Reviews of Hugo's (Coffee Shop)

Megan Rice

Exceptional food, service, and atmosphere. We came to celebrate our honeymoon and we'll be back for subsequent anniversaries for years to come. A must stop on your Portland food and wine tour.

Jesse Riggs

Some of the most creative dishes I've ever had the privilege to enjoy. Every plate was a surprise and a wonder. The chefs clearly absolutely outdid themselves. I would happily go back anytime I'm in town.

Courtney Stricklan

What a fantastic dining experience! My husband and I couldn’t have been happier with the Chefs tasting menu. Each dish was well thought out and cooked to perfection. The service was terrific was well. We really couldn’t have asked for a better meal.

Vanessa Tripp

I went here just a week ago and it was the best time iveiveI had at a restaurant in quite some time. The atmosphere is a mix of hipster, modern, and classy, and I think it's great. The service was pretty good, they stopped to explain what each dish was, and I believe it was the owner who answered our questions about the neighboring restuaresta that all share a kitchen. But now the important part, the food. I am a very picky person when it comes to flavor. But absolutely eveyeverything I had, I enjoyed (besides a cheese ice cream, it was kind of weird). I did have the Verizon up meal, so eveythever was kind of prefixed, but still very impressed. All the foods mixed very well together, and if you want a classy yet chill night out, then I recommend this place.

Kinap Bassett

not worth your money. over priced

Pam LB

Very good place for a cocktail. I had the Downeast Breeze and my bf had the Dry Cidah.

Erica Zimmerman

We experienced a Manhattan level of pretentiousness in maine of all places. We arrived early for our reservation hoping to get a drink at the bar and were ushered away until the hostess learned we had a dinner reservation. Each dish seemed inconsistent. We were probably there on an off night because it was recommended so highly? All and all I feel like they take themselves too seriously.

J M

Whoever left the "way to salty" comment , disregard because of grammatical blindness. Which leads to "dead tongue" disease.. Our meal was perfectly paced, perfectly prepared, and delicious, start to finish. Personable wait staff; friendly without being overbearing. You can't miss here.

P K

The tasting menu and wine pairings was one of the best meals I have ever experienced. I was blown away by the freshness and overall quality of the dishes presented. In particular, the tuna belly was out of this world. Quick shoutout to Patrick, who was phenomenal at presenting the dishes and wines. He made the night very memorable.

Ward Strosser

Very controlling environment. Did not let us sit in vacant areas of the Bar and booths; I would understand if they were busy, however, these areas remained empty the whole time we were there 2.5 hrs.).

Danka Chiang

I had the food tasting here. Its very good course set!!

Rita Simcock

Enjoyed a wonderful birthday celebration for my son. Staff treated us like royalty. The food was absolutely amazing!! Tastes, textures, variety, words cannot describe the palate. Also provided us with many extra complimentary dishes!

Prius Owner

Had the "90 day aged" rib eye, which did not have the typical flavor and texture of either aged beef or even a non-aged rib eye cut. Some parts of the meal were very good, but at these prices the quality should not be uneven. Service was excellent, as were the drinks. My advice: drinks and small plates, or just go elsewhere.

Chase Stricklan

We ordered the Chef’s table and it was fantastic. Each course was better than the last and a few courses even changed my wife’s mind on food that she thought she didn’t like (clams and mushrooms). I admit when they brought out the corn salad I was thinking “I guess I have to get through this before I get another course” but it turned out to be one of my favorites. Not cheap but this level of quality rarely is.

Marek Weber

Really tasty and modern cusine. I had several seafood dishes and all were really good. My boyfriend had the excelIent charcuterie plate. Also, amazing and friendly service. I don't understand the bad rating here.

Joshua Rosen

This was our favorite restaurant in Portland but we were disappointed the last time we were there. It may have been an off night because we've had many spectacular meals here.

David Miller

Very well thought out and executed dishes. Balance throughout. Wine pairings off the ala carte menu were spot on and the mixologist produced exquisite spirits on request.

Tim Mateosian

Top fine dining experience in Portland. Chef tasting menu will impress even the most jaded of foodies.

Dimitrios D

I came here with my fiancé (after I proposed to her). I knew next to nothing about this place other than that it took reservations and got great reviews online. It was amazing from start to finish. The staff was professional and polite. The place looks cool, too. We sat at the long wooden bar, which was surprisingly comfy. The food, most importantly, was seriously awesome. We opted for the five-course tasting menu, and we stuck wholly with the "From the Sea" category. However, diners can select dishes from the meat and vegetarian categories, too, and mix and match- we just wanted to go all seafood. I would remiss if I didn't mention that this place is incredibly expensive, but unlike a lot of other expensive restaurants, I think it was worth it.

Timothy Schmidt

Eaten at thousands of restaurants in over a dozen country's and can't think of a worse experience. The food was very expensive and seemed like the chef was more cornered with trying something different and the "look" of the dish instead of the taste. Each dish had extremely unbalanced and clashing flavors. On top of that the service left a lot to be desired and when I called attention to my dissatisfaction with the food the staff couldn't have cared less. Never have I experienced such indifference to a dinner's enjoyment and concerns. Luckily after a few courses we had the good sense to cut our losses and ask for the check and not continue the five course tasting menu. We received very much the same attitude and responses from the manager on staff who had no desire to salvage the experience. It's unfortunate that in a town with such great food, that this restaurant leaves dinners with a bad impression of Portland food and hospitality. Skip this place and go to Fore St or one of the other great restaurants where they don't take their rating or customers for granted.

Noah Butler

Amazing food, great experience. 10/10

Matthew Demaris

Top notch experience. Great food great staff. Thanks everyone!

Christopher Wiley

Always exquisite.

Anthony Papini

I need this place out.

Charles Drew

Great food and atmosphere - only complaint is the service was not very attentive - but that is not enough of a complaint to stop me from going back.

Mark Lutian

We ended up in here due to a one hour wait next door at Eventide. I'm so glad we did! We worked out way through most of the appetizer menu while sipping on cocktails followed by Shipyard brews and then a digestif to go with a dessert I am about to select. Everything was wonderful, but I would especially recommend the smoked pork chop. My wife loved the salmon tartare, and we both really enjoyed the chicken liver mousse. We'll be back!

Kyle Martin

excellent food, the coffee is evidently good, but for the price I feel that one could go elsewhere and be equally wow'd. With that said I still feel that the experience and service is bar none some of the best in Portland. Definitely a spot to go for those very special occasions.

sam tarbox

Cool place and knowledgeable staff. A must stop in the Portland Old Port.

David Perrotti

Extremely rude hostess and bartender -- never have we ever experienced such unproffesionalism from any establishment

Sharon Weiss

Eclectic mix of flavors and textures on a limited locally sourced menu. Small quiet comfortable booths and attentive service.

dave augustyniak

Eclectic menu. Fabulous food. Farm to table restaurant.

Jordan Pollack

Wandered in Saturday around 6 and we got lucky to get seats at the bar. Unusual menu but we figured out how to have 4 courses for $60/person. The tomato and melon salads were very novel, the mushroom tempura amazing, and main courses of chicken and cod were delicious. Inventive desserts. Service was team-based and well-timed. A great experience so next time we'll make a reservation!

Mike Vecc

Really good atmosphere and staff. We had a great dinner and the apps were great. Definitely a place we will come back too.

Timothy Morris

Wonderful contemporary American food, we go here every year for our anniversary. Staff is very friendly. The biscuits in particular are very good. The only thing we don't recommend is the beet sorbet, my fiance claims it tastes like dirt. Then again, she says that about all beet dishes. I'm more of a root guy myself and I liked it!

Eli St. Cyr

Superb takes on acid, spice and fat.

Kyle Harder

Tasting menu is the prize here. It's excellent and inventive. That said, there is something to be said for simplicity when it comes to seafood, which when you're in Maine should be your goal. I'd rather eat 5 courses of lobster rolls from Eventide next door personally.

Peter Shreve

One of the best meals I have ever had. Make reservations early if you plan to get a table. Worth every penny!

Jerry Sharpei

Very disappointing, staff felt that they were doing me a favor for being there ! Flavors of the food were were quite bland or way to salty. The experience was more than horrible ! I own a restaurant in Greenwich Connecticut and it is high end .....this was dreadful for food and wait staff , thank god fore st restaurant was willing to take us after we left .

Scott Graham

Amazing food. Romantic atmosphere. Pricey but worth it.

Sally Torgeson

Wow. What a fantastic experience. I came 3000 miles and I'd do it again.

Joëlle Bond

WORST DINING EXPERIENCE EVER, GO TO GRACE INSTEAD FOR SURE. We have been to Portland many times and come here mainly to try new restaurants. We were very excited to try Hugo's... and left, two hours later, very disappointed. The portions were very very small for the price (and no, we were not expecting an all-you-can-eat buffet). There is some complimentary stuff they bring through your dinner (a little fried fish, biscuits and chocolates at the end) and they tasted better than what we ordered... though it would have been nice to have 4 biscuits for a table of 4 people, but, hey, at this point, nothing could have salvaged this dinner. The service was not that good and when one of us told the waiter that his plate did not contain any clams (he told us that the Fruit de mer plate contained clams) the waiter was a little arrogant and said: «Of course, that is a clam, sir»... pointing to a dime-sized piece of clam under a large parsley leaf. We didn't even try desserts, because, honestly, why stay there a minute more? I think people who gave 5 stars to this restaurant are either friends of the staff, got a free dinner or enjoyed a whole other menu that we have not seen tonight. This is my first and only review on Google about a restaurant... I don't usually take the time to write them but if someone reads this and decides to go elsewhere, it will have been worth it.

Milica Komazec

Excellent. Always a special occasion. Otherwise said, this is a restaurant like no other.

Rebecca Judd

Fabulous!

Beau McLendon

Portland, ME the new New York...reserving bar seats? As a Hotelier I will go out of my way to steer people clear of such pretentiousness, especially when there are establishments like The James Beard award winning Hunt and Alpine Club. Don’t waste your time.

Kristen McIntire

Such an amazing dining experience! The tasting menu is worth every penny.

brett saltzman

Had awesome visit here sampled different things waiter was very helpful

Bname Fname

Great decor, pretty good service, but agree with previous reviews about the food being salty, not flavorful, and smallish portions (and we got the "large" serving)

Joseph Lipscomb

Simply wonderful. Beautiful space, excellent service and a great, great meal.

Keith Emery

It was amazing!!! Haven't been in years and I was defenitly missing out. We had a prix fixe menu for the night that was bursting with flavor in every bite. We found ourselves discussing each course throughout the entire meal. It is a must have experience that I want to go back and back and back.

Bettina Pearson

We went for their support of Barbara Bush Children's Hospital this month and are so glad we did. Superb meal! Perfect wine recommendation. Attentive service. Lovely space. Thank you all.

Jared Shaner

I'm not sure what happened to the people who rated this one star, because this was easily one of the best and most unique meals I have had. Let's start with the obvious, this isn't a "value" play. The menu is fixed price and changes daily. The staff does a great job with service, and pacing between the courses is great. They seemed to break up longer dishes with smaller plates. The portions were appropriate and I left feeling full. The actual dishes were impressively complex. Each dish seemed better than the next. Would highly recommend.

Abby White

Second time at Hugo's and disappointed again. The curried goat dish was inedible, the cod dish had little taste although advertised as spicy. The cute idea of having three sardine cans filled with herring, mussels and oysters was more cute than tasty. Can't say anything positive except the service. Expensive evening with little positive to offer.

Stephen Walls

Fantastic chef's choice + wine pairing. Good mix of familiar and unfamiliar elements to make interesting dishes accessible. Well curated beverage pairings.

Laura Costello

Absolutely incredible. Service presentation everything!!

Lauren Warren

High end feel but wouldn't recommend if you're a tourist. We were just looking for a few small plates and felt pressured to order more food by our waiter. The food was good and small quantities like we wanted, but overpriced for what I'm used to paying for in NYC.

Zack Davies

My wife and I celebrated our 3 year anniversary here 10/10/18. The food was very interesting and tasted great. I tried to obtain more information about each dish from the waiter but he was extremely unhelpful. He acted pretentious when asked questions and gave 2 star service. I left him a good tip for his lack of service and friendliness. Service goes a long way and by his attitude it will keep us from coming back for awhile. Come on Portland match the service to the quality of food. Disappointed to say the least. Zack Davies

Caiden Croteau

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Allen Small

Absolutely hands down the best food experience in Portland. Yes its expensive and yes it's worth every single penny.

Logan Caldwell

It was a fun and great experience. Don't go just for the food - go for the flare.