HillTop Kitchen may have just opened its doors on May 1 of last year, but the restaurant is already making a name for itself as a local highlight. Located at 4 Riverside Road in Sandy Hook, HillTop invites people near and far to settle in for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and dine on food from all over the world.

The restaurant sports a classy, modern aesthetic with its dark wood tables and chairs, sleek black armless booths, tiled floors, cream white walls, and hanging lamp lights. With the holidays right around the corner, the staff at HillTop are keeping the holiday spirit alive by already putting up festive decorations. Dine in rooms with several Christmas trees, shimmering with white, gold, red, and green ornaments. Even the drapes hanging from the ceiling to the floor have bright red ribbons wrapped around them. HillTop will also be offering eggnog until the end of January, so family and friends alike can enjoy a rich and creamy holiday drink with vanilla and nutmeg to celebrate the season.

All the furniture and decorations, no matter the time of year, go a long way into creating a cozy and comfortable dining experience for people of all ages.

To Gita Persaud, who is a co-owner of HillTop, this is everything she wanted and more.

The restaurant is only the latest undertaking for the Persaud family, as they came into ownership of Dodgingtown Market and Deli in 2020, and Dodgingtown Craft and Spirits in 2021.

Persaud said that they weren’t even planning on buying another establishment until a new opportunity came their way from chef Vito Kala. The beautiful stone building now housing HillTop was originally known as The Villa Restaurant. Up until announcing his retirement early last year, Kala and his family ran the classic Italian establishment and served visitors for over 40 years.

When Persaud and her family expressed interest and met with Kala and his family, she said that it was an “instant connection.” Kala told her it broke his heart to leave home, but also said that the restaurant going to another family made the transition easier for him.

“And because the people who last owned it were so amazing, it gave us the courage to take on this adventure,” Persaud continued. “They’ve just been super helpful and supportive the whole way through.”

After buying the business last March, Persaud and her family worked off the foundation Kala left behind and did some redesigning. She said they did “two decades’ worth of cosmetic work” inside the building and put in new tiles, replaced all the rugs, repainted some things, and more to create a cozy and classy atmosphere.

There is even artwork that reads “The Villa” engraved in the front door as a way to honor the history of the building and the restaurant.

For Persaud and her family, who moved from South America to the United States between 1996 and 2000, it feels like the American dream coming true.

“We’ve been working hard, but we’re also seeing the benefits of working very hard,” Persaud said. “And being able to have the opportunity to have amazing businesses and an amazing community means the world to us.”

Persaud’s sister and fellow HillTop co-owner Sattie has given that same love and support back to the community through her nonprofit, World Heritage Cultural Center. Her work with WHCC played a large part in shaping HillTop’s diverse menu.

“From grandma’s eggplant fritter to German food for Oktoberfest, we want to do it all,” Sattie said. “My nonprofit’s mission is celebrating unity in diversity through performing, visual, and culinary arts, and that culinary part is here.”

She added that the menu features “a little bit of something for everybody,” such as fan-favorite breakfast dishes like New England Benedict breakfast, which has poached eggs on an English muffin paired with wild house-made lobster cakes and scallions topped with dill hollandaise.

There are also several different starters for both lunch and dinner, from fried coconut shrimp and Nonna’s pork ragù to duck à la forêt and veal marsala. The variety carries over into the entrées, which feature comfort food such as burgers and sandwiches, as well as different salads or pastas depending on the menu. Everything is made in-house, included smoked meats, bacon, sausage, and more.

Persaud also said she brings those same nonprofit principles to the restaurant, where they serve food in-house, but also do a lot of community outreach.

HillTop donates food and resources to various events across Sandy Hook and Newtown, such as Newtown Middle School’s inaugural Cultural Fair last fall, which celebrated countries from around the world. It was also the location for the inaugural EmpowHER Awards last year, which recognized people for their achievements and dedication to the Newtown community.

Beyond those events, HillTop works with teachers and PTA members across the district, as well as many others, to continue supporting the community however they can, according to Persaud.

“From the moment we opened our deli, we felt an outpouring of support,” Persaud said. “Our family eats here, and our customers are our family. We want to create that same experience for everyone else: to give back and make the community feel just as loved.”

Sample Of The Menu

Brunch: Kickstart your day with one of several Benedict dishes, notably including the New England Benedict that has wild house-made lobster cakes and scallions topped with dill hollandaise. For the lunch half of the brunch menu, try digging into one of several hand-helds, such as the Sandy Hook delight, a multi-layered sandwich with a house-made chicken cutlet, cheddar cheese, ranch dressing, and tomato nestled in a jalapeño cheddar roll. The falafel burger is another option, with in-house-made falafel, tzatziki, toasted pita, and in-house-made tomato jam.

Small Plates & Shareables: Start dinner with appetizers such as fried calamari with fra diavolo seasoning, a dish that features HillTop’s seasoned in-house-made batter with a tiny kick. Several other items, from fried coconut shrimp to mac & cheese with house-made cheese sauce, make for perfect dishes to share with a loved one.

Dinner: The wide variety of the menu carries over into HillTop’s dinner offerings. There are several meat and poultry options such as the duck à la forêt, a dish that features seared duck topped with fresh blackberries and resting on a bed of couscous, aromatic spices, and shallots. Also try the orange honey glazed salmon, with orange honey-glazed Faro Island salmon filet “served medium” paired with sautéed baby spinach and wild rice.

Pizza: Guests can sink their teeth into a wide variety of pizzas, such as classic cheese pizza topped with mozzarella cheese and red sauce or margarita pizza with cherry tomatoes, basil, and fresh mozzarella. There’s also the BBQ chicken pizza, which has a chicken cutlet and sautéed onions all smothered in their in-house-made BBQ sauce.

Desserts: Satisfy your sweet tooth with a wide variety of delectable treats, from N.Y. styled cheesecake topped with in-house-made raspberry puree to chocolate mousse cake with a chocolate cake layer at the bottom and a soft and creamy chocolate center.

Beverages: Family and friends can keep themselves warm through fall and winter with a warm, fresh cup of hot chocolate or classic coffee drinks such as lattes and cappuccinos.

HillTop Kitchen, located at 4 Riverside Road in Sandy Hook, is open Tuesday through Saturday from 8 am to 9 pm, and Sunday and Monday from 9 am to 8:30 pm.

Reservations, as well as ordering for delivery and pickup, are available online. Catering on-site and off-site is also available. For more information, visit hilltopkitchenvillage.com, call 203-426-4455 (HILL), email hilltopkitchen2024@gmail.com, or follow the restaurant’s Facebook page, HillTop Kitchen at the Village.