Stearns & Hill’s Bistro

I’ve been here multiple times. Also had take out. I’ve never had a horrible meal here but I’ve never had a really good one either. Chicken parm was pretty good but most of the stuff is on the pricey side for the quality of food.

I love this place. Steak, seafood and pastas are all prepared really well.
My favorites are seafood risotto and Lobster Mac n Cheese
The upstairs lounge is great spot for apps and drinks.
Ask for Sue or Tracey their the best waitresses!

Went tonight and was very disappointed with the quality and quantity. We ordered a fisherman’s platter at 24.99 and it was so little and clams inedible. We could of gone across the street and had a much better meal. We eat out a lot and it’s one and done. There are to many restaurants not to bring your A game at all times. Very disappointed. So just about 1 yr went from very good to just ok.

One of the worst restaurants I’ve been to in the last decade. Nachos were disgusting. Seriously Tostitos with generic salsa would’ve been better these were like fried wanting in queso. Burger was undercooked and I didn’t even want to risk the coleslaw. My girlfriend got the shepherd’s pie which was mediocre at best. The best thing we ordered was the super generic salad that came with one tomato and one cucumber. At least the drinks are reasonably priced I guess

Went upstairs to the Lounge on a Wednesday night. SERVICE was GREAT, Place was BEAUTIFUL. Got the Arancini bites (Sauce was SUPER Salty), fish Tacos OK, and the Tuna Tartare was just a mass of cubes of Tuna. Not very Flavorful. Decent size portions.

Always been a fan of this place pre and post «flood» that closed the doors for an extended period of time. You can always count on an expertly made martini at the bar. Unfortunately, that’s all the good I can say for this visit.
Let me start by saying, I don’t mind paying a little extra for excellent quality and decent portions. Both were not to be found last night. My wife always steers me away from the dinner special but the waitress recommended it — blackened prime rib. It looked like a Salisbury steak when it arrived. Flavor was OK but it was dry and way too thin for a prime rib.
My brother got the vinegar pepper chop (s). Plural. Chops! There was one and the kitchen decided to throw some sausage slices in there in place of the second chop. ?! My wife got the fried seafood platter. 2 scallops, 2 shrimp, 2 clams and a small piece haddock. For $ 25, it was way too small. We left there disappointed and still hungry.
OH! Almost forgot. Salads are included with the meal. According to our waitress, that’s almost unheard of these days. I got a Caesar salad which was quite good. But they charged me $ 2 for anchovies! Really?!
The bill for 4 of us came to $ 160 (tip excluded) after I already dropped $ 48 at the bar.
Wrap up: The portions seem to have been cut in half. The quality was just OK. There are too many other restaurants out there looking for my business so I won’t be back anytime soon.

A very mediocre experience. The bartenders and wait staff are probably the only good thing about this place anymore– aside from the heavy set male host with the glasses– he was extremely rude. Food has gone down hill.

I went there for dinner for my friends birthday it was Sunday around 3. The place was empty only a few patrons. We ordered the fried calamari as an appy it was really rubbery but we ate it anyway. Then we ordered the Prime rib it was awful. Not only was the piece like an eighth of an inch thick it was extremely fatty and the edges of mine were dry. The vegetable was steamed brussells sprouts with absolutely no seasoning on them. The baked potato was baked awhile ago it was old too. we sent the dinners back and asked for the manager who never came. We reordered I got the fried scallops which were not fried they had some kind of thin batter and where white not your typical fried scallop and the portion was tiny. I could go on but won’t. Before we left I asked for the manager again she finally came over and was not pleasant at all. She offered us chocolate cake for the inconvenience. we are not dessert people. So I suggested to take of one of our drinks instead which was 12.50 for a Ketle one Martini she took 10.00 off really! never never go back there. Everything is overpriced and not the quality you expect for that price.

My time in Melrose was short — just a quick 2 months. There wasn’t much time for exploring the town and its tastes, but I got a few chances.
My Unilocal-​Elite parents came to visit in the Summer, so naturally I wanted to show them my temporary home. We were starving while walking around the main strip and checked Unilocal to see where people recommended most. Stearns was not the highest rated, but I believe that to be a big mistake.
Around lunchtime, the place was practically dead. It has that «hometown» feel; very fitting for it being in such a great little town. Our server was incredibly friendly and came over right away, seemingly excited that she had someone to wait on.
The food was fantastic. It tasted just like something my dad would make back home. There was no «big restaurant» spin, just the classic, delicious meals you crave. We were very happy with everything we ordered. I hope the Melrosians keep this place going, it is definitely a special little restaurant.

After recently moving to Melrose, this has become the go-​to place to take my meat and potato loving in-​laws. It is totally fine and the portions are large. I’ve ordered the shrimp scampi, which was tasty, the capri salad, which had nice chunks of mozzarella and fresh greens, and the lobster bisque, which was very rich. I wish that last one was available in a cup, as I couldn’t finish the entire bowl. My husband ordered a medium rare petit filet mignon, which he described as ‘fine.’ Oysters are ok, garlic bread is tasty, but unrefined. I like that they had ratatouille as the vegetable of the day.
It looks like this was the hot steakhouse from the late 80’s that hasn’t changed concept much, so I was surprised to read on their website that it opened in ’99 (ps. make sure your computer is muted before visiting). The interior has that rich, boy’s club feel from the wood panelling and leather booths, the staff is very helpful, and the bartenders have a generous pour. I’m sure that this is a great choice for the market (although the menu could be trimmed a bit), but I am spoiled rotten for that casual but innovative restaurant flair after living in the Cambridge/​Somerville area for so long.
Next time my in-​laws are in town, I’m sure we’ll be back.

There’s something about this place that I just like. Food is above average (basic but good), service is good (friendly), but it’s just comfortable and I always leave happy and satisfied. Good beer selection and good specials. I think it’s the service that differentiates this place from the neighbors across the street. I think you’re more appreciated here. I keep going back as there’s always something new I want to try on the menu. The upstairs lounge is great for a meeting or just to kick back for a few minutes. Recommended — no frills — just good food, drinks, and service in a comfortable environment.

We went there to check out the new upstairs lounge. Melrose is changing and great restaurants will do well in our town. When we heard they had expanded to add an upstairs tapas lounge we had to check it out. And then… we arrived. The staircase is grand and the staff were eager to welcome us. But what were they thinking with this cavernous room full of tan couches? What a missed opportunity. The only thing I can think is that someone’s relative did the «design» for this. It’s a great space with tons of potential. But the execution is completely botched. Terrible fluorescent lighting, cheesy rugs, no artwork, beige curtains and dozens (yes dozens) of beige couches, so packed in that the seating is actually awkward. Like other reviewers, we found the food to be uninspiring and bizarre. We had a decent time and the staff were delightful. Just a big missed opportunity for Melrose.

A solidly mediocre experience.
I will start by saying the service was really good. Our waitress was really sweet & appropriately attentive. The whole meal ran at a good pace and the restaurant décor was nice. Hence, 3 stars.
Now for the food itself:
Wine, chianti: ¹⁄₅.
Really bland. It tasted like a bottle of Little Penguin. It’s absurd they even charge $ 8/​glass– it was pretty much the wine equivalent of a $ 1 draft.
Appetizer, stuffed mushrooms: 2.5÷5.
If you like Stove Top stuffing, you’ll like these mushrooms. If you were hoping to actually taste the mushrooms, you’re out of luck. After scraping off ½ the stuffing from each they were somewhat ok.
Steak: Prime Rib special. ³⁄₅
It was good, but nothing spectacular. It was a little undercooked for my taste, but I also didn’t send it back so I can’t complain that much. The best part of the entire meal was the side of butternut squash. Seriously. Does that tell you anything?
³⁄₅ stars.

I recently visited the new bar area upstairs, and decided to add a star back. If I could, I’d only add half a star, but since that’s not an option, I decided to err on the side of generosity. The seating is comfy, and the service was good. My cocktail was so-​so. The ‘tapas’ were ok, but HUGE plates — not quite clear on the concept of tapas perhaps? I’d go back to the upstairs for a drink with friends. It’s hard to beat the location. It was dead on a Friday night, which seemed odd. Downstairs was packed.

One word for this place… Potential. I have came here many time over the last year and ordered several of the menu items. The burger is okay. The pizzas are really good. The steaks are decent.
They have a good menu with a lot of selections. The trouble (in my honest opinion) is there is too much for them to do anything really well. The burger feels like a premade patty. The Mac and cheese doesn’t feel homemade. Where they do a really good job? The pizzas. It’s not a pizza place but they are surprisingly good.
My overall thought on this place is they are overpriced considering the quality of their food. Their selection is vast but poorly executed. If they executed all of their dishes it would be worth the price of admission but it is too hit or miss for me.
Aside from their food this place does well. It has a great atmosphere with a kind and friendly wait staff. They will make sure you are taken care of even if the food is average.
If they trimmed the menu to their best sellers (or best dishes) it would be a much better place. For example, why is half your menu and almost all of your specials made up of seafood when there is a kick ass seafood restaurant across the street? That’s why they have potential. If they focused it would be such a better place.

Our waitress was great, except when I ordered the lobster mac & cheese she said «good choice»… it wasnt.
I think the cheese is velvita or close to it. Very yellow & sticky. The lobster was just claw meat & Not even any knuckles. I took it home in hopes it might tastes better for lunch today. Nope, its terrible. But the 3 others I was with liked their dinners. Cute place. Ive eaten here before & liked it. I just ordered the wrong thing. Baked mac & cheese should be done with quality white cheeses. Not processed fake yellow goo.

Really enjoyed my lunch today! I ordered the Ruben sandwich with a side salad and both were delicious. My friend got the turkey club and really enjoyed that too. After we ate we were both still hungry so she ordered the apple crisp and I enjoyed the fried calamari. Both were delicious.
We had a super sweet male server. He was totally on top of things and couldn’t have been any nicer!

My wife and I just moved to Melrose and this was the first place we decided to check out for dinner. We heard the pizza was very good so we started with some wings and through in two pizzas. Both came out great!
Upon leaving we wanted to checkout the upstairs lounge. This area was really cool having some of those vintage couches and the lounge had its own food and drink menu. Next time we will have to try out the lounge.
Looking forward to heading back to Stearns after checking out some of the other things in the neighborhood.

First off, let’s define risotto. The key ingredients in risotto are 1) arborio rice and 2) time/​energy/​love. Unfortunately, all of the key ingredients, which are absolutely necessary for ‘risotto,’ were absent in my seafood ‘risotto.’ I was so disappointed with my so-​called risotto — which was actually seafood and long grain white rice in a fairly nice sauce, with a couple of slices of deli provolone slapped on top — that I had to make some at home tonight. On the bright side, the seafood was delicious, especially the scallops, which were cooked to perfection, and the sauce, which was tasty. The rice totally ruined it, though. If you are not actually going to make risotto, please don’t advertise it as such. I wouldn’t have been nearly as disappointed as I am if my dish had been honestly advertised as seafood in a broth over long grain white rice.
The rest of the meal… My husband got the vinegar pepper pork chop, which was good, though it tasted as though they had added a significant volume of liquid from a jar of peperoncino or calabrese pickled peppers. I think that the dish would have tasted better overall if they had just made the entire sauce from scratch.
My daughter got the fried fisherman’s platter, which disappeared quickly, so I can only assume that it lived up to her expectations. The smaller kids got the hotdog and the mac n cheese, respectively, without complaint, and the addition of granny smith apples was nice.
Overall, meh — not worth the $$$, if you ask me. Still waiting to find a mid-​range (price-​wise) restaurant that doesn’t disappoint me/​that does not even approach what I can do in my own kitchen.

We were looking for a casual place to watch the NFL playoffs and because it was snowing, thought it would be smart to stay local.
I’ve been to sterns and hill a few times before and although I want to really like this place, it always ends up being a 3 star experience.
The hostess offered the new upstairs martini lounge (I didn’t know it existed) which would have been interesting to check out but we opted to stay in the downstairs bar area.
The menu is not very exciting. I ended up getting the veggie pizza which was good. It had lots of vegetables but I would have preferred a crispier crust.
My husband got a burger which he felt was three stars and he typically loves every burger he eats.
Service was fine. We will probably be back eventually but given how often we frequent other local places such as Turners, this does not impress enough to keep coming back regularly.