close button

Hugo's Bistro restaurant review: Metro Top 50 2019

Hugo's Bistro is a finalist for Metro Peugeot's Restaurant of the Year 2019's Best All-Day Restaurant. Read our review to find out why.

Hugo's Bistro restaurant review: Metro Top 50 2019

May 2, 2019 Restaurants

?Hugo’s Bistro is a finalist in the Metro Peugeot Restaurant of the Year 2019 awards for Best All-Day Restaurant. To see a full rundown of all our winners, click here

Hugo’s won best new fit-out at last year’s Restaurant of the Year awards: it’s a long, narrow space with green tiles, velvet banquettes and stretches of marble, copper and timber. There are big front windows out onto the street and a bar at which to sit and drink a negroni in the late afternoon sun. The place exudes effortless class. The service is knowledgeable but casual: they offer you tasters of wine even when you’re ordering by the glass. The menu is classically bistro with modern updates, running through bruschetta with sardines to schnitzel to a pork chop parmigiana where smoked stracchino and a fennel salad work well with the sweetness of the pork. By day, it’s busy with suits; by night, the light is low and reflective. You can slide into a booth and hunker down for the evening; it’s exactly the sort of place to wind down after work. Classic and simple, with a modern spin.

What it offers: Shared-plate options / À la carte / Good for vegetarians / Takes large groups / Bar

A favourite dish: Charred octopus with tahini, celery, peppers and green olive

Hours: Breakfast/lunch Mon-Fri, Dinner Tue-Fri
Bookings: Yes
Price: $$
Chef: Emile Bennington

Central City
67 Shortland St
Ph 320-4387
?hugosbistro.co.nz

Latest

Metro N°447 is Out Now shadow

Metro N°447 is Out Now

In the Winter 2025 issue of Metro: Our Annual Schools Report Card for Tāmaki Makaurau, plus sage advice on choosing a school, how to meet the unspoken dress code, and a peek behind the curtains of Kelston Boys Samoa Group’s efforts at Polyfest 2025. PLUS: Metro’s Top 50 Baked goods in Auckland, choice tips on how to lose all your money quickly and easily with your smartphone, a deep dive with a soft landing on puffer jackets, the restoration efforts of the SS Toroa, the sweet taste of history and more!

Buy the latest issue