Dallas food and beverage professional Hugo Miranda is back — front and center at Sophia's Cocina & Cantina, a Mexican restaurant at 1980 LBJ Fwy. on the Mercer Boardwalk in Farmers Branch.

Miranda is the well-respected hospitality figure who previously helmed Hugo's Invitados, a Mexican concept that he opened in 2018 with entrepreneur Mark Hulme.

Hugo's drew a loyal following for its ambitious chef-driven Mexican food with dishes such as Wagyu carne asada and Mexican cioppino. At its mid-pandemic peak, there were Hugo's locations in Las Colinas, Dallas' West Village, and Highland Village.

But the concept was a COVID casualty in more ways than one, including putting Miranda in a coma.

"In 2021, I went to the hospital because of COVID — I was there for six months, including being in a coma for three months," Miranda says. "Hugo's was doing so well, (but) it destroyed our momentum."

Between Miranda being MIA, coupled with the effects of the pandemic, Hugo's met its inevitable ending in 2025.

After Miranda got back on his feet, he did stints with Chilango's and Meso Maya, where he'd worked previously. But he finally made the right fit after connecting with restaurateur Miguel Cavazos, who'd opened Sophia's in early 2026. They formed a partnership, providing a platform for Miranda to rev up a top-notch machine.

That included reuniting with chef Natalio Charles, former chef de cuisine at Meso Maya, former executive chef at José, former culinary director for Hugo's, and 2020 nominee for Best Chef in CultureMap's annual Tastemaker Awards. Charles came on board as executive chef.

Chef Natalio Charles.Photo courtesy of Sophia's

With the band back together, Sophia's is now deploying the same level of impeccable Mexican food that earned Hugo's Invitados so many fans.

Highlights from the menu (which has not yet been uploaded to the restaurant's website nor their Facebook page) include:

• Oysters "Oaxacanfeller": charred oysters, creamed spinach, anejo mezcal, crispy pork belly, corn, and manchego cheese
• Pork Belly Chicharron: seared pork belly, smashed Purepecha avocado, chile de arbol salsa
• Sopa de Cebolla: caramelized onions and poblano pepper in beef broth with toasted bread and chihuahua cheese
• Parraillada Mixta Mixed Grill: with lamb, ancho hanger steak, pork loin, garlic mashed potatoes, and arugula
• Ribeye Black Angus Tomahawk: sliced tableside with wild mushroom demiglace and saffron new potatoes
• Huachinango: seared boneless whole Pacific snapper with roasted poblanos and mushroom risotto

There are also crudos; upscale tacos such as blue crab with spinach; and salads such as red beet carpaccio with arugula, goat cheese, avocado, and pumpkin seeds.

Pacific red snapper ceviche.Photo courtesy of Sophia's

"There is some traditional Tex-Mex although it's not fully authentic," Miranda says. "But we execute the quality well, and from my experience, I know these are dishes that people love."

At dinner, entrees range in price from $20 to $40, tacos are $15 to $20, and at lunch, most dishes are $20 or less.

There's a full bar featuring cocktails made with fresh juices priced at $15 or less; four varieties of margaritas including the Oaxaca with Desolas mezcal and blanco tequila; and a big selection of tequilas. At lunch, they're doing a drink special: 99 cent margaritas when you order an entree, a limit of three per customer, such a deal.

Once Miranda got on board, there was discussion about possibly changing the name of the restaurant to acknowledge his arrival, except for one tiny mitigating factor: "Sophia is my daughter's name, so we had to keep it," Mirada says.