Hugo’s

Came here for Sunday brunch and the food was good! Beware for Sunday brunch it’s buffet only which was about 32 $. The patio area is great on a nice day. Wait staff were all kind and prompt. Parking around here sucks and your best bet is to valet. Also, Sunday brunch was an 1.5hr wait for the inside but outside we were seated immediately.

Good Food
3 stars
Good desserts choices

From the outside, you can’t tell this is an authentic Mexican place. It gives off the vibe of an Italian house, but I guess I can’t say I’ve been to a classy tex mex restaurant before. The inside has warm lighting and a romantic ambiance. Waters are served in blue glass chalices and seats are cushiony.
My girlfriend and I split a ceviche traditional and the lechon. The ceviche was very fresh with a clean finish. My friend said she usually doesn’t like lime cured fish, but this was an exception. The mix of lime, guacamole, olives and onions was great. Not sure if I’d pay for the amount that comes out though. The lechon was ok– we both found it to be a bit dry. Maybe because of the corn tortilla (they do not serve flour tortilla here), but make sure to top the meat with the onions, tomato and cilantro that comes with the dish to juice it up. The hot sauce that comes with the meat is no joke– that thing is fire! A dabble will do.
Valet parking only– we didn’t opt for it, but found plenty of street parking after the streets past Missouri St.

The blackberry mimosas were amazing. We had a limited menu due to it being s baby shower but the choices were very good, food was amazing. The staff and waiters were very friendly and it made the shower a great experience. The deserts were amazing and I would definitely order the chocolate cake with coffee and the coffee flavored ice cream again. I actually want another serving now. Great experience.

Simply the best.
Lechón is absolutely perfect. Served with a nice habanero sauce that brings everything together.
Queso fundido is always a good choice, and they have a vegetarian version that is also fantastic. Love the mole, the tacos dorados de papa.
They have a vegetarian menu that includes several vegan options, everything I’ve had off that menu is exquisite.
Also the churros with hot chocolate have been a dessert staple since I was a kid :)
Thanks for great service and beautiful food!

I read a lot of good reviews before going to Hugo’s.
Overall the food was pretty good and as good as what could be found in a good Mexican restaurant (in Mexico). We ordered the chilaquiles and the octopus which were both good for the price. The cocktails were rather expensive.
There was only one server for the entire section of the restaurant that we were seated at. He did a great job but we could tell that he was overwhelmed. I found this surprising for a restaurant of this category.
The valet parking worked out very well and was definitely a plus since the weather was terrible that day.
To sum up, good food, good services, at a «reasonable» price. I have to say that I generally prefer more intimate ambiances, which is not what Hugo’s offer.

Came here with a group of 3 for dinner. Parking lot is valet (complimentary) and very convenient.
We all shared appetizers. Grasshoppers are tasty, similar to crispy bacon and potato chips I definitely recommend trying them. The Lechon was excellent, probably the best one of the appetizers we tried. Pulpo al Carbon was good and a solid choice if you prefer seafood.
As far as cocktails are concerned I had the Oaxacan Rita and the Hugo Rita. The Oaxacan Rita is made with mezcal so it has a smoky taste to it, the Hugo Rita was very smooth and delicious (these can get you in trouble really quick).
Main course was the duck with mole. The duck was very moist and the mole complemented it, I didn’t care for the Mexican squash though (⁴⁄₅). We finished the evening with the churro dessert. While the churros were tasty, the real star of the show was the Mexican hot chocolate which we all agreed was some of the best hot chocolate we have had.
Overall, I definitely recommend going to Hugo’s to try out some tasty food. A word to the wise, the portions here aren’t «Texas sized» so if you plan on getting stuffed then prepare to spend quite a bit.

When I was young, I only knew of Hugo’s as «the restaurant that serves grasshoppers.» Having grown up a bit, I now think of it as «the restaurant that serves grasshoppers and has a mean brunch.»
Came here with my family last-​minute on a reservation for 7. What I think is interesting about food service here is that none of the dishes are guaranteed to make a return when the serving dish is empty — generally something else will replace it. For example, I grabbed lamb on my first runthrough, and when I came back for seconds, there were pork ribs in its place.
Regardless, the food here is tasty. Hugo’s focuses more on traditional Mexican than Tex-​Mex, so the dishes and flavors might not be terribly familiar. Even then, it’s worth trying everything, especially since they generally have mini portions, perfect to sample all the food!
Service is quite attentive, and if you need something, they’ll bring it out. There’s also live music, which really adds to the ambiance. Also, as with most Montrose hotspots, parking here is pretty much nonexistent and requires valet, which isn’t my favorite.
Hugo’s has a very respectable brunch at $ 31, so if you’re in the mood to feast, it’s a solid option!

Best brunch EVER! If you like tres leches, you’ll LOVE theirs! They have a Mexican version of Eggs Benedict, which is basically cornbread in place of the English muffin, and a yummy green sauce in place of the hollandaise — YUM!!! They have more than one type of ceviche, which are fresh and flavorful. Great mimosas (again, several flavors to choose from). A little pricey, but hey — you’re in the loop at a nice restaurant! Hence, they also get super crowded on Sundays, so either come before 10am or make a reservation. Either way, there is either a person or a table with food in your way. LOL. Maybe I’ll opt to go on a Saturday next time. Dinner is great too, everything on the menu is excellent, you won’t go wrong with any choice you make!

I really wanted to like Hugo’s after reading all the great reviews… so much so that I gave it one more chance but both occasions just fell short.
First occasion: I tried the ceviche and carne brava. Both dishes were just okay. For the second occasion, I had a sample of the grasshopper (very brave of me!) and went with 2 appetizer-​sized dishes for my «entrée»: taquitos de pollo (rolled fried chicken tacos) and pulpo al carbon (grilled octopus). I must say that the grasshopper was sort of anti-​climactic for me haha. We all had made a big deal of trying grasshopper for the 1^st time but once I tried it, I didn’t think that it really tasted like anything. I thought it actually tasted a bit like fried onions. Of the two appetizer dishes that I had, I enjoyed the taquitos de pollo more. Even though I liked the dish, it wasn’t anything that particularly wow-​ed me. A positive that I will highlight about Hugo’s though is their sangria. Delish!
As I’d mentioned before, I really wanted to like Hugo’s. It’s not your typical Mexican fare that you’d expect, which is a concept that I like. But, after trying this place a couple of times, unfortunately, I can’t say that I’m a big fan.

Food was 3 stars, but the service knocked it down to 2 stars. Now I usually don’t take away a star because of service, but this was just terrible. Not only was our waitress not very friendly, but she did not come to the table once to check up on us. We had to try and wave her down for 5 minutes to get our check. Of course when she came by with the check, she was friendly since that’s the time for gratuity… Yes, we all know that trick. We had also asked her for separate receipts (for business expense purposes), and she was clearly not happy to do it.
I had the traditional ceviche. It was good, but nothing out of the ordinary. The chips that came with the ceviche were good and very crunchy. However, the plate itself I think is on the smaller side given the price. The fish was fresh, but I think it could have had a little more flavor.
The inside of the restaurant itself is very nice especially for a Mexican restaurant. They have a complimentary valet service, but I was waiting 10 minutes just to get into the parking lot. I probably could have found street parking in a smaller amount of time.
I was expecting a lot more from Hugo’s after reading all the reviews and the articles on Eater, but it was just eh. I think it’s worth trying once to get a feel for the place and to be able to say you’ve been there. I really hope the service gets an upgrade soon.

A pretty great Mexican restaurant. The service was amazing (we just came in after being outside all day without water and they refilled our empty glasses within a minute every time), and the food was good.
The guacamole was delicious and paired nicely with the chips. The waiter asked if we liked spicy sauce and gave us a side of habanera sauce also which is really spicy. We had 2 guacs for 6 people and felt like that was a good amount.
The red snapper ceviche was a bit sour and not that great in my opinion.
The sautéed shrimp was delicious and was actually a really big portion.
Also be sure to look at the pyramid rice. It was cool how they shape each side of rice like that.

Came here with a group of 6 on a trip to Houston. Everything tasted great, and service was amazing! Our waiter was very attentive, and the servers were very good about refilling water exactly when I needed.
Guacamole, Salsa y Totopos (4.5÷5) — The guacamole and salsa were addictive. The chips were nice and thick, and our waiter included some habanero sauce as well, which added a good kick.
Carnitas de Pato (³⁄₅) — Good flavor, but some of the pieces were pretty dry, which surprises me about duck
Lechon (4.5÷5) — Yum.
Mariscos al Ajillo (⁴⁄₅) — My favorites were the octopus and the scallop. Perfectly cooked. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the oyster and cheese on this, but everything else I enjoyed.

Mexican food is my absolute favorite. I grew up in San Diego and lived in Mexico City for a couple of years. I love that Hugo’s has s traditional menu — none of that Tex Mex silliness. And the service here is really top notch. Our waitress sat us at another table when the setting sun pierced our eyes. And she brought out more beets when one of my salad beets was spoiled. They were quick to refill drinks and check on us regularly. But I was really disappointed with the food. My salad looked beautiful but lacked any flavor; not even the dressing helped. Although my shrimp entrée (al mojo de ajo) was super generous (9 shrimps) it also lacked flavor and was served lukewarm. My husband really enjoyed the ceviche and tortilla soup, so in all fairness he’d prob give it 4+ stars.

Living in Houston you are sure to encounter too many «tex-​mex» restaurants trying to pass off as Mexican establishments. Well Hugo’s is an authentic Mexican restaurant and I was overjoyed once I found this gem. I’ve been here a couple times for brunch and I’ve been impressed every time. Since they have a buffet style for brunch, I got to try several dishes and desserts.
The food was ALL good. I can’t name one thing that I didn’t like. I have a major sweet tooth so I had to try every dessert they had… even if it was just one bite. My taste buds were dancing! I couldn’t have enough of the arroz con leche.
I was so impressed with the food that I read up on the history behind the restaurant and Chef Hugo Ortega. If you get a chance, you should check out his biography. He came to this country as an immigrant with an American dream and now he’s a recognized Chef with more than one succesful restaurant. You have to definitely check this place out for a taste of Mexico.

Another delicious meal at Hugo’s on a relaxing Labor Day Monday. A great way to end the 3-​days weekend.
Our usual line up:
1. Ceviche Verde
2. Pulpo al Carbon
3. Taquito de Langosta
In addition:
1. The MOST delicious FRESH tamales de elote served with green salsa, crema, and Mexican cheese.
2. Cabrito
Drinks:
Michelada, Aro de Fuego margarita, and Paloma de Pina
Service was good.

1. Absolutely loveeeee the Sunday brunch! All you can eat buffet for about $ 31+? Yes, please!
2. Great service. While we were up at the buffet line, the server would change out our used forks, knives and even napkins!
3. Fantastic variety. Ceviches, delicious sopa (soup) and a mixture of brunch appropriate choices that involves a new fusion of breakfast items and Mexican food.
4.The best hot chocolate I’ve ever had from their dessert table. So good. I’m drooling again.

I went back forth, but when it comes to a rude, not just bad but rude server, I say one star, but the food was so good back up to two. The server came over twice to take our order and then we would start to order and she would leave to go get someone else’s drink or «I forgot something». My wife and were just kind of staring at each other. Finally on the third time she took our ordered including our wine which we had picked out for quite a while. Service remained very lackluster the rest of the evening.
We went for HRW and it should be noted that you must order from one of the preset menus, there are four, or pay an up-​charge to mix and match. No big deal for me; I wanted the Red Wine Menu. Wife got annoyed so she ordered off the normal menu for about the same price and her food was definitely better. This being said, my food was pretty tasty. I had the ribs followed by the Lamb Shoulder. The ribs were fine. The lamb shoulder was fantastic: cooked perfectly, with a great sauce, and tamale type of thing.
Dessert on the other hand was pretty mediocre. I know it had goat cheese or something. If you are going for good food and quality service sometimes it is better to skip HRW.
Pros: Apps and Main Courses
Cons: Service is terrible and dessert was Meh

3.5 stars.
TL;DR — This is one place you’ll have to go for yourself to decide how you feel about it. My sister enjoyed it a lot more than I did. We will probably go try Caracol next (same owner) as this place was enjoyable but not as good to me as Americas’ brunch selection.
$ 31 for brunch on Sunday and includes basic coffee service.
Live band.
Make a reservation.
Valet car parking.
They cook food in smaller batches and might alternate what is available; for example, if a pan had lamb on it, they might switch to pork ribs for the next plate of food.
Service 5÷5− The team was very friendly and kind. Service staff did not avoid eye contact at any time when walking by me and always said hello or smiled. That goes a long way for me.
I ordered a Diet Coke and didn’t see the waiter again until I had mostly finished eating, so I never got my drink. S’okay. They were all so nice, and I’m not going to die without a Diet Coke, so not the end of the world.
Cold dishes on the buffet line were my favorite.
Guacamole, octopus ceviche, and fish ceviche with mango were all outta this world. They also had squash blossom salad and squash blossom soup.
Hot dishes included seafood paella, tamales, enchiladas, brisket, salmon, and a whole bunch of other things like a poached egg with green sauce on a cornbread cake.
Dessert section 3÷5− Some items I enjoyed, others not so much. Alfajores and cookies are generic, lime cake was bland, flan was lovely, churros were bland, and fruit was nice and sweet.
For $ 31, I probably won’t be back for a while– there are too many other brunch buffets in town to try, and this one was good but didn’t blow my pants off. Too bad, since no one likes wearing pants anyway…

I have to say this is my FAVORITE Mexican restaurant! It is not Tex-​Mex at all; it is authentic Mexican. My first visit to Hugo’s was for a GNO, and the food got me in love.
Pulpo al Carbón (⁵⁄₅): Grilled octopus with onions and peppers, served with chipotle tomatillo salsa and small tortilla chips. When my friend ordered this, I was like octopus. Really? But it was amazing! The octopus was really soft, and everything tasted FRESH and complimented another. Sometimes I would eat the food inside without tortilla chips. Try this appetizer out!
Hugo’s Sangria (³⁄₅): It didn’t make it to my top choices. It was decent from what I remember.
Cochito con Mole Xico (⁵⁄₅): Braised pork shoulder, mole xico served with mashed plantains, guacamole, and collard greens in a pasilla pepper and plum sauce. I wasn’t sure what to expect, for the presentation was «eh» to me. It looked like different colored mashed potatoes, but I was fooled. This was the best Mexican entrée I tasted. Literally, every bite was heaven. The braised pork was juicy and tender and with the pepper and plum sauce… Exquisite. It was so good that I cleaned my plate and wanted more. Unfortunately, I did not see this on the menu on my most recent trip here.
For dessert, I ordered Caramel ice cream (⁵⁄₅). I’m not a big fan of ice cream, but the waiter recommended it. It was not too sweet but sweet. I remember I ate this faster than the time it took for my friends to ask if they can try some of my ice cream. I wished I had a bucket of this at home.
For my most recent voyage to Hugo’s, I’ll admit I was slightly disappointed.
Ceviche Tradicional (³⁄₅): Lime cured red snapper, olive, avocado, tomato, cilantro, and tortilla chips. It wasn’t a hint of lime; it is drenched in lime. Although fresh ingredients and snapper, the sour flavor was too overpowering for us.
Cola de Res (³⁄₅): Braised oxtail, quinoa, beluga lentils, root vegetables, and mole de xico. I enjoyed the quinoa and vegetables more than the oxtail. I wish they served more than 4 beets with quinoa. Some parts of the oxtail was dry and lacked flavor. Meanwhile, some other parts fell right off the bone. I took the leftovers home, and my dad didn’t like it much either.
Costillas de Borrego (⁴⁄₅): Rack of lamb, lamb sausages, mushroom tamales, and reddish mole. The mushroom tamales were hot and delicious. The tamale is not your typical Tex Mex kind. It is not mixed in sauce and no need for it. Lamb and lamb sausage were also delicious with the mole. It is served with 3 lamb and 2 lamb sausages. If only they had garlic sauce on the side. But I would definitely recommend this dish!
Overall, great service every time I have been here. My drink never reached the bottom of my glass, which is a plus in my book.

Soy mexicana y es sorprendente encontrar un restaurante con comida 100% mexicana y no la típica Tex-​mex. El pulpo a las brasas y el lechón está delicioso; El mole con huitlacoche y los churros rellenos son garantía.

Sí me gustó, y creo que esta comida, muy mexicana, también es muy gourmet. Al menos un lugar donde sirven chapulines y los chiles rellenos vienen con granada y crema de nuez a mí se me hace más gourmet. El lugar no es taaaan elegante, pero sí llevaría a mi familia cuando vengan a visitar. La comida está bien hecha y el servicio es muy bueno. Para estacionarte tienes que usar el valet parking, pero sí son muy cuidadosos. Yo pedí un queso fundido y sí me gustó.