Hugos Restaurant and Tequila Bar

No wait! Which is rare for downtown. Waitstaff was friendly and knowledgable, which is rare for Austin. Good food. Good prices. We’d go again. Had the cornish hen and flanksteak, both solid dishes. Mashed potatoes had chives and garlic, perfect side dish. Thumbs up!

The atmosphere is relaxing and inviting. Service was slow at first but throughout our stay we received excellent service. The food presentation was great and the flavor made my taste buds happy.
If you are looking for a great little place for dinner with friends you should check this place out!

Hurray for date nights! Forget reverse happy hours, my babysitter (grandma) rarely makes it past 8pm short of a John Wayne marathon on the Western Channel. Recently, we had time to relax and visit Hugos. Getting the overwhelming praise out of the way immediately would be the creative «infused» cocktails. The wife needed the drunk tank after one happy hour marg!
Forward thinking upgrades ala muddling in the world of mixology has taken the «garnish» inside the mix and props for whoever created the smoked pineapple, ancho-​chili, and jalapeño margarita. The house salsa paired with the chips were delicious; probably close to the best smoked salsa I’ve ever had. We stuck to the happy hour vibe ordering several appetizers. OK, we hurt ourselves.
We started with a Unilocal favorite duck «cigars». Perfectly fried, moist pulled duck, and amazing blackberry based sauce. We also loved the Mexican street corn wraps. Bibb lettuce provided the perfect vessel for consumption along with the bite of the cotija cheese and lime. More praise for the mini tortas; the wife’s choice of shrimp as the filling along with black beans, guacamole, and cabbage tucked inside thick little rolls.
Our least favorite dish was the ceviche. Beautiful presentation aside, the advertised notes of citrus didn’t make it into the dish. The quality of the seafood ingredients weren’t up to standards set by other restaurants in the area. Next complaint would be the noise; with happy hour in full swing near the bar plus a few tables surrounding us you couldn’t carry on a normal conversation without raising your voice.
Service was great and the food arrived from the kitchen with ease; no waiting issues as others had experienced. Most of the dishes we sampled were appealing; but the noise and the fishy ceviche convinced me Hugos is a three star joint. Then, when I factor in the cocktails I’m back to four alcohol drenched starts.

Famous duck cigar quotes through history:
«Happiness? A good duck cigar, a good meal, a good duck cigar and a good woman — or a bad woman; it depends on how much happiness you can handle.» — George Burns
«There are two things a man never forgets — his first love and his first duck cigar.»
– John Bain
«My rule of life prescribed as an absolutely sacred rite duck cigars and also the drinking of alcohol before, after and if need be during all meals and in the intervals between them.» — Winston Churchill
«The duck cigar is the perfect complement to an elegant lifestyle.»
– George Sand
«Cognac and duck cigars… it’s like finding the perfect woman. When you’ve got her, why go chasing after another?»
– Michael Nouri, Actor
«Eating and sleeping are the only activities that should be allowed to interrupt a man’s enjoyment of his duck cigar.»
– Mark Twain
«Given the choice between a woman and a duck cigar, I will always choose the duck cigar.» — Groucho Marx
«Ms Lewinsky, could you please demonstrate to the jury exactly where the duck cigar was inserted?” — -Kenneth Starr***
«The duck cigars are $ 4 for Happy Hour.” — Theresa, bartender for Hugos
***not an exact quote :)