Hugo's in Houston repurposed an old building for the restaurannt.

For a 19-years-young Hugo Ortega, owning a building on Westheimer Road in Montrose seemed like an impossible dream. Ortega arrived in Houston from Mexico in 1984, was unemployed, and had only his cousin as a connection in the city.

"I used to go by Westheimer looking for work," he said. "In passing the buildings, including the one where Hugo's is now, I would think to myself: 'I wonder how much it would cost to buy one of these buildings.'"

Little did he know that one day, he would open his own restaurant on that block, Hugo's, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. He would also go on to build his H-Town Restaurant Group, becoming one of the most renowned chefs in Houston. Acclaimed concepts Xochi, Caracol and Urbe followed.

Multiple businesses operated in the building where Hugo's is now.

But at the time, the young Newstonian had no idea what he would have done with such prime real estate. "I was just thinking that I want to do something with my life. I knew I wanted to be successful," he said.

A snap of the 1930s-era soda fountain housed in the same building where Hugo's is today.

The structure he was eyeing at 1600 Westheimer had a storied past dating back to 1926. It was designed by Joseph Finger, a well-respected architect who worked on many hotels in town, the original River Oaks Country Club, and later on Houston City Hall, completed in 1935. After it was built, Finger held court there with an office adjacent to Mading's Drugstore, which housed a soda fountain. The building was eventually taken over in its entirety by Imperial Plumbing Supply, until it closed in the '90s. Hugo's would be the next name to grace the door.

After Imperial Plumbing closed down at 1600 Westheimer, Hugo's took the historic space over.

Ortega didn't know it then, but a suggestion to apply for a job at Backstreet Cafe, by a friend he played soccer with, would be the catalyst for the start of his legendary culinary career. The fateful step would lead him to owning the very building that inspired him in his early years in Houston.

"He was aggressive," said Tracy Vaught, owner of Backstreet Cafe and Ortega's now-wife. "He started as a dishwasher, became a busser, and then started to cook."

All that remains inside the 1930s structure that houses Hugo's is the building's original tin ceiling.

By 1990, a romantic relationship sparked between the two. It was after dining out together many times that Vaught began putting the wheels in motion on opening a restaurant to serve food from Ortega's native Mexico. "When we would go to any Mexican restaurant in Houston, he didn't recognize any of the food," she said, citing choices like The Original Ninfa's, which were mainly Tex-Mex then. "He would say: 'I don't know what nachos are, what a burrito is, what a taco salad is…'"

Tracy Vaught (center) talks with staff before the first ever service at Hugo's in 2002.

Ortega was new to cooking American food at Backstreet Cafe, but he was experienced in cooking Mexican food long before that. Vaught figured, at his own Mexican restaurant, he could introduce Houston diners to the foods he grew up eating. And so the idea for Hugo's namesake restaurant was born.

As a lifelong Houstonian, Vaught was more than familiar with Montrose, a progressive pocket of the city with an eclectic mix of restaurants. "A lot of artists, writers, and gay people lived there," she recalled. "It was always an artsy neighborhood that appealed to us as young people." When Andrew Kaldis, a longtime Houston real estate developer, phoned Vaught about the former Imperial Plumbing space becoming available, she made it clear she wanted it.

Chef Hugo Ortega was a James Beard Foundation Award "Best Chef: Southwest" finalist for six consecutive years, then finally won in 2017.

Vaught and Ortega leased the property and completely renovated the space to turn it into a restaurant. The transformation included building a kitchen in a room previously used for storage, and adding a bar. They chose to leave the original tin ceiling, which had been a feature across all of the businesses housed in the almost 100-year-old space. Hugo's opened its doors in 2002 and has been a cornerstone of Montrose dining ever since. The couple purchased the building from Kaldis in 2007.

Hugo's in Houston celebrates 20 years in 2022.

Vaught isn't shy about sharing the challenges she has faced in opening a restaurant in an old building, but she does admit it's got its charm. "I love the idea of reusing a building that's been around, a building which has some historical significance," she said. "When you visit other cities, those are the buildings that seem to be the most interesting."

The restaurant couple continue to keep things interesting, as they make plans to move the restaurant's existing patio to make way for private dining, something Hugo's has never had.

Find it: 1600 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX 77006; (713) 524-7744 Hours: Tuesday-Wednesday, 3-9 p.m.; Thursday, 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m.; Friday, 11:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.

- Houston's most expensive margaritas, ranked

- Blue Bell named worst store-bought ice cream in the country

- Cambios: 5 Houston taquerias that have survived gentrification

- Houston taqueria navigates menu changes amid a shifting clientele

For the latest and best from Chron, sign up for our daily newsletter here.

Megha McSwain is a food writer for Chron.

Prior to joining the Chron team in May 2022, Megha worked as a freelance journalist, contributing to Eater Houston, Houstonia Magazine, CultureMap and The Daily Meal. She previously served as the food editor for luxury lifestyle magazine Houston CityBook for three years, and hosted the food and drink podcast Sip & Savor.

Megha is an Indian-born American who migrated with her parents to Houston in the late '80s and has lived here ever since. She currently lives in Garden Oaks with her husband and rescue pup, and in addition to her work at Chron, she contributes nationally to foodnetwork.com.