HUE in Boston’s Back Bay serves as restaurant, nightlife spot and cultural hub

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If you ask owner Robert Eugene why you should come and visit his restaurant and lounge HUE, he would say that his spot is the only place where “you can come in at 6 p.m. and leave at 2 a.m. because of all the offerings that we have: You can literally come in for dinner, stay for cocktails, catch a vibe with the DJ, invite some more friends to come join you, do bottle service, do a little dancing and call it a night.”

What made Eugene decide to open up HUE in Boston’s Back Bay was his experience in the city. As a Boston University student, he became enamored with the nightlife space. After graduation he launched a small business hosting parties.

“At that time, it wasn’t a lot for people of color to go to. Ironically, the space that I own now was one of the places that I was denied hosting an event when I first started,” says Eugene. “To me, it was important to have that representation and have a space that is welcoming and is safe for anyone that wants to come enjoy the culture.” 

Along with the diversity that HUE has, Eugene said that “high energy dining” is also a concept that makes them stand out, coupled with their upscale lounge area.

“Most typical restaurants, you come in, the music is kind of low. The energy is not very high. You eat, you have a conversation, and then you leave,” he says. At HUE, DJs start at 7 p.m. and the team makes an exciting production out of everything from bottle service to dessert offerings. “As soon as you come in, our biggest goal is just making sure people feel welcome and at home.”

However, Eugene said that the most important thing that makes HUE stand out is their dining experience. HUE offers all shareable plates, as Eugene believes that good food is meant to be shared. Pineapple fried rice is a popular dish and lamb lollipops and wings are bestsellers on the late-night menu. They have recently added lobster pasta and mac and cheese with bacon jam on top to the menu.

Popular cocktails include an Island Espresso, an Espresso martini with a coconut flavoring, and Bourbon Street, made with No. 14 bourbon from Vermont Spirits Distilling Co. that has a maple finish for a balance of strong and sweet.

Along with their dining experiences, HUE also offers private events. Eugene said that what makes the events they host stand out from the crowd is their location in Back Bay and the actual size of their venue, as they can accommodate up to 400 guests between their two rooms.

“So our main room is called the Supper Club, and we have a side room which is our speakeasy. You open a bookshelf door to access that room,” says Eugene. “We have the flexibility of doing a private dinner as small as five people to corporate events as many as 400 people. That’s the beauty of the space. We can go as big or as small as needed.”

He also says that his chef and staff are nimble, always able to accommodate custom dining offerings and prepare the space for an event at a moment’s notice.

While Eugene originally had partners with him for HUE, he eventually was able to buy them out and is now operating the business with his wife. He talked about how important his family has been in making HUE the success that it is today.

“We just became the owners about a month ago. And you know, it’s a great feeling,” he says. “Whatever we pour into it, we get out of it, we’re not relying on anyone else. No one is going to … say eat off of our win. It’s all on us at this point.” 

Family is everything to Eugene when it comes to life and business. He also owns the Blue Nile Ethiopian Restaurant in Jamaica Plain, which is run by his father-in-law.

Eugene is planning to create a HUE cafe out of extra space upstairs that would function as a café during the day and a cocktail bar in the evening. No matter what comes next for the enterprise, it’s important to Eugene to keep it a welcoming space.

“HUE is a lot more than just a restaurant. It’s become a cultural hub,” says Eugene. “I know how it felt coming up as a promoter and hosting events and being denied access simply because of the color of my skin. And so, I want people to know that they do have that opportunity with us out here.”