Hillstone Restaurant's Got Air Conditioned Patio Tables and They're Pretty Cool

By Laura Hahnefeld Mon., Aug. 22 2011 at 10:00 AM

Categories: News

Hillstone Restaurant

Think dining outside in the summer sun sans misters is a lost cause? You might want to read this.

Hillstone, the Central Phoenix restaurant and part of the Hillstone Restaurant Group which includes Houston's in its offerings (the old Houston's just down the street closed and was reborn as Hillstone earlier this year), has air conditioned tables as part of its already comfortable patio scene.

The swanky system boasts no CFC refrigerants, no moisture added to the air, and uses ninety percent less energy than regular air conditioners.

So does it work?

Skeptical, I tried it out and was pleasantly surprised. The air comes up through the table and out underneath, so you feel it at waist level, which is a bit odd at first. And it isn't instantaneous -- it takes a few minutes until you're comfortable enough to order up an cold adult beverage along with some bar snacks or a little sushi. Thankfully, those roomy patio chairs are pretty damn comfortable.

A friendly server told me thanks to the air conditioned tables, she's seen a fair amount of folks on the patio this summer.

Have you tried Hillstone Restaurant's air conditioned patio tables yet? What did you think?

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