Hugo's Frog Bar & Fish House — Restaurant in Chicago

Hopefully you will get the good waitress. We walked in there with every intention of having a nice meal. Left after one drink and an appetizer. This girl would make Cracker Barrel look bad. Let alone a higher money place on Rush street. We went elsewhere for our meal. Thanks Hugo’s!

I recently had the pleasure of dining at a restaurant where I was fortunate enough to experience the exceptional service of what can only be described as the world's worst waitress. From the moment we sat down, it was clear that this waitress was determined to make our dining experience as memorable as possible, and not in a good way.

Firstly, her speed was truly impressive. It felt as though she had taken a masterclass in slow motion service. Each step she took was deliberate and purposefully slow, as if she were trying to savor every moment of our excruciatingly long wait for our food. I must say, I have never seen someone move so slowly and yet accomplish so little.

But it wasn't just her sloth-like pace that astounded me; it was her utter lack of attention to detail. She managed to forget nearly every aspect of our order, from the drinks to the appetizers. It was like playing a game of culinary roulette, never knowing what would actually arrive at our table. I have to admit, it was quite thrilling waiting to see what surprise she would bring next, although it was never a pleasant one.

And let's not forget her impressive talent for disappearing act. It was as if she had mastered the art of invisibility, always managing to be conveniently absent whenever we needed something. We would sit there, desperately waving our hands like a group of drowning sailors, hoping to catch her attention, but she was always conveniently out of sight. It was truly a marvel to witness.

But perhaps the most remarkable thing about this waitress was her ability to consistently get our orders wrong. It was like she had a sixth sense for misinterpreting our requests. I would ask for a simple Caesar salad, and she would bring me a plate of spaghetti. I would request a medium-rare steak, and she would present me with a hockey puck. It was like she was playing some twisted game of food roulette, and we were the unwitting participants.

All in all, I must say that this waitress provided us with a dining experience that was truly unforgettable, albeit for all the wrong reasons. Her slow pace, lack of attention to detail, disappearing act, and uncanny ability to get our orders wrong made for a truly comical and memorable evening. If you're looking for a dining experience that will leave you in stitches, I highly recommend seeking out this waitress. Just don't expect to leave with a full stomach or a...

They didn't have a table at our original destination Gibsons so we stepped next door and I'm very happy we tried Hugo's! They will provide you with a steak menu from Gibsons (they are owned by the same company, but Hugo's has a seafood focused selection) if you want a different cut from ones offered on Hugo's menu, such as the 14oz Filet Mignon amongst a few others. We started with a couple of shrimp cocktails, lobster escargot and they accommodated us with a special order of oysters Rockefeller that is normally only served on certain days or times. If you are a fan of shrimp cocktails this is a must-order. The shrimp are fresh, firm and truly gigantic with a lovely horseradish touched cocktail sauce. Truly the best in the city. The lobster escargot was very tasty. I would order it again. Our party of four all ordered steaks, which at Hugo's come with a choice of soup or salad, and each steak was cooked to perfection whether they were requested well done or medium rare. There is a great variety of steak toppings offered from Bernaise to Oscar style but the standout was the lobster butter which arrived with huge pieces of lobster in melted butter which paired beautifully with the high quality meat. The seafood entrees looked delightful. Hugo's is the perfect place if you're not sure if you are in the mood for steak or seafood or want a combination of both at their finest. We will certainly be returning. I can't imagine anyone being disappointed here. I did take off some stars for ambience because it was very loud and crowded at 8pm on a Sunday night. It is both comfortable and clean but not ideal for quiet conversations. However the food and service made that inconsequential for us. Speaking of service, we lucked out with Denise as our server for the evening and she was amazing! Attentive, educational, friendly and very patient answering our multitude of questions about the selections. I will be requesting her on our future visits and if you are a patron who looks for top notch servers with the ability to pay careful attention to your needs even when they are extremely busy, you should ask for one of her tables as well. We all know the level of service can make or break a dining experience regardless of the quality of the food and Denise made our first meal at Hugo's one to remember and return for. Enjoy! Hugo's will...

We visited Hugo’s Frog Bar & Fish House on a Friday night to celebrate a notable career milestone. Hugo’s is located in the Gold Coast area of Chicago, next to its sister restaurant Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse. The establishment represents an upscale seafood restaurant. We looked at a number of restaurants before making a reservation and we were glad we dined at Hugo’s.

The interior is more brightly lit than you would expect for an establishment of this class, and the painted walls were a bit of a contrast to the white tablecloth, wood paneling, mounted adornments, and gilded lamps. One member of our party thought it added a level of creativity and buoyancy and another party thought it was a little disjointed. Lastly the quality of the dining experience in terms of ambiance needs greater continuity throughout the floorplan (i.e., very diverting in the front but lacking a bit in the back). We thought the library concept was very cool and would love to sit in that area on our next visit.

The New York Times praised Hugo’s noting “the fish could only be fresher if it swam in by itself” – and we came to the same conclusion. A few items were particularly notable for their freshness: the Mussels Frites (with both the delicacy and the flavor making these some of the best mussels I’ve ever had) and the jumbo shrimp that came with The Admiral’s Seafood Tower. My girlfriend also loved the Alaskan King Crab Salad that came with the seafood tower. The fries that came with the Mussels Frites were also perfectly done (not too salty, but still nice and crispy) and we thought they went well with the mussels.

You can also try frog legs here (as you'd expect given the name of the restaurant) - and they are definitely worth trying!

We also really enjoyed the cocktails. We ordered dirty martinis with blue cheese olives and espresso martinis. The bartender did a good job!

Service was great! Very friendly and we didn’t feel rushed. My girlfriend has a major gluten intolerance and he navigated that very effectively (and she did...