Reviews & Ratings for Hugo's Frog Bar & Fish House

10/06/09

Great food, even better staff, fun atmosphere!

by vulrich at Citysearch

Hubby and I popped in on a Sunday night, sat in area next to bar at a good sized table-was comfortable. Waitress was extremely nice and accomodating throughout the night-A+! Opened with salads, both dressing were much better than average restaurant dressing surprisingly. For entree, I had crab cakes, and they were very good, and finally a restaurant that brings me a huge piece of lemon and enough mayo concoction for them! Hubby had the ribs, was knee deep in them before long and loved them! We got a piece of chocolate cake to take back to our hotel room. It was as big as our heads, I'm not kidding. We were very disappointed to have to leave more than half of it in our room upon leaving Chicago. Again, waitress was wonderful, hosts were very friendly, staff was attentive. Would definitely return again when in Chicago-easy to become a regular in this place!

• Pros: Portions-huge, table right away,excellent food and staff!
• Cons: Dessert was TOO big, had to leave left overs in hotel room!

09/02/08

Wonderful Restaurant! A tourist must!

by raviolirinaldi at Citysearch

A New York City couple with high expectations for the culinary (that comes with the territory) on our first trip to Chicago. We shamelessly admit that N.Y.C. is missing and needs a Hugo's. With a menu that offers a variety of seafood that fools you into thinking you might be near the Atlantic coast and a shared kitchen with Gibson's Steakhouse next door this was a fantasy come true for a Carnivore-Vegetarian couple. From the moment we entered the door to the moment we wobbled out onto Rush Street the entire restaurant staff was not only courteous and attentive but genuinely welcoming and quick to acknowledge us with a smile whenever we came within five feet from one of them. Our server was Dustin and not only was he a chip off the warm personality of the entire staff, he was a knowledgeable and honest guide through what the menu had to offer. My Gibson's 22 oz. bone-in Ribeye was cooked to exactly what temp. I had asked and was the closest I'd come to the quality of beef that reminded me of what I grew up eating in Texas. The bookbinder soup is a must try appetizer for someone who has already tried Gumbo in New Orleans and the Chowdah in Cape Cod--it goes great with the generous serving of various fresh tasting bread delivered promptly to the table just before the drinks. My companion had a jalapeno crusted Halibut which was flaky and delicious. We both thoroughly enjoyed the appetizers the Bookbinder soup, frogs legs and crab cake are worth a mention.

The decor was warm and welcoming and the tables are far enough apart that you aren't invading the tables next to you. Great wine list, fabulous food and wonderful service - what else could you ask for?

Make Hugo's a must stop in Chicago. It is a better choice than its' older brother Gibson's if you aren't looking for the flashy "see and be seen" scene next door. But fine dining nevertheless.

• Pros: Excellent seafood for a midwestern hotspot, great wine list, great service
• Cons: reservations are a must!

09/02/08

Best Lobster Bisque, best crab cake and great steaks

by cookingjul at Citysearch

We took our son to Hugo's as a special going away present the night before he left for China as an exchange student. I was looking at other steak/seafood houses based on internet searches and changed to Hugo's based upon a recommendation by the Concierge at out hotel and I am so glad we did.

Our waiter (Anthony) was the best waiter we have ever had at any restaurant. We never felt rushed (and the menu was extensive so it took awhile to order). The Lobster Bisque was the best soup we have ever had, the mustard/dill sauce for the salmon was fantastic, the crab cakes were really lump crab and not filler, and the steaks were fantastic (they come from their sister restaurant Gibson's).

The most expensive restaurant I have ever been to but we also ordered more than usual because it was a special event. Glad we made reservations or we could not have gotten in until after 9:00 (Friday night). Hugo's will be a destination for us whenever we travel to Chicago from now on.

• Pros: Service and quality of food.

05/02/08

Best restaurant experience in Chicago! great food, service and music! WOW

by pl2004 at Citysearch

I took a group of 8 to this restaurant and can't say enough good about it. We had to wait for our table ...but it was well worth it. This restaurant is awesome and the food is fantastic...Go and return often...!! FANTASTIC EXPERIENCE- great staff - wonderful menu! wow!

• Pros: great food, great service,

01/18/08

Good Food, Great Service

by tackle71 at Citysearch

My wife and I went there on a very cold January evening and found the restaurant a warm and lively place to get out of the cold and enjoy a good meal. We found the shrimp bisque, bookbinders soup and broiled scallops good but the Alaskan King Salmon was great, being perfectly cooked and seasoned. The asparagus was bland but overall it was a good meal. The desserts are decadent and can easily feed 4 people (thank goodness they provide doggy bags). We live on the gulf coast and were pleasantly surprised to find such good seafood without paying an arm and a leg although it was not cheap.

• Pros: Great Service
• Cons: Small restaurant so it feels you are right on top of fellow diners

11/23/07

So dissapointed...

by bitkim83 at Citysearch

well first of all, their servers were not that nice at all. Didn't care about my table and i don't know why.

Also, tomato and veg. soup and clam chowder were all too salty and my fish dish was salty as well. However, the worst part was that the creme brulee came out and the caramelized sugar didn't break. One of my friend asked the waiter if it is supposed to be like and he didn't say sorry but asked if we wanted a new one. And, when my friend said he was just curious how it suppoed to be like, he took the thing and said "whatever". The foods weren't good but the service was the worst ever. I would never go back there and would never recommend this place.

09/25/07

Beautiful everything...

by chinadoll62 at Citysearch

My mom and I were just riding around and needed to make a pit stop. We just happened to find a parking spot in the area and parked. We decided to step in for a quick drink, but after entering and inquiring about a table, we were seated immediately, although the wait was an hour to sit outside. We were waited on immediately and the food was excellent. The waiter gave us each a complimentary bowl of clam chowder for the extra 20 minute wait for the food and comped a drink for having us sit, as he put it, in an awkward spot. (We loved the spot). We ordered the Lump Crab Cake, Seared Scallops and the Portobello Mushroom with a shrimp stuffing. Being from Houston, Texas I was impressed. We are accustomed to good seafood.

08/09/07

Very Good Seafood

by xytraumarn at Citysearch

Excellent food, had to wait 40 minutes despite having a reservation. The staff where very attenative and knowledgable, although a bit confused I was told they were out of the lobster bisque and asked if clam chowder would be okay, and then they brought lobster bisque to other's at my table when I asked about it they found another bowl of bisque for me, maybe from Gibson's with whom they share a kitchen. The atmosphere was a little noisy and crowded. But on future trips to Chicago this will be one of the places I must return to.

• Pros: Very good selection of Seafood
• Cons: Noisy and crowded

08/06/07

Not good for Vegetarians

by katieh6 at Citysearch

It's obvious from the name, but there is only one thing on the menu that a true vegetarian can eat (I was coerced into going there by seafood lovers). It was incredibly noisy and we had to wait for atleast 30 min, depsite having a reservation at 9pm. Also waited atleast 10-15 minutes at the bar trying to get a drink. So crowded that it must've been a fire hazard and we could not have a conversation at the table due to noise.

It might be worth it for the seafood but if you even want to talk to the other people you're with, don't go. Also, too expensive considering the food and service, which was borderline hostile, rushed us and then was unattentive.

• Pros: great location and hip crowd
• Cons: everything else

02/16/07

More Love on Valentine's Day

by pc_s at Citysearch

We had a wonderful experience all around. Reservations are highly recommended, especially on Valentine's Day. I chose Hugo's because they're one of the few in the area that didn't have a prix-fixed menu. I love to have choices! We were seated immediately in the upstairs party section. They turned it into a quaint little dining room of about 7 or 8 tables for 2. Our server, Anthony, was awesome - tentative, funny, lively, knowledgable of their menu and made great suggestions. We had the 1/2 order of mussels, frog legs, seared tuna for me, porterhouse for the man and dessert was chocolate ice cream and creme burlee. We sure had a good amount of leftovers. Everything was tasty and good. It wasn't, "WHOA AMAZING!", but it was good. The mussels weren't too salty or garlicy, the frog legs were delicate and meaty, my medium rare seared tuna was a little "too" cooked. The porterhouse (not the Big Porterhouse) was BIG! There were no sides to share for us that evening...there was plenty for us and the table behind us. Nice selection of wine and very easy to follow on the menu. The downstairs bar area seemed like everyone was having a great time. We'll definitely be going back soon.

• Pros: lively, friendly, good food, great service, nice wine selection, comfortable
• Cons: didn't know to walk over by Gibson's for valet (they share) so waited a bit in the cold