Provided by Hillstone Restaurant
Audio By Carbonatix
Another major South Florida restaurant has apparently closed its doors without warning, following the shocking closure of Yardbird in South Beach.
Hillstone, the wildly popular restaurant overlooking the Bal Harbor Shops, has permanently closed on Monday, August 10, after diners with reservations began receiving phone calls informing them the restaurant had ceased operations.
One of those diners, Miami TikTok creator MarkJax22, shared a voicemail from the restaurant saying:
“Wanted to reach out personally and let you know that we have permanently decided to close our operations… I see you have a reservation tonight and we will not be able to accommodate you. I’d be more than happy to make a reservation for you at one of our other locations, North Miami or Coral Gables. And I wanted to say thank you very much for your patronage and business over the years.”
Hillstone doesn’t reveal reason for closing
The voicemail appears to confirm that the closure is permanent. Moments later, New Times found further confirmation on Hillstone Bal Harbour’s website.
“Hillstone at Bal Harbour has closed,” a message on the website reads. “We would like to thank our guests who have chosen to dine with us over the years. We hope to have the opportunity to serve you at one of our other restaurants.”
By Monday afternoon, multiple diners told New Times they were unable to make reservations at the Bal Harbour location and were instead being directed to Hillstone’s other South Florida restaurants.
Around 5 p.m., a New Times reader at Bal Harbour Shops reported seeing restaurant employees gathered outside the closed location. Through the windows, the reader said, people could be seen inside appearing to inventory the restaurant’s assets.
New Times has reached out to Hillstone Restaurant Group for additional information about the sudden closure, but has not received a response by publication time.
Provided by Hillstone Restaurant
A stunning loss for Bal Harbour
The closure comes as a shock for Miami’s dining scene.
For years, Hillstone has been one of the hardest reservations to score in South Florida. The Bal Harbour location, perched above the luxury shops with views overlooking Collins Avenue, became a favorite meeting place for everyone from local business executives to tourists and longtime regulars. Known for its famously consistent service, French dip, sushi, spinach and artichoke dip, and Hawaiian rib-eye, the restaurant developed an almost cult-like following.
The Hillstone brand itself has earned a fiercely loyal customer base nationwide, making the apparent closure of one of its flagship South Florida restaurants especially surprising. The company continues to operate nearby locations in Coral Gables and North Miami.
Another abrupt restaurant closure
The news arrives just days after the unexpected closure of Yardbird Southern Table & Bar in Miami Beach, another longtime South Florida dining institution that shut its doors with little public notice.
Now, questions remain about what happened at Hillstone. Were employees given advance notice? What prompted the sudden decision? And what comes next for one of the most coveted restaurant spaces in Bal Harbour?
It seems that one of the latest Google reviews was posted on Sunday, August 9, by an employee at the Rolex store within Bal Harbour Shops. This means even nearby businesses may be as shocked as longtime customers are.
New Times is working to learn more and will update this story as additional information becomes available.
Hillstone at Bal Harbour Shops. 9700 Collins Ave, Bal Harbour, at Bal Harbour Shops; hillstonebalharbour.com. Now closed.
