Hugo’s Frog Bar & Fish House

What a disappointment

We dined at Hugo’s last night and to say we were disappointed would be the understatement of the year. From the start we were left with a bad taste in our mouth and things got worse from there!

When making the reservation through Open Table (which is how I ALWAYS make reservations anywhere we go), I was met with ‘we need a credit card number because if you don’t show up, we will charge you $10 per person (so $60 for our group if we decide to be no shows or cancel with less than 24 hours!). We have never not shown up for a reservation, this appeared to be some sort of restaurant policy, but started the plans with a very aggressive tone. We provided our credit card number and arrived promptly at our reservation time.

Upon arrival, the restaurant was so overcrowded that we couldn’t even get in the door! Patrons in the waiting area were literally shoulder to shoulder pushing each other trying to get through. The restaurant was so loud that you couldn’t even hear the person right next to you when they were yelling. And the bathroom was filthy!

We were seated, not in the restaurant dining room but in the outside alley area where they had installed a temporary roof, Christmas lights, and patio heaters, all the way at the very last table by the makeshift door. Our table was placed on top of a sewer grate that was pouring cold air up directly onto us, not to mention the sewer smell coming up with the cold air.

Sparing every single detail of the evening, the highlights include appetizers that never arrived, after waiting 2 ½ hours, when some of the entrees came out (not all together), sides were missing, the food that we did receive was cold and the steaks were RAW! Nothing was prepared the way we asked to accommodate food allergies, so we became ill before we even got home. The server physically touched every one of us at the table inappropriately, including the infant! I know, I was there and still can’t believe it, but none of us wanted to be touched at the dinner table, by a stranger.

Our server literally joked about the only thing she did timely was bring us our bill.. we had to ask multiple times to speak with the manager who eventually came. While he comped the bill, he seemed uninterested in hearing all the egregious events that had occurred over the previous 3 ½ hours. His reality was that he was going from table to table apologizing to everyone for what sounded like experiences similar to ours.

There was actually one part of the night that stood out in a positive way. While we can count on our fingers how many times our waitress came to our table, Elliot was busting his butt running around the entire night to all the tables in our area, refilling water and apologizing for the kitchen and serving staff. He was beside himself to see that we had not received any food or appetizers for so many hours and offered kindness as he kept stopping by our table with his infectious smile.

Hugo’s, if you take reservations for this many guests and over set so many tables, you need to have the staff to handle it. Period. This atmosphere, service, and terrible food was completely unacceptable. Do better Hugo’s.

As for gluten free, nope! No menu, no interest in helping with the order, and the food came out contaminated. Nothing was prepared as requested. We got sick before we even got home!

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Not at all

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— No gluten-free information on the menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Not Much/None

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Poor

We went to Hugo's for the first time after my diagnosis. The waitress was fairly new, but spoke to the chef multiple times until I felt comfortable ordering. I ordered the scallops and the chef made it differently to account for being Celiac. So delicious and did not get sick! Was told by the waitress they have a very strict allergy protocol.

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Very

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— No gluten-free information on the menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Most/All

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Excellent

Other Characteristics

• Good for dairy-free
• Good for keto
• Good for lunch
• Good for takeout
• Good selection of healthy options
• Good with other allergies
• Offers outdoor seating

My family and I have eaten here several times and the food is excellent. We are all celiac and the waitstaff and kitchen are very knowledgeable. The decadent flourless chocolate cake is amazing.

Celiac friendly?

Yes