Hugo el wine bar is a restaurant focused on the increasingly consumed natural wine. A beautiful and unpretentious (seriously) little place.
There is a movement around natural wine in Mexico City that has grown, little by little, in the last seven years. The taste and curiosity of diners – mostly young – for this style of wine have opened the door for the flourishing of a particular style of restaurant: small places with a limited but forceful food menu, a relaxed atmosphere, with very good service without the elaboration of fine dining and very focused on the theme of natural wine, such as Hugo the wine bar.
Hugo el wine bar is a new restaurant in the Roma Norte neighborhood that is integrated into the increasingly robust offer of places focused on natural wine. It is the sister restaurant of Café Milou, one of the super consensus of the area, which welcomes diners with an intimate space to drink wine by the glass or bottle at the bar, accompany the glass with delicious food, and enjoy the evening between talk, more wine, and more food.
“We wanted to have a restaurant to eat and drink delicious, that’s all we are looking for. We focus on dishes designed to accompany the wine list well, ”explains Isabel Castillo, Hugo el wine bar social partner. “We also wanted a restaurant where people could come, eat and have a drink at the bar; we lack more places like this in Mexico City ”.
The restaurant’s opening was delayed by the pandemic; However, Hugo the wine bar already has a regular clientele, mostly people from the neighborhood and regular diners of natural wine. The execution of the menu is in charge of chef Michael Crespo, who joined the project to see his vision of a restaurant crystallized. “Isabel and I have a very similar sense of taste and I joined Hugo because having a restaurant like this has always been my dream. I think that to have a good menu you don’t have to do many things, but rather be honest, do what you think is right, “says Michael regarding the style of the dishes that make up his menu.
When you visit Hugo the wine bar let yourself be pampered with fried squid with fermented chili mayonnaise; the scallop made with an aguachile “very French style”, says the chef, as it is prepared with an emulsification of citrus oil with pink pepper, celery and ginger; the tartar of beef with anchovy cream (one of the dishes already spoiled in the place) and the potato rosti accompanied by crème fraîche .
Of course, the wine list is the backbone of Hugo el wine bar and it includes labels from Spain, Italy, France, Germany and New Zealand, among other countries, and an ever-changing selection of wine by the glass. “Our wine list includes labels from small producers. They are wines that we love to drink. People who come to Hugo can try something new, discover wineries, labels and styles of natural wine ”, concludes Isabel. “We don’t get too complicated: the wines are incredible and the food also accompanies the whole experience very well.”
Where: Av. Veracruz 38, Roma Norte
delivery : Hours: Tue-Sat 13: 30-22 h, Sun 16-10 h
How much: $$$$ (up to $ 900 or more), payment methods: cash, all credit and debit cards
Accessibility: yes
Pet-friendly: yes
Reservations: yes, through OpenTable.
