Hugo Ortega was born in Mexico City and spent part of his childhood in Puebla, living on his grandmother's rancho near the Oaxaca border, and that countryside still shapes the plates at Hugo's. He opened the restaurant in 2002 with his wife and business partner, Tracy Vaught, and it became the flagship of their H-Town Restaurant Group. The Montrose dining room hums with families, first dates and business dinners. Go for cabrito, roasted goat with garlic salsa and a nopales salad, or arroz a la tumbada, a brothy rice crowded with seafood and chorizo. Aguachile made with hearts of palm shows how well the kitchen treats vegetables, and squash blossoms arrive every spring. After six straight years as a finalist, Ortega won the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southwest in 2017.
What to expect
- The room is a restored 1925 building with brick walls and a stamped-tin ceiling.
- Dress is casual to smart casual.
- The main room gets loud when full; the candlelit back patio is calmer.
- Valet is complimentary.
- Sunday brunch is a big buffet of about 30 savory dishes and as many sweets.
What to order
- Cabrito (roasted goat with garlic salsa)
- Arroz a la tumbada
- Aguachile de palmito
- Squash blossom specials in spring
- 2002Since
- Hugo OrtegaChef
- Hugo Ortega and Tracy VaughtOwners
- H-Town Restaurant GroupGroup