shuga's

regret regret. disappointment. visiting my son for labor day weekend and saw all the great reviews and decided to give it a try. the menu looked great and very interesting. we were kinda happy the restaurant was not at all that busy. well sadly arrived at 2:45 - we ordered our food by 3:10 -i think they forgot about us. was not checked on again. no cold water which was tap water. we waited and waited - my husband fell asleep. i ordered an appetizer which was one bruschetta ..arrived -at the table 3:50. i made a comment to the waiter about being hungry and she replied with “me too”. then came back with one plate and mentioned “not all of them will come out together we’re still working on them”. we were a party of 5. the other 4 saw and watched while my son ate. the rest of the food arrived by 4:00. very disappointed. my husbands plate was cold and my cup of spicy shrimp soup only had one small shrimp for $4 and my husbands bowl had 3 shrimp for $9. i don’t understand for being a sandwichplacewhy did it take soooo long. the food was mediocre and the menu was deceitful- why charge premium. i rather eat at jason’s deli and pay their prices at least service and quality is what you expect. avoid this place. quality is low and very expensive. if you’re hungry try somewhere else. you’ll wait for your food forever! again food was mediocre.

i am from out of town. i found thisplaceon the internet. it is worth every dime. urban garden drink is light and refreshing. soup was excellent.

firstly, thisplacelooks like it's in the middle of nowhere. there are just plain-jane houses around it and is almost hard to find even when standing right in front of it! however theplaceinside was packed, which makes me think i was probably the only one struggling to find it.

we tried a few of the cocktails & they were excellent. the servings were quite generous. we also tried two of their sandwiches (does pita count as a sandwich?) & found them quite good. lastly the almond cake & the chocolate cake were both excellent, probably the best part of our food there!

i've never seen a bigger case of confirmation bias from all the comments below. i'm not sure what everyone is talking about. thisplaceisn't terrible by any means, but who wants to pay ten dollars for some stale pita and three chunks of canned salmon with cucumber and a sprinkling of sour cream. the menu is highly diverse with the choice of six sandwiches and a few yuppy salads. if you are a middle-aged white girl with plenty of first world problems on your mind, thisplacemay be perfect for you! just drink one of their special mixed drinks and you won't even mind that your bruschetta is so hard that you nearly break your tooth. if you want an experience that isn't quite so "chic", go elsewhere!!!

killer food and cocktails as well as pretentious and crappy beer of the day! cream of asparagus is my seasonal favorite! if you haven't tried thisplaceyour missing out.

thisplaceis great. eclectic food and full coffee bar! friend got the lavender lemonade and loved it. the almond cake is delicious as well.

always get the northwest pita and the spicy shrimp soup and lavender lemonade...my favoriteplaceto eat in the springs!

thank you shuga!!. my mom, daughter and i were on a road trip through the rockies . . . my daughter did a search for a goodplaceto eat and decided on shuga's! we were very pleasantly surprised. we sat outside in the early evening. very relaxed and still. we ordered drinks and the crabcakes to start. i'm from maryland, not easy to impress, and often hesitate to order crab cakes, lest i be insulted. i'm glad i ordered the crab cakes. they were great! you knew you were eating crab. i ordered the rue parisienne salad and was very happy! my mom and daughter were happy with their selections too--can't remember what they ordered (i'm back home now). i definitely recommend this place. the staff was great too, made sure we were pleased with our food and service. thank you shuga! :-)

finally made it back. nice little quaintplacewith some original tasting food. i had the shrimp soup., and the pabst blue ribbon beer. no discounts. a long way away from where i live, so i don't feel anything tugging at me to go back, but if i was in that part of town i might drop in--it was o.k. but barely in bounds for the $ rating given by urbanspoon.


-----12 may, 2013-----

closed in the middle of the afternoon. you buy drnks, but food not available midafternoon. too bad.

fantastic. i have never been disappointed with anything in the menu. quite the opposite - everything is outstanding. the ingredients are always fresh, and even though it might get a rep as a chicplace- the sandwiches are large enough for any hungry man. if you haven't been here, you are missing out. only downside, if you plan to go for lunch get there before the rush if you want a table :-)

very versatile restaurant, a normal person would never find this place. ...and i thought barney's diner was a difficultplaceto find, at least it wasn't disguised like the houses that were all around it!

a friend of mine invited me to lunch the other day and we both agreed on shuga's as the destination. upon arriving, you find you literally have to park on the street/dirt area right off of the street. walking up to what looks like a house, with a really neat little outside dining area out back, i opened the door to a very quaint and artistic inside. i'm not sure why they use a name that makes one assume thisplacehas creole/cajun fare, but it works. if anything, thisplaceis a bistro with a somewhat international menu.

the wait staff are somewhat friendly and incredibly efficient. we went during the heat of lunch hour on a thursday, but did not have to wait at all to get a table. the menu is very straightforward breaking it down into soups, sandwiches, salads, drinks, main dishes, etc. daily specials are wrote up on the wall on a chalkboard.

my friend ordered their daily pasta which had a marinara sauce. i ordered a half sandwich/half soup combo. i chose the brick chicken sandwich with a cup of their supposedly famous soup, the brazillian spicy coconut shrimp soup. the sandwich came out on what would appear to be baked pita bread, because it was not soft and pillowy, but it was more substantial to act as bread. i could not figure out how to eat this thing because i could not fold it like a flatbread sandwich, nor could i eat it like a taco. i had to eat some insides out of it and then attempt to fold it. then the pita began to tear apart in an inconvenient way, dropping the innards down on the plate. it turned out to be more messy than i assumed it would be, but the flavor and freshness was excellent. i'm always a fan of blue cheese and it was almost like eating a salad with the pita bread as your plate.

the soup was extremely odd, but not in a bad way. i literally took 3 spoonfulls and still could not determine what it was i was tasting. i literally had to focus my taste buds to center in on the coconut milk, and that is what i determined to be throwing off the flavor. once again, this is not bad soup, it's just got so much going on in it. i highly encourage you to try it. for reference as to what this would come close to, i'd say a seafood bisque.

my friend enjoyed his pasta dish and wolfed down every bite. i wish i could tell you what was in it, but since it was a daily special, i cannot recall the ingredients that were listed.

overall, shuga's has a very pleasing atmosphere and it is aplacei'd like to go to again to try more of their unique dishes.

a funplace- off the beaten path. i highly recommend the almond butter cake. next time i go i'll get the spicy brazilian coconut soup, and a slice of that cake! can't wait!

cafe done right. note to reader: this was written based on four visits to shuga's over the course of three weeks.

tucked away on a quiet street corner lies shuga's. a warmly lit cafe with a comfortable artsy vibe. feeling social? grab a seat at one of the hand painted tables, tune in and out of conversation, or whatever eclectic mix of music the staff is feeling partial to that day. need a bit of alone time? no problem, post up on either the front or back patio. i love coming here with a book in the afternoon, or with friends in the evening. i even like bringing my computer and getting a bit of work done.
for some reason, among certain crowds shuga's is theplacethat people love to hate. as far as i've been able to ascertain it boils down to something like, "they try too hard to be hipster/artsy/indie." that is to say, disingenuous, an impostor, a poseur, and just plain pretentious. i get the sense that the proprietors designed aplacewhere they would like to hang out. it has that comfortable, chill vibe that you just do not get in corporate chain. it has personality. that authenticity is reflected in the satisfying cafe fare, coffee, and drinks that have brought me back again.
to begin with, i really, really like their coffee. in the midst of a sea of mediocrity there are two coffee places that truly stand out in colorado springs: agia sophia, and shuga's. to be fair, i find the drip coffee at shuga's to be slightly above average but, i'm an americano guy, get that right and i'm happy. shuga's vivace espresso has a deep, refined flavor with a lovely frothy crema that truly gratifies the senses and prompts you to savor the rich repast. but good espresso is not just about the product, the barista has a lot to do with it. unfortunately, you will get the occasional bad cup from an inexperienced barista.
the spicy brazilian coconut shrimp soup is standout. i rarely order the same thing repeatedly, but i am yet to be bored with this soup. it is a complex coconut milk based soup, spiced perfectly with ginger, jalapeno. the cilantro and lime flavors are delightfully understated, and serve to cut the richness of the coconut milk. my favorite thing about the soup is the perfect amount of heat that lingers just right after each bite. it rounds out a very balanced dish. the butterflied shrimp are overcooked, though not reprehensibly so, and i forgive them this because it is a four dollar bowl of soup and you can't expect it to be prepared a la me nude. the toasted sesame seed garnish adds a slight textural contrast and a note of color.
the tuscan chicken & artichoke soup with shitake mushrooms, baked chicken, wine, tomato, and artichoke heart was good, but not on par with the coconut shrimp. it tasted something like a play on minestrone-sans beans-with shitake mushrooms replacing the noodles and chicken instead of ham. the artichoke hearts would have been clever addition, but unfortunately they consisted of a few minuscule particles that were rendered tasteless in the tangy tomato base. the chicken was very overcooked and dry, braising it might have been a better approach.
the cuban mojo (roasted pork, ham, pickle, swiss cheese, mustard, and mojo sauce on rustic bread) was a satisfying sandwich. however, some of the components in the description that initially attracted me were lost among a cacophony of bold flavors. i'm an unabashed pork lover and a big fan of cuban pork. sadly i only really tasted the ham which was of the average store bought variety. i cannot comment on the mojo sauce because either, the mustard and pickle drowned it out completely, or they forgot to put it on the sandwich. despite these shortcomings i really enjoyed the toasted rustic bread. it is reminiscent of focaccia, but denser, crispier (it was grilled), and more robust. perfect soup-dipping bread.
the montreal (brie, pear, ham, scallion butter grilled on rustic bread) had loads of potential but didn't quite deliver. the flaws were in the ingredients: the pear was not ripe and that grocery store ham was a bit off-putting. i enjoyed the sandwich overall. it just wanted the pears to be sauteed briefly in some butter, salt and pepper, and "homemade" ham to make it something special. conceptually, it is a wonderful idea, the rich, creamy, and salty brie along with the sweet, fruity pear and savory ham ought to create a successful sandwich but shortcuts and low quality ingredients do not allow for excellence.
shuga's has that intangible warm cafe vibe that i feel is sadly lacking amongst the shiny, plastic, efficient and ergonomic, coffee houses that currently dominate the landscape of colorado springs. the service is nonchalant and i like that. it is a welcome break from the rehearsed, rushed, and in your face corporate coffee pitch. thisplaceis unique, an homage to true cafe culture. check it out.
overall: 7.5/10

thisplaceis awesome. never had a bad meal. still dream about the roasted potato salad.

4.5 out of 5 stars!. my wife and i just found a home for our appetite. shuga's demonstrate what all little cafe's should aspire to be. their dining room is very inviting; stylish but not in a pretentious way. colorful origami's hang from the ceiling and what i'm guessing to be local artist paintings hang from the walls. theplaceis dimly lit giving it a very nice romantic appeal. it's a perfectplaceto have a drink or food with your significant other or catch up with good friends. the music is just as cool as the atmosphere it offers. no poppy music here folks. in our most recent lunch, a mix of good ol' thom yorke's voice waling in the background.

now for the really important part...the food. i urge you not to leave shuga's without having a cup of their spicy brazilian coconut shrimp. even my wife (not a huge fan of coconut milk) fell victim to the colorful flavor this little cup of taste-bud-drug had to offer. the combination of ingredients just leaves you wanting more. the mediterranean fare, makes for a great appetizer or something to snack on while having some drinks. my wife and i have tried several of their sandwiches and every single one has been spot on. i've always thought that restaurants that soak their food in fat commits the ultimate cop-out; an effortless attempt to make their food taste better than they really do. while great for some types of food, like the kind of dirty food you eat at 3am after a night of drinking with friends, not the kind of thing you want to enjoy in a nice sit down restaurant. shuga's let their natural ingredients do the talking and applies just the right amount with the precision of an alchemist.

the average cost of a meal between my wife and i, for an appetizer, soup, and sandwich was around $35.00. proceed with caution when ordering because like most places, the cost of alcoholic beverages can shoot that price up steeply.

our overall experience of shuga's has been excellent and cannot wait until spring and summer to take advantage of their outside seating.