini special which was fine, a bit dry and definitely not worth the money. Won't be back

Visited yesterday late afternoon for coffee and a scone. Friendly service but very slow considering the restaurant was practically empty, I think 2 other tables who had already been served. The coffee was lovely and the scone fresh. However it was the price that shocked me - £14.50 for 2 coffees and 2 scones. I know prices have gone up but I have coffee out every weekend and this is the most expensive I've come across. Think this is extortionate. Would be reluctant to return unless the prices come down a bit.

Fry was delicious and my Nephew said it was his best milkshake ever. I loved the veggie roll so much I bought some from the farm shop. We also went round the lovely sunflower maze.

Try the Burgers, Amazing. Don't forget to buy the steaks and sausages on your way out, the best around.

Called in for a fry on a Saturday morning. Asked for a poached egg instead of a fried egg but was told “no” as the chef was on his own, it was very busy and poached eggs were “too fiddly “ (think there were 12-14 ppl in the cafe and 3 tables were already eating. Served our tea straightaway but had to ask for it to be refreshed as it took so long for our breakfast. In hindsight we should’ve left after 20 min but it’s always been so good here we waited it out - 35 mins. What a disappointment it was - very greasy and cooked in dirty oil. The fried egg was liked rubber and had been turned over and over. When I pressed the potato bread and soda with a fork, oil oozed out. Good ingredients from the farm shop completely ruined by the cooking of them. I don’t know if someone else is running the cafe separately now from the farm shop but we won’t be back to eat here. The prices have gone up quite a bit as well. Dreadful. Wish I’d taken a photo to put on TA.

I have eaten in the restaurant a good few times before lockdown. Each of the previous visits were great! Superb locally / in-house sourced ingredients, varied selection, warm hospitality, great value for money. However, this time was very poor. Limited selection, burnt food, incorrect order and so on. I will state that Covid has set many businesses back and because of this I will try it again. Hopefully by then it will be back to the excellent standard many of the frequent customers raved about.

I have been coming here for a log time and the food never disappoints, probably the best around. Try the burgers, totally amazing.

I have been in this restaurant many times for midday lunch steak nights and Christmas dinners which were all very good even their fries were excellent. It was my first time back after the lockdown and my friend and I decided we would go for a fry. After signing in and getting a menu we discovered there were no fries anymore even though the shop sells all the necessary ingredients for a fry!!!! We decided to order something else and I ordered chicken goujons with chips after waiting 25 minutes the meal arrived!! I forgot to say there was no choice of dip and the garlic dip that was served was so strong that I could taste it the rest of the day. The side salad was three miserable lettuce leaves nothing else. My friend had ordered chips with his but when it arrived there were no chips!!! He asked a waitress about his fries and they eventually arrived more than halfway through his meal. The staff seemed be on another planet. Even if it had been on an eat out to help out the price would have still been too high. I am not in the habit of writing bad reviews but I felt I had to in order to improve things.

First visit to Hillstown farm shop & cafe this morning - we’ll definitely be back! We have kids aged 4yrs, 2yrs and a young baby and were seated right away by friendly staff. Order was taken in good time and food arrived soon after - we had brought our own colouring things and a few toys to entertain the kids while we waited. Delicious breakfast, high quality locally sourced food in a lovely setting, our 2yr old especially enjoyed looking at the big old tractor! Enjoyed a little play on the slide outside after and also watching the llamas and chickens too. A lovely Saturday morning for all the family.

Yesterday my wife and myself visited this establishment for lunch...what a mistake..following being seated by an very over familiarised girl, she must have said "wee" and "no problems"in the space of walking from the door to our table.... we then waited 55 minutes for a toasted sandwich and a burger.....whilst we waited I timed the delivery of food from the kitchen only to note that NO food at all was served in a space of 45 minutes to any of the long suffering customers. Eventually our order arrived...wife's coleslaw was so old it was set....my burger was just about warm but the accompanying 3 wee bits of lettuce was, in my opinion, was at least a week old...soggy and turning black.This will be the last time we visit this eatery...absolute disgrace...I'd rather go hungry than go back there.....other people just walked out and left ...couldn't wait...never ever ever again....

Called first to see if they were open, yes they were. Went and stood 5 minutes at a door which had a sign on a table saying “wait to be seated” Eventually a girl saw us and seated us at a table with dishes on it and then came back and cleared it and cleaned it and gave us menus. We knew having been there many a time what we wanted to order but we sat 20 minutes and every time one of the 4 staff walked past and I was looking at them waiting on them to look, smile ... acknowledge me - they would not give eye contact.... We walked out. Unacceptable. This was our regular place and we hadn’t been there since February- granted the service was never good but the food always was and that’s what kept us going back. Such a pity, this is a great business and if the right people were working there it could be a winner. Two other parties who were sick waiting also walked out into the car park at the same time as we did, they were very disappointed too. We’ll never be back.

Called yesterday with my daughter just wanted a wee cup of tea and a scone left with nothing staff was just to busy chatting 3 girls behind the counter I've eaten here before and the food is always very good it's just the staff are so slow if they had of been busy I wouldn't mind but no hands on hips and a chatting so we left 😕

The food here is excellent. All the meat is from the owners own farm and is of the highest quality. If you are hungry I would reccomend one of their huge burgers, they are something else!

Staff okay Food good Waited nearly half an hour for service Place was very cold 🥶 Wasn’t impressed.

I absolutely love this place. We try to visit a least once a month for lunch. The girls are all so pleasant and welcoming. The food is cooked fresh to order and is absolutely delicious. I have tried many different choices from the menu and each dish is lovely. What a gem ,I am glad that I found this place. A definite favourite for me. Please give it a try.

After waiting for over 45 minutes we enquired how long it would be until our food would be ready.After ten minutes a waiter came back to say our order was lost and not sent to the kitchen.My 4 year old daughter was very hungry and were told that our order would be rushed out after being taken for a 2nd time.Despite numerous other order coming from the kitchen we left after 1 hour 30 minutes without food.This places is a smoky shambles! The waiters don’t care and the there is no management. Don’t waste your time, they certainly wasted ours!

Disorganised restaurant. Gave our order then the waiting began. Young people serving no idea. After 40 mins wait enquired to b told 10 mins later they forgot to submit order kitchen. Then she proceeded to ask for our order again. Had to give order again and asked for granddaughters meal to b brought first. ... again waited ..... witnessed lot other customers complaining. Still no food arrived Waiters not bothered. After 1 hour and half we asked to speak to manager. There was no manager. Left without any food. never b back or wouldn’t recommend. They just could not cope too much on the menu and chef it would appear can’t cope. Ridiculous. Unpleasant experience. Disaster.

While always wishing to support local produce and local service, this cafe/restaurant experience was a let down.

Wanted to go to this popular farm shop and restaurant for long time. Recent award for best Farm Cafe made it a priority. Certainly didn’t disappoint. Shop bursting with fresh produce and fine quality foods to accompany the finest of meals. Cafe warm and inviting with efficient friendly staff dealing with customers quickly. Menu extensive and choosing not easy as all appealing. Meals beautifully presented, portions large and all reasonably priced. Will definitely return.

No complaints with food ETC but outside lets it down a bagful. First impressions and all that. Lane down to shop/cafe need some attention but in parking area needs quite bit. Potholes which are full of water on wet day/night not very welcoming. Parking BIT limited. Outside area was very dirty and we had to pick our way through to get a clean path to door - shouldn't be the case. If your THERE at night as we were and leaving in dark I recommend you bring A TORCH to pick your way back to your car - -NO OUTSIDE LIGHTING - PITCH BLACK - remember of course those potholes I mentioned.

First time here & we had great food with great service even though it was lunch time & quite a lot of people there. I could not finish all my meal as we got good amount. Also got a couple of buns & was given an extra one. Will be back! Promise. First class 5*

Callind in yesterday for Lunch, I opted for the steak sandwich and the other half had the buffalo bill burger. Blown away is an understatement, this is the second time since the new menu and both times have been exceptional. With a few glances of the menu they have something for everyones taste, 6 different burgers, huge breakfast option, the most exciting salads I think I've ever seen on any menu anywhere, there own aged beef is also an option, not many cafes have a steak cooked to your liking on offer. The staff couldn't have done enough for us. Was checked just shortly after I received my steak (med rare) which told me these guys are well briefed on service. Cooked to perfection. Everyone knows the meat at hillstown is of top class standard. The flavour was intense, obviously the meat had aged beautifully. The Buffallo Bill burger, again what's not to love. Salt and chill chicken, sriracha and stretchy buffallo mozzarella all in a brioche bap. Pure bliss. This place is a hidden gem, its surprising the amount of friends I mention to that have never heard of it. I am now making it my mission to promote this place and spread the word of how amazing it is. Keep at it guys. Will be back again and again and again

We have visited here several times in the past for breakfast and thought we would give it a try for lunch today. All 3 of the main meals we ordered were advertised as being served with coleslaw. When they arrived at our table we noticed there was no coleslaw with any of them. One of our party went up to the counter to question this to be told that there was no coleslaw left, and no alternative was offered. Unfortunately this meant the dish in question was very dry and unpalatable. It is wholly unacceptable to advertise a dish on a specials board as being served with a particular side, and for this not to be amended or an alternative offered when it runs out. We could even have been told this when ordering but this didn’t happen either. We expressed our dissatisfaction when paying but no discount was offered despite not being served what we ordered and paid for. On the whole a very disappointing visit.

Great food, great prices and great staff.I eat here with family and friends at least twice a month. Great for families and couples of all ages.

So very disappointed after my first visit today. was so happy to have won a competition as I had heard such good things about this place. on arrival It was so busy we had to wait for a table to empty to get a seat which wasn't a problem as not unusual in cafes on bank holidays. the problem was every table in the cafe filled and 2 (maybe 3 at times) staff to cover everything... needless to say the service was very slow... when we EVENTUALLY ordered waiting staff seemed pleasant enough. we waited an hour on our food and that's not an exaggeration. the kids were so hungry they were becoming upset. neither myself or my friend Wer complaining at this stage because she assured me once the food came it would be worth it as she had been before. so it arrived (well minus a side order which was missing). my friends honey chilli chicken was cold. like an unsafe food temperature and the goujons wer LITERALLY swimming in a puddle of grease. every time you touched it more grease came out... and when we sent back the cold food to be reheated it was clearly just bunged in a microwave for 30 seconds and sent back down still not warm!! still no side either at this point we had to ask twice for it. No staff members came near us at all the rest of our visit. We went up to join a very long queue of people who had given up on waiting on staff to come take their orders because we wanted something sweet like a bun. after standing 15-20mins we were then asked was everything ok. we explained politely how we hadn't really enjoyed our experience. the staff member just stared at us awkwardly and then told us we could have the buns for free because of this.. but still over charged us £7.50 on what we should have paid (which we hadn't realised until we left) no senior staff member or manager was sent out to speak with us regarding our complaint. Absolute shambles really for an "award winning cafe" and the top it off when leaving a bad review on their FB page I happened to notice their chef leaving cheeky responses to the negative feedback of others. Then management condoning that behaviour. Won't be back. Won't be recommending. And will be sharing this bad experience and terriblet unprofessional attitude to anyone thinking of going there

Visited today, 2 sandwiches, 2 teas and a portion of garlic fries came to £19! Garlic fries came swimming in an inch of rancid butter with very little garlic. Asked for no leaves ( ie no rocket or baby leaves etc on my plate as i cant eat them ) guess what came on my plate, apparently no ordinary lettuce offered as they are trying to elevate themselves (staff words not mine) i live close to Hilltown and have supported them for ages but this was the last time I will visit. Quality had gone very downhill and im very disappointed as i always like to support local people.

I really enjoy a visit number one is the lovely staff there is a great young chap especially who is so considerate to everyone !! Food is pretty good it’s fresh , tasty and quality !

We have had some delicious meat products from the butcher, consequently we were anticipating a delicious meal at the restaurant. As it was a very cold day we chose a very ordinary fry with a side of chips. Exceedingly disappointing - over cooked bacon, three bread items, (one too many) and chips that had seen better days. My companion was a chef and suggested that possibly it was due to pre-cooking some items that may have been to blame. At a cost of £16 we did not feel it represented good value.

I'm a regular visitor here for their breakfast fry which is very good indeed. Can't comment on their lunches or specialty evenings but definitely worth a visit for breakfast. Breakfast is cooked to order unlike some other places where food can dry out when being kept warm. Set frys come with a good mug of coffee and free top ups. I like to take time reading the paper and doing the crossword over breakfast but on weekdays this can be difficult here as it seems to attract a fair number of mothers or childminders with young children that can be noisy. The restaurant is located next to a farm shop and micro-brewery serving a good selection of fresh local produce.

It doesn't get much fresher then this! All the meat is fresh from the farm! Lovely place although a bit off the beaten track. Well worth a visit. breakfast is brill!!

We are fans of this excellent cafe. Knowing that they occasionally did evening meals we asked if they could host a 21st birthday dinner. They were so easy to deal with from discussing the menu (my daughter picked all her favourite dishes), to coping with the fluctuating numbers of guests, to setting up tables, to providing a truly excellent level of service. The serving staff could not have been more helpful and as for the food - it was fantastic. Everyone commented on the quality of the ingredients and the fantastic way it was cooked and served. Should add that the portions sizes were impressive.

Was here for breakfast with my niece and her 2 children it was cold outside but inside there was a lovely stove lit we ordered our food kids got there tea in lovely cup 1 with a tractor for a boy and a fancy China cup for a wee girl who felt like a princess fry came it was fresh and very enjoyable when kids were finished they went to play in the toy corner while we finished our food if you go in summer they have a closed of play area outside very family friendly friendly staff and very clean would recommend this place will definitely be back

This is part of a farm complex with a super farm shop and micro brewery. A nice place to stop. All ingredients are sourced locally, and the food is reflected in value for money. everybody enjoys.

Arrived here for a cup of coffee and scone to be told we don’t have scones! This was 11.30 am and previously there were always scones! Waitress would have rather flicked her hair than serve customers other waitress had a sour face with no real joy to actually have a job and to be alive. Tables were dirty, floor was disgusting and waiting times were horrendous. Yous have definitely let yourselves drop standards!

How blissful it is to come here. Food is excellent and staff are even better. It is such a wonderful thing to have such nice places like here in the world. The food I had was completely faultless. Must say I am impressed.

If you like a leisurely lunch like we had yesterday then Hillstown is the place to go. Lovely rural location with parking, farm shop and brewery. They sell and cook their own produce - we have had delicious sausages from shop and restaurant.

We called here on a recommendation and really glad we did. We were shown to a table, had our order taken and I browsed the lovely giftware while we were waiting. There's a great choice for breakfast and you can pretty much choose what you like. I just went for toast, tomato, sausage and mushrooms. The only downside to this was that there was just half a tomato and one slice of toast so I asked for another slice. My partner added to his fry and had pancake, potato bread, sausage, bacon, eggs and haggis. All washed down with a great pot of tea, we were both very happy with what we got. So much so that we went and bought haggis, sausage and bacon at the butchery as well as other meat for the week. A great place with superb meats and we will definitely be back again

Arrived during a very busy lunchtime but hadn't to wait too long for a table. After about a 10 minute wait I had to ask for the table to be cleared and cleaned and for menus. Drinks arrived quickly, tea was plentiful and I liked the farm themed cups!

Great fry for breakfast, lovely setting, polite staff, quick service despite it being very busy. Just an all round nice place to eat

Went here today for breakfast! Amazing food and amazing service. The members of staff were soo pleasant and attentive. The food was really good, award winning sausages were exactly that! Will definitely be back! Such a friendly atmosphere.

Had heard so many great reviews about this place, so we decided we'd go for late brunch. Asked the young lad who was serving in the shop if we were going the correct way to get into the restaurant and were more or less grunted at. We were unsure if the restaurant was self service but after seeing orders being taken at tables, we sat down, and waited, and waited, before a menu ever came our way. The young girl was very friendly though, took our order and we didn't have to wait too long for our food.

Lovely setting, great menu, food itself really very good - but service is not! Erratic, No system for tables - long wait for menus, long wait to order, then drinks eventually arrive, then much later food arrives....tables uncleared, waitresses on way to take orders then waylaid and going back to take payments at till... chose to go up to the counter to place order in after observing the confused goings-on. It was fairly busy, but waiting staff seem to be randomly pulled in different directions. At least two or three different staff dealt with us - back and forth and requests being repeated, but a long time forthcoming.... strange - we had vacated a larger table to make way for a larger group coming in, moving across to a smaller - and told the waitress, but when food finally arrived with a different waitress they had no clue - had to go across restaurant and point out it was our order. These things could be very easily fixed....with better communication and coordination.

Lovely appetizing food been here a few times and have not been disappointed great menu food looks good tastes better

Having visited before we knew the service would be slow but today was particularly bad, and food wasn’t as good as usual. They managed to bring a ten piece fry with only 8 items most of which were dried out.

Went here fir breakfast and it was great along with the service. Went into the farm shop as well which had great produce and good prices

My Wife and I were treated to the Steak night and what a treat. The steaks were superb the starters were fantastic and the service from the young waitresses was very good nothing was to much trouble for them. I would highly recommend people try the steak nights.

The food was ok, but nothing mind-blowing. And the names of the burgers are cringeworthy and I suspect show the attitude of this place that it is ever-so-cool with its faux-wagyu beef. But then they actually spell the method they use to produce it incorrectly! Instills confidence? Anyway, when we arrived it was nice and quiet. We needed a large table and unfortunately sat at one near the children's play area. Later, however, several groups of parents with children arrived who let their offspring run wild while they sat on their behinds doing nothing about the behaviour. To be honest, even if we had been far away from that area, the children screamed and screeched so loudly in eardrum-splitting tones that it would have made little difference. They were running around all over the place while the staff were bringing hot food and drinks – albeit very slowly... Ordering went ok, and the main course arrived ok, but we were then abandoned by the rather lax waitresses. After sitting with our dirty plates for a good while, we had to go and order coffee etc at the counter. Even then it took a good while for the plates to be noticed. Then when we pointed out that the garlic fries had had more butter than fries (we phrased it more politely!) this was met with complete incredulity, like as if such a thing or the very possibility of such an occurrence were totally alien to this planet. (An exception to this was the man in the shop who was very helpful.)

Comimos allí la última noche - no puedo quejarme de la comida. Excelente.

Mi esposo y yo hemos ido a las dos últimas noches de bistec y quedamos gratamente sorprendidos por la calidad y el sabor de la comida, desde el extra para empezar a picar un poco el enorme pudines a fin! Nos pareció que el personal, aunque jóvenes, era muy amable y servicial, mi única queja es que la última noche que estuvimos allí, había un pianista en la esquina que estaba tocando música encantadora, pero era demasiado ruidoso y hacía difícil mantener una conversación. Música de fondo debe ser en el fondo no tomar más de la habitación!

Excelente servicio, comida y ambiente. Ambos tuvimos las patatas fritas hillstown. Uno pequeño y uno grande, ambos muy sabrosos.

Visitamos a la familia. En una ocasión anterior había llamado. No estaba preparado para el nivel muy alto en todos los ámbitos. Tienda contigua de la granja. Calidad parecía excelente. Sin duda volveremos

Whilst i have always enjoyed visits for lunch or a snack to Hillstown, recently the quality of cooking has somewhat declined. Wednesday 19 April found one portion of chips to be overcooked and hard. Also sausages on kids meal not cooked just enough. Everyone has different expecting of quality but although i am usually well pleased at this location i feel that it's recently not up to scratch. Will continue to go but please up the game and serve higher standard of food.

Food is good but the service is dire! Had breakfast here on Saturday and it took 40 minutes to arrive, my order was incorrect but it took so long to get it I didn't bother to say anything. It wasn't very busy either. The staff need training. The tea left a lot to be desired too.

We visited the farm shop to see the types of preserves and teas that were available. There is a wide selection from clotted cream, to marmalades, to cookies and loose tea. We also visited the tea shop for a lovely visit , there was a £3 deal of a coffee with a scone or desert , which was also very lovely. A nice relaxing time.

Took the girls in my family for an afternoon tea treat! Got pre booked! When we arrived the table was set & reserved for the 6 of us. We sat and quickly our food began to arrive! Beautiful slates with gorgeous soup, rolls, scones, buns, desserts....amazing! The best part was how my 2 little girls were included and catered for with their own special sandwiches, lollies & ice cream sundaes- all of this was without us requesting anything- so very thoughtful and special memories made!! Will definitely do this again....soon

My daughter and I went here for breakfast today and we were very disappointed in both the service and the food. We sat for 40 mins before our order was taken, 3 other tables who had arrived after us being served before us, despite my asking a waitress to take our order. The place was not busy! 50 mins after sitting down we had our breakfast. My daughter had porridge with fruit and honey. The honey had obviously been served previously to another person as it was all dribbled down the outside of the ramekin. I had bacon, veg roll, soda bread, tomato and scrambled egg. The egg had clearly been microwaved as its was like rubber. The tomato was burned black on top and there was only half a slice of bacon. I asked for HP sauce and was given an HP bottle, but not HP sauce. The sauce was light brown and very runny. Is this not illegal? When I went to pay the girl asked if everything was ok. She was taken aback when I said "No actually it wasn't" She offered no apology. The only reason I have not rated this a 1 is because my daughter's porridge was nice.

Great place to go for lunch. Bit isolated and hard to find, but it is worth it. Reasonably priced and a good menu. Friendly staff

Best sandwich and filled out to the edge of the slice. Not just small amount. Plenty of choice of different fillings also some crisps coleslaw and salad. Went at lunchtime was pretty busy but no wait for food. Very reasonably priced. Hope to go to their famous steak night soon.

Me and my husband visit here often for the lovely Frys. Very friendly staff and nice atmosphere. Great tea and coffee and tasty food!

Want here with my mum and daughter and the selection was amazing with something for everyone,staff very efficent and friendly and food well priced you won't come out hungry!!!

Visited on Sat 7th January for lunch having previously been for coffee and was impressed. Not this time.. Order taken and 50 minutes later our food arrived. We ordered a large and small fry and changed some items. The table beside us was given our food to which the server blamed the kitchen even though table numbers are clearly marked. Our food came out 15 minutes later and included many things which were not ordered. Food quality was poor and service was even worse. Will not be back.

Bank holiday Monday after the new year when for lunch waited about fifteen minutes for a table. We had to get our own menus waited another 20 for order to be taken which didn't happen order at the till to try and speed it up. Two plates of food arrived for our party of 5. No knives or forks had to get them ourselves. The rest of the food arrived 10 minutes later. We did complain to the told that it was busy and only 3 waiting staff were working. It a bank holiday Monday when young kids eat free, very poor planning from the management.

A very good selection of dishes were available within the lunch menu. Our group had everything from the soup of the day (delicious) to a full Christmas dinner. The waitresses were very friendly and helpful.

What a place! A lovely cafe with amazing food. Staff are friendly and very accommodating. The lasagne looked amazing and the stir fry was lovely. The desserts and the selection of tray bakes are brilliant. Reasonably priced. You can even buy farm themed crockery and gifts, fruit, veg and meat in the shop. As this is a very busy spot round lunchtime, parking can be an issue but worth the trek.

Good wholesome food. Good sized portions. And keenly priced. The staff are always friendly and very helpful. Hard to criticise this wee gem of a place!!!

Just superb. Group of friends meet monthly for a Saturday morning fry here and it's just excellent. I'd do it every week if my waistline could cope! Try it you'll not be disappointed!

A beautiful eatery set in lovely countryside with stunning views. Very pleasant and helpful staff serving delicious homemade food. A varied menu covering most tastes, presented beautifully using quirky mismatched tableware. Outside you can take a wander up the line to see some Lamas that roam happily in the adjacent field. All in all a lovely stop off at any stage of the day.

We visited this restaurant/ farm shop. Not disappointed. Busy for a Monday morning,with more than half the tables taken in this large bright airy eatery. Food was allCooked to order and well presented by pleasant and helpful young staff. Tasted divine and will return. Can't reccommend highly enough.

I was looking forward to eating in Hillstown as friends have told me so much about it. I brought two elderly ladies and myself for lunch today and first of all we were impressed with the farm shop and the very bright, clean and quirky dining room. An extensive menu to suit all tastes. I had the toasted wrap bacon, brie and onion chutney which was really tasty and the salad with it was scrummy. My friends enjoyed their choices too. Staff were very pleasant and helpful. Bonus points as it was a Wednesday we got a discount as we were golden oldies all over 60! Next time we will have some cake!

Came for lunch with family. Had to wait at least 20 mins. Food was really good. Ordered more coffee and pastries..Waited another15 mins second coffee was like dish water. Having said that I would go back again.

I go here regularly and always enjoy the food, it is always fresh and the burgers are the best. Recently I have noticed they have really upped their game as far as service is concerned. All the staff are friendly and professional, nothing is too much trouble, especially Aaron, he is very good at his job and a credit to your business.

We have visited Hillstown on a number of occasions and were very disappointed with out most recent meal there, the staff has changed since we last visited and the waitress on this visit was almost verging on rude, we were given dirty cutlery and glasses, the table was filthy but when we pointed this out we were ignored, she gave us menus and then took a long time to return to get an order placed,we would of liked to order drinks but didn't get the chance. Food was not of the same quality as usual and we didn't get asked if we would like sauce or any other condiments for our meal, nor did anyone come to make sure everything was ok with our food. I am Afraid after how we were treated we won't be back. Highly recommend some staff training on basic manners, especially as this waitress seemed to be in charge!

We're go here regularly and enjoy the good wholesome food. Restaurant very clean and tidy. Good place to sit for a chat. Staff not pushing you out once you get your food. They also have steak night once a month which has proven to be a big success for the owners

My husband and I have gone periodically for breakfast over the last 2 years. Normally it is good. Unfortunately today the food was awful. Bacon and eggs hard,mushrooms half raw and dirty crockery. I asked for a clean glass and was brought another equally dirty glass, very off-putting. Not what you want on a meal out. Disappointing

6 of us went for lunch. They were not busy, plenty of staff, about 5, milling round behind the counter, but the service was ridiculously slow. It took about two hours to have a light lunch and desert, we hadn't time to wait for coffee. After our main course, i kept looking over at the staff, but no one came, after about 20 minutes i went up and ordered deserts. They came, one at a time, ridiculous. We ate our deserts with uneaten chips, sauces etc. Still on the table. Very disappointing experience, would cdrtainly put me off visiting again :-(

This was our second visit here for lunch, both times the food has been a good standard for the type of restaurant but service not so. On this occasion, the service was even worse - we had to ask for menus, to order and gave up waiting to order desert that we paid the bill and left. There are better places to eat, for the same money, we won't be back again.

The day we came here it was very busy. There was a group from an old peoples home.We had a lovely meal. The staff were very friendly and the service was quick.

Excellent home cooking. Very good quality and well priced! Great spot for a lunch. Always busy. Great desserts.

Had called in for a coffee a few days before... service and scone / coffee were excellent. Arrived on 11/9/15 for lunch at 1:30. Only 4 other tables were occupied ... yet it took a full 10 minutes before any of the 3 staff drifting around the service area even made eye contact.When ordering it transpired the items on the "specials board" we had been given were no longer availably. My wife ordered a soft drink .. I ordered water. I was given a glass half full of warm water. (come on get with the times and serve a jug/bottle of chilled water) I later noticed other guests were given bottles of water on their table ... explain that.The food arrived ... the chicken was severely overcooked ; the lamb burger consistency was like kebab meat.Sorry.... I can not recommend this place and I will not be back.

My wife and I along with another couple decided to visit this place as we always have bought produce from the attached farm shop. What sets this place apart from most other restaurants is that all the produce grown or reared on the farm is served in the restaurant. If your concerned about food miles this is as good as it gets,the farm is located within 100 meters. The night we booked was steak night and what an experience this turned out to be. I would consider myself a decent chef when it comes to cooking a steak but my first bite of a Wagyu steak in here and I realized the chef here was in an entirely different class. This was easily one of the best steaks I've ever had. This was this sentiment viewed by all the diners at our table. My thanks to Nigel and all his staff for making this a truly memorable evening. We will definitely making another booking

Only discovered hillstown farmshop recently and took my mum here for her birthday to their monthly steak nights. Oh my.....amazing!! Also the afternoon tea is yummy. Proper quality sandwiches, buns and scones. Beautiful restaurant, surroundings and farm shop. Looking forward to returning :)

What a lovely place , clean, bright, child friendly and really great waitresses . But oh dear dear the food was dreadful ! Maybe it was a one off but it really was not good .My lunch was not even edible ! I have been before and on that visit which was one of the monthly steak nights I have to say it was super , big portions maybe too big ! The steaks were great .Our lunch today was very poor , seems a shame because I know I won't be back .The staff are so nice and everything else was brilliant just change the chef !

As a family we LOVE visiting this little gem. Whether for a big lunch of just a quick coffee and cake. The menu is well thought out - not ridiculously long and unfocused like SO many restaurants here in NI. The specials are always worth a try and show a real culinary "flare". Service is always with a smile but like most places can be a bit slow at peak times. A wander round the Farm Shop is always a treat too!

Went here with my family for a Friday night treat, was served quickly by the lovely waiting staff! The starter of salted chilli beef was one of the best starters I've had i a long time, lovely flavours and the beef was still so tender! The others equally enjoyed their starters but hubby seemed to keep sneaking his fork into my starter!! Mains were fab also with my dad proclaiming it was the best steak he'd ever had! By the time we were eating dessert we were the last table but at no point felt pressured to leave. A really beautiful meal made better by lovely friendly service!

Hillstown kitchen is more farm shop than restaurant. The shop/restaurant is basically part of a working farm. It's quite basic and country barnish in its decor. Expect more wood and wicker basket than leather and luxury. That all side it's still pleasant and reasonably comfortable. The staff are friendly and clearly invested in its the places success which is nice.Now onto the food. To put it simply, get the steak! It's a working farm and the quality of the meat is fantastic and fresh. The steak really shows this of. It's tender, thick and obviously fresh. The meat is well cooked and you can really taste the smokiness of the oven. If you ever wanted to try rare or blue steak, here seems like the place to try. The plate in general is well presented and side portions good and well put together. The only downside to the food is it's time to cook. It's fresh so don't expect super fast service but it is worth the wait.Overall Hillstown Kitchen is a great little change to eating out and provides great quality with a local feel. I do wish the interior was slightly more comfortable and luxurious but I can accept it as it is because the food is great. Recommended to anyone in a twenty mile radius easily and even worth a day trip to the area with here as last stop.

Fabulous meal tonight. Great food, attentive service and GREAT beer. They brew their own and according to my family it is jolly good! I've lived in Randalstown for 4 years and only heard about this place this week because of a chance conversation in the local off licence about a new display of beer. Will be back for multiple visits. This is a well stocked farm shop with what appears to be a recent addition restaurant - with a Massey Ferguson tractor viewing you from above (no mud and pristine looking) just a super vibe from start to finish! We ate on a Friday night - this place is open during the day but only on Friday's do they do evening meals. To be honest, that is really good business sense. It is well off the beaten track and it would cost a fortune for them to keep it staffed all the time. I'm looking forward to re visiting for the Farm shop alone (which isn't open on a Friday night) both myself and my Step father would have spent upwards of £50 if it had been. Only advice to anyone considering visiting? Just go, see super and beautiful animals being cared for in the most wonderful way and appreciate the care in the detail!

When we arrived we got a table and were served promptly by a lovely young waitress. As the special we wanted was sold out we chose the scampi. We asked for hand cut chips rather than skinny fries as we thought these would be nicer. My daughter was given a menu which said Kids eat free on Mondays (this was a Monday) but was told this offer no longer was on. Just a note here, if you advertise something you should stand over it, but we didn't push it. Anyway she ordered goujons and chips. When her meal came it was clearly chicken chunks, not goujons! Again, do not advertise something that isn't going to materialise! Our meals duly arrived and were clearly very overdone. Scampi was obviously a cheap brand, all breadcrumbs and little scampi and was dark brown. The hand cut chips were a real let down. Again were very dark brown and had a waxy, soggy texture, not the crispy chips we pictured. Also on the plate were tinned peas!!!!! Well I can open a tin of peas at home and over cook a few pieces of cheap scampi and if i made hand cut chips I would use a potato that would make crispy chips.Sorry but only went after reading all the great reviews and I was really disappointed! A greasy spoon café could do better.

We met friends for lunch and what a lovely treat! The food was delicious and the service good. I'll definitely be back! We bought some items from the farm shop as well.

Restaurant is light and airy, service was good prompt and efficient. Dishes are prepared as ordered and therefore could take time to serve up. Waiter service was very pleasant and courteous. No complaints, we were pleasantly surprised and will be back again.

My family are regulars at Hillstown. Food is always good and I love the farm shop and surrounding area. HOWEVER, the service is dire. You can be sitting for 10 mins waiting to order and a further 20-30 mins for food to arrive whether you order a burger or a cup of tea. Dear Hillstown- please allocate tables to waitresses. Waitresses could do with being properly trained as they do struggle with simple tasks. With a few changes this place could be brilliant. Please change before you lose custom.

This was our second visit this week. The food was very tasty and service was good despite it being Saturday lunchtime. My mother in law had the lamb curry and enjoyed the tender cuts of lamb.Portions were large and the chips were proper chips.What a pity we had no room left for a sweet as they all looked delicious!

Afternoon tea courtesy of family friend. Absolutely fabulous place with amazing selection and well-stocked shop. Toilets super clean which for me sets the standard for the kitchen hygiene. Staff really friendly. A hidden treasure.

me and my family were here last week. we sat down at a table at the window we watched people who came in after us get served. I walked up and asked if we were going to be served but the staff member snubbed me. safe to say I will not return.

Really enjoyed my visit, food was fantastic and reasonable priced. Friendly staff and a welcoming atmosphere made lunch here very relaxing.

After being told about Hillstown we finally made the trip over and we were not disappointed the restaurant is large, open and airy with a welcoming atmosphere. We chose to sit near the kids play area so our daughters could enjoy the large number of toys provided. The staff informed us about their daily specials and we choose of that rather than the normal menu (which is great and has everything from burgers to sandwiches) Being a Monday our Kids ate free and by no means did this mean smaller portion sizes. The kids meals came out first, allowing my wife and I to eat ours in peace. our food was very good, however the plates could of been a little warmer. We also took advantage of their special Dessert offer and enjoyed a lovely homemade cheesecake! Overall the standard is second to none and I will be back very soon. Would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone looking a tasty lunch in lovely surroundings with quality homemade products and friendly staff.

Visited Hillstown for Lunch with the family and very impressed with the food and the service. The food was brought out very quickly and it was fantastic. Highly recommend the special Turkey Dinner! The service was second to none and the staff are very helpful and friendly. Look forward to returning soon.

I felt compelled to write a review for Hillstown Kitchen after reading the negative comment by Fireflyman. Hillstown Farm Shop and Kitchen is one of my favourite restaurants, the only criticism I have is they are constantly booked up, especially for the excellent theme nights, surely hundreds of Northern Ireland people opting to eat here can't be wrong? I have to question the motive and intelligence of the original poster, someone who does not know how to spell flies or meat ('flys on the meet') cannot be taken seriously as a senior reviewer.

I've been coming to here for 6 months now and have to admit the food they serve is amazing. They make daily specials that would rival the food served at any of Belfast's top restaurants. The meat they sell next door comes from there own farm and is so tender and flavorsome. I've my Christmas turkey and ham ordered and can't wait till Christmas Day.Give this place a try, you won't be disappointed.

The Hilltown Farm Shop is one of the local best kept secrets that is hard to keep! Try their Pork and Haggis sausages! Once you've tasted their locally reared beef, pig and free range chicken you'll become a regular customer, but before you leave with your items, try their fare in new dining room next door. A bright and spacious dining hall with comfortable seating to have a coffee or tables to have breakfast or a family meal. Fresh food made to order from a varied menu and a daily specials board. Homemade desserts and tray bakes and fresh coffee or lattes. There is also a gift card and decor selection to browse of handmade gift items. Keep an eye out for the shiny red real sized tractor on display, but I don't think it's for sale! I brought a large group of family visiting from Canada here for breakfast and they were very impressed.