HoH Food Hall: Mr Hugo’s Smokehouse

We had a chat with Lucas Billingham about what HoH Food Hall’s latest offering will bring to your taste buds.

Having opened on Paragon Street only a few months ago in November, Mr Hugo has quickly established itself as a popular dining destination. Presenting German-style kabap and bratwurst with beer and cocktails, the restaurant has gone from strength to strength in a very short time. That’s why we were delighted but not particularly surprised to hear that Mr Hugo will soon open a second location inside the stylish HoH Food Hall.

Having sampled Mr Hugo’s delicious sausages already, we had a chat with Lucas Billingham, one of the restaurant’s three owners. Working alongside business partner Jason, Lucas is excited to launch Mr Hugo Smokehouse at HoH Food Hall, which will share its love of true low ‘n’ slow American BBQ with foodies from near and far.

“We come from hospitality backgrounds,” said Lucas. “I grew up in a pub and have worked in a wide range of bars, restaurants and nightclubs. Over the years we also worked together at similar restaurant concepts locally and around the UK. When COVID hit we decided it was time to do something closer to home, which is when the idea for Mr Hugo arose.

“I was doing some shopping in the city centre and spotted the unit on the corner of Paragon Street and Chapel Street. German street food was becoming very popular in the UK but Hull and East Yorkshire didn’t have a genuine offering, so we thought it was about time the region was treated to authentic German doner and sausage, which has proved to be a huge success.”

The new Mr Hugo’s Smokehouse in HoH Food Hall builds on this success and adds a stateside twist. The American smokehouse theme will see ribs, wings and other meaty meals prepared in equipment from The American BBQ Company, which is the UK’s leading supplier of barbecue smoker ovens that are used by pitmasters across the USA. This is combined with the Cookshack range, which brings genuine American flavour to every bite.

Lucas said: “There will be two or three core items sitting on the menu, such as wings, ribs and brisket. Everything else will move around as part of a pool of around twenty dishes, allowing us to be creative, switch things up, keep it interesting and respond to what our customers hunger for the most. We’re currently setting up the smokers and seasoning them properly, which takes a few days to ensure that the smoky flavour they add to the meat is absolutely spot on.”

Mr Hugo’s Smokehouse is all set to open in HoH Food Hall on Monday 21 February. You’ll find the friendly team in the first unit on the left-hand when using the entrance opposite Paragon Station.

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