Hillstone Bar & Grill opens at revitalized Stone Willow Inn

Chef Nick Abdiu brings 25 years of experience to his new restaurant, Hillstone Bar & Grill, which is located at the Stone Willow Inn in St. Marys.

By Stewart Grant

Happy days are here again at the Stone Willow Inn.

After a long closure that began during the COVID-19 pandemic, a significant step in the rejuvenation of the Stone Willow Inn occurred on Sunday with the re-opening of the hotel’s popular restaurant – now known as Hillstone Bar & Grill.

Hotel manager Noel Giesen told the Independent that while there was some consideration of keeping the old Wildstone name, it was decided a new moniker would be reflective of a new era for the enterprise. The Hillstone name is derived from St. Marys’ limestone heritage combined with the hotel’s hilltop setting.

The restaurant is leased and operated by chef Nick Abdiu, who brings 25 years of experience in the restaurant space. A native of Albania, Abdiu speaks six languages and has worked in several countries, including the United States and Italy.

While Abdiu set out to design a menu for Hillstone in the spirit of “Canadian-Italian,” the end product is further enhanced by his varied life experiences. Familiar favourites like burgers, pastas, sandwiches and wraps are found alongside cultural specialties such as Hungarian goulash and Greek-inspired chicken souvlaki. The diverse menu offers sufficient choice that one could sample a different dish each day for a month.

Those visiting the hotel restaurant may also notice the Inn itself has gone through some positive changes since the pandemic. New owner Michael Rosehart, a real-estate and investment guru from nearby London, acquired the hotel in mid-2024 and has led his team to reinvest in the property.

The quarter-century hotel has all-new flooring, new beds and several new amenities such as a business centre, a small gym and an outdoor barrel sauna.

“We wanted to revitalize this space and see what people might want,” said Giesen. “We thought a business centre would be great (just off the lobby) because we get a lot of people out of Toronto area that come here to work.”

To this point, Giesen added this winter has been surprisingly busy, as outside contractors doing maintenance during the St. Marys Cement Plant’s traditional February shutdown have frequented the 25-room hotel as a convenient place to stay.

Giesen, a young man who hails from Lucan, has admirably represented the hotel in his role as manager and is thrilled at this latest step in the process.

“My favourite thing is bringing a great experience to everyone who comes here. We’re getting a lot of good feedback, especially with the restaurant coming now, so I’m super happy about that.”

The Hillstone Bar & Grill is open seven days a week, from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. To make a reservation or for more information, contact hillstonebarandgrill@gmail.com or call 548-866-0410.