People who go to Simsbury Farms to golf, swim, ice skate or play tennis have a new place to eat after — or in the middle of — their day of fun. Hilltop Grille is the new onsite restaurant at the recreation area at 100 Old Farms Road, offering casual brunch, lunch and dinners seven days a week, with live music on weekends.
The cozy restaurant has about 100 seats, half inside and half outside. The executive chef is Mike Naiva, who has experience at Antonio’s and Old Well Tavern, both in Simsbury.
Hilltop Grille offers appetizers, wraps, sandwiches, burgers, salads and flatbreads. Among the items are pulled pork quesadilla ($11), buffalo chicken nachos ($13.50), Maryland crab cakes ($13), fish and chips ($14), chicken-avocado-BLT wrap ($12), tuna melt ($10), a cordon bleu sandwich ($12), an arugula salad ($11.50), chicken bacon ranch flatbread ($10.50), Mediterranean flatbread ($11.50) and caprese flatbread ($11.50). Beer and spiked seltzers are available in cans from $4 to $6, as well as soft drinks.
Burger and Beer Specials — at $8 — start at 4 p.m. Monday to Thursday. Specialty nights include burger night, prime rib night and barbecue night. In wintertime, when the golf course turns into a sledding hill, Chez plans to park a food truck at the bottom to sell hot chocolate, said sales and operations manager Haley Mathieu.
All recreational spaces in Simsbury Farms have QR codes posted so people can order online wherever they are and come pick up their food.
Regina Spafford is sales and marketing coordinator of Chez Hospitality Group, which runs Hilltop Grille and all the food and beverage services at Simsbury Farms, as well as food and beverages at two golf courses in Yarmouth, Massachusetts. Chez is a breakoff business entity from Chez Josef, the longtime Agawam, Massachusetts, wedding venue.
“We were focused as a venue with catering. Due to COVID, we had to pivot the company to save the company,” Spafford said. “Chez Hospitality does catering and management agreements.”
Spafford said the restaurant hopes to put in a full bar in the near future.
This summer, Chez Hospitality Group plans to open Chez to Go, a grab-and-go food location selling heat-at-home prepared meals at 122 Prospect Hill Road at Sofia’s Plaza in East Windsor.
Restaurant hours are Saturday to Thursday 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Friday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. facebook.com/HilltopGrilleTheFarms.
Other restaurant news
In addition to Hilltop Grille, seven other restaurants are new to the town, have moved, are opening soon or have tinkered with their business model. La Joya Fresh Mexican is set to open in September at 834 Hopmeadow St. Other restaurant news from the town:
Ana’s Kitchen: Ana’s Kitchen, which was at 712 Hopmeadow St. for three years, reopened July 7 at 244 Farms Village Road. Owner Ana Oliviera said she wanted a larger kitchen. “The old place used to be a coffee shop. They were not cooking, just assembling sandwiches. We were cooking. It was hard for us without the space,” she said. The new location is closer to farms, so Oliviera can get fresh ingredients daily. Hours are Tuesday to Friday 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., weekends 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. anaskitchencafe.com.
Plan B: Plan B Burger Bar, 4 Railroad St., has suspended indoor dining and is focusing exclusively on takeout, due to a lack of staffing. Al Gamble, founder of Locals 8 Restaurant Group, said he hopes to bring back dine-in by September. Hours are Wednesday to Sunday 11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. locals8.com.
Millwright’s: Millwright’s, 77 West St., has a taco and barbecue truck in the parking lot Wednesday to Sunday 5 to 9 p.m. It will be there until the weather turns cold. ta-que.com.
FroYo Shoppe: FroYo Shoppe, at 530 Bushy Hill Road where TCBY used to be, opened on June 26. The shop also sells ice cream, snow cones, nondairy options and no-sugar-added options, with 10 flavors and about 40 toppings. Owner Zaira Lopez lives in Wolcott. Hours are Sunday to Thursday 1 to 7 p.m., Friday and Saturday 1 to 8 p.m. facebook.com/FroYo-Shoppe-106797268284456.
Jersey Mike’s Subs: Jersey Mike’s Subs, the New Jersey-based sandwich shop that has 1,978 locations nationwide and 24 in Connecticut, opened its latest in the Drake Hill Mall at 710 Hopmeadow St. on July 14. Hours are daily 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. jerseymikes.com/19031.
Rush Bowls: Carlos and Arzu Stetzelberg, who own Rush Bowls in Hartford, opened a location June 21 at 894 Hopmeadow St., where J. Foster once was. The Colorado-based chain, with 34 stores nationwide, sells bowls of fruits and veggies with granola, honey and other toppings. Hours are daily 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. rushbowls.com/simsbury.
Susan Dunne can be reached at sdunne@courant.com.
