A great dining experience starts with the eyes and follows with the nose. From the moment I walked in was greeted with the smells of the wood fired ovens. Great use of the historic architecture and super friendly staff/mixologists. Dined outside on the patio. Food was top notch. Lamb meatballs were bananas. So good. all the sauces are clearly home made and compliment well thought out preparations. Loved every bit of this meal and will gladly dine here again. Highly reccomend.
Kent Altemeier
We were seated promptly. Server was attentive. As we sat looking over the menu, the smell of rancid grease was overpowering. We figured out the napkins were not clean. Moving on we ordered meatball soup and beet salad. Soup was good and hot. Beet salad was missing the beets. Not sure what happened in the kitchen. Order a few pizzas. They were so unextraordinary we forgot to snap pics. Fine ground red pepper was a nice touch. They do offer corkage. It's a cold building, so bundle up. Parking is a good walk and will help settle your meal.
Parking: Be prepared to walk a little bit. Drop your party off at the door.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Lamb Meatballs
Bruce Crum
Was looking forward to going to Hugo’s last night with my girlfriend and her granddaughter, the excitement didn’t last long. I had the lamb shank which was ok, but the girls got two different pizzas, I tried one bight and put it done, it was bad very bad.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 4
Bella Bruesch
If I could give hugos a 17637281 stars out of 5, I would! I've been here a few times, and it truly never disappoints. The staff are incredibly welcoming and kind, and the food is TO DIE FOR (the vodka cheese pizza lives rent-free in my head). The drinks are also amazing (I always recommend the hugo or either of the sangrias) and reasonably priced. It is easily the best restaurant in the dsm area. I've lived here 4 years and thought I'd never crave a specific meal in des moines, but hugos made that impossible with their menu. Even if you're not in the area, you MUST stop in!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
JL Warren
Wonderful service, chic ambiance, delicious food all make Hugo’s a definite 5 star evening out. Small menu but packed so much flavor and deliciousness that we will return to try again. Modest but unique wine list-beer choices good.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Louis Laurent
Bad food, terrible service. Waited two hours. Dinner never served. No apologies, no discount. clueless staff. Never going back.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 1
Samantha “Squidtone”
From the service to the atmosphere to the pizza and cocktails, nothing is a miss. Everything is delicious at Hugo’s. You have to try the Baked Feta!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Melinda
I came here with some girl friends. The food was delicious! The prices are fair! The staff was amazing! Great ambience! The herbs in the sauces and the crust on the pizza were perfect! Though, I did feel like the pork and apple pizza was missing something so I requested some chopped mint which really rounded everything out. I really can't say more without being redundant. Highly recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Nancy Sutton
We went to Hugo's on a Tuesday late afternoon. It wasn't crowded, we were seated immediately. The service was very good. We ordered a Greek pizza and it was a good pizza though I wouldn't say it was exceptional.
I agree with other reviewers about the tepid glasses of water. I did ask my server for ice and she readily gave it to me in a separate class. They bring the water to the table and a fancy bottle that makes it looks like it's supposed to be something special, but it just tastes like warmish tap water. I would suggest if they wish to serve it this way, they keep bottles in a cooler so that at least the water will be chilled. It tastes much better cold.
We had a truffle for dessert and it was to die for. It was a wonderful dessert.
My overall impression of Hugo's is that they value ambience over the customers comfort. It was freezing cold in there, though they're outdoor patio was roomy and comfortable.
All items are a la carte, so you could really drop a bundle in there even though the prices on each individual item don't seem too out of line. The individual servings are moderate to small so the customer is encouraged to order multiple items.
The menu is short however, they have unusual, out of the ordinary options that I find enticing and drew me to the restaurant. Many of these are vegan or vegetarian.
Based on recommendations I've received from friends, I was a bit disappointed. The food is tasty but I feel the value for the dollar spent is not very good.
Also, if I had not been told it was in The Meals on Wheels building, I would have had trouble finding it. I agree that a sign on the interior door would be helpful, too.
Parking: This building is shared by multiple businesses and the parking lot immediately behind the building is about half full of delivery trucks for one of the businesses. (Meals on Wheels)
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
Al Weltha
These people know how it should be done. The guys in the kitchen watch you eat. They care what you think about it. They are proud of what they do, and they should be.
Just a wonderful experience all around. Great patio vibe. Great food :)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
karla Blanchard
We came for lunch on a Saturday afternoon the place had one other table also having lunch. We had the goat cheese spread, lamb meatballs and the Hugo pizza and shared the Hugo Burger. Everything was fabulous all the flavors were straight on we will definitely return especially for the pizza….
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Debbie
Just had dinner at Hugo’s. The Arugala salad with pear was delicious. Our pork, apple butter, white sauce pizza was really good too. We had a bottle of Barbazola wine from Mt Edna, thoroughly enjoyed everything! Service was great, nice weather, what more can you ask for???!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Derek Hoedl
I'm from Manhattan NYC. This is by far the best pizza in Des Moines. I kid you not.Real taste of home. The service was on point and the beer was delicious. Not trying to brag but I've lived in all 4 corners of the country and now in the middle. It's a relief that this place exists. I ordered the margarita pizza well done and God damn. On point. Please people support this place if you want to taste what pizza is really supposed to taste like. Wood fired oven=crazy fast cook times. Dine in. The box makes it soggy. It's inherent. Not the establishment's fault. Real pizza = Hugo's.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sydney Canney
Spectacular new place by Drake University. The service was so genuine, the space is relaxing with a nice patio, and the Mediterranean food was to die for! Definitely will be coming back to try the other items in the menu since it all looked so good!
What We Ate: -Lamb Shank -Pork Apple Pizza -Goat Cheese Dip
A great dining experience starts with the eyes and follows with the nose. From the moment I walked in was greeted with the smells of the wood fired ovens. Great use of the historic architecture and super friendly staff/mixologists. Dined outside on the patio. Food was top notch. Lamb meatballs were bananas. So good. all the sauces are clearly home made and compliment well thought out preparations. Loved every bit of this meal and will gladly dine here again. Highly reccomend.
We were seated promptly. Server was attentive. As we sat looking over the menu, the smell of rancid grease was overpowering. We figured out the napkins were not clean. Moving on we ordered meatball soup and beet salad. Soup was good and hot. Beet salad was missing the beets. Not sure what happened in the kitchen. Order a few pizzas. They were so unextraordinary we forgot to snap pics. Fine ground red pepper was a nice touch. They do offer corkage. It's a cold building, so bundle up. Parking is a good walk and will help settle your meal.
Parking: Be prepared to walk a little bit. Drop your party off at the door.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Lamb Meatballs
Was looking forward to going to Hugo’s last night with my girlfriend and her granddaughter, the excitement didn’t last long.
I had the lamb shank which was ok, but the girls got two different pizzas, I tried one bight and put it done, it was bad very bad.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 4
If I could give hugos a 17637281 stars out of 5, I would! I've been here a few times, and it truly never disappoints. The staff are incredibly welcoming and kind, and the food is TO DIE FOR (the vodka cheese pizza lives rent-free in my head). The drinks are also amazing (I always recommend the hugo or either of the sangrias) and reasonably priced. It is easily the best restaurant in the dsm area. I've lived here 4 years and thought I'd never crave a specific meal in des moines, but hugos made that impossible with their menu. Even if you're not in the area, you MUST stop in!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Wonderful service, chic ambiance, delicious food all make Hugo’s a definite 5 star evening out. Small menu but packed so much flavor and deliciousness that we will return to try again. Modest but unique wine list-beer choices good.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Bad food, terrible service. Waited two hours. Dinner never served. No apologies, no discount. clueless staff. Never going back.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 1
From the service to the atmosphere to the pizza and cocktails, nothing is a miss. Everything is delicious at Hugo’s. You have to try the Baked Feta!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I came here with some girl friends. The food was delicious! The prices are fair! The staff was amazing! Great ambience! The herbs in the sauces and the crust on the pizza were perfect! Though, I did feel like the pork and apple pizza was missing something so I requested some chopped mint which really rounded everything out. I really can't say more without being redundant. Highly recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We went to Hugo's on a Tuesday late afternoon. It wasn't crowded, we were seated immediately. The service was very good. We ordered a Greek pizza and it was a good pizza though I wouldn't say it was exceptional.
I agree with other reviewers about the tepid glasses of water. I did ask my server for ice and she readily gave it to me in a separate class. They bring the water to the table and a fancy bottle that makes it looks like it's supposed to be something special, but it just tastes like warmish tap water. I would suggest if they wish to serve it this way, they keep bottles in a cooler so that at least the water will be chilled. It tastes much better cold.
We had a truffle for dessert and it was to die for. It was a wonderful dessert.
My overall impression of Hugo's is that they value ambience over the customers comfort. It was freezing cold in there, though they're outdoor patio was roomy and comfortable.
All items are a la carte, so you could really drop a bundle in there even though the prices on each individual item don't seem too out of line. The individual servings are moderate to small so the customer is encouraged to order multiple items.
The menu is short however, they have unusual, out of the ordinary options that I find enticing and drew me to the restaurant. Many of these are vegan or vegetarian.
Based on recommendations I've received from friends, I was a bit disappointed. The food is tasty but I feel the value for the dollar spent is not very good.
Also, if I had not been told it was in The Meals on Wheels building, I would have had trouble finding it. I agree that a sign on the interior door would be helpful, too.
Parking: This building is shared by multiple businesses and the parking lot immediately behind the building is about half full of delivery trucks for one of the businesses. (Meals on Wheels)
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
These people know how it should be done. The guys in the kitchen watch you eat. They care what you think about it. They are proud of what they do, and they should be.
This is NOT iHop.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Just a wonderful experience all around. Great patio vibe. Great food :)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We came for lunch on a Saturday afternoon the place had one other table also having lunch. We had the goat cheese spread, lamb meatballs and the Hugo pizza and shared the Hugo Burger. Everything was fabulous all the flavors were straight on we will definitely return especially for the pizza….
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Just had dinner at Hugo’s. The Arugala salad with pear was delicious. Our pork, apple butter, white sauce pizza was really good too. We had a bottle of Barbazola wine from Mt Edna, thoroughly enjoyed everything! Service was great, nice weather, what more can you ask for???!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I'm from Manhattan NYC. This is by far the best pizza in Des Moines. I kid you not.Real taste of home. The service was on point and the beer was delicious. Not trying to brag but I've lived in all 4 corners of the country and now in the middle. It's a relief that this place exists. I ordered the margarita pizza well done and God damn. On point. Please people support this place if you want to taste what pizza is really supposed to taste like. Wood fired oven=crazy fast cook times. Dine in. The box makes it soggy. It's inherent. Not the establishment's fault. Real pizza = Hugo's.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Spectacular new place by Drake University. The service was so genuine, the space is relaxing with a nice patio, and the Mediterranean food was to die for! Definitely will be coming back to try the other items in the menu since it all looked so good!
What We Ate:
-Lamb Shank
-Pork Apple Pizza
-Goat Cheese Dip
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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