Hugo’s Cocina in Ocean Beach Has Expanded Its Vegetarian Menu

By Judi Curry

It has been quite a while since I had a meal at Hugo’s.  It used to be the place I would always go when I didn’t feel like cooking, or if I had company for lunch or dinner, or…..   but after the restaurant changed hands I decided to try other places in the area that I had not gone to because of my love for Mexican food.  And then, of course, Covid hit and we didn’t go out at all.  And, as I found myself aging, I found that different illnesses were keeping me closer to home and I was very careful what I eating.

Then, last week a very dear friend, Mona, that used to live in OB called to tell me she would be in town and wanted to see me. We have been friends for a very long time, and I knew she only ate vegetarian.  And I remembered that Hugo’s was known for their vegetarian/vegan food.

Boy was I surprised!  There was a whole long page of vegetarian items in the extensive menu.  There are, for example, 11 different kinds of vegetarian burritos!  And if you go to the meat burrito page, there are a few different burritos that are also vegetarian.  In fact, there were so many choices for Mona to make, on so many entrees, that we kept sending Kim, our server, back and asked her to come for our order in 5 minutes.  It was very difficult to make a decision.  She made many recommendations (the pineapple tamale, for example,  but because it had raisins and Mona doesn’t like raisins, passed on it).

In the long run, Mona did order a tamale – a veggie tamale – look at the inside of it – ($6.25) ; and a Vegan fish taco – $6.25 and she said they were both delicious.  She would order them again and may do so later this week.  I am not a vegetarian and I ordered a shrimp enchilada – $8.95 that was loaded with shrimp.  And because once you sit down at the table you are brought a dish of chips and a bowl of salsa, I also ordered a small order of guacamole for $5.50 that helped us complete our meal.  And I have to say something about the ice tea, also, because even though it is listed on the menu  as just “ice tea” it was really delicious.  I don’t know what kind it is, but it is good! It might have been a little more expensive than usual – $4.25 – but it was worth it.

There is no question that the new owners of Hugo’s have done a wonderful job of keeping the food top quality.  The menu was so extensive it is almost impossible to reproduce it here.  If it is Mexican I venture to say they have it – from appetizers to combinations to ala carte to kids menu – to desserts – drinks, etc.  I am truly sorry I didn’t go there for so long, but there is no question that that will change  – and very quickly.  The service was good; the food was good; another winner in Ocean Beach!

So who are the new owners? Erika Leyva and Georgina Ballesteros are women whose history goes back to when the restaurant was Rancho’s. They are both single mothers; both love to cook; both love to meet new people, and both have a delightful sense of humor.

Hugo’s is at 1830 Sunset Cliffs in OB, 619-377-6990.