Parker's Hilltop Brewery — Restaurant in Independence Charter Township

We are incredibly impressed by this gem of a brewery! The fried pickles were the first surprise - we've become recent fans of McClure's spicy pickles and enjoying them as hearty slices fried perfectly was a real treat. My Hilltop Cobb came with a generous, expertly grilled filet of salmon, with just the right amount of salt and spice. The rest of the salad was straightforward and thoughtful, with freshly sliced, correctly ripe avocado, real bacon recently chopped, and lettuce pre-tossed in the dijon vinaigrette. The hamburger was proportionately dressed and the home fries were fantastic - just the right amount of tender potato to crispy goodness on the outside. In general, it's clear someone in the kitchen really cares.

Even more impressive was the consistency of the beer quality. Wow. I don't understand how I haven't heard more about the beer here. All of the eight beers sampled were true to their description, and a wonderful showcase of different beer styles. All were appropriately complex while still very balanced. The blonde was wheaty yet crystal clear, the doppelbock was extremely 'long' and complicated, the red was deep - whoever is brewing back there is doing a killer job, we can't wait to come back to try the whole gamut. Please start entering your brews into competitions and grow your reputation... I want to be able to buy six-packs out of Hilltop as soon as possible! [EDIT: Apparently these guys won a whole bunch of awards at Frankenmuth, though I'm proud I'm not surprised, keep it up!].

We did have a couple minor snafus with service; we were not given napkins/utensils till after our appetizer was finished (remember they were fried pickles), and though I declined a take-home box "for now" while I was still eating the salad, we didn't get another opportunity to ask for one - the waitress flew by to drop off and pick up the bill. [EDIT: our two subsequent have had waiters that went above and beyond. I'd redact any concerns about thorough, personal service].

Some easy 'restaurant' notes: though I know the 'paddle style' boards for serving beer flights is trendy, they're difficult for servers to handle (both of our spilled onto the table while being placed), and the torn off receipt paper list of beers isn't a system that flatters the quality of the beer and food - maybe use the tray + mat style instead. [EDIT: They have now converted to flat beer menus, great! Wanted to leave following original comment in] The only way to view the beer selection is with the flippy-menu in the center of the table, which is a much more difficult format to share and reference then a separate menu sheet.

Overall a fantastic venue, with top notch food and drinks with approachable atmosphere...

Updated review, two years later : As always great from scratch food. We just love the decor with portraits of Michigan artists in the music industry. We come here on date night and for large family functions. They offer something for everyone. Kids included! The ribs are sooo good. The fish and chips breaded or broiled, fries or green beans is just delicious! Pierogi, Burgers, sandwiches, pasta….. all spot on! Chips and cheese has much improved queso and salsa. Good job on this improved version. Service has become a little hit and miss at times,however,may be due to newer wait staff?

We love this place for the broiled cod! The tarter and slaw are spot on!!! They hand batter the cod if you order it fried. So good! Ribs are amazing. Not smoked-not boiled so texture and flavor is delish. The ribeye, well it’s just ok. Too thin to get a med-rare and is just choice steak so it eats rather tough for a ribeye. Green beans are always fresh. Steak tips are a must. Chips and cheese with salsa is okay. Cheese sauce is nothing to talk about. Fettuccine Alfredo with blackened chicken was pretty good. Pizza pierogies are yummy !Mac & cheese is pretty good. Everything here is homemade. Everybody can find something on this menu. Staff is friendly. Atmosphere is so cool. Michigan rock artists are hand painted and displayed pool tables and shuffle board too! We usually eat here about once a week. I do wish they had a better quality ribeye steak, even if they charge to make it a larger portion and make it prime. It’s not easy to find a really good...

First time here on a Saturday at 6:00 pm. Friends got their earlier than us so they waited for a table but they were busy. The waitress was attentive at first but when we said we still had to look at the menu we did not see her for another 15 minutes. Manager stopped at our table to ask if everything was OK we told him have not seen our waitress I would like to order. She finally came by with an attitude and a roll of her eyes & said she had three more tables that were just seated. Our thoughts are you take care of the people that have been there for a half an hour first. Three out of four got beer everyone enjoyed it. As far as the food....

10” pepperoni and mushroom pizza very good. Would get it again. If you like garlic, ask for a side of the garlic pesto and dip your crust.

Beef stroganoff, was just okay, slightly greasy not very flavorful and beef was a little on the tougher side.

Quesadilla, good but too much cheese not enough chicken.

We will be going back in a few days to meet some other friends and I will give an update on that experience.

Update: Second visit. Wednesday night not real busy. Ordered the grilled Ahi tuna tacos and chicken tacos. Both were ok. If you go to the back of the restaurant there are two more open spaces for seating and for game playing such as darts, pool, shuffle board, along with some board games and large connect four. This is a very nice touch. We stayed and played two games of darts.

For the price and quality of food. Won’t go back for food but will go back...