The Tempo by Hilton New York Times Square hotel property opened on Tuesday, August 8, 2023. Highball in New York also opened slightly greater than three months ago; and is located inside of the hotel property on the eleventh floor. No access to Highball is available directly from the street outside of the building.
Highball in New York. Restaurant Review.
All of the food that is featured in this article was part of an itinerary of which I was honored to be asked to attend by members of the team of the Hilton Honors membership program. As a guest of Hilton, I did not pay for either my stay at the Tempo by Hilton New York Times Square hotel property or for the food.
The entrance to the restaurant is located on the eleventh floor off of the lobby of the Tempo by Hilton New York Times Square hotel property. Kamal Ahmed is the restaurant director of Highball; and Kit Skarstrom is its Chef de Cuisine.
On the right of the entrance is where patrons may order breakfast in the morning. Members of the Hilton Honors membership program who have earned Diamond elite status or Gold elite status receive a food and beverage credit of $18.00 per person for up to two people per day.
Towards the back of Highball is a full service bar. The entrance to the restaurant is shown on the right side of the photograph above. Access to an outdoor terrace is available from the cocktail lounge. The terrace was not open when I was there.
Behind the bar is a glass partition with sliding glass doors, which is the entrance to two smaller rooms with tables. The first room has comfortable bench seating as well as several chairs.
Live music is available on Friday evenings between 8:00 and 11:00 and Saturday evenings between 7:00 and 10:00. I unfortunately was not at the hotel property on either of those days during my visit.
The second room is accessed from the first room and can be used for private gatherings — such as with members of the team from Hilton, which I enjoyed. Above the entrance to the room are the words “Live life with no excuses, travel with no regret” which are illuminated in neon lights.
Lunch Small Plates
On a table in the aforementioned second room were bottles of assorted beer; a plate of crusty toasted baguette, and five different types of small plates, which included:
- Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail with house cocktail sauce, fresh horseradish, and lemon. The shrimp were indeed jumbo sized. $29.00
- Meatballs in tomato sauce with fresh ricotta cheese. $26.00
- Adobo chicken wings with pickled Fresno chilis. $23.00
- Pretzel Bites with Pickle Guy mustard. I cannot refuse good pretzel bites — and these were definitely very good. $15.00
I was surprised when I saw New York Pastrami Sliders on caraway potato rolls with half-sour pickles and mustard. Other than the meat being not quite as tender as I would have preferred, these pastrami sliders hit the spot. They matched the flavor found in a Kosher delicatessen; and they were somewhat leaner than a typical pastrami sandwich in New York. I admit that I enjoyed several of them, which is why one of the trays was close to empty. They were just that good. Yum. $29.00.
Late Night Munchies
The Cheese Board is comprised of artisanal New York cheese selection and accoutrements: Beechers 4YR Cheddar, Nettle Meadow Kunik: A Triple Cream “Sappy Ewe” — Semi Firm Sheep/Cow Cheese with Ash Rind. $29.00.
Invented only a few blocks away at the original Waldorf=Astoria hotel property in 1896, the Waldorf Salad included sliced Gala apples, candied walnuts, celery, grapes, romaine lettuce and red oak lettuce, and creamy champagne vinaigrette. Did you know that the original recipe did not contain walnuts or grapes? $20.00.
Sliced Chorizo includes a red wine glaze and crusty toasted baguette. $21.00.
The Brussels Sprouts were accompanied by Golden Delicata squash and Guanciale — which is pork — in a parmesan emulsion. They were good — but they were not the best Brussels Sprouts which I ever had. $21.00.
The flavors and textures of caramelized apples, spiced streusel, and vanilla bean ice cream intermingle nicely with the swirl of caramel to create the Warm Apple Crisp dessert. The decoration on top is a hard candy that was sculpted out of sugar. $12.00.
Chef Kit’s Chocolate Crunch Cake contained hazelnut praline; and sliced fresh strawberries instead of raspberries. This dessert was decadent; but not too rich. It is a great way to end a meal. $12.00.
Breakfast
I attended breakfast with executives from the corporate headquarters of Hilton in the back room in the morning. The table with breakfast items included an assortment of fresh fruit, yogurt with fruit, baked goods, orange juice and soft drinks, coffee, tea, water, and cream cheese. I enjoyed the breakfast in general.
Blueberry muffins cost $5.00 each; while croissants are priced at $5.50 each.
The bagels were definitely good — I enjoyed two of them — but they were not the best bagels which I have ever had. For me, bagels from New York hold any other bagel to a high standard. $5.oo.
Final Boarding Call
Highball stands on its own as a legitimate dining option. The ambiance of the main dining area and bar were bright, modern, and cheerful; while the two rooms in the back were cozier. The entire restaurant was spotlessly clean. The food was indeed very good; and the restaurant features ingredients that are sourced locally. I enjoyed everything that I ate and the experience of dining in Highball…
…but let’s face it: when a restaurant in a hotel or resort property comes to mind in general, the first thought is to usually avoid it. This is especially true in a city such as New York, where a plethora of restaurants of all types of cuisines to fit almost any budget are available within blocks. This is some fierce competition which Highball faces.
I was craving an authentic pastrami sandwich ever since I used a photograph of one for this article pertaining to people who do not like to eat food. That craving was definitely satisfied with the pastrami sliders at Highball, which is not an easy thing to do for me…
…but if I had a choice of those pastrami sliders at $29.00 and a pastrami sandwich at Katz’s Deli or a Kosher delicatessen — such as 2nd Ave Deli, which is not all that far away from the hotel — I would choose the latter at $24.95 without question.
That is by no means a knock against Highball. The menu does contain some authentic New York cuisine — such as cheesecake from S&S Bakery in the Bronx with berry compote for $14.00; or Nathan’s Famous New York Style miniature frankfurters with sauerkraut, brown mustard, ketchup, and relish for $21.00…
…but literally several yards across West 47 Street from the entrance to the hotel is a Nathan’s Famous hot dog cart if you cannot get to Coney Island to enjoy the original frankfurter — and the fare is likely less expensive than at Highball. I remember when Nathan’s once had an actual restaurant location in Times Square.
Important to note is that Hilton has been busy trying to change the typical hotel restaurant mindset by elevating the overall experience to an entirely new level with concepts such as Highball, which are designed to compete with other restaurants on their own while simultaneously adding the convenience of being located inside of a hotel or resort property. One of numerous examples is Le Clou, which is a modern French brasserie at The Morrow Washington DC, Curio Collection by Hilton. Nicholas Stefanelli — who was at the Suitcase To Your Next Stay media event — is the Michelin-star head chef of the restaurant.
Highball is a stylish upscale restaurant that is perfect for guests who are staying at Tempo by Hilton New York Times Square and want to enjoy dining on authentic New York cuisine without having to leave the hotel property — perhaps because of inclement weather or they are simply tired after a long day — and do not mind paying a little more money for the convenience.
Highball
Located inside of the Tempo by Hilton New York Times Square hotel property
1568 Broadway
New York, New York 10036
United States
1-212-262-8100
Operating Hours
6:30 in the morning through midnight daily, seven days per week.
No free parking or self parking is available. Valet parking costs $95.00 for up to 24 hours with no in or out privileges.
All photographs ©2023 by Brian Cohen.
