Hugo's has regenerated area
Restaurants and bars are sprouting up everywhere in Queens Park to serve the needs of locals. Hugo's is a family-run brasserie-style restaurant specialising in organic food. It grew out of a small kitchen in Lonsdale Road - where it can still be found today - providing "sandwiches and soup for local businesses", says its proprietor, Carol Charlton.
The restaurant has gained a reputation for unpretentious, good-quality fare in pleasant surroundings. Its jazz evening every Sunday is usually packed with about 80 diners.
Charlton believes that Hugo's has helped regenerate an area that was ripe for gentrification.
"When the restaurant opened for business the road was really run down, full of old workshops and dumped cars.
"Now it's very smart and desirable. Recording studios and television production companies have moved in."
