Having been to Hugo's for lunch before, I welcomed this addition to the host of fine dining establishments in the Des Plaines area (that's sarcasm, people). I've been to this location twice now and here is my summary. It's A-OK. The end. ........... ........ ....... ..... ... .. Gotcha! We brought a large group for dinner here to break up the monotony of dining at the same two places for almost every single meeting we have had during my five year run at my place of employment. Dinner service was good. They will only reserve private dining rooms during the week - which is odd. the main dining areas are quite loud so be conscious of that if you are taking a large party here. My crab cakes were OK. I'm not sure they were made with fresh crab meat. Disappointing. The table got frog legs and I took their word that they were delicious. Frog legs are one of the foods I won't do. Whenever I see them, my mind flashes to one Michigan J. Frog shuffling across the floor singing "hello my baby, hello my honey, hello my rag time gaaaaal... I just can't do it. It ain't easy being green. The desserts were probably the best part of the meal and they are meant for sharing...or for putting you into a diabetic coma. One "slice" is pretty much an entire cake. I'm not joking. Our group had fun sharing the slices and letting the sugar buzz set in. I'd say my lunch experience here was better. I had the sunrise burger and it was pretty tasty. There are quite a few places in the area for a nice steak dinner but Hugo's is probably the most reasonable by comparison...plus you can let your dinner settle by cozying up to one of the slot machines in the casino. Hugo's is actually A-OK by me.
(3)
Jean Z.
Everything here is as good as it gets. Do take warning if ordering desert, they are too huge to take to-go, so don't bother unless your party of 10 is still seated. After about 10 visits to Hugo's we know what to expect and definitely never been let down here at the casino location. Thanks for being accountable!
(5)
Dawn P.
I had just about given up on going to Rivers Casino because their customer service is awful. Hugo's has definitely given me a new reason to visit. I made an 8:00 pm reservation and my friend and I were seated at the best table in the restaurant. Our server, Thomas S. was extremely pleasant, informative, and patient with us. We quickly discovered that he is one of the best servers we had ever had, ANYWHERE. One of those servers, that you would leave a 100%+ tip for if you could afford to. My friend and I were not too hungry but he still brought out all their cuts of meat and their giant lobster tail, just in case we wanted to split a large meal. We were unfortunately filling up after our delicious crap cake appetizer. A definite "must try" if you even remotely like crab or crab cakes. We then followed it up with the some sort of thinly cut steak appetizer which I can't remember the name of. My friend and I can't wait to go back with a huge appetite to try some surf and turf and hopefully have room for one of their decadent looking desserts. We plan on going on one of Thomas's nights and requesting him again also.
(5)
Thuoc N.
Way way overpriced for the actual quality and portion sizes. Seriously do not come here and save your money. The quality is better at Red Lobster. This is a tourist magnet and scam in my opinion.
(1)
Gail C.
Yep I agree, this place is a winnah! Cosmo martini, excellent! I had the petite filet with twice baked potato. The food was absolutely superb! Nice edition to this area. Especially since they got the traffic problems solved!
(5)
Rachel B.
I enjoyed dinner with my husband Saturday night this was a great place for us. I'm he glad he picked this place great atmosphere. The drinks are delicious I had the Flower Blossom our server suggested and it was a great choice. Yes I would go back.
(4)
Michael B.
MEH, The service was slow, like really damn slow. Not "I'm at a stuffy chop house and we don't want to bother the guest slow ". It was more a dazed and confused busy noisy slow. The price of the steaks were competitive with good steak houses, and it was a good steak albeit slightly over cooked . I had the house bone in rib eye medium rare. My steak was cooked med. My buddy ordered a bone in filet medium but got med well, but it was so dark in the joint it was tough to see if it was really over cooked but it had good flavor. We sat in a corner and in order for other guest to get by, my boy had to scooch in and every guest that left the joint felt the need to apologize as they asked him to move. We had the creamed spinach, crawfish mac and cheese, asparagus, and oysters. They were all fantastic especially the oysters. It was a good dinner, but i don't think it was an $800.00 good dinner for a group of 6. The noise, slow service, over cooked steaks, and constant interruptions brought the score down for me. I have no issue paying good money for a great steak--i just wasn't impressed. Mike B
(3)
Tony H.
Terrible service
(1)
Susu B.
1st let me say the service is AMAZING! Thomas was always around when I needed him. I ordered the tuna half salad which was tasty and then the burger which was a little undercooked but not bad.
(4)
Scotty R.
Outstanding Steak! We wanted to check out Hugo's at the casino and we're impressed by the execution on our king crab legs and filet selection. They turn tables quick in this locale so don't be surprised if your salads and apps hit the table in mere seconds after the order is placed. Every item on our table was first rate but at these prices that is the expectation and they deliver.
(4)
Carmen A.
Its almost 2 AM as I'm writing this review which by the way was only prompted as I am having some serious tummy issues after dining at Hugo's. My wife and I skipped meals all day to eat put tonight as we knew it'd be a heavier meal and lo and behold we are both sick. Who the culprit is , well...thats a toss up between the frog legs or a $100 plate of Waygu beef both of which we shared. The dirty martini was fine and the wine was good. Expect to spend some money in this place. I have to say my bet is on Frogger doing us in but my wife thinks you just can't trust a hybrid animal (waygu is a Kobe and something else mix). So we won't be frequenting them again unfortunately. Good luck to those who do....
(1)
Rebecca H.
I wanted to love it. And it's an okay place for some decent food but that's it. In fairness I didn't have the steaks or lobster but what we did order didn't make any of us want to order the more pricey items. It's okay--if you're in the area stop in and grab something to eat but I would not invest in the time for a long drive or the money for food that may be described as forgetable. I have heard the drinks are great. Maybe, we'll try again from that angle and I will update this review.
(3)
Anna P.
Great food! LOVE their steaks! Service was great. It was pricey, but we honestly expected to pay more.
(5)
Nats A.
The food is not up to par with the prices they charge for this place. Thankfully our meal was comped by the casino. So we didn't pay dime for our meal (except for tip). The Alaskan crab salad sounded so good. For $22 I expected it to be phenomenal. I wanted to try the dressing that they put on it, which was an oil vinaigrette dressing. Tasted more like it should be used as a bread dipping than an actual dressing. So I decided to go with the thousand Island dressing, which I believe was homemade. The dressing was good, the lobster was good but the salad was NOT worth $22. I came, I ate, and I won't be back. My dad had a steak sandwich, he said it was good but he would rather go down the hall to flipt to get a burger. The steak sandwich was $16 and it came with fries, even tho the menu says nothing about what it comes with. We also were able to take home the black forest cake, holy moly it is a whole cake in itself! Our waitress was really nice and attentive. She catered to my very annoying needs, which I am grateful for.
(3)
C M.
Really impressed, the food and service are great. The Mac 'n Cheese is not to be missed. Use the half-order option on side(s) if alone or with one other diner. Frog legs! Yummy and with the two half sides I am more than satiated. Also, the manager came by my table to fill my water and check on me. Dropped off his card, something that has never happened to me anywhere else and I travel extensively. The waiter's assistant indicted that this was not unusual and that he was a great guy to work for... Now that the kind of leadership I want to see. It certainly seems to carry over to the entire staff.
(5)
Daniel L.
CALL AHEAD AND MAKE RESERVATIONS. The casino was so packed when we were there (Saturday night) that we had quite a time finding a table for two. We arrived at around 8, and tried to put in a reservation for the non-bar section... which had no openings for 2 until 9:30. We spent the next :30 waiting and watching for tables to open up. In retrospect, it was probably good training for us for the casino experience, when we circled people with low chip stacks at the roulette wheel as if we were vultures circling above terminally ill buffalo. That's why I got "Kill Or Be Killed" in ink across my throat. No mercy. (Joking) Once we DID get a table, everything was great. The drinks were stiff enough to be worth the price, the Bookbinder's Soup was fantastic- HIGHLY recommend if you're a fan of spicy, tomato-based soup- and I got a Peppercorn Steak Salad which was delicious and portioned at a large enough size to feed 4 creepy people oogling your table to see if you're leaving it in the next few minutes. Cons: When it's busy, and you're eating in the bar area, there will be creepy people oogling your seat/table and lurking around in wait to snatch it as soon as you get up. I should know; I was one of the creeps. You may want to declare "BATHROOM BREAK" if you go to relieve yourself during your meal, just to avoid any added confusion. Hugo's IS expensive, so unless you don't care, you're going to have to pick your spots to find any great deals. The Peppercorn Steak salad is definitely worth a look!
(4)
H G.
This is a 3.5 star review karate-kicked to a 4 star. I'm a winner! I dined at Hugo's every month (sometimes twice) for a year, thanks to one of the casino's contests. After treating family, friends, and myself to those meals, I have to say that Hugo's is a mixed bag. Between all of us, we've tasted most items. The 1.5 star ding is for inconsistency in dish execution and a lack of creativity in the menu. For example, almost every visit included a kitchen mistake. Either a waitstaff person and/or a manager would come to the table to apologize for the wait and a dish prepared wrongly. The portions are large, and for the desserts extremely so. Yet the size doesn't make up for a lack of interesting flavors. Also, I felt the menu didn't change enough for the seasons. Here are the standouts and skips based on my and 10+ others tastes: HITS: - Complimentary raisin bread, with seeds and nuts baked inside - Oysters on the Half Shell ($3 each) - Sweet Chili Fried Calamari ($12.75) - Jumbo Lump Crab Cake with Hot Pink Mayo ($16.25 for 1 or $32 for 2) - Lobster Bisque and most other "Soup of the Day" ($4.75 or $6.75) - Ceasar Salad ($9) - Any of the Steaks and Chops (around $50+)... it's Gibsons, folks... You must know the ordering terminology and be vigilant about making sure the meat is cooked the way YOU like it. There are levels of "char". While the meat still cooks on the plate, it still may not turn out the way you expect. Favorites of the diners were the pork chops and sirloin. - Most of the Fresh Fish Entrees ($20 - $41). My absolute favorite was the Oven-Baked Salmon, but it was removed from the menu. - Creme Brulee ($10?)... the most reasonably-sized and sweetness-balanced dessert if eating with multiple people. It has great flavor as it's made with vanilla bean. - Black Forest Cake ($14?)... a slice is a whole cake like the others, but we are partial to the large Italian maraschino cherries MISSES: - Crabmeat Avocado ($16.25) - Chargrilled Marinated Shrimp ($23.50)... overcooked - Crawfish Mac & Cheese (with or without Andouille Sausage) ($8.75)... tastes processed. I would prefer a different dish featuring more crawfish. - French Fries and Homemade Potato Chips... tends to be limp - Most of the other desserts... for example, the Key Lime Pie really needs work The service is great, but slowed sometimes because of the kitchen issues. I recommend making reservations for the dining room. This is essential for Friday through Sunday nights, as you could wait 45 minutes+ for a seat otherwise. It's very noisy, so it's best to come early on a week night instead if you'd like a quiet meal. As such, I liked the early start time for dinner (3 p.m.). The bar area has seating, sometimes featuring a live pianist. Hugo's is expensive. I have higher expectations for such an establishment. It's certainly the best place to dine in the casino in terms of quality. (Although, sometimes Flipt's fried fish is a contender.) It's just that the flavor profile and consistency don't hold up to other restaurants in the same price range. Yet I do recommend trying Hugo's primarily for excellent steak and fish.
(4)
Laura M.
My first time visiting Hugo's was AMAZING! My friend and I went for just drinks but ended up ordering some sliders and calamari which were delicious. Our waitress Jenna gave us great recommendations for cocktails when we asked and the pear blossoms were perfect! I will definitely be back.
(5)
J B.
The wife and I had dinner last nite here and it was pleasant enough. We split the caesar salad which was good, not drenched w dressing. I also had lobster bisque, was tasty but the color of Campbells tomato w no trace of lobster. At Morton's I had a nice chunk of lobster. Also soup was luke warm w skin forming on top. The wife had salmon filet which I thought s/b bigger considering was $42 w a dollup of crabmeat . I had the Chicago Cut which was perfectly cooked. Though portions were smaller w prices higher than a few yrs when we went to Gibsons on River Rd. We had the combo veg., pea-sized mshrooms, broc,carrots and cauliflower, no asperagus as we had before at Gibson's. They are so portion control freaks here that it has to bother you considering the prices. We passed on dessert and coffee $141. Priceless.
(3)
Stephanie B.
I've had the opportunity to dine at Hugo's twice in the past month. My fiance and I went there for a romantic dinner and feasted on an assortment of food from the sweet chili calamari to petite filets with bernaise and the crawfish mac n cheese. The second time I went with a group of gfs to celebrate a birthday. I ordered the Alaskian King Crab Cobb Salad. OMG it was awesome. The only food I haven't been wow'd by was the crawfish mac n cheese, which was recommended highly by my server. It was supposed to be a creole southern dish with andouille sausage. However, the crawfish was either not fresh or just not prepped correctly, because my mac n cheese was rather fishy tasting. EW. I will most definitely be back for other occassions. This spot is located inside the new Rivers Casino. I recommend making a reservation as it is ALWAYS busy!
(4)
Jane H.
Good food, awful service. The staff was clearly more interested in turning the table than they were with providing a quality dining experience. Two managers took more time offering insincere apologies than it took to serve four courses. They took our name and email; no follow up... Not surprising. Go someplace else... We will.
(2)
Ricky R.
Dined at Hugo's this weekend and everything was over the top! Food quality, service, portion size etc. Everything you would expect from a Gibsons restaurant (including price) was big. The one happy surprise that did come with this restaurant was the Rush St. atmosphere. I have never experienced that atmosphere in the suburbs no matter where I have gone. Naperville, Oak Brook etc. none have come close to duplicating the city clientele and vibe like this place did this weekend. I guess I can attribute that to the age of the clientele, unlike the older folk in the burbs. Keep it up, Love this Place!
(5)
Jerna D.
I went here for father's day with my parents, brother, and fiance. We all ordered steaks, and they were all very generous portions. My mom got the steak salad, and even that was a monster. The steaks were cooked perfectly; very tender and juicy on the inside, but had a great char on the outside. Even the sides and desserts were gigantic sizes. Definitely worth all three dollar signs, and definitely going back next time we're in town.
(5)
Sir ..
I have an opportunity to venture into some new places with work and life and have decided to take that prospect. With this though, I will be regrettably discontinuing my tech services. This new location like the others is also a little cramped, but nothing excessive or different from other steak/seafood houses. I did not like having to enter and exit Hugo's via the Casino specifically. It feels a little like dirty arm-twisting by the casino to go play before your table is ready. The atmosphere was pleasant and visually dynamic, there did seem to be some competing styling or design themes, but nothing overpowering. From the bar area you can casino watch, unfortunately because of the location you only see people playing slots (I cannot imagine anything more exciting). The service was great, however I believe they are sill working out the kinks in the system, as this is a new location and probably many new servers. Our server was very attentive and polite, prompt to respond to requests and decently knowledgeable. I did not have the opportunity to test the wines or the server's wine with meal selection knowledge, as my party did not really drink that night. I did have one classic Jack and Coke and it was very smooth. In my opinion Hugo's offers some of the best seafood in Chicago and I do consider myself a bit of a connoisseur. This evening I had the King Salmon and it was fantastic, I would say ever so slightly over done, but really it was fantastic. Others in my party had W.R. Chicago Cut (22oz steak) it was excellent, another had seared Yellowfin Tuna also quite good. I've tried many things on the menu at other locations like the crab cakes and shrimp continue I would assume, all of their food is consistently enjoyable considering the standards they have to live up to. Overall: Wonderful meal, great service, nice atmosphere and yes it's still expensive.
(5)
Bonnie L.
The service was the best part of the visit! We did not understand why the whitefish was $20. , but the salmon was more than twice that at $42.?? Nice variety of dishes and prices. It was a bit too loud for us, as we couldn't hear each other talking!
(2)
John H.
Good Food, but not spectacular. Prices are a little too high compared to the food quality. I had 22 0z. veal porter house, very good cut of meat but too charred on the outside, some parts were perfect but others were a little hard to swallow. Also we got King Crab legs, they were pre cracked which was nice but you can get them just as good for half the price. Sides we got sauteed mushrooms, very tasty and fresh, Spicy crawfish macaroni and cheese, that was delicious. Service was excellent and always polite. Worth a try, I just think that for steak I prefer Ruth Chris or Capital Grill or Mortons over this place. They do have a very large selection of seafood and fish choices, which I regret not trying. Desserts are huge from what we saw, just too stuffed to endulge.
(3)
Nisey M.
Had a nice lunch at Hugo's on a Saturday afternoon so there was no wait, by the end of our meal I could start to see the restaurant filling up. Had the New England lobster roll and the rest of the group ordered burgers. I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of lobster on the sandwich, so much that I skipped most of the bread. I enjoyed the homemade chips instead of fries that came with the sandwich, another positive note was that it was not full of mayonnaise. This is something that turned me off to that sandwich years ago, the preparation here was lightened it was delicious! Everyone was very happy with the burgers and they were substantial in size. Now...on to dessert, I usually have nothing to do with desserts because honestly I prefer to drink my calories. I posted the picture because this was a single order...if one person orders it that's what they will get! This is listed as "The Meaning of Life Cake" on the menu...uuuh it is more like the meaning of diabetes...omg it's ridiculous!!! I'd be lying if I said it was not good...it was delicious;)
(4)
Gail M.
Greeted by two of the cutest guys ever, everyone was amazingly nice and super attentive. Frog legs were so so, but steak was delish! Casino was a fun surprise! Who knew? Will be back!
(4)
Nicole U.
I do not eat meat, but if I did, this would be the place!! Waiters are extra friendly and helpful, bring meat cuts to your table. The portions are large, even the sides.... our twice baked potato was so overwhelming I could not even finish one half ;-) I have heard to expect very long wait times on weekends. We went on a Thursday evening and had no wait for a table. Of course, you could always gamble at the casino while you wait!
(4)
Tim B.
As good as the original but not sure how it ended up in the Casino. Just didn't seem to fit for me. Reservations are suggested although it was a little slow last night.Being open since July and the fact that it is irritating to get to in the Casino, I suspect that the airport travel crowd hasn't quite discovered its existence so it'll continue to get busier. Frog legs were great (get the Butter on the side or they drown in it), Crab cocktail and Steak. Glutony..... Service was great, not too loud.
(3)
Drew W.
Stopped in for dessert on way home after we had dinner downtown. Turtle pie is amazing as always! Beautiful space, good looking crowd. Not as hectic as Rush Street (but then again, what is?). Staff was super friendly (and efficient).
(5)
J T.
I've been here several times and needless to say, I love the atmosphere! The service has always been great and up until this last tine, the food has always been just as good. This was the first time I ordered a steak and for the price, I was hoping it was going to be fantastic, well I was wrong. I ordered a filet mignon butterflied an well done. And I received it, it was as hard and dry as a hockey puck. Very disappointed. The cook must have been on vacation that's all I can say. Everything else was very good except it was very very loud in there. I felt like I was in a very expensive sports bar!! The service and atmosphere make it worth coming back although I'll skip the steaks!
We keep coming back to Hugos for lunch and dinner service. You wouldn't even know you were in a casino enjoying your meal here. The service is impeccable and the food and cocktails are amazing. For a casual lunch, you can sit in the bar area and enjoy delicious burgers and sandwiches with more than generous portions. The filet sliders and pub style burgers are stand out menu items. I recommend asking for some horseradish cream to go with the filet sliders. The garbage salad is a great start to any meal as well. For dinner we have tried the crab cakes, scallops, filet mignon, twice baked potato (as big as your head), and crawfish macaroni and cheese in the past and they are always perfect. The other stand out menu item for my husband and me is the turtle macadamia nut ice cream cake. This is the best dessert you could ever ask for. It serves four people generously and is great to take home as well. Overall, Hugos is a great restaurant for a casual but high class lunch or a very special dinner out.
(5)
Heidi H.
The crab bisque soup and oven roasted broccoli were wonderful. My steak medallions we just ok and the sauce was boring. My friend had their hambuger. She ordered it med rare and it came well done. They took my coffes spoon away while I was still enjoying my coffee and removed the bread basket while we were still eating. $$$ not worth it.
(2)
Sarah R.
Wowwww...Way to go Hugo's. We ended up here for my birthday dinner, but only because we spent too much time at another establishment, and were looking for places that serve full menu past 10 pm. Which is slightly more difficult than you might think, it being a Wednesday and all. Ended up at Hugo's Frog Bar in the Rivers Casino. I'm under the impression that they serve full menu till 1 am? I could be wrong, but we got it at 11:30, anyway. And the service wasn't at all rushed. Like when you go for a late dinner and your server is trying to get off work as quickly as possible. This was not the case at all. Crawfish mac and cheese, to die for. Good Lord, more Crawfish than noodles. I had the scallops, he had the frog legs. 5 silver dollar sized scallops, perfectly cooked, served on top of this green pea puree, with whole peas on top. Holy crap. Pure scallop amazingness. And the frog legs. A zillion little frog legs. With a yummy buttery sauce. Came with rice, but the dish didn't need it. Soooo good. Way too full for dessert, but he insisted, since it was my birthday. We took a piece of $17 carrot cake to go. It's still in the fridge, i keep taking bites every day. It's still delicious, 4 days later. And bonus! You are in a casino! A brand new, clean, beautiful casino. I like the roulette. Go Black 17. Best of luck.
(5)
kb j.
We went on a recent weekend evening. We parked in the enormous casino parking lot and wandered the very crowded casino for a short while to kill time before our reservation. The restaurant is like an oasis in the casino. We passed through the nice bar area (it wasn't crowded when we arrived at the restaurant, but was packed by the time we left). We were seated promptly after arrival. Unlike the Gold Coast version of Hugo's, the push at this version is to the steak (except the lobster)(and maybe that's why the words "Chop House" appear in the restaurant title!). Portions are enormous. The food is phenomenal. The wine list includes wines at a variety of price points (though its probably not as extensive as one might expect for most steakhouses). This is a good choice even if you are going to skip the casino action.
(4)
Renata L.
I went to Hugo's for an impromptu dinner with some relatives on a weekday evening. We chose the restaurant mostly based on location (they were staying in Schaumburg and interested in seeing the casino). I wasn't quite sure what to expect from a Gibson's group restaurant embedded in a Casino, but it didn't disappoint. I warned my family ahead of time that it would not be a cheap steak dinner. Having eaten at Gibson's I was familiar with the high quality and gigantic portions ahead of time. The casino environment did not seep into the ambiance of the restaurant - it was noisy, but only due to the regular dining sounds. We ordered the frog legs appetizer, which turned out wonderfully tender (no rubbery texture here!) and the king crab cocktail, which was only so-so. All of our mains were delicious - I had a "small" 10 oz filet with horseradish that was perfectly medium rare as requested. We shared a huge double baked potato - I don't want to think about the caloric content of that thing, but it was amazing. We decided to pass on the village-sized desserts, but certainly had some fun debating whether we wanted a tower of carrot cake or a platter-sized creme brulee, No one walked away hungry or dissatisfied with the meal and it was the perfect balance of casual environment and quality food or our out-of-town guests.
(4)
kim s.
Had a family dinner at Hugo's last night. The restaurant was very loud and the tables were so close to each other that the busboy and servers needed some of us to take our dishes from them to be served and hand them to them when we were done. As far as the food, three words HOLD THE SALT !!! they have a very heavy hand in the seasoning !!! There are many better choices in the area and if you are not going there to gamble there is no point in paying the inflated prices to dine inside the casino ...
(1)
J T.
dined for lunch at Hugo's. though place was not busy, it's easy to make reservations at opentable.com service was excellent, but the food needs improvement. The porterhouse steak, had a section of the steak oversalted. The other dish order which was lunch meal of Filet Medallions with mash & broccoli. Broccoli & mas were fine, the the sauce on the filet medallions were also oversalted. It's funny, that a couple of weeks back, we dined their sister restaurant, Gibsons in Rosemont, and thoroughly enjoyed the Porterhouse & WR Chicago Cut steaks. I would've thought the food at Hugo's in Desplaines should have been just as good as Gibsons in Rosemont.
(2)
Chicago Gal G.
The restaurant booths were cozy and decor very warm. Cannot say the same for the food or the service. My friend and I had early 6pm reservations on a Friday evening. Our waiter and server could not have done more to move us on out. We wondered if it was because we were going to order drinks until we found out it was $12 for a martini. We had to ask since drink prices were not on the menu. Things went bad from there. Entree arriving before we finished our soup. Waiter removing bread and bread plates as he delivers our entrees. My friends plate wisked away while we were talking and she was not done eating.Our waiter gave us wrong information when he told us everything on the menu was alacarte, so we ordered a broccoli and potato to split. My friends 5 shrimp arrived with rice and my chewy frog legs arrived with rice. The shrimp were good but not filling. My mountain of a plate of frog legs were uneatable they were so chewy. In fairness they did say they would take them back and redo. However, I did not want to wait since my friend was eating her entree. The manager stated that it is hard to get good frog legs. So why have them on the menu?? Cost us $80 for no drinks and a meal and service we were not happy with.
(1)
Kat Z.
Went to dinner here tonight. This was possible the worst meal I have ever had. We started with frog legs and fried calamari. While I did not eat the frog legs, the calamari was bad. Extremely heavy batter and some sort of sweet-spicy chili sauce that seemed to be primarily made of salt and oil. So heavy and salty, we only ate a few. Now the entrees, my husband had the lobster roll with fries and I had the shrimp dejonghe with crawfish mac and cheese side. The roll was so-so, but the shrimp, again like they took a bucket of salt and dumped it on the plate. I wouldnt even call it shrimp dejonghe, more shrimp sitting in a pool of butter with a little sprinkle of breadcrumbs on top. Even the white rice that comes with the shrimp was salty. Ok people at hugo, there is a thing called unsalted butter, try it. Now the crawfish mac and cheese, this was the only thing we had that was decent, but I would not call it mac and cheese, not even close. This basically was pasta with crawfish in a cream sauce. Overall I expected more from this restaurant, especially after reading a Phil Vettel review. After trying it for myself, I say save your money, there are better restaurants 2 blocks down in rosemont.
(1)
Ruth G.
My fiance and I enjoyed our Valentine's day dinner here this year! He ordered a bone in sirloin, cooked medium rare, and it was so juicy! It was cooked perfectly. I had the scallops. They were literally the best scallops I've ever eaten with this amazing sauce! We shared the crawfish mac n cheese and mushrooms. Everything was so yummy!!! To finish off the night, we shared creme brulee. The service was incredible and quick (surprising for such a busy day at peak dinner time!). I highly recommend trying this place at least once, but you'll definitely want to come back!!!
(5)
Lola L.
So far so good....Except Bartender who does not know me called me Hon. I asked what Pinot Noir she had by the glass and she responded one ....gave me a taste test.. .glad she got busy. Joe took over and offered LaCrema! Amazing! Yes....just what I drink. Joe is amazing!
(4)
Julie Y.
Came here with coworkers for a post-holiday team dinner. The price and atmosphere is average for a casino steakhouse - but I felt the restaurant was on the smaller side. We started with a few appetizers and I had a wedge salad which was phenomenal but quite large. Everything here is! If you're ordering an appetizer or side you're going to want to share them! I recommend the bone-in filet made with one of their crusts. I chose the blue cheese top but asked for light cheese and I wish I hadn't. It was delicious! We had a private room so the service was attentive and very informative.
(5)
Harpreet G.
Had the lobster roll but it was definitely not worth $21. There wasn't enough meet and it comes with generic chips.
(2)
Wing L.
The best dish at this restaurant is the frog legs with Jasmine rice. The frog legs tastes very fresh, even though they must be frozen. The pan fried them perfectly. I love it.
(4)
Bernadette M.
Came here for my birthday. Lobster stuffed with crab. Clam chowder. Mac n cheese, mashed potatoes (that motherfucking gravy), dark n stormy. All exquisite items. Old fashioned=meh Considering the prices, the sides really are huge. The lobster stuffed with crab is still something I dream of periodically. My gf ordered the grilled shrimp on a bed of rice. It was delicious as well. Was not impressed by the frog legs, although that may be just that frog legs aren't really my thing. Even though this restaurant is expensive, I would be glad to come back here more often.
(5)
Valerie W.
I've been wanting to try Hugo's for a really long time. We come to the casino pretty often (maybe once a month?) and have never stopped in, until recently. We came in very very late on a Friday night and were seated in the dining room right away (I would've been happy also sitting at one of the high-tops in the bar, or just at the bar.) Our server was friendly and knowledgeable and did not seem annoyed that we sat for dinner at about 10pm, potentially hindering him from getting to go home. We split the wedge salad, 22 oz porterhouse, a side of sauteed mushrooms and a twice baked potato. Everything was excellent, except for the potato, which left me wanting something.... else. It was just okay. The steak was cooked perfectly and they were kind enough to slice it for us. The mushrooms were nice, not overpowering like I have seen from other steakhouses. The salad was great, not too much dressing, just right. I would absolutely return to Hugo's for a special occasion meal!
(4)
Raj D.
ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! Recently visited with friends for a birthday celebration. Staff was incredible, very informative and understanding. The ambiance is nice and this location is located inside the new River's Casino. The crab rangoon is delightful and loaded with creamy crab meat. (not your typical cream cheese feel). HIGHLY RECOMMENDED The ceaser salad is very light and refreshing. The Porter house was perfectly cooked and by far THE BEST STEAK I'VE EVER HAD! Not to mention that Gibsons's has their own USDA rating!!! I had mine medium and it was cooked to perfection. The halibut was prepared (I asked for jalapenos)... The fish was a tad bit over cooked and that his lead to my 4 star rating but overall worth a try. The only pasta that they have is shells and they will work with you between the alfredo and the "red" sauce. The red sauce was actually fairly spicy which to my surprise was AWESOME!. Alfredo sauce was a bit oily but extremely creamy and tasteful. For sides I recommend the whipped mashed potatoes which was fluffy and mouth watering. I also recommend the lobster mac and cheese... TONS of lobster meat with a slightly spicy kick with the homestyle mac and cheese feel. I cant wait to go back!!!
(4)
Carol K.
Seriously? A restaurant this good tucked inside the Rivers Casino? Makes me want to break all my rules about "no casinos" and move this place to the top of my list. This Hugo's is kind of a cross between a Gibson's and a Hugos. I expected seafood to be the star and yet they bring out the show stopper steaks at the beginning of your meal to tell you what you could be eating ($100 bone in steak anyone?) We had a large group and started first with drinks in the bar. This would be a great bar to meet friends in as there is a live piano player and some really great bartenders pouring some amazing drinks! I could have stayed here longer but our table was calling. We got a great table and I really liked that the manager, Marc, came by to say hi and to welcome us to his restaurant. The place was packed but the servers took it all in stride. In fact our server was great, I only wish I could remember his name as he kept everything moving along, our wine glasses full and even made suggestions when we decided we were going to share instead of ordering 5 individual meals. He assembled a sampling fresh seafood platter with fresh oysters (east and west coast), jumbo shrimp and some type of lobster with spicy mayo. Next up was one of those giant steaks sliced in the kitchen which made it easy to share, and a giant mound of crab legs that were some of the meatiest I have had in awhile. They also cut the knuckles apart which made it super easy to share. Add in some sides like mushrooms and spinach and we had a feast. And of course you have to have one of the giant desserts that Gibsons is famous for. This is not a cheap date, I think with a couple bottles of wine our bill was around $650. But the quality of the food, the ambiance all coupled with some fantastic service made it worth it. Hard to believe that this "casino hating girl" will be back. But that's just how good this place is. Maybe I can slip through the casino part quickly and just turn my back to the door where the "ping pinging" will be overcome by the piano player and the glass of fine wine in my hand. See you at Hugo's!
(5)
Sophie H.
Sat at the bar - ordered a bottle of wine along with tuna tartare, salmon sliders, and seared tuna salad. He tartare was a bit too heavy on the mayo - which was a shame as the tuna was super fresh! Seared tuna salad rocked the house! Awesome dressing !! And a great portion! The blackened salmon sliders were off the hook good!! So fresh - yum-o!!! We will be back!
(5)
Patrick J.
Very good food, and service. White fish on the plank is my favorite. Huge steaks and lobster tails.
(5)
Julie Y.
Had a regional instructor in from Texas so we went to the casino, needed to grab some food so we went to Hugo's, I actually ate here the night before in the city so I ordered pretty much the exact same thing but switched it up for my cocktail. The cob salad was obviously AMAZING!!!! The tuna tar tar as well! Ordered a $30 side of steak that was cooked perfect to go with the salad. Asked for a spicy margarita and it was exactly how I liked it, extremely spicy! Defiantly a fan of this restaurant in the city and casino!
(4)
Samantha G.
Tasty french martinis, overpriced (and standard) crab rangoons, but huge portions and the most incredible lobster bisque I've ever had. Seriously, get the lobster bisque by the gallon. Service was good and attentive. Not the most amazing meal or inventive menu, but decent food. There are probably better restaurants in the area for a special night out (by price point), but if you are going to the casino and want a one-stop-shop, dinner here was good. Wish I'd been able to try dessert because the cake was huge, but I was stuffed from my appetizer, salad and soup. You will spend a lot of money for something that is just OK, but the convenience of it for a casino adventure was nice. Kind of annoying that there is no bathroom built inside the restaurant area, so you have to go out into the casino.
(3)
Padma A.
I will go back just for the Calamari, it was top notch!! service was slow to begin with, they took a while to take our drinks order and appetizers, however main course was served quick. We ordered calamari and the jumbo crabcake, almst everyone at our table ordered steak, i ordered lambchops which i didnt like so much, too much fat and chewy. Will certainely go back if i am playing @ the Casino.
(4)
amc a.
Dinner at 6pm. High level - big portions, 6 out of 10 on flavors/taste, 9 out of 10 on service, Bill for 2 was $266 pretax. Wedge salad - solid, plenty of tomatoes, bacon and dressing Lobster + Filet Mignon - biggest lobster ever had in my life, but there were some black veins on the lobster's underside. Never seen that before and a major turn off. The lobstah was kinda tough, kinda just alright. There also wasn't a damn butter warmer!!! The steak was overcooked - apparently at Hugo's "medium rare+" turns out to be "medium". Also the steak wasn't very flavorful - just a big ol' piece of meat. Surf & turf was $120 and definitely big enough to share if you get some great sides. Macaroni and Cheese with Crawfish - little ears pasta + Velveeta + crawfish + Andouille sausage. I'm not one of those mac and cheese lover lunatics, but this was one of the best parts of the meal - skip the tuff lobster and overcooked steak. Mashed Potatoes - nicely done Ice Cream Sundae - WTF did we order this? Waste of time and money. The best thing is the $9/glass pinot noir. Delicious and not breaking the bank. The fancy carry-out containers aren't microwave safe - booooooo
(3)
Shelah S.
This was my first time here and there isn't a thing I could complain about. The food was great...ranging from the appetizers to the main course. Our server, Juan, was very nice and attentive. For my main course, I had the 16 oz. Bone in sirloin and it was very good and tasty. Overall, it was very good. However, this was pricey but for the quality...I can't complain. I hope to be returning soon.
(5)
Lindsay M.
I visited Hugo's Frog Bar within the Rivers Casino for an outing with my work team. This was my second time there, however this time we were in the private dining room. The appetizer menu was packed with seafood dishes that I can never resist. We ordered mussels, calamari, and ahi tuna. The mussels were my favorite of those we tried. The staff was incredibly courteous, helpful and intelligible about the menu. I had the lobster tail which with a $100+ price tag, every bit lived up to my expectations. The wine list is extensive with options for every taste bud - I went with the la crema Pinot noir which is one of my favorites. They also had a substantial liquor/cocktail menu. My colleagues who are into craft beer mentioned that the variety was dismal - so perhaps some opportunity there. As an event planner and frequent restaurant goer, this place gets two from me!
(5)
April R.
So I actually went to a casino JUST to eat! I was in town visiting family and used to live near the Rush Street location, so I was in the mood for crab cakes and pink mayo. I was not disappointed. I also tried the king crab Rangoon, which was a new menu item since my last visit. It was very yummy. I'm sad that my stomach wasn't bigger so I could get a small bowl of the bookbinder's soup and the spicy lobster cocktail. Service was great, as always.
(5)
Arthur Z.
Thank you so much for wonderful time at your restaurant! Our 33d Anniversary was incredible ' The food was amazing! The cocktails are incredible! Sweet table are simply addictive!!! I wish you the best! Honest "thank you" to the chef!!!
Starting with the good. The folks are friendly. The bar is fine. Sometimes a bit loud when the pianist plays and sings. The fried calamari is large and awesome. I loved it. Their soup is below average. I got the large bowl. The spoon was almost as large as the bowl. Not a recommendation. I ended with their Cesar salad. Very good but the croutons were a bit stale. Summary is that it is a pricey place for average food quality/quantity.
(3)
Aaron G.
Pretty standard casino steakhouse. Stopped here for a quick lunch to use a comp before leaving. I had the seafood stew and a crab cake. Tomato based stew was hot and had a nice flavor with a few pieces of fish. The crab cake was just ok, a little too much filler for me and the seasoning was a little off. One friend had a grilled octopus dish that was not on menu, pretty good but a lot of salt. Our other companion had the beef sliders, she ordered them medium rare and the first attempt came out well, they promptly replaced and second attempt was proper temp. Service was attentive.
(3)
Steve D.
Came here on Sunday with my Lucky Charm. This location is inside the Rivers casino. It seems like a smaller, scaled down version of Gibson's just down the road. They are both a part of the same restaurant group. I have been to Gibson's quite a few times and it is one of my favorites, so I was expecting good things. This place is a bit less hectic, a bit less energy, but still nice. Menu is also a bit scaled down. However, still quite a bit to choose. We ordered the chopped salad, wedge salad, filet sliders, + the W.R. cut rib-eye. Everything ordered was quite tasty. I really enjoyed their rib-eye , cooked perfectly medium rare. I took a few pics but the picture quality is not the greatest. Service was OK, not extraordinary. Seeing that the restaurant is in the casino, We took a short visit inside to enter a contest that the casino was holding. They were giving away $50K. 5 winners each got 1K every 1/2 hours. Played a few slots, won some $ while waiting for the winners announcement and then boom! My name was called. Took the cash and scrammed. We had a great day. Good food + $$$$. Yes! Cheers to all
(4)
Cindy S.
Yes, this is an upscale restaurant that you're going to spend a little more money on. If you don't want to do that, then don't come here. However, their food is very good! Also, they have things on the menu that aren't as expensive that are also very good, such as the filet sliders, steak sandwich, and burgers. I have had all 3 of those and they are all exceptional and under $20! If you're going to order a bone in rib-eye, of course it's going to cost more. (people's reviews make me laugh sometimes) Love the ambiance, we like to sit in the bar area as it is a little more casual. Very nice place with great food and great service! We will be back for sure! Even though the Casino is right out the door, when you're inside, you feel like you are in a completely different place then the Casino. Great date night to come have dinner and come out and play a little!
(5)
Philly C.
5-star experience from the minute we sat down at our table. John was our waiter and he was exceptional...he was incredibly personable and made us feel like we were a part of the Hugo's family. One of the best waiters I have had in a very long time. Food....always delicious here. Table had 2 filets with horseradish crust perfectly cooked, lobster roll with big chunks of lobster and jumbo shrimp with a Provençal sauce. Sides were brussel sprouts and fries(some of the best ever). Great bottle of Frogs Leap Zin and finished the meal with old school strawberry shortcake. FULL!
(5)
Allen H.
Great bar, restaurant, food and service. Hidden within the walls of the new Casino. Best place in Rosemont as far as I am concerned.
(4)
Ted d.
Great food even late. We went to the casino after a concert and found this place. Everything was excellent. It was nice to find good food late at night. The double baked potato was huge a must have. The lobster roll as well was very good. Parking is a little rough but people come and go quite a bit, so a place will open up eventually.
(4)
Joanna T.
It has been a while since I updated this review and Ive been back a few times since. There's a reason I come back and it's because of the food and service both. This location can get very busy, especially during the weekend. It's inside of Rivers Casino and its proximity to O'Hare airport make it an easy and delicious destination for travelers and locals. My most recent discovery here is that they have a great burger!!! I know, a steakhouse right? But I had a taste for a burger and it really hit the spot. Juicy, flavorful, and really I suggest this if you'd like a great burger. The fries that it is served with are flavorful too. Among other items I would recommend the crab cake which has zero breading, just lump crabmeat, the bone in filet is a great choice for steak and if you love twice baked potatoes these are huge! They serve fresh oysters, shrimp cocktail and a seafood tower to order.They're desserts are also good, however I have never seen cake that is this huge served anywhere! If you order, make sure your with people to share with, it's that huge!
If you have money that is burning a hole in your pocket, give them a try. If you enjoy going to a restaurant filled with tourists, suburbanites, out-of-town business people and those who are playing the crap tables at the Casino, this may be the right joint for you. I ordered the filet mignon for $41.75 which was very average. Yes, it was melt in my mouth tender and flavorful. I rated my filet mignon with 4 stars, because the sauce was way not great. The steak really didn't need that sodium-loaded sauce. The service was lacking which is why I am rating them with 3-stars. My husband ordered a 26 oz Porterhouse steak ($56 and change), which was excellent from the first bite to the last bite. He let me have a taste of his Porterhouse. The flavors were prodigious! I actually wished I had ordered this steak instead. We went here to celebrate a special occasion with friends. Another person ordered the Australian Rock lobster tail ($104 and change). She said it was worthy of 5-stars. I asked her if it was worth the money, and she smiled and said "not really." If you are a vegetarian there are other choices. They offer fresh fish (such as, grilled Yellow fin tuna from Hawaii, Chilean Sea Bass, Grilled Skuna Salmon and other choices). Another individual in our group ordered the Chilean Sea Bass and said he really enjoyed it and rated it with 4-stars. Everything on their menu is a la carte, so the bill adds up quickly. The jumbo lump crab cake appetizer with hot pink mayo did not contain a lot of filler, which we appreciated. The amalgamation of the light sweet crab meat and the hot pink mayo was awesomeness! For $16 and change I would expect no less. I recommend going here for lunch instead of dinner. Prices are a bit less during lunch (between 3 to 4 bucks less). I also recommend it for celebrating "special" occasions (such as, a mile-stone birthday, anniversary, college graduation). This is not an inexpensive restaurant. Their wine list is very, very nice and extensive. The only negative was that our server did not really know anything about pairing wine with specific foods. Our server only knew the very basics about wine. We went. We ate. We had fun. The food was plated beautifully like a fine piece of art work, but I wasn't eating art. Like other Yelp reviews here, I agree that it is "average" food at best. We were disappointed with the lack of service. Yes, over inflated prices that did not match up with over-the-top service. We did not visit the Casino. Would we go back again for another "special" occasion? No. There are much better places in the city where we can spend our hard-earned $$$, such as, Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, David Burke's Primehouse, Perry's Steakhouse, Gene and Georgetti's or even Smith & Wollensky's .
Wonderful, as always! Attentive staff, fabulous food! The new manager, Jason, treated us to a delicious dessert for an anniversary treat!
(5)
John L.
Overinflated prices for low to average quality food. The service was actually excellent but both our meals were quite disappointing. Both steaks were way undercooked despite our requests. The meat was very tough and extremely fatty. I've been to many steakhouses and some local and far less renown where the food blew this place away. I'd even say Longhorn has better tasting cuts of meat. As far as the sides....the rice was bland and overcooked and the asparagus nothing to write home about. The only saving grace here was the salad. But how can you mess up a salad? I guess the unjustifiable high price could be attributable to the fact that everything at the River's Casino is that way, but I'd expect much better quality from a steakhouse with the Gibson's name behind it. Avoid this place at all costs.
(1)
Margaret A.
What a treat Hugos is! The food and service are above average and the fact that it is in the casino helps convenience-wise. I love this place.
(5)
Jennifer S.
I met a friend here for dinner after flying into O'Hare one night. She had over $150 in free food coupons, so we really enjoyed ourselves. We started with the crab appetizer and thoroughly enjoyed it. I moved on to a piece of salmon and enjoyed that as well. She tried a steak and was able to take some home since it was so big. We ended up passing on dessert as we knew the portions were enough to feed 6...talk about restraint as they all sounded amazing!
(4)
Mike L.
I had a great meal here with my friends. The service was top notch. The meal was served perfectly and with great timing. Lobster bisque was good but had zero visible lobster meat in it. Minus 1/2 star. Wedge salad was very good. My steak was cooked well but I found the quality to me more choice like than prime. Wet aged I found my porterhouse to have a bit too much chew. It may just be my preference for dry aged beef too. Minus 1/2 star Their desert cake..the meaning of life...was pretty solid and it served our whole table. I found it to be very loud inside and conversation was difficult at times. In all the experience was positve. I will go back for sure but may order a different entree other than beef.
(4)
Mike O.
Never pay attention to the hours. Made a reservation and they told me they were closed when I showed up an hour before my res time. Bartender told me they closed early because it was slow that night. Wtf does that mean? The casino was packed.
(1)
Natalie K.
My family and I went to Hugo's for my husbands birthday earlier in the week. I thought the restaurant was much smaller from the looks of it on the outside, but it's actually a bit larger than it looks. There is more seating in the back. I tried frog legs for the first time. Not bad actually. I know everyone says that frog tastes like chicken. But no, it indeed tastes like fish. My husband ordered the W.R.'s Chicago Cut 22 oz Ribeye and I ordered a 10 oz Filet. Both of our steaks were great. Ordering filets from steakhouse to steakhouse can taste very repetitive, but my steak was very good. We ordered a bunch of sides - mash, vegetables (which consisted of a couple florets of broccoli, cauliflower and carrots - not at all impressed), mushrooms, mac and cheese and fries. All of it was honestly a miss. I think they really need to go back to the drawing board and make more exciting sides to compliment their good steaks. We ordered a black forest cake for dessert, and all 7 of us got a good size slice, and it could have fed 10 more. I really enjoyed it. It's pretty expensive - you most likely won't be able to find anything under $35, and add a side, you'll for sure be spending over $100 for two people. We ordered a bottle of wine, two appetizers, around 5 sides and cake, and the bill came to $700 (no gratuity charge). We left a $120 tip, so it was a pretty pricey meal. Would I return? Yes. Mostly for it's convenience since I'm at Rivers all of the time and the buffet can be boring (not to mention I got food poisoning twice.)
(4)
Scott S.
This Restaurant is Owned by Gibson's,so knowing that I had to try the Steak. Got the 14oz Filet Mignon. It was expensive for me but the taste was excellent. Wasn't disappointed.
(4)
Steve L.
Although this gem is tucked in a casino, you wouldn't know it. We felt transported to a top notch steak and seafood restaurant from Chicago. Decor, service and ambiance is fantastic. Thanks to our waiter, Scott, we have some great recommendations for our upcoming trip to Napa. Scott's wine knowledge is invaluable. We went for a light lunch, and his advice on a nice sparkler was perfect. The lunch menu is perfect.
(5)
Patty M.
I overnight here work and I love the place. The food is awesome. The most delicious bread ever. The steak is also very good. I usually sit at the bar and the service is very good. I will be back!
(5)
Mike S.
Had lunch with wife and brother-in-law for his birthday. Kevin was our server; he was excellent. I had the burger and wife and bro-in-law had the blackened salmon. All three were perfect. The french fries may have been the best I've ever had. Service was first rate. Additional kudos to the Manager, Jason Gavin, for his judicious placement of guests so no one was bumping elbows. By the way, the carrot cake is "to die for." Very highly recommended.
(5)
Taylor M.
We had to wait about an hour and a half to get a table, but that was our own fault for forgetting to make a reservation on a Saturday night. Oops. So we hung out at Cube for some drinks until Hugo's texted us that our table was ready. Our waiter was incredible. We couldn't decide what to eat, so we ordered a couple appetizers. Since it was Hugo's FROG bar, we had to order the frog legs which were tasty, but I didn't have much to compare them to in my personal history. The crab cakes here were amazing. Highly recommended!
(4)
Jordan U.
Absolutely fantastic! Visited Hugo's in the casino last night with my wife and a couple of neighbors and was absolutely blown away. Food, service, ambiance...it was all top notch! This was my first time at the casino so we actually took a leisurely tour around the place and had a drink at the center bar. The casino is well thought out, very clean and easy to navigate. Staff seemed relatively friendly and more than accommodating...everything just seemed a "step up" from the riverboat casinos I've been to and this was also way easier to get to. We were seated in a big comfortable booth inside Hugo's and started with a great bottle of wine that the sommelier (spelling?) suggested as well as a couple of appetizers. The wine was velvety smooth and the appetizers (crab and calamari) were both super fresh and perfectly done. I believe my exact response to the wine was...this wine is *!@%$#^ awesome! For dinner I had the bone-in ribeye and we split a bunch of side dishes for the table, including crawfish mac & cheese (could have been a meal in itself), hash browns, brussel sprouts (I know what you're thinking but they were phenomenal) and grilled asparagus. Honestly, I didn't even make it to the asparagus b/c I was already loosening the belt at that point but all were excellent. My ribeye came in a bit on the rare side for me but they took it right back and were more than accommodating in fixing the issue. The steak was just as advertised and I gobbled up the entire thing! Almost forgot...desserts are to die for! We had some sort of blueberry pie ice cream thing and it was divine. Hugo's is pricey but its an unbelievable place for a night out with friends that like to have a good time...this is not a quiet romantic spot to take your honey. And if you like to hit the slots or the tables a little bit after or before dinner you couldn't ask for a better set up than the one in River's. Great job guys!
(5)
Joe M.
The restaurant is in the River Casino on River Road. It is a nice atmosphere inside and pleasant in the bar area or dining room. I had crab cakes that were terrific especially for the location where typically crab cakes are not as common. All the food looked good and was enjoyed. Service was also very good. I give it a 4+.
(4)
Nancy M.
Went here for lunch after donating some money to help schools in the casino. Always in pursuit of a great crabcake, I was excited to be able to finally have one here. While it was tasty, I've had better. I was mostly disappointed because the oval-shaped plate had one crab cake, slightly bigger than a hockey puck, and the rest of the plate was filled with french fries. It was $18, which seemed overpriced to me. Guess I'm more of a gourmand than a gourmet. The ambiance was nice - linen tablecloths etc. so it wasn't a bad meal, but just not a good value.
I don't know what I was expecting for this Hugo's location...perhaps some passable resto with decent food and a respite from the ding ding ding of the casino. Thankfully, Hugo's exceeded my expectations! If you find yourself at Rivers do stop in at Hugo's. First, the decor is quite lovely. Dark, intimate bar area and plenty of seating with brighter lighting near the back. Service is very on point for a higher end steakhouse. My family & I felt welcome and comfortable...no easy feat just steps away from lines and lines of slot machines. I went against the grain and ordered up a simple ahi tuna salad - a monstrous bowl of greens topped with seared ahi tuna slices. It was refreshing and light and a definitey departure from the myriad of meat on the menu. It's also worth noting that I also sampled my mom's whitefish dish which was equally as delicate and tasty. And for those who haven't been to Hugo's (or Gibson's for the matter), if you're into dessert you better pack your stretch pants. The "slices" of cake are more akin to quarter of a cake. Eat up, win big.
(4)
Simon N.
I would give 4.5 but its not available... Atmosphere - 5 star Service - 5 Food - 4.5 Desert 3.5 maybe 4.... Overall, great place
(4)
Curt M.
Went to Hugo's in the Rivers Casino for lunch with coworkers. The host staff & wait staff is fabulous -- very friendly, helpful and attentive. The food was so-so. We told our server we wanted to eat a healthy meal, lower in carbs, higher in protein & vegetable. She suggested the crabmeat avocado appetizer and an entree of grilled salmon. The crabmeat avocado was good; however, it was drenched in a thick mayo sauce, which was gooey. The grilled salmon was drenched in butter. Seriously, it was swimming in what must have been an entire stick of melted butter. So much for healthy! Perhaps it was an off day for the cooks(?). Also, perhaps we shouldn't have gone to a casino to eat a healthy meal. Lesson learned. (we did not gamble for the record)
Hugos is a pricey joint. I belong to the river casino club so they started sending out mailers to get you into the casino, some of which are food credits. We burned one here because of this. Tip - make your reservation ahead of time to ensure a table otherwise you will have to pinch hit in the bar like we did. Piano player in the bar was solid. Food overall was good, lobster bisque, ahi tuna salad, and scallop dinner. I would not do the scallop dinner again just because for the price, the volume of food was on the skimpy side. I liken it to one of those foo foo gourmet places where, after you have emptied your wallet, you have to go through the McDees drive thru after dinner so you can finish eating lol But seriously folks...if you have coin to burn and want to get your swanky foo foo on, then give this place a turn, you could do worse. Cons? no bathrooms in the restaurant itself, have to swim through the casino mob to get to the public bathrooms. Bar area can also be a little tight around the seating check in booth when busy.
(3)
Rick F.
Spanish Wine Terrin! Excellent! Clam Chowder Excellent, Service was bold and slightly overwhelming, wanted to relax and server was a bit awkward. The main course took over hour to come out, the manager came by apologized and gave us a dessert bigger that my head chocolate cake, I took it home I swear it weighed 20 lbs. This is where I take 1 star off. The steaks of course are great and they are famous for the char steak. I'm not a huge fan of the char steak method. While it was good I was offered the opportunity to order with less char and it was better but still a little off. Mahsed Potatoes not so good. Spinach w/garlic good and hash browns were excellent
(4)
D P.
Hardly saw our waitress. For what we paid, the service should have been much better. My partner liked his lamb chops. My steak sandwich was not good. The bread was soggy for some reason and they mixed up my side dish. I paid $6 for mashed potatoes that tasted like bad instant potatoes. The waitress never came back to ask how things we're. The bus boy came and took our plates. I didn't eat my food, but he took it anyway. For $125, I felt robbed. I'd give it one star, but my partner liked his chops. We went there for a special concession, and left in a bad mood.
Hugo's is a nice option in the area, as being in the casino allows for a more casual setting to get a very nice steak. Yes it is painfully more expensive than it needs to be, but anyone that is surprised by this is just plain naive. They are always spot on with their temps and food timing is on point always. Scott was my server the last time and made me feel right at home, despite being a single diner in a both on a Saturday night. The feel is classic steak house, enough to forget you are in a casino, in Rosemont. So if you can enjoy dinner despite the price, it's well worth a trip.
(4)
Lloyd M.
Very solid steak house. I had a bone-in ribeye. It was cooked pretty much as requested (medium rare), maybe a tad more done than would of been perfect. Calamari starter was good, nice flavor. Not as impressed with frogs legs, as everyone says taste like chicken just fishy. Asparagus side was just okay, as was the crawfish mac cheese. Overall, a good meal but does not separate itself from other steak houses.
(4)
TM c.
Oh My God! What a disappointment?! Given our fanatastic experience at the Hugo's Frog Bar in Naperville, IL last year, we decided to venture out to this restaurant at the Casino close to O'Hare. Seeing the low ratings, I should have changed my mind and gone to Gibson's instead. This restaurant is a terrible dining experience and just average food. Not sure what happened to Hugo's. The service was awful. The server showed up like a big bully with a booming voice. For an expensive steakhouse he displayed little courtesy or hospitality in talking about the menu or the food service. He did not bother to explain anything on the menu except to say that the sides were a la carte and we have to order them one by one for a price. The food was mediocre. The loaded wedge was too salty for a salad. He had no idea about how the Seafood and Fish were cooked. Just like Hugo's style, he brought a bunch of meats but not sure what he was saying about each meat. One of our party ordered the lamb chops medium-well and it showed up medium rare. And the server did not even bother to check back to see how things are going. Overall a very poor dining experience after paying $70 a person for the evening without the wine.
(2)
Jim C.
Wife and I have been here many times and always have a great meal. We were there last night and ordered steak and the pork chop medium rare. They both arrived a bit overdone and the server Francia was right there for us. She asked if they were done right and we explained not quite rare enough. She insisted on taking them back and returned with others perfectly done to our satisfaction. Had it not been for her reassuring attitude and comforting us (we don't like sending food back) we would have been quite dissapointed. We are also in the food service business and appreciate the way we were treated here. I would add that Jeffrey the manager also came to our table to appoligize for the error and was as courteous and professional as Francia. Best food for miles and you could not find a better staff. THANK YOU !
(5)
Mindy B.
Really good food and really great service. I was impressed for a chain restaurant it was very good.
(4)
George B.
I've been to Hugo's a few times, and each time I am less and less impressed with them. This is not the place to go for a quiet gourmet dinner. Sunday and Monday are the better nights to go here for dinner as they are less busy and noisy at those times. My family has a favorite waiter, Mark (not to be confused with Mark the manager). Mark the waiter is awesome! He does his best to take care of you. Foodwise, they are very overpriced for what you are actually getting. Portions are decent, however I've had more flavorful steaks and chops elsewhere for half the price. One tip: get the calamari with the sauce on the side, otherwise it is a sopping mess. This restaurant can be *VERY* loud. On my last visit, I left with ringing ears, and by comparison the casino floor was quiet. It really sucks to drop $180+ on a meal and not be able to hold a conversation with the person across from you. As for handicapped accessibility, this place can be damn near impossible to get a wheelchair through without having ti disturb everyone thanks to the cramped layout. Overall I am a bit hesitant to recommend this place due to the excessive noise and price.
(3)
N C.
For an expensive restaurant I would of expected better. Yes the service is good, but the food was on the terrible side. First off all the food was extremely over salted. The brussel sprouts were already salty from the bacon, but the chef seems to think a little more salt would make things better. That's not the result, the food was essentially ruined by the the salt. The back end flavor on the sides was salt. My mom's lemon butter sauce was also extremely salty. The chef needs to chill with the salt cause he's ruining the food. Not saying that food doesn't need seasoning, but it doesn't need to be salted like movie theater popcorn. Even are calamari app was also salty, but not as bad as the entree's and sides. 4 stars for service and being efficient. 1 star for the food.
(1)
Kayee I.
I'm a fan of Hugo's filet mignon sliders with a side of fries--that's nearly a staple in my diet. The restaurant consistently delivers delicious food, outrageously oversized desserts, and overly attentive service. In fact, the last time we dined at Hugo's, servers, managers and bus staff literally checked on us more than 10 times ... almost to the point of annoyance. Regardless, I commend them for their efforts ... oh-so tender filet mignon sliders that melt in your mouth with every bite, and decadent turtle pie.
(4)
D J.
Good selection of appetizers. Got the crab meat avocado. Followed by filet mignon. Salmon next time.
(5)
JoAnne L.
Well ...Still the service is HORRIBLE!!! Servers and Busboys ;leaning on the wall talking ...NOT what I expect from this type of restaurant!!
(1)
Odranre B.
For such a pricey establishment, the service was mediocre, very tight seating, drinks were watered down, and steaks weren't cooked right. Aside from that, the fried calamari was memorable!
(3)
Nicole M.
This place is to dieeeeee for! I would come here just for the Macadamia Turtle Pie! MmMmMm! My parents took me and my boyfriend here for my birthday. Service was on point. I got the lobster, biggest I mean huuuuuugest lobster I have ever seen in my life and every bite was delish! My bf got the ribeye which was very tender and flavorful, very good. As a side we shared the double baked potato which was huge but wasn't anything to brag about. To top off dinner was this monster slice of Macadamia Turtle Pie, vanilla ice cream, chocolate and caramel syrup topped with macadamia nuts. OMG party in my mouth! The macadamia nuts is what really makes this dessert! Between the four of us we could not finish it.
(5)
Bill L.
The food and service was quite marginal. I would not recommend eating here unless You are being comped by a casino host for your meal. the steaks and appetizers We're cold and bland, and the ambience was quite noisy. This is the kind of place Where a bunch of people hang out after gambling and just are there to eat food. I would not recommend this place for fine dining. The atmosphere is quite phony And the waiters are tired and burned out. The quality of the food has taken a. Major Turn for the worst and We were quite disappointed. There are much better steakhouses in the Chicagoland area. It has turned into a typical casino eatery.
(2)
My T.
I felt like we were treated to the best this place has to offer...and we enjoyed every bite of our lavish meal in style. If you need a place where quality food is served....pass Go and collect your meal today. To start we had the Lobster Bisque and crab cake. For entrees, we had the W.R.'s Chicago Cut (22 oz) (bone-in ribeye), and 22 oz Australian Lobster Tail. Served with crawfish mac-n-cheese and Aspargus. For dessert the decident Carrot Cake.... FOLKS, IF YOU GOT THE DOE - - THEN THIS PLACE YOU MUST GO!
(5)
Julian M.
I'm not going to say it's the best Porterhouse I've ever had, because *I* make the best Porterhouse I've ever had. First off, there isn't a discount if you're part of the Rivers Casino rewards club whereas you get a discount immediately at the buffet in there. Second, Hugo's doesn't have a private restroom, you have to go out into the casino for one. Third, you can bring any unfinished drink from Hugo's out into the casino... so don't rush that cocktail. Oh, and all the cuts of meat are from Morton's Steakhouse. The sides are really expensive to be sides but that's because they are huge and meant to be shared so if you dine alone with a budget, skip the sides or ask if they do half-size sides. The calamari was good, though it took a while to get a requested side of cocktail sauce. The meat from all of us was cooked to the right temperature/ done-ness. We were too full and too afraid to order one of those "pieces" of cake that look like they ate five other pieces of cake then swam in the waters after a nuclear fallout. For $300, I'd like a happy ending, but the casino took more of my money. Mind you this fact hasn't any bearing on this review as I would go back but only comp'ed.
(3)
Kyle F.
We had a party of 16 for a 60th birthday, had to be seated by 6pm because of the size. Little early for most. The service was excellent and the recommendations from the waiter were spot on. The prices are very high, the food was ok. Even the $50 steaks were just ok. One was cooked wrong and they comp'ed it for us. Would probably not eat here again because the service cannot match the over priced food.
(3)
David G.
Great!
(4)
Rokey T.
I am a regular here. Best place for seafood and steak in town! *Start off with fried shrimp. They usually make it to order as it is not a normal appetizer, but it is totally worth it! *Get the double baked potato! Amazing! Such comfort food. *Get the filet. It's super tasty, a good size and cooked just right. *The crab legs and lobster tails are AMAZING. So fresh. Amazing flavors and tenderness that it's obvious that it's super fresh. End your meal with a cappucino...just right! EVEN THE BREAD AND BUTTER IS GREAT! Fantastic wait staff, every single time. Valet right in front, very nice. If you're downtown, it's the best place for delicious, quality food for the price. Definitely high end, but easily worth it!
(5)
Kristine N.
Pricey but excellent service and really good food. Oysters, shrimp, porterhouse, mac and cheese, and all veggie sides were cooked perfectly.
(4)
Luna M.
Went to Hugo's with co-workers & we were all pleased with their service & food. Of course, it's on the expensive side. Their spicy calamari was good (however, Jimmy's Charhouse has the best calamari though). Their 10 oz Filet was OUTSTANDING - so tender & delicious. We ordered their Macaroni and Cheese with Spicy Craw fish, and it had a good kick to it. Be aware, their desserts are ENORMOUS! Server, Mark was great. If you don't mind spending about $100-120 per person, go to Hugo's Frog Bar and enjoy a meal there. BTW - This one is located in the 'new' River's Casino, so you can do some gambling while you are there. Technically, it is rated 5-Stars but I gave it 4-Stars because it's expensive.
(4)
Mihir P.
Just because you're in the 'burbs it doesn't mean that you'll get lower prices. A martini will set you back $16. Anyhoo...this Hugo's is newer than the Chicago location and is much nicer in terms of decor. Food: Calamari: a little overcooked and tough but I love that they serve it "Rhode Island style" and toss it with hot peppers. Crab Cake: one of the best I've had in the Midwest. very little filler (breading, mayo, and bell peppers). Tuna Tataki - average Crab legs; Yummy but a bit fishy Steaks; top-notch keep in mind a strip steak will always be tougher than a filet or ribeye. Carrot cake: GIGANTIC. a quarter of a cake and about 9" high. A bit too big thus it was dry in areas and lacked flavor. Service: Professional and a knowledgeable but a bit cocky. When asking for the little things, our waiter acted inconvenienced. The main entrees took a very long time. The highlight of the night was that we saw Ricky Henderson (MLB Hall of Famer with most stolen bases in history)!!!!! He was soooooo nice and when the waiters came over to sign happy birthday to me, he came over to wish me a happy birthday!!!!
(4)
Kevin S.
Have come here twice....first time I got the frog legs....im a huge frog leg fan and most places when you order them they only give you a few sets....here I was really hoping for more since they have FROG in the damn name and they DIDNT disappoint.... ton of frog legs and they were awesome. 2nd time I won a little bit on the slots so treated myself to the $100 waygu tomahawk just to cross if off my bucket list....I have to say that I didnt find it worth the price tag...the $50 bone in ribeye in my opinion is just as good .....I have no problem paying 50 for a great steak but for the price of the waygu although it was nice to experience I would just get 2 regular ribeyes for that only other gripe is the price of oysters....I get it ..... its a fancy place but I just hate having to pay 3 bucks per oyster. Oysters were great...just sad that if you want good oysters you have to pay up the backside to get them. besides that the crawfish mac n cheese is awesome. I will return to hugos again.
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : No Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Garage Bike Parking : No Good for Kids : No Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Classy Noise Level : Loud Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : Free Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
Joanne W.
Having been to Hugo's for lunch before, I welcomed this addition to the host of fine dining establishments in the Des Plaines area (that's sarcasm, people). I've been to this location twice now and here is my summary. It's A-OK. The end. ........... ........ ....... ..... ... .. Gotcha! We brought a large group for dinner here to break up the monotony of dining at the same two places for almost every single meeting we have had during my five year run at my place of employment. Dinner service was good. They will only reserve private dining rooms during the week - which is odd. the main dining areas are quite loud so be conscious of that if you are taking a large party here. My crab cakes were OK. I'm not sure they were made with fresh crab meat. Disappointing. The table got frog legs and I took their word that they were delicious. Frog legs are one of the foods I won't do. Whenever I see them, my mind flashes to one Michigan J. Frog shuffling across the floor singing "hello my baby, hello my honey, hello my rag time gaaaaal... I just can't do it. It ain't easy being green. The desserts were probably the best part of the meal and they are meant for sharing...or for putting you into a diabetic coma. One "slice" is pretty much an entire cake. I'm not joking. Our group had fun sharing the slices and letting the sugar buzz set in. I'd say my lunch experience here was better. I had the sunrise burger and it was pretty tasty. There are quite a few places in the area for a nice steak dinner but Hugo's is probably the most reasonable by comparison...plus you can let your dinner settle by cozying up to one of the slot machines in the casino. Hugo's is actually A-OK by me.
(3)Jean Z.
Everything here is as good as it gets. Do take warning if ordering desert, they are too huge to take to-go, so don't bother unless your party of 10 is still seated. After about 10 visits to Hugo's we know what to expect and definitely never been let down here at the casino location. Thanks for being accountable!
(5)Dawn P.
I had just about given up on going to Rivers Casino because their customer service is awful. Hugo's has definitely given me a new reason to visit. I made an 8:00 pm reservation and my friend and I were seated at the best table in the restaurant. Our server, Thomas S. was extremely pleasant, informative, and patient with us. We quickly discovered that he is one of the best servers we had ever had, ANYWHERE. One of those servers, that you would leave a 100%+ tip for if you could afford to. My friend and I were not too hungry but he still brought out all their cuts of meat and their giant lobster tail, just in case we wanted to split a large meal. We were unfortunately filling up after our delicious crap cake appetizer. A definite "must try" if you even remotely like crab or crab cakes. We then followed it up with the some sort of thinly cut steak appetizer which I can't remember the name of. My friend and I can't wait to go back with a huge appetite to try some surf and turf and hopefully have room for one of their decadent looking desserts. We plan on going on one of Thomas's nights and requesting him again also.
(5)Thuoc N.
Way way overpriced for the actual quality and portion sizes. Seriously do not come here and save your money. The quality is better at Red Lobster. This is a tourist magnet and scam in my opinion.
(1)Gail C.
Yep I agree, this place is a winnah! Cosmo martini, excellent! I had the petite filet with twice baked potato. The food was absolutely superb! Nice edition to this area. Especially since they got the traffic problems solved!
(5)Rachel B.
I enjoyed dinner with my husband Saturday night this was a great place for us. I'm he glad he picked this place great atmosphere. The drinks are delicious I had the Flower Blossom our server suggested and it was a great choice. Yes I would go back.
(4)Michael B.
MEH, The service was slow, like really damn slow. Not "I'm at a stuffy chop house and we don't want to bother the guest slow ". It was more a dazed and confused busy noisy slow. The price of the steaks were competitive with good steak houses, and it was a good steak albeit slightly over cooked . I had the house bone in rib eye medium rare. My steak was cooked med. My buddy ordered a bone in filet medium but got med well, but it was so dark in the joint it was tough to see if it was really over cooked but it had good flavor. We sat in a corner and in order for other guest to get by, my boy had to scooch in and every guest that left the joint felt the need to apologize as they asked him to move. We had the creamed spinach, crawfish mac and cheese, asparagus, and oysters. They were all fantastic especially the oysters. It was a good dinner, but i don't think it was an $800.00 good dinner for a group of 6. The noise, slow service, over cooked steaks, and constant interruptions brought the score down for me. I have no issue paying good money for a great steak--i just wasn't impressed. Mike B
(3)Tony H.
Terrible service
(1)Susu B.
1st let me say the service is AMAZING! Thomas was always around when I needed him. I ordered the tuna half salad which was tasty and then the burger which was a little undercooked but not bad.
(4)Scotty R.
Outstanding Steak! We wanted to check out Hugo's at the casino and we're impressed by the execution on our king crab legs and filet selection. They turn tables quick in this locale so don't be surprised if your salads and apps hit the table in mere seconds after the order is placed. Every item on our table was first rate but at these prices that is the expectation and they deliver.
(4)Carmen A.
Its almost 2 AM as I'm writing this review which by the way was only prompted as I am having some serious tummy issues after dining at Hugo's. My wife and I skipped meals all day to eat put tonight as we knew it'd be a heavier meal and lo and behold we are both sick. Who the culprit is , well...thats a toss up between the frog legs or a $100 plate of Waygu beef both of which we shared. The dirty martini was fine and the wine was good. Expect to spend some money in this place. I have to say my bet is on Frogger doing us in but my wife thinks you just can't trust a hybrid animal (waygu is a Kobe and something else mix). So we won't be frequenting them again unfortunately. Good luck to those who do....
(1)Rebecca H.
I wanted to love it. And it's an okay place for some decent food but that's it. In fairness I didn't have the steaks or lobster but what we did order didn't make any of us want to order the more pricey items. It's okay--if you're in the area stop in and grab something to eat but I would not invest in the time for a long drive or the money for food that may be described as forgetable. I have heard the drinks are great. Maybe, we'll try again from that angle and I will update this review.
(3)Anna P.
Great food! LOVE their steaks! Service was great. It was pricey, but we honestly expected to pay more.
(5)Nats A.
The food is not up to par with the prices they charge for this place. Thankfully our meal was comped by the casino. So we didn't pay dime for our meal (except for tip). The Alaskan crab salad sounded so good. For $22 I expected it to be phenomenal. I wanted to try the dressing that they put on it, which was an oil vinaigrette dressing. Tasted more like it should be used as a bread dipping than an actual dressing. So I decided to go with the thousand Island dressing, which I believe was homemade. The dressing was good, the lobster was good but the salad was NOT worth $22. I came, I ate, and I won't be back. My dad had a steak sandwich, he said it was good but he would rather go down the hall to flipt to get a burger. The steak sandwich was $16 and it came with fries, even tho the menu says nothing about what it comes with. We also were able to take home the black forest cake, holy moly it is a whole cake in itself! Our waitress was really nice and attentive. She catered to my very annoying needs, which I am grateful for.
(3)C M.
Really impressed, the food and service are great. The Mac 'n Cheese is not to be missed. Use the half-order option on side(s) if alone or with one other diner. Frog legs! Yummy and with the two half sides I am more than satiated. Also, the manager came by my table to fill my water and check on me. Dropped off his card, something that has never happened to me anywhere else and I travel extensively. The waiter's assistant indicted that this was not unusual and that he was a great guy to work for... Now that the kind of leadership I want to see. It certainly seems to carry over to the entire staff.
(5)Daniel L.
CALL AHEAD AND MAKE RESERVATIONS. The casino was so packed when we were there (Saturday night) that we had quite a time finding a table for two. We arrived at around 8, and tried to put in a reservation for the non-bar section... which had no openings for 2 until 9:30. We spent the next :30 waiting and watching for tables to open up. In retrospect, it was probably good training for us for the casino experience, when we circled people with low chip stacks at the roulette wheel as if we were vultures circling above terminally ill buffalo. That's why I got "Kill Or Be Killed" in ink across my throat. No mercy. (Joking) Once we DID get a table, everything was great. The drinks were stiff enough to be worth the price, the Bookbinder's Soup was fantastic- HIGHLY recommend if you're a fan of spicy, tomato-based soup- and I got a Peppercorn Steak Salad which was delicious and portioned at a large enough size to feed 4 creepy people oogling your table to see if you're leaving it in the next few minutes. Cons: When it's busy, and you're eating in the bar area, there will be creepy people oogling your seat/table and lurking around in wait to snatch it as soon as you get up. I should know; I was one of the creeps. You may want to declare "BATHROOM BREAK" if you go to relieve yourself during your meal, just to avoid any added confusion. Hugo's IS expensive, so unless you don't care, you're going to have to pick your spots to find any great deals. The Peppercorn Steak salad is definitely worth a look!
(4)H G.
This is a 3.5 star review karate-kicked to a 4 star. I'm a winner! I dined at Hugo's every month (sometimes twice) for a year, thanks to one of the casino's contests. After treating family, friends, and myself to those meals, I have to say that Hugo's is a mixed bag. Between all of us, we've tasted most items. The 1.5 star ding is for inconsistency in dish execution and a lack of creativity in the menu. For example, almost every visit included a kitchen mistake. Either a waitstaff person and/or a manager would come to the table to apologize for the wait and a dish prepared wrongly. The portions are large, and for the desserts extremely so. Yet the size doesn't make up for a lack of interesting flavors. Also, I felt the menu didn't change enough for the seasons. Here are the standouts and skips based on my and 10+ others tastes: HITS: - Complimentary raisin bread, with seeds and nuts baked inside - Oysters on the Half Shell ($3 each) - Sweet Chili Fried Calamari ($12.75) - Jumbo Lump Crab Cake with Hot Pink Mayo ($16.25 for 1 or $32 for 2) - Lobster Bisque and most other "Soup of the Day" ($4.75 or $6.75) - Ceasar Salad ($9) - Any of the Steaks and Chops (around $50+)... it's Gibsons, folks... You must know the ordering terminology and be vigilant about making sure the meat is cooked the way YOU like it. There are levels of "char". While the meat still cooks on the plate, it still may not turn out the way you expect. Favorites of the diners were the pork chops and sirloin. - Most of the Fresh Fish Entrees ($20 - $41). My absolute favorite was the Oven-Baked Salmon, but it was removed from the menu. - Creme Brulee ($10?)... the most reasonably-sized and sweetness-balanced dessert if eating with multiple people. It has great flavor as it's made with vanilla bean. - Black Forest Cake ($14?)... a slice is a whole cake like the others, but we are partial to the large Italian maraschino cherries MISSES: - Crabmeat Avocado ($16.25) - Chargrilled Marinated Shrimp ($23.50)... overcooked - Crawfish Mac & Cheese (with or without Andouille Sausage) ($8.75)... tastes processed. I would prefer a different dish featuring more crawfish. - French Fries and Homemade Potato Chips... tends to be limp - Most of the other desserts... for example, the Key Lime Pie really needs work The service is great, but slowed sometimes because of the kitchen issues. I recommend making reservations for the dining room. This is essential for Friday through Sunday nights, as you could wait 45 minutes+ for a seat otherwise. It's very noisy, so it's best to come early on a week night instead if you'd like a quiet meal. As such, I liked the early start time for dinner (3 p.m.). The bar area has seating, sometimes featuring a live pianist. Hugo's is expensive. I have higher expectations for such an establishment. It's certainly the best place to dine in the casino in terms of quality. (Although, sometimes Flipt's fried fish is a contender.) It's just that the flavor profile and consistency don't hold up to other restaurants in the same price range. Yet I do recommend trying Hugo's primarily for excellent steak and fish.
(4)Laura M.
My first time visiting Hugo's was AMAZING! My friend and I went for just drinks but ended up ordering some sliders and calamari which were delicious. Our waitress Jenna gave us great recommendations for cocktails when we asked and the pear blossoms were perfect! I will definitely be back.
(5)J B.
The wife and I had dinner last nite here and it was pleasant enough. We split the caesar salad which was good, not drenched w dressing. I also had lobster bisque, was tasty but the color of Campbells tomato w no trace of lobster. At Morton's I had a nice chunk of lobster. Also soup was luke warm w skin forming on top. The wife had salmon filet which I thought s/b bigger considering was $42 w a dollup of crabmeat . I had the Chicago Cut which was perfectly cooked. Though portions were smaller w prices higher than a few yrs when we went to Gibsons on River Rd. We had the combo veg., pea-sized mshrooms, broc,carrots and cauliflower, no asperagus as we had before at Gibson's. They are so portion control freaks here that it has to bother you considering the prices. We passed on dessert and coffee $141. Priceless.
(3)Stephanie B.
I've had the opportunity to dine at Hugo's twice in the past month. My fiance and I went there for a romantic dinner and feasted on an assortment of food from the sweet chili calamari to petite filets with bernaise and the crawfish mac n cheese. The second time I went with a group of gfs to celebrate a birthday. I ordered the Alaskian King Crab Cobb Salad. OMG it was awesome. The only food I haven't been wow'd by was the crawfish mac n cheese, which was recommended highly by my server. It was supposed to be a creole southern dish with andouille sausage. However, the crawfish was either not fresh or just not prepped correctly, because my mac n cheese was rather fishy tasting. EW. I will most definitely be back for other occassions. This spot is located inside the new Rivers Casino. I recommend making a reservation as it is ALWAYS busy!
(4)Jane H.
Good food, awful service. The staff was clearly more interested in turning the table than they were with providing a quality dining experience. Two managers took more time offering insincere apologies than it took to serve four courses. They took our name and email; no follow up... Not surprising. Go someplace else... We will.
(2)Ricky R.
Dined at Hugo's this weekend and everything was over the top! Food quality, service, portion size etc. Everything you would expect from a Gibsons restaurant (including price) was big. The one happy surprise that did come with this restaurant was the Rush St. atmosphere. I have never experienced that atmosphere in the suburbs no matter where I have gone. Naperville, Oak Brook etc. none have come close to duplicating the city clientele and vibe like this place did this weekend. I guess I can attribute that to the age of the clientele, unlike the older folk in the burbs. Keep it up, Love this Place!
(5)Jerna D.
I went here for father's day with my parents, brother, and fiance. We all ordered steaks, and they were all very generous portions. My mom got the steak salad, and even that was a monster. The steaks were cooked perfectly; very tender and juicy on the inside, but had a great char on the outside. Even the sides and desserts were gigantic sizes. Definitely worth all three dollar signs, and definitely going back next time we're in town.
(5)Sir ..
I have an opportunity to venture into some new places with work and life and have decided to take that prospect. With this though, I will be regrettably discontinuing my tech services. This new location like the others is also a little cramped, but nothing excessive or different from other steak/seafood houses. I did not like having to enter and exit Hugo's via the Casino specifically. It feels a little like dirty arm-twisting by the casino to go play before your table is ready. The atmosphere was pleasant and visually dynamic, there did seem to be some competing styling or design themes, but nothing overpowering. From the bar area you can casino watch, unfortunately because of the location you only see people playing slots (I cannot imagine anything more exciting). The service was great, however I believe they are sill working out the kinks in the system, as this is a new location and probably many new servers. Our server was very attentive and polite, prompt to respond to requests and decently knowledgeable. I did not have the opportunity to test the wines or the server's wine with meal selection knowledge, as my party did not really drink that night. I did have one classic Jack and Coke and it was very smooth. In my opinion Hugo's offers some of the best seafood in Chicago and I do consider myself a bit of a connoisseur. This evening I had the King Salmon and it was fantastic, I would say ever so slightly over done, but really it was fantastic. Others in my party had W.R. Chicago Cut (22oz steak) it was excellent, another had seared Yellowfin Tuna also quite good. I've tried many things on the menu at other locations like the crab cakes and shrimp continue I would assume, all of their food is consistently enjoyable considering the standards they have to live up to. Overall: Wonderful meal, great service, nice atmosphere and yes it's still expensive.
(5)Bonnie L.
The service was the best part of the visit! We did not understand why the whitefish was $20. , but the salmon was more than twice that at $42.?? Nice variety of dishes and prices. It was a bit too loud for us, as we couldn't hear each other talking!
(2)John H.
Good Food, but not spectacular. Prices are a little too high compared to the food quality. I had 22 0z. veal porter house, very good cut of meat but too charred on the outside, some parts were perfect but others were a little hard to swallow. Also we got King Crab legs, they were pre cracked which was nice but you can get them just as good for half the price. Sides we got sauteed mushrooms, very tasty and fresh, Spicy crawfish macaroni and cheese, that was delicious. Service was excellent and always polite. Worth a try, I just think that for steak I prefer Ruth Chris or Capital Grill or Mortons over this place. They do have a very large selection of seafood and fish choices, which I regret not trying. Desserts are huge from what we saw, just too stuffed to endulge.
(3)Nisey M.
Had a nice lunch at Hugo's on a Saturday afternoon so there was no wait, by the end of our meal I could start to see the restaurant filling up. Had the New England lobster roll and the rest of the group ordered burgers. I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of lobster on the sandwich, so much that I skipped most of the bread. I enjoyed the homemade chips instead of fries that came with the sandwich, another positive note was that it was not full of mayonnaise. This is something that turned me off to that sandwich years ago, the preparation here was lightened it was delicious! Everyone was very happy with the burgers and they were substantial in size. Now...on to dessert, I usually have nothing to do with desserts because honestly I prefer to drink my calories. I posted the picture because this was a single order...if one person orders it that's what they will get! This is listed as "The Meaning of Life Cake" on the menu...uuuh it is more like the meaning of diabetes...omg it's ridiculous!!! I'd be lying if I said it was not good...it was delicious;)
(4)Gail M.
Greeted by two of the cutest guys ever, everyone was amazingly nice and super attentive. Frog legs were so so, but steak was delish! Casino was a fun surprise! Who knew? Will be back!
(4)Nicole U.
I do not eat meat, but if I did, this would be the place!! Waiters are extra friendly and helpful, bring meat cuts to your table. The portions are large, even the sides.... our twice baked potato was so overwhelming I could not even finish one half ;-) I have heard to expect very long wait times on weekends. We went on a Thursday evening and had no wait for a table. Of course, you could always gamble at the casino while you wait!
(4)Tim B.
As good as the original but not sure how it ended up in the Casino. Just didn't seem to fit for me. Reservations are suggested although it was a little slow last night.Being open since July and the fact that it is irritating to get to in the Casino, I suspect that the airport travel crowd hasn't quite discovered its existence so it'll continue to get busier. Frog legs were great (get the Butter on the side or they drown in it), Crab cocktail and Steak. Glutony..... Service was great, not too loud.
(3)Drew W.
Stopped in for dessert on way home after we had dinner downtown. Turtle pie is amazing as always! Beautiful space, good looking crowd. Not as hectic as Rush Street (but then again, what is?). Staff was super friendly (and efficient).
(5)J T.
I've been here several times and needless to say, I love the atmosphere! The service has always been great and up until this last tine, the food has always been just as good. This was the first time I ordered a steak and for the price, I was hoping it was going to be fantastic, well I was wrong. I ordered a filet mignon butterflied an well done. And I received it, it was as hard and dry as a hockey puck. Very disappointed. The cook must have been on vacation that's all I can say. Everything else was very good except it was very very loud in there. I felt like I was in a very expensive sports bar!! The service and atmosphere make it worth coming back although I'll skip the steaks!
(3)Virginia V.
Absolutely loved this place.. I will definitely be back.. Everything from the bread to our after dinner drinks were great. I ordered the King Crab Legs I do have to say they were fresh and meaty I also ordered the sautéed spinach WOW!! My husband ordered Filet Mignon and he said it was excellent!! We had a bottle of Kim Crawford Sauvigon Blanc.. Piano playing.. Our server was on top of things.. Bussers kept water glasses full and Ken the Bartender is someone we would definitely visit again.. Now I do have to say we were there on their Grand Opening day and I didn't see any kinks that need to be worked out!! Great Job everyone ;)
(5)Danielle M.
We keep coming back to Hugos for lunch and dinner service. You wouldn't even know you were in a casino enjoying your meal here. The service is impeccable and the food and cocktails are amazing. For a casual lunch, you can sit in the bar area and enjoy delicious burgers and sandwiches with more than generous portions. The filet sliders and pub style burgers are stand out menu items. I recommend asking for some horseradish cream to go with the filet sliders. The garbage salad is a great start to any meal as well. For dinner we have tried the crab cakes, scallops, filet mignon, twice baked potato (as big as your head), and crawfish macaroni and cheese in the past and they are always perfect. The other stand out menu item for my husband and me is the turtle macadamia nut ice cream cake. This is the best dessert you could ever ask for. It serves four people generously and is great to take home as well. Overall, Hugos is a great restaurant for a casual but high class lunch or a very special dinner out.
(5)Heidi H.
The crab bisque soup and oven roasted broccoli were wonderful. My steak medallions we just ok and the sauce was boring. My friend had their hambuger. She ordered it med rare and it came well done. They took my coffes spoon away while I was still enjoying my coffee and removed the bread basket while we were still eating. $$$ not worth it.
(2)Sarah R.
Wowwww...Way to go Hugo's. We ended up here for my birthday dinner, but only because we spent too much time at another establishment, and were looking for places that serve full menu past 10 pm. Which is slightly more difficult than you might think, it being a Wednesday and all. Ended up at Hugo's Frog Bar in the Rivers Casino. I'm under the impression that they serve full menu till 1 am? I could be wrong, but we got it at 11:30, anyway. And the service wasn't at all rushed. Like when you go for a late dinner and your server is trying to get off work as quickly as possible. This was not the case at all. Crawfish mac and cheese, to die for. Good Lord, more Crawfish than noodles. I had the scallops, he had the frog legs. 5 silver dollar sized scallops, perfectly cooked, served on top of this green pea puree, with whole peas on top. Holy crap. Pure scallop amazingness. And the frog legs. A zillion little frog legs. With a yummy buttery sauce. Came with rice, but the dish didn't need it. Soooo good. Way too full for dessert, but he insisted, since it was my birthday. We took a piece of $17 carrot cake to go. It's still in the fridge, i keep taking bites every day. It's still delicious, 4 days later. And bonus! You are in a casino! A brand new, clean, beautiful casino. I like the roulette. Go Black 17. Best of luck.
(5)kb j.
We went on a recent weekend evening. We parked in the enormous casino parking lot and wandered the very crowded casino for a short while to kill time before our reservation. The restaurant is like an oasis in the casino. We passed through the nice bar area (it wasn't crowded when we arrived at the restaurant, but was packed by the time we left). We were seated promptly after arrival. Unlike the Gold Coast version of Hugo's, the push at this version is to the steak (except the lobster)(and maybe that's why the words "Chop House" appear in the restaurant title!). Portions are enormous. The food is phenomenal. The wine list includes wines at a variety of price points (though its probably not as extensive as one might expect for most steakhouses). This is a good choice even if you are going to skip the casino action.
(4)Renata L.
I went to Hugo's for an impromptu dinner with some relatives on a weekday evening. We chose the restaurant mostly based on location (they were staying in Schaumburg and interested in seeing the casino). I wasn't quite sure what to expect from a Gibson's group restaurant embedded in a Casino, but it didn't disappoint. I warned my family ahead of time that it would not be a cheap steak dinner. Having eaten at Gibson's I was familiar with the high quality and gigantic portions ahead of time. The casino environment did not seep into the ambiance of the restaurant - it was noisy, but only due to the regular dining sounds. We ordered the frog legs appetizer, which turned out wonderfully tender (no rubbery texture here!) and the king crab cocktail, which was only so-so. All of our mains were delicious - I had a "small" 10 oz filet with horseradish that was perfectly medium rare as requested. We shared a huge double baked potato - I don't want to think about the caloric content of that thing, but it was amazing. We decided to pass on the village-sized desserts, but certainly had some fun debating whether we wanted a tower of carrot cake or a platter-sized creme brulee, No one walked away hungry or dissatisfied with the meal and it was the perfect balance of casual environment and quality food or our out-of-town guests.
(4)kim s.
Had a family dinner at Hugo's last night. The restaurant was very loud and the tables were so close to each other that the busboy and servers needed some of us to take our dishes from them to be served and hand them to them when we were done. As far as the food, three words HOLD THE SALT !!! they have a very heavy hand in the seasoning !!! There are many better choices in the area and if you are not going there to gamble there is no point in paying the inflated prices to dine inside the casino ...
(1)J T.
dined for lunch at Hugo's. though place was not busy, it's easy to make reservations at opentable.com service was excellent, but the food needs improvement. The porterhouse steak, had a section of the steak oversalted. The other dish order which was lunch meal of Filet Medallions with mash & broccoli. Broccoli & mas were fine, the the sauce on the filet medallions were also oversalted. It's funny, that a couple of weeks back, we dined their sister restaurant, Gibsons in Rosemont, and thoroughly enjoyed the Porterhouse & WR Chicago Cut steaks. I would've thought the food at Hugo's in Desplaines should have been just as good as Gibsons in Rosemont.
(2)Chicago Gal G.
The restaurant booths were cozy and decor very warm. Cannot say the same for the food or the service. My friend and I had early 6pm reservations on a Friday evening. Our waiter and server could not have done more to move us on out. We wondered if it was because we were going to order drinks until we found out it was $12 for a martini. We had to ask since drink prices were not on the menu. Things went bad from there. Entree arriving before we finished our soup. Waiter removing bread and bread plates as he delivers our entrees. My friends plate wisked away while we were talking and she was not done eating.Our waiter gave us wrong information when he told us everything on the menu was alacarte, so we ordered a broccoli and potato to split. My friends 5 shrimp arrived with rice and my chewy frog legs arrived with rice. The shrimp were good but not filling. My mountain of a plate of frog legs were uneatable they were so chewy. In fairness they did say they would take them back and redo. However, I did not want to wait since my friend was eating her entree. The manager stated that it is hard to get good frog legs. So why have them on the menu?? Cost us $80 for no drinks and a meal and service we were not happy with.
(1)Kat Z.
Went to dinner here tonight. This was possible the worst meal I have ever had. We started with frog legs and fried calamari. While I did not eat the frog legs, the calamari was bad. Extremely heavy batter and some sort of sweet-spicy chili sauce that seemed to be primarily made of salt and oil. So heavy and salty, we only ate a few. Now the entrees, my husband had the lobster roll with fries and I had the shrimp dejonghe with crawfish mac and cheese side. The roll was so-so, but the shrimp, again like they took a bucket of salt and dumped it on the plate. I wouldnt even call it shrimp dejonghe, more shrimp sitting in a pool of butter with a little sprinkle of breadcrumbs on top. Even the white rice that comes with the shrimp was salty. Ok people at hugo, there is a thing called unsalted butter, try it. Now the crawfish mac and cheese, this was the only thing we had that was decent, but I would not call it mac and cheese, not even close. This basically was pasta with crawfish in a cream sauce. Overall I expected more from this restaurant, especially after reading a Phil Vettel review. After trying it for myself, I say save your money, there are better restaurants 2 blocks down in rosemont.
(1)Ruth G.
My fiance and I enjoyed our Valentine's day dinner here this year! He ordered a bone in sirloin, cooked medium rare, and it was so juicy! It was cooked perfectly. I had the scallops. They were literally the best scallops I've ever eaten with this amazing sauce! We shared the crawfish mac n cheese and mushrooms. Everything was so yummy!!! To finish off the night, we shared creme brulee. The service was incredible and quick (surprising for such a busy day at peak dinner time!). I highly recommend trying this place at least once, but you'll definitely want to come back!!!
(5)Lola L.
So far so good....Except Bartender who does not know me called me Hon. I asked what Pinot Noir she had by the glass and she responded one ....gave me a taste test.. .glad she got busy. Joe took over and offered LaCrema! Amazing! Yes....just what I drink. Joe is amazing!
(4)Julie Y.
Came here with coworkers for a post-holiday team dinner. The price and atmosphere is average for a casino steakhouse - but I felt the restaurant was on the smaller side. We started with a few appetizers and I had a wedge salad which was phenomenal but quite large. Everything here is! If you're ordering an appetizer or side you're going to want to share them! I recommend the bone-in filet made with one of their crusts. I chose the blue cheese top but asked for light cheese and I wish I hadn't. It was delicious! We had a private room so the service was attentive and very informative.
(5)Harpreet G.
Had the lobster roll but it was definitely not worth $21. There wasn't enough meet and it comes with generic chips.
(2)Wing L.
The best dish at this restaurant is the frog legs with Jasmine rice. The frog legs tastes very fresh, even though they must be frozen. The pan fried them perfectly. I love it.
(4)Bernadette M.
Came here for my birthday. Lobster stuffed with crab. Clam chowder. Mac n cheese, mashed potatoes (that motherfucking gravy), dark n stormy. All exquisite items. Old fashioned=meh Considering the prices, the sides really are huge. The lobster stuffed with crab is still something I dream of periodically. My gf ordered the grilled shrimp on a bed of rice. It was delicious as well. Was not impressed by the frog legs, although that may be just that frog legs aren't really my thing. Even though this restaurant is expensive, I would be glad to come back here more often.
(5)Valerie W.
I've been wanting to try Hugo's for a really long time. We come to the casino pretty often (maybe once a month?) and have never stopped in, until recently. We came in very very late on a Friday night and were seated in the dining room right away (I would've been happy also sitting at one of the high-tops in the bar, or just at the bar.) Our server was friendly and knowledgeable and did not seem annoyed that we sat for dinner at about 10pm, potentially hindering him from getting to go home. We split the wedge salad, 22 oz porterhouse, a side of sauteed mushrooms and a twice baked potato. Everything was excellent, except for the potato, which left me wanting something.... else. It was just okay. The steak was cooked perfectly and they were kind enough to slice it for us. The mushrooms were nice, not overpowering like I have seen from other steakhouses. The salad was great, not too much dressing, just right. I would absolutely return to Hugo's for a special occasion meal!
(4)Raj D.
ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! Recently visited with friends for a birthday celebration. Staff was incredible, very informative and understanding. The ambiance is nice and this location is located inside the new River's Casino. The crab rangoon is delightful and loaded with creamy crab meat. (not your typical cream cheese feel). HIGHLY RECOMMENDED The ceaser salad is very light and refreshing. The Porter house was perfectly cooked and by far THE BEST STEAK I'VE EVER HAD! Not to mention that Gibsons's has their own USDA rating!!! I had mine medium and it was cooked to perfection. The halibut was prepared (I asked for jalapenos)... The fish was a tad bit over cooked and that his lead to my 4 star rating but overall worth a try. The only pasta that they have is shells and they will work with you between the alfredo and the "red" sauce. The red sauce was actually fairly spicy which to my surprise was AWESOME!. Alfredo sauce was a bit oily but extremely creamy and tasteful. For sides I recommend the whipped mashed potatoes which was fluffy and mouth watering. I also recommend the lobster mac and cheese... TONS of lobster meat with a slightly spicy kick with the homestyle mac and cheese feel. I cant wait to go back!!!
(4)Carol K.
Seriously? A restaurant this good tucked inside the Rivers Casino? Makes me want to break all my rules about "no casinos" and move this place to the top of my list. This Hugo's is kind of a cross between a Gibson's and a Hugos. I expected seafood to be the star and yet they bring out the show stopper steaks at the beginning of your meal to tell you what you could be eating ($100 bone in steak anyone?) We had a large group and started first with drinks in the bar. This would be a great bar to meet friends in as there is a live piano player and some really great bartenders pouring some amazing drinks! I could have stayed here longer but our table was calling. We got a great table and I really liked that the manager, Marc, came by to say hi and to welcome us to his restaurant. The place was packed but the servers took it all in stride. In fact our server was great, I only wish I could remember his name as he kept everything moving along, our wine glasses full and even made suggestions when we decided we were going to share instead of ordering 5 individual meals. He assembled a sampling fresh seafood platter with fresh oysters (east and west coast), jumbo shrimp and some type of lobster with spicy mayo. Next up was one of those giant steaks sliced in the kitchen which made it easy to share, and a giant mound of crab legs that were some of the meatiest I have had in awhile. They also cut the knuckles apart which made it super easy to share. Add in some sides like mushrooms and spinach and we had a feast. And of course you have to have one of the giant desserts that Gibsons is famous for. This is not a cheap date, I think with a couple bottles of wine our bill was around $650. But the quality of the food, the ambiance all coupled with some fantastic service made it worth it. Hard to believe that this "casino hating girl" will be back. But that's just how good this place is. Maybe I can slip through the casino part quickly and just turn my back to the door where the "ping pinging" will be overcome by the piano player and the glass of fine wine in my hand. See you at Hugo's!
(5)Sophie H.
Sat at the bar - ordered a bottle of wine along with tuna tartare, salmon sliders, and seared tuna salad. He tartare was a bit too heavy on the mayo - which was a shame as the tuna was super fresh! Seared tuna salad rocked the house! Awesome dressing !! And a great portion! The blackened salmon sliders were off the hook good!! So fresh - yum-o!!! We will be back!
(5)Patrick J.
Very good food, and service. White fish on the plank is my favorite. Huge steaks and lobster tails.
(5)Julie Y.
Had a regional instructor in from Texas so we went to the casino, needed to grab some food so we went to Hugo's, I actually ate here the night before in the city so I ordered pretty much the exact same thing but switched it up for my cocktail. The cob salad was obviously AMAZING!!!! The tuna tar tar as well! Ordered a $30 side of steak that was cooked perfect to go with the salad. Asked for a spicy margarita and it was exactly how I liked it, extremely spicy! Defiantly a fan of this restaurant in the city and casino!
(4)Samantha G.
Tasty french martinis, overpriced (and standard) crab rangoons, but huge portions and the most incredible lobster bisque I've ever had. Seriously, get the lobster bisque by the gallon. Service was good and attentive. Not the most amazing meal or inventive menu, but decent food. There are probably better restaurants in the area for a special night out (by price point), but if you are going to the casino and want a one-stop-shop, dinner here was good. Wish I'd been able to try dessert because the cake was huge, but I was stuffed from my appetizer, salad and soup. You will spend a lot of money for something that is just OK, but the convenience of it for a casino adventure was nice. Kind of annoying that there is no bathroom built inside the restaurant area, so you have to go out into the casino.
(3)Padma A.
I will go back just for the Calamari, it was top notch!! service was slow to begin with, they took a while to take our drinks order and appetizers, however main course was served quick. We ordered calamari and the jumbo crabcake, almst everyone at our table ordered steak, i ordered lambchops which i didnt like so much, too much fat and chewy. Will certainely go back if i am playing @ the Casino.
(4)amc a.
Dinner at 6pm. High level - big portions, 6 out of 10 on flavors/taste, 9 out of 10 on service, Bill for 2 was $266 pretax. Wedge salad - solid, plenty of tomatoes, bacon and dressing Lobster + Filet Mignon - biggest lobster ever had in my life, but there were some black veins on the lobster's underside. Never seen that before and a major turn off. The lobstah was kinda tough, kinda just alright. There also wasn't a damn butter warmer!!! The steak was overcooked - apparently at Hugo's "medium rare+" turns out to be "medium". Also the steak wasn't very flavorful - just a big ol' piece of meat. Surf & turf was $120 and definitely big enough to share if you get some great sides. Macaroni and Cheese with Crawfish - little ears pasta + Velveeta + crawfish + Andouille sausage. I'm not one of those mac and cheese lover lunatics, but this was one of the best parts of the meal - skip the tuff lobster and overcooked steak. Mashed Potatoes - nicely done Ice Cream Sundae - WTF did we order this? Waste of time and money. The best thing is the $9/glass pinot noir. Delicious and not breaking the bank. The fancy carry-out containers aren't microwave safe - booooooo
(3)Shelah S.
This was my first time here and there isn't a thing I could complain about. The food was great...ranging from the appetizers to the main course. Our server, Juan, was very nice and attentive. For my main course, I had the 16 oz. Bone in sirloin and it was very good and tasty. Overall, it was very good. However, this was pricey but for the quality...I can't complain. I hope to be returning soon.
(5)Lindsay M.
I visited Hugo's Frog Bar within the Rivers Casino for an outing with my work team. This was my second time there, however this time we were in the private dining room. The appetizer menu was packed with seafood dishes that I can never resist. We ordered mussels, calamari, and ahi tuna. The mussels were my favorite of those we tried. The staff was incredibly courteous, helpful and intelligible about the menu. I had the lobster tail which with a $100+ price tag, every bit lived up to my expectations. The wine list is extensive with options for every taste bud - I went with the la crema Pinot noir which is one of my favorites. They also had a substantial liquor/cocktail menu. My colleagues who are into craft beer mentioned that the variety was dismal - so perhaps some opportunity there. As an event planner and frequent restaurant goer, this place gets two from me!
(5)April R.
So I actually went to a casino JUST to eat! I was in town visiting family and used to live near the Rush Street location, so I was in the mood for crab cakes and pink mayo. I was not disappointed. I also tried the king crab Rangoon, which was a new menu item since my last visit. It was very yummy. I'm sad that my stomach wasn't bigger so I could get a small bowl of the bookbinder's soup and the spicy lobster cocktail. Service was great, as always.
(5)Arthur Z.
Thank you so much for wonderful time at your restaurant! Our 33d Anniversary was incredible ' The food was amazing! The cocktails are incredible! Sweet table are simply addictive!!! I wish you the best! Honest "thank you" to the chef!!!
(5)Sandra B.
Great evening out with my son while in town. Scott was a wonderful attentive server completed the evening. The steaks were perfectly grilled and the crème brûlée was delicious!
(5)John Z.
Starting with the good. The folks are friendly. The bar is fine. Sometimes a bit loud when the pianist plays and sings. The fried calamari is large and awesome. I loved it. Their soup is below average. I got the large bowl. The spoon was almost as large as the bowl. Not a recommendation. I ended with their Cesar salad. Very good but the croutons were a bit stale. Summary is that it is a pricey place for average food quality/quantity.
(3)Aaron G.
Pretty standard casino steakhouse. Stopped here for a quick lunch to use a comp before leaving. I had the seafood stew and a crab cake. Tomato based stew was hot and had a nice flavor with a few pieces of fish. The crab cake was just ok, a little too much filler for me and the seasoning was a little off. One friend had a grilled octopus dish that was not on menu, pretty good but a lot of salt. Our other companion had the beef sliders, she ordered them medium rare and the first attempt came out well, they promptly replaced and second attempt was proper temp. Service was attentive.
(3)Steve D.
Came here on Sunday with my Lucky Charm. This location is inside the Rivers casino. It seems like a smaller, scaled down version of Gibson's just down the road. They are both a part of the same restaurant group. I have been to Gibson's quite a few times and it is one of my favorites, so I was expecting good things. This place is a bit less hectic, a bit less energy, but still nice. Menu is also a bit scaled down. However, still quite a bit to choose. We ordered the chopped salad, wedge salad, filet sliders, + the W.R. cut rib-eye. Everything ordered was quite tasty. I really enjoyed their rib-eye , cooked perfectly medium rare. I took a few pics but the picture quality is not the greatest. Service was OK, not extraordinary. Seeing that the restaurant is in the casino, We took a short visit inside to enter a contest that the casino was holding. They were giving away $50K. 5 winners each got 1K every 1/2 hours. Played a few slots, won some $ while waiting for the winners announcement and then boom! My name was called. Took the cash and scrammed. We had a great day. Good food + $$$$. Yes! Cheers to all
(4)Cindy S.
Yes, this is an upscale restaurant that you're going to spend a little more money on. If you don't want to do that, then don't come here. However, their food is very good! Also, they have things on the menu that aren't as expensive that are also very good, such as the filet sliders, steak sandwich, and burgers. I have had all 3 of those and they are all exceptional and under $20! If you're going to order a bone in rib-eye, of course it's going to cost more. (people's reviews make me laugh sometimes) Love the ambiance, we like to sit in the bar area as it is a little more casual. Very nice place with great food and great service! We will be back for sure! Even though the Casino is right out the door, when you're inside, you feel like you are in a completely different place then the Casino. Great date night to come have dinner and come out and play a little!
(5)Philly C.
5-star experience from the minute we sat down at our table. John was our waiter and he was exceptional...he was incredibly personable and made us feel like we were a part of the Hugo's family. One of the best waiters I have had in a very long time. Food....always delicious here. Table had 2 filets with horseradish crust perfectly cooked, lobster roll with big chunks of lobster and jumbo shrimp with a Provençal sauce. Sides were brussel sprouts and fries(some of the best ever). Great bottle of Frogs Leap Zin and finished the meal with old school strawberry shortcake. FULL!
(5)Allen H.
Great bar, restaurant, food and service. Hidden within the walls of the new Casino. Best place in Rosemont as far as I am concerned.
(4)Ted d.
Great food even late. We went to the casino after a concert and found this place. Everything was excellent. It was nice to find good food late at night. The double baked potato was huge a must have. The lobster roll as well was very good. Parking is a little rough but people come and go quite a bit, so a place will open up eventually.
(4)Joanna T.
It has been a while since I updated this review and Ive been back a few times since. There's a reason I come back and it's because of the food and service both. This location can get very busy, especially during the weekend. It's inside of Rivers Casino and its proximity to O'Hare airport make it an easy and delicious destination for travelers and locals. My most recent discovery here is that they have a great burger!!! I know, a steakhouse right? But I had a taste for a burger and it really hit the spot. Juicy, flavorful, and really I suggest this if you'd like a great burger. The fries that it is served with are flavorful too. Among other items I would recommend the crab cake which has zero breading, just lump crabmeat, the bone in filet is a great choice for steak and if you love twice baked potatoes these are huge! They serve fresh oysters, shrimp cocktail and a seafood tower to order.They're desserts are also good, however I have never seen cake that is this huge served anywhere! If you order, make sure your with people to share with, it's that huge!
(4)Amanda C.
What an amazing experience! I sat in the bar area and was taken care of by Trisha. She lead the way on the choices of appetizers and suggested good entrees. She was an amazing waitress. Very professional and very educated on the menu. Great personality on that one! The avocado crab meat app was TO DIE FOR. I absolutely loved it. Also had the calamari-yum- my BFF said it was the best she ever had. She devoured it. I enjoyed it but I'm not huge on calamari. The jumbo shrimp cocktail app was huge delicious. On to the entrees... My friend and I decided to split two entrees. I was pleased that they were willing enough to split the medallions and make half medium rare and half medium well. They even served the dish up split with mash & mushrooms. The steaks were cooked to perfection. We split the crab cake with fries. The sauce that came with it was Sooo tasty! I wasn't a big fan of the crab cake but I'm personally not into those too much anyway. My friend loved it. For dessert we had Creme brûlée... The sugar on top was nice, thick and crunchy! The flavor of the custard was also amazing! My absolute favorite dessert. We also had the caramel turtle cheesecake which was good. The crust was yuuuuuummmm. The manager, Mark, was a funny guy. What a sweetie pie. He made sure we were comfortable and that our dining experience was perfect. Kudos to him for making the experience that much better! I will definitely return to Hugo's and splurge on that $100 lobster tail I seen on the menu!
(5)Lauren D.
If you have money that is burning a hole in your pocket, give them a try. If you enjoy going to a restaurant filled with tourists, suburbanites, out-of-town business people and those who are playing the crap tables at the Casino, this may be the right joint for you. I ordered the filet mignon for $41.75 which was very average. Yes, it was melt in my mouth tender and flavorful. I rated my filet mignon with 4 stars, because the sauce was way not great. The steak really didn't need that sodium-loaded sauce. The service was lacking which is why I am rating them with 3-stars. My husband ordered a 26 oz Porterhouse steak ($56 and change), which was excellent from the first bite to the last bite. He let me have a taste of his Porterhouse. The flavors were prodigious! I actually wished I had ordered this steak instead. We went here to celebrate a special occasion with friends. Another person ordered the Australian Rock lobster tail ($104 and change). She said it was worthy of 5-stars. I asked her if it was worth the money, and she smiled and said "not really." If you are a vegetarian there are other choices. They offer fresh fish (such as, grilled Yellow fin tuna from Hawaii, Chilean Sea Bass, Grilled Skuna Salmon and other choices). Another individual in our group ordered the Chilean Sea Bass and said he really enjoyed it and rated it with 4-stars. Everything on their menu is a la carte, so the bill adds up quickly. The jumbo lump crab cake appetizer with hot pink mayo did not contain a lot of filler, which we appreciated. The amalgamation of the light sweet crab meat and the hot pink mayo was awesomeness! For $16 and change I would expect no less. I recommend going here for lunch instead of dinner. Prices are a bit less during lunch (between 3 to 4 bucks less). I also recommend it for celebrating "special" occasions (such as, a mile-stone birthday, anniversary, college graduation). This is not an inexpensive restaurant. Their wine list is very, very nice and extensive. The only negative was that our server did not really know anything about pairing wine with specific foods. Our server only knew the very basics about wine. We went. We ate. We had fun. The food was plated beautifully like a fine piece of art work, but I wasn't eating art. Like other Yelp reviews here, I agree that it is "average" food at best. We were disappointed with the lack of service. Yes, over inflated prices that did not match up with over-the-top service. We did not visit the Casino. Would we go back again for another "special" occasion? No. There are much better places in the city where we can spend our hard-earned $$$, such as, Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, David Burke's Primehouse, Perry's Steakhouse, Gene and Georgetti's or even Smith & Wollensky's .
(3)Beatriz R.
LOVE this place!! Came here with my BFF on a sunday for a nice lunch and boy did we get just that and then some!.. We were greeted and promptly shown to a seat. We did sit at the bar it wasn't as busy when we first got there but towards the end of our meal it was picking up and picking up fast. Now once you take a look at what we ate you will probably be thinking where the hell did it all fit lol but believe me when I tell you WE SMASHED OUR FOOD LOL. We had the Avocado crab meat salad, which was great and fresh. Next was THEEE BEST CALAMARI I HAVE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE AND I WILL CONTINUE TO SAY SO! I swear I must have said it over a thousand times there and to our lovely and AMAZING waitress that was working the bar! We also had jumbo shrimp pretty good! we decided to split two entrees. We order the medallions and they were extremely nice enough to split them make half medium rare and half medium well. They even served the dish up split with mash & mushrooms. My BFF were extremely happy with our perfect the meat was cooked to our liking. We split the crab cake with fries. My first time trying this and man oh man was it amazing. Whatever that special sauce is that it was paired with was just perfection!! It went well with the crab cake and the fries lol. MMMMMMMM Just thinking about it makes me want to go back! For dessert we had Creme brûlée... no my BFF was enjoying every bite of it since she loves it so much lol I on the other hand was scarfing down the caramel turtle cheesecake which was good. The crust was yuuuuuummmm just sooo amazing I could not get enough!!! The manager himself was extremely friednly and assured our meals were cooked to our liking! SERIOUSLY CANT WAIT TO COME AGAIN!
(5)Patty L.
Wonderful, as always! Attentive staff, fabulous food! The new manager, Jason, treated us to a delicious dessert for an anniversary treat!
(5)John L.
Overinflated prices for low to average quality food. The service was actually excellent but both our meals were quite disappointing. Both steaks were way undercooked despite our requests. The meat was very tough and extremely fatty. I've been to many steakhouses and some local and far less renown where the food blew this place away. I'd even say Longhorn has better tasting cuts of meat. As far as the sides....the rice was bland and overcooked and the asparagus nothing to write home about. The only saving grace here was the salad. But how can you mess up a salad? I guess the unjustifiable high price could be attributable to the fact that everything at the River's Casino is that way, but I'd expect much better quality from a steakhouse with the Gibson's name behind it. Avoid this place at all costs.
(1)Margaret A.
What a treat Hugos is! The food and service are above average and the fact that it is in the casino helps convenience-wise. I love this place.
(5)Jennifer S.
I met a friend here for dinner after flying into O'Hare one night. She had over $150 in free food coupons, so we really enjoyed ourselves. We started with the crab appetizer and thoroughly enjoyed it. I moved on to a piece of salmon and enjoyed that as well. She tried a steak and was able to take some home since it was so big. We ended up passing on dessert as we knew the portions were enough to feed 6...talk about restraint as they all sounded amazing!
(4)Mike L.
I had a great meal here with my friends. The service was top notch. The meal was served perfectly and with great timing. Lobster bisque was good but had zero visible lobster meat in it. Minus 1/2 star. Wedge salad was very good. My steak was cooked well but I found the quality to me more choice like than prime. Wet aged I found my porterhouse to have a bit too much chew. It may just be my preference for dry aged beef too. Minus 1/2 star Their desert cake..the meaning of life...was pretty solid and it served our whole table. I found it to be very loud inside and conversation was difficult at times. In all the experience was positve. I will go back for sure but may order a different entree other than beef.
(4)Mike O.
Never pay attention to the hours. Made a reservation and they told me they were closed when I showed up an hour before my res time. Bartender told me they closed early because it was slow that night. Wtf does that mean? The casino was packed.
(1)Natalie K.
My family and I went to Hugo's for my husbands birthday earlier in the week. I thought the restaurant was much smaller from the looks of it on the outside, but it's actually a bit larger than it looks. There is more seating in the back. I tried frog legs for the first time. Not bad actually. I know everyone says that frog tastes like chicken. But no, it indeed tastes like fish. My husband ordered the W.R.'s Chicago Cut 22 oz Ribeye and I ordered a 10 oz Filet. Both of our steaks were great. Ordering filets from steakhouse to steakhouse can taste very repetitive, but my steak was very good. We ordered a bunch of sides - mash, vegetables (which consisted of a couple florets of broccoli, cauliflower and carrots - not at all impressed), mushrooms, mac and cheese and fries. All of it was honestly a miss. I think they really need to go back to the drawing board and make more exciting sides to compliment their good steaks. We ordered a black forest cake for dessert, and all 7 of us got a good size slice, and it could have fed 10 more. I really enjoyed it. It's pretty expensive - you most likely won't be able to find anything under $35, and add a side, you'll for sure be spending over $100 for two people. We ordered a bottle of wine, two appetizers, around 5 sides and cake, and the bill came to $700 (no gratuity charge). We left a $120 tip, so it was a pretty pricey meal. Would I return? Yes. Mostly for it's convenience since I'm at Rivers all of the time and the buffet can be boring (not to mention I got food poisoning twice.)
(4)Scott S.
This Restaurant is Owned by Gibson's,so knowing that I had to try the Steak. Got the 14oz Filet Mignon. It was expensive for me but the taste was excellent. Wasn't disappointed.
(4)Steve L.
Although this gem is tucked in a casino, you wouldn't know it. We felt transported to a top notch steak and seafood restaurant from Chicago. Decor, service and ambiance is fantastic. Thanks to our waiter, Scott, we have some great recommendations for our upcoming trip to Napa. Scott's wine knowledge is invaluable. We went for a light lunch, and his advice on a nice sparkler was perfect. The lunch menu is perfect.
(5)Patty M.
I overnight here work and I love the place. The food is awesome. The most delicious bread ever. The steak is also very good. I usually sit at the bar and the service is very good. I will be back!
(5)Mike S.
Had lunch with wife and brother-in-law for his birthday. Kevin was our server; he was excellent. I had the burger and wife and bro-in-law had the blackened salmon. All three were perfect. The french fries may have been the best I've ever had. Service was first rate. Additional kudos to the Manager, Jason Gavin, for his judicious placement of guests so no one was bumping elbows. By the way, the carrot cake is "to die for." Very highly recommended.
(5)Taylor M.
We had to wait about an hour and a half to get a table, but that was our own fault for forgetting to make a reservation on a Saturday night. Oops. So we hung out at Cube for some drinks until Hugo's texted us that our table was ready. Our waiter was incredible. We couldn't decide what to eat, so we ordered a couple appetizers. Since it was Hugo's FROG bar, we had to order the frog legs which were tasty, but I didn't have much to compare them to in my personal history. The crab cakes here were amazing. Highly recommended!
(4)Jordan U.
Absolutely fantastic! Visited Hugo's in the casino last night with my wife and a couple of neighbors and was absolutely blown away. Food, service, ambiance...it was all top notch! This was my first time at the casino so we actually took a leisurely tour around the place and had a drink at the center bar. The casino is well thought out, very clean and easy to navigate. Staff seemed relatively friendly and more than accommodating...everything just seemed a "step up" from the riverboat casinos I've been to and this was also way easier to get to. We were seated in a big comfortable booth inside Hugo's and started with a great bottle of wine that the sommelier (spelling?) suggested as well as a couple of appetizers. The wine was velvety smooth and the appetizers (crab and calamari) were both super fresh and perfectly done. I believe my exact response to the wine was...this wine is *!@%$#^ awesome! For dinner I had the bone-in ribeye and we split a bunch of side dishes for the table, including crawfish mac & cheese (could have been a meal in itself), hash browns, brussel sprouts (I know what you're thinking but they were phenomenal) and grilled asparagus. Honestly, I didn't even make it to the asparagus b/c I was already loosening the belt at that point but all were excellent. My ribeye came in a bit on the rare side for me but they took it right back and were more than accommodating in fixing the issue. The steak was just as advertised and I gobbled up the entire thing! Almost forgot...desserts are to die for! We had some sort of blueberry pie ice cream thing and it was divine. Hugo's is pricey but its an unbelievable place for a night out with friends that like to have a good time...this is not a quiet romantic spot to take your honey. And if you like to hit the slots or the tables a little bit after or before dinner you couldn't ask for a better set up than the one in River's. Great job guys!
(5)Joe M.
The restaurant is in the River Casino on River Road. It is a nice atmosphere inside and pleasant in the bar area or dining room. I had crab cakes that were terrific especially for the location where typically crab cakes are not as common. All the food looked good and was enjoyed. Service was also very good. I give it a 4+.
(4)Nancy M.
Went here for lunch after donating some money to help schools in the casino. Always in pursuit of a great crabcake, I was excited to be able to finally have one here. While it was tasty, I've had better. I was mostly disappointed because the oval-shaped plate had one crab cake, slightly bigger than a hockey puck, and the rest of the plate was filled with french fries. It was $18, which seemed overpriced to me. Guess I'm more of a gourmand than a gourmet. The ambiance was nice - linen tablecloths etc. so it wasn't a bad meal, but just not a good value.
(2)Jennifer M.
I prefer the original location in the Viagra Triangle. The Gold Coast sets the perfect stage, dress code and ambience for a restaurant of this caliber. The casino is a lot smaller with less to offer than I expected but I'm appreciative to have it here. What I like about Rivers in Des Plaines is that the dining rooms are inside the casino. I don't think it hurts their business to keep its integrity by limiting patrons to be over the age of 21. Hugo Frog's is very expensive. They feed you a lot of water, white and raisin bread while you wait for your order. Unfortunately, that's an indication that the server and kitchen are very busy! It could also have been compensation for having gone through 2 power surges and sitting in complete darkness (no candle light dining on tables) for a couple minutes while we waited for the power to resume. Be sure to pace yourself and save room for the main course. It would be a shame for anyone to order the $100 33oz Australian Wagyu Beef Tomahawk Ribeye, the $42.50 Seared Chilean Sea Bass, $11.25 side order of combination vegetables and not be able to enjoy it because you've filled yourself up with free bread! I forgot to mention that the broccoli flower they served was larger than the portion of sea bass on my plate. Be advised, when you order a combination of vegetables, be hungry, generous or give up some of your entrée. The bread didn't prevent us from enjoying our main course but it did affect us from trying one of their enormous desserts. Next time!
(3)Nicole W.
I don't know what I was expecting for this Hugo's location...perhaps some passable resto with decent food and a respite from the ding ding ding of the casino. Thankfully, Hugo's exceeded my expectations! If you find yourself at Rivers do stop in at Hugo's. First, the decor is quite lovely. Dark, intimate bar area and plenty of seating with brighter lighting near the back. Service is very on point for a higher end steakhouse. My family & I felt welcome and comfortable...no easy feat just steps away from lines and lines of slot machines. I went against the grain and ordered up a simple ahi tuna salad - a monstrous bowl of greens topped with seared ahi tuna slices. It was refreshing and light and a definitey departure from the myriad of meat on the menu. It's also worth noting that I also sampled my mom's whitefish dish which was equally as delicate and tasty. And for those who haven't been to Hugo's (or Gibson's for the matter), if you're into dessert you better pack your stretch pants. The "slices" of cake are more akin to quarter of a cake. Eat up, win big.
(4)Simon N.
I would give 4.5 but its not available... Atmosphere - 5 star Service - 5 Food - 4.5 Desert 3.5 maybe 4.... Overall, great place
(4)Curt M.
Went to Hugo's in the Rivers Casino for lunch with coworkers. The host staff & wait staff is fabulous -- very friendly, helpful and attentive. The food was so-so. We told our server we wanted to eat a healthy meal, lower in carbs, higher in protein & vegetable. She suggested the crabmeat avocado appetizer and an entree of grilled salmon. The crabmeat avocado was good; however, it was drenched in a thick mayo sauce, which was gooey. The grilled salmon was drenched in butter. Seriously, it was swimming in what must have been an entire stick of melted butter. So much for healthy! Perhaps it was an off day for the cooks(?). Also, perhaps we shouldn't have gone to a casino to eat a healthy meal. Lesson learned. (we did not gamble for the record)
(2)Brian K.
KNOWN FOR: - 22oz W.R.'s Chicago Cut (7/10) BUZZ: - Sautéed Frog Legs (4/10) - Crawfish Mac & Cheese (6/10) I ALSO TRIED: Spicy Lobster Cocktail in Chilled Artichoke (4/10) Waygyu Beef Carpaccio (7/10) Mashed Potatos (5/10) Sautéed Mushrooms (8/10) Asparagus (5/10) I've been to Rivers Casino several times, and always wondered what this place was. I actually thought it was a Frog Leg Bar, like a Sushi Bar, but with frog legs. Then someone told me it was an upscale steakhouse. I kept telling myself it's "Hugo Frog's Bar," as in the "frog" had nothing to do with the menu. Only minutes before going in did I realize it WAS! I got to pick the place for a business dinner, so I decided to give Hugo's a shot. 1 interesting point. Did you know Hugo's Frog Bar is owned by Gibsons? FROG LEGS Appetizer #1. I've had frog legs once, and I wasn't too thrilled. Granted, it was deep fried and in a buffet, so I figured these might be better, because hey, "FROG BAR!" And also, $11.50! It's perfect for sharing, it comes with 5 frog legs. They're not fried, but sauteed, and so your fingers get a little greasy (I'm trying to avoid using the word "slimy" here, because that's going to gross you out and you won't try it). The texture is like sauteed duck; tender and moist. I didn't taste much of the garlic sauce on it. As far as taste, it doesn't exactly taste like chicken. Most of it does, but it's got this seafoody flavor. I tasted something like "jipo" or dried squid that Korean people eat. It wasn't overwhelming or anything, but it was like flavorless chicken, with a hint of that flavor. It was a little weird, and I wouldn't mind not trying frog legs again for another decade. SPICY LOBSTER Appetizer #2. This didn't feel like any lobster tail I've had. I don't know that that's where it came from, but it wasn't chewy like lobster tail is, in fact, it was hardly chewy at all. It almost felt like lump crab meat. It's a cold appetizer, and there's just enough for 5 people to take a bite, but it wasn't anything impressive. I also didn't taste any spice. WAYGU BEEF CARPACCIO This is my favorite appetizer at David Burke's. Here they give you a lot more. There's a brown sauce that's drawn in a line on the plate, and it almost looks like chocolate frosting. Whatever it is, it adds a very tiny but localized kick to it. The seasoning was pretty good (just a tiny bit too much), and the flavor was good. Texture, obviously, was good, soft and tender. WR CHICAGO CUT This is a 22 oz Bone In Ribeye. Hugo's is known for their charring, and I got excited, because I love a good char on my steak. Morton's and David Burke's do it excellent, so I was eager to try this out. Well, the charring was...not there. There was some, but you never had that crisp, where you can hear and feel the char crackling under your teeth. Nope. No crunch, either. It was very minor, unfortunately. Underneath the char, it was more like a medium rare +, when I ordered medium rare. Steak was a little tougher than I'd like, then again, I'm spoiled with David Burke's. There weren't any unique flavors to be mentioned, no smokiness, no strange herbs or butteriness, just beef. However, the seasoning was very well balanced. I never bit into a salt mine, and every bite of the steak stayed consistent, and I really liked that. Flavors got more exciting toward the bone, obviously, but the contrast between the meat near the bone and further away was much larger than I've ever had before. Because I'm a slow chewer, I made my way toward the bone too fast, and the rest of the steak felt a little lacking afterwards. But, a few swishes of wine, and I was back! It was a very solid steak. I'd take it over Wildfire or Chicago Prime, but not before Morton's or David Burke's. I would say it's pretty even with Gibson's, but I would actually prefer Hugo's over Gibson's. CRAWFISH MAC & CHEESE The shells were cooked, but just slightly undercooked and were a bit too firm for my liking. The cheese was thick and provided the right flavors and seasoning. I didn't actually get a piece of Andouille sausage, nor any smoky flavor, but the whole dish had a slight kick to it. It's not anything that lingers, but it was interesting. The small bits of crawfish were welcomed. I wouldn't go as far as saying "delicious" but I would say that I would eat it at home if I made it. OTHER SIDES The mushrooms were great! But I love mushrooms and anybody could've made those mushrooms and I'd be happy. Asparagus is not grilled, but maybe steamed just a little. It didn't taste like just straight bitter asparagus. It also comes with Bearnaise sauce that doesn't do much for seasoning, but adds a bit of a buttery flavor. Mashed Potatoes & Gravy were very run of the mill. It's a very large serving, but no one at our party really cared for it. HOP TO CONCLUSIONS No more room. Decent. Better than Gibsons.
(3)michael w.
Hugos is a pricey joint. I belong to the river casino club so they started sending out mailers to get you into the casino, some of which are food credits. We burned one here because of this. Tip - make your reservation ahead of time to ensure a table otherwise you will have to pinch hit in the bar like we did. Piano player in the bar was solid. Food overall was good, lobster bisque, ahi tuna salad, and scallop dinner. I would not do the scallop dinner again just because for the price, the volume of food was on the skimpy side. I liken it to one of those foo foo gourmet places where, after you have emptied your wallet, you have to go through the McDees drive thru after dinner so you can finish eating lol But seriously folks...if you have coin to burn and want to get your swanky foo foo on, then give this place a turn, you could do worse. Cons? no bathrooms in the restaurant itself, have to swim through the casino mob to get to the public bathrooms. Bar area can also be a little tight around the seating check in booth when busy.
(3)Rick F.
Spanish Wine Terrin! Excellent! Clam Chowder Excellent, Service was bold and slightly overwhelming, wanted to relax and server was a bit awkward. The main course took over hour to come out, the manager came by apologized and gave us a dessert bigger that my head chocolate cake, I took it home I swear it weighed 20 lbs. This is where I take 1 star off. The steaks of course are great and they are famous for the char steak. I'm not a huge fan of the char steak method. While it was good I was offered the opportunity to order with less char and it was better but still a little off. Mahsed Potatoes not so good. Spinach w/garlic good and hash browns were excellent
(4)D P.
Hardly saw our waitress. For what we paid, the service should have been much better. My partner liked his lamb chops. My steak sandwich was not good. The bread was soggy for some reason and they mixed up my side dish. I paid $6 for mashed potatoes that tasted like bad instant potatoes. The waitress never came back to ask how things we're. The bus boy came and took our plates. I didn't eat my food, but he took it anyway. For $125, I felt robbed. I'd give it one star, but my partner liked his chops. We went there for a special concession, and left in a bad mood.
(2)Arletta C.
This was my first time at Hugo's. I honestly did not know what to expect... but know I know the BEST! This was probably the fanciest place my husband I have ever been to. The food was delicious! We started with sautéed frog legs which were doused in some yummy lemon garlic butter. These were a treat! For the main entree I order the calamari covered in sweet Thai sauce. By far the best calamari I have ever had! The Thai sauce was delish! My husband had the hamburger which he said was really good. We ordered a Key Lime Pie for dessert. The slice of pie was HUGE! But, I guess big desserts are their thing because another couple a few tables down ordered a chocolate cake and it was honestly the biggest slice of cake I have ever seen! The only downside for me was the price. Like I mentioned earlier it was the fanciest restaurant I have ever dined at.
(4)g h.
Hugo's is a nice option in the area, as being in the casino allows for a more casual setting to get a very nice steak. Yes it is painfully more expensive than it needs to be, but anyone that is surprised by this is just plain naive. They are always spot on with their temps and food timing is on point always. Scott was my server the last time and made me feel right at home, despite being a single diner in a both on a Saturday night. The feel is classic steak house, enough to forget you are in a casino, in Rosemont. So if you can enjoy dinner despite the price, it's well worth a trip.
(4)Lloyd M.
Very solid steak house. I had a bone-in ribeye. It was cooked pretty much as requested (medium rare), maybe a tad more done than would of been perfect. Calamari starter was good, nice flavor. Not as impressed with frogs legs, as everyone says taste like chicken just fishy. Asparagus side was just okay, as was the crawfish mac cheese. Overall, a good meal but does not separate itself from other steak houses.
(4)TM c.
Oh My God! What a disappointment?! Given our fanatastic experience at the Hugo's Frog Bar in Naperville, IL last year, we decided to venture out to this restaurant at the Casino close to O'Hare. Seeing the low ratings, I should have changed my mind and gone to Gibson's instead. This restaurant is a terrible dining experience and just average food. Not sure what happened to Hugo's. The service was awful. The server showed up like a big bully with a booming voice. For an expensive steakhouse he displayed little courtesy or hospitality in talking about the menu or the food service. He did not bother to explain anything on the menu except to say that the sides were a la carte and we have to order them one by one for a price. The food was mediocre. The loaded wedge was too salty for a salad. He had no idea about how the Seafood and Fish were cooked. Just like Hugo's style, he brought a bunch of meats but not sure what he was saying about each meat. One of our party ordered the lamb chops medium-well and it showed up medium rare. And the server did not even bother to check back to see how things are going. Overall a very poor dining experience after paying $70 a person for the evening without the wine.
(2)Jim C.
Wife and I have been here many times and always have a great meal. We were there last night and ordered steak and the pork chop medium rare. They both arrived a bit overdone and the server Francia was right there for us. She asked if they were done right and we explained not quite rare enough. She insisted on taking them back and returned with others perfectly done to our satisfaction. Had it not been for her reassuring attitude and comforting us (we don't like sending food back) we would have been quite dissapointed. We are also in the food service business and appreciate the way we were treated here. I would add that Jeffrey the manager also came to our table to appoligize for the error and was as courteous and professional as Francia. Best food for miles and you could not find a better staff. THANK YOU !
(5)Mindy B.
Really good food and really great service. I was impressed for a chain restaurant it was very good.
(4)George B.
I've been to Hugo's a few times, and each time I am less and less impressed with them. This is not the place to go for a quiet gourmet dinner. Sunday and Monday are the better nights to go here for dinner as they are less busy and noisy at those times. My family has a favorite waiter, Mark (not to be confused with Mark the manager). Mark the waiter is awesome! He does his best to take care of you. Foodwise, they are very overpriced for what you are actually getting. Portions are decent, however I've had more flavorful steaks and chops elsewhere for half the price. One tip: get the calamari with the sauce on the side, otherwise it is a sopping mess. This restaurant can be *VERY* loud. On my last visit, I left with ringing ears, and by comparison the casino floor was quiet. It really sucks to drop $180+ on a meal and not be able to hold a conversation with the person across from you. As for handicapped accessibility, this place can be damn near impossible to get a wheelchair through without having ti disturb everyone thanks to the cramped layout. Overall I am a bit hesitant to recommend this place due to the excessive noise and price.
(3)N C.
For an expensive restaurant I would of expected better. Yes the service is good, but the food was on the terrible side. First off all the food was extremely over salted. The brussel sprouts were already salty from the bacon, but the chef seems to think a little more salt would make things better. That's not the result, the food was essentially ruined by the the salt. The back end flavor on the sides was salt. My mom's lemon butter sauce was also extremely salty. The chef needs to chill with the salt cause he's ruining the food. Not saying that food doesn't need seasoning, but it doesn't need to be salted like movie theater popcorn. Even are calamari app was also salty, but not as bad as the entree's and sides. 4 stars for service and being efficient. 1 star for the food.
(1)Kayee I.
I'm a fan of Hugo's filet mignon sliders with a side of fries--that's nearly a staple in my diet. The restaurant consistently delivers delicious food, outrageously oversized desserts, and overly attentive service. In fact, the last time we dined at Hugo's, servers, managers and bus staff literally checked on us more than 10 times ... almost to the point of annoyance. Regardless, I commend them for their efforts ... oh-so tender filet mignon sliders that melt in your mouth with every bite, and decadent turtle pie.
(4)D J.
Good selection of appetizers. Got the crab meat avocado. Followed by filet mignon. Salmon next time.
(5)JoAnne L.
Well ...Still the service is HORRIBLE!!! Servers and Busboys ;leaning on the wall talking ...NOT what I expect from this type of restaurant!!
(1)Odranre B.
For such a pricey establishment, the service was mediocre, very tight seating, drinks were watered down, and steaks weren't cooked right. Aside from that, the fried calamari was memorable!
(3)Nicole M.
This place is to dieeeeee for! I would come here just for the Macadamia Turtle Pie! MmMmMm! My parents took me and my boyfriend here for my birthday. Service was on point. I got the lobster, biggest I mean huuuuuugest lobster I have ever seen in my life and every bite was delish! My bf got the ribeye which was very tender and flavorful, very good. As a side we shared the double baked potato which was huge but wasn't anything to brag about. To top off dinner was this monster slice of Macadamia Turtle Pie, vanilla ice cream, chocolate and caramel syrup topped with macadamia nuts. OMG party in my mouth! The macadamia nuts is what really makes this dessert! Between the four of us we could not finish it.
(5)Bill L.
The food and service was quite marginal. I would not recommend eating here unless You are being comped by a casino host for your meal. the steaks and appetizers We're cold and bland, and the ambience was quite noisy. This is the kind of place Where a bunch of people hang out after gambling and just are there to eat food. I would not recommend this place for fine dining. The atmosphere is quite phony And the waiters are tired and burned out. The quality of the food has taken a. Major Turn for the worst and We were quite disappointed. There are much better steakhouses in the Chicagoland area. It has turned into a typical casino eatery.
(2)My T.
I felt like we were treated to the best this place has to offer...and we enjoyed every bite of our lavish meal in style. If you need a place where quality food is served....pass Go and collect your meal today. To start we had the Lobster Bisque and crab cake. For entrees, we had the W.R.'s Chicago Cut (22 oz) (bone-in ribeye), and 22 oz Australian Lobster Tail. Served with crawfish mac-n-cheese and Aspargus. For dessert the decident Carrot Cake.... FOLKS, IF YOU GOT THE DOE - - THEN THIS PLACE YOU MUST GO!
(5)Julian M.
I'm not going to say it's the best Porterhouse I've ever had, because *I* make the best Porterhouse I've ever had. First off, there isn't a discount if you're part of the Rivers Casino rewards club whereas you get a discount immediately at the buffet in there. Second, Hugo's doesn't have a private restroom, you have to go out into the casino for one. Third, you can bring any unfinished drink from Hugo's out into the casino... so don't rush that cocktail. Oh, and all the cuts of meat are from Morton's Steakhouse. The sides are really expensive to be sides but that's because they are huge and meant to be shared so if you dine alone with a budget, skip the sides or ask if they do half-size sides. The calamari was good, though it took a while to get a requested side of cocktail sauce. The meat from all of us was cooked to the right temperature/ done-ness. We were too full and too afraid to order one of those "pieces" of cake that look like they ate five other pieces of cake then swam in the waters after a nuclear fallout. For $300, I'd like a happy ending, but the casino took more of my money. Mind you this fact hasn't any bearing on this review as I would go back but only comp'ed.
(3)Kyle F.
We had a party of 16 for a 60th birthday, had to be seated by 6pm because of the size. Little early for most. The service was excellent and the recommendations from the waiter were spot on. The prices are very high, the food was ok. Even the $50 steaks were just ok. One was cooked wrong and they comp'ed it for us. Would probably not eat here again because the service cannot match the over priced food.
(3)David G.
Great!
(4)Rokey T.
I am a regular here. Best place for seafood and steak in town! *Start off with fried shrimp. They usually make it to order as it is not a normal appetizer, but it is totally worth it! *Get the double baked potato! Amazing! Such comfort food. *Get the filet. It's super tasty, a good size and cooked just right. *The crab legs and lobster tails are AMAZING. So fresh. Amazing flavors and tenderness that it's obvious that it's super fresh. End your meal with a cappucino...just right! EVEN THE BREAD AND BUTTER IS GREAT! Fantastic wait staff, every single time. Valet right in front, very nice. If you're downtown, it's the best place for delicious, quality food for the price. Definitely high end, but easily worth it!
(5)Kristine N.
Pricey but excellent service and really good food. Oysters, shrimp, porterhouse, mac and cheese, and all veggie sides were cooked perfectly.
(4)Luna M.
Went to Hugo's with co-workers & we were all pleased with their service & food. Of course, it's on the expensive side. Their spicy calamari was good (however, Jimmy's Charhouse has the best calamari though). Their 10 oz Filet was OUTSTANDING - so tender & delicious. We ordered their Macaroni and Cheese with Spicy Craw fish, and it had a good kick to it. Be aware, their desserts are ENORMOUS! Server, Mark was great. If you don't mind spending about $100-120 per person, go to Hugo's Frog Bar and enjoy a meal there. BTW - This one is located in the 'new' River's Casino, so you can do some gambling while you are there. Technically, it is rated 5-Stars but I gave it 4-Stars because it's expensive.
(4)Mihir P.
Just because you're in the 'burbs it doesn't mean that you'll get lower prices. A martini will set you back $16. Anyhoo...this Hugo's is newer than the Chicago location and is much nicer in terms of decor. Food: Calamari: a little overcooked and tough but I love that they serve it "Rhode Island style" and toss it with hot peppers. Crab Cake: one of the best I've had in the Midwest. very little filler (breading, mayo, and bell peppers). Tuna Tataki - average Crab legs; Yummy but a bit fishy Steaks; top-notch keep in mind a strip steak will always be tougher than a filet or ribeye. Carrot cake: GIGANTIC. a quarter of a cake and about 9" high. A bit too big thus it was dry in areas and lacked flavor. Service: Professional and a knowledgeable but a bit cocky. When asking for the little things, our waiter acted inconvenienced. The main entrees took a very long time. The highlight of the night was that we saw Ricky Henderson (MLB Hall of Famer with most stolen bases in history)!!!!! He was soooooo nice and when the waiters came over to sign happy birthday to me, he came over to wish me a happy birthday!!!!
(4)Kevin S.
Have come here twice....first time I got the frog legs....im a huge frog leg fan and most places when you order them they only give you a few sets....here I was really hoping for more since they have FROG in the damn name and they DIDNT disappoint.... ton of frog legs and they were awesome. 2nd time I won a little bit on the slots so treated myself to the $100 waygu tomahawk just to cross if off my bucket list....I have to say that I didnt find it worth the price tag...the $50 bone in ribeye in my opinion is just as good .....I have no problem paying 50 for a great steak but for the price of the waygu although it was nice to experience I would just get 2 regular ribeyes for that only other gripe is the price of oysters....I get it ..... its a fancy place but I just hate having to pay 3 bucks per oyster. Oysters were great...just sad that if you want good oysters you have to pay up the backside to get them. besides that the crawfish mac n cheese is awesome. I will return to hugos again.
(4)