We had dinner here Fri we came at a perfect time . We were seated right away very friendly staff and beautiful atmosphere. My cousin ordered the bourbon steak tips great flavor but extremely tough the mashed potatoes and grilled Brussels sprouts were good. U had the Cobb salad with crispy chicken. It was huge and very good I had plenty of of left overs . Then we ordered the Dubai chocolate cake it was very dense almost brownie like but excellent the pistachio and top chocolate shell with a side of ice cream . Definitely give it a try Thanks Enjoy Chris M read more

Hard Hat Tavern - Durham - The Dubai chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream delicious - Pubs Near Me - Durham, Connecticut

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This place has a great amount of space with plenty of seating and parking, which is always a plus. I also heard they do karaoke on Fridays, though I didn't stay long enough to check that out. The décor was really cute for Valentine's Day, nicely done without being over the top. I liked that there's both a full dining room and a separate bar area with table seating, so it feels versatile depending on what kind of night you're having. The service, unfortunately, was a little slow and underwhelming. I waited quite a while just for water while others were being served, and overall I felt a bit rushed rather than welcomed. Food-wise, the mac and cheese was a bit dry on top at first, but once I got into the bottom where the cheese was thicker, it was actually pretty good. The meatloaf was just okay, nothing bad, but nothing that really stood out. Since it was my first visit, I was hoping to be more impressed, but it didn't really give me that "I can't wait to come back" feeling. Not terrible, just not memorable enough yet. read more

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The new menu is aimed at a clientele looking for more than normal pub food. Yikes, it isn't hitting the mark. Start with water in plastic solo cups. High end, indeed. No regular burger available, only "gourmet" offerings. The hit short rib grilled cheese is gone. Good service and clean surroundings are a given, not an outstanding attribute. They should concentrate on being what they are, a neighborhood gathering place and not try (and fail) to be a high end place. read more

First time we've ever been to this Very clean & large tavern. Nice atmosphere & attentive service. We shared the delicious chopped steak salad. The steak was marinated and tender atop of a fresh and crisp salad. Mike, the manager, was outstanding! read more

Used to enjoy this place but the food has gone downhill. I had the bourbon steak tips and that was some seriously tough meat. The Reuben is also a much smaller more basic sandwich than it used to be. Service was good, beer was cold, but the food isn't great. read more

They have consistently delicious food. Also, their menu is diverse. They offer so many choices. I highly recommend.

Food was good, service was terrible. Arrived at 7pm on a Thursday to a mostly empty dining room (but a busy bar area with karaoke or something equally loud and obnoxious going on). It took them 45 minutes to bring our pretzels with beer cheese appetizer. Unacceptable. While waiting, we asked if they had bread and they didn't so instead they gave us spoiled oyster crackers. Yuck. At one point the manager came out to apologize so they knew they screwed up. Also the beer cheese was pathetic. Watery and subpar. Would not recommend. Can't believe we waited 45 minutes for that. Also the waitress had an attitude. This is why I don't go out as much anymore these days. When our meals finally arrived, they were actually really good. I had the Korean chicken sandwich and my date had the lobster roll with a side of Brussels sprouts. The food didn't make up for the lousy service though, and I won't be returning to this place. $66 plus tip for two entrees, an appetizer and one drink that took forever to arrive? Not worth it. read more

I want to give this place 4 stars. There were 5 of us on a Saturday night. We sat away from the bar in a nice room with a fireplace. It was pretty empty. Some of the party were there before we arrived. When we ordered drinks,they said the already had but never got them. Our server, Dante, was really pleasant and helpful with the gluten free items and any thing we needed. It just seemed to take quite a bit of time for things to come to our table. Drinks came a few at a time. The cocktails were delicious, according to those drinking them. We ordered some appetizers: hot honey brussel sprout, fried mozzarella, and wings. We got 6 buffalo and 6 garlic parmesean wings. It took a whole but they finally arrived, one at a time. The wings are fried crispy and the sauce is delicious. The fried mozzarella also good! The Brussels, although tasty, didn't seem to have the hot honey flavor. When our dinners arrived, the also came a few at a time, with 1 plate taking longer than the rest. When Dante returned to check up on us, he immediately noticed 1 dish missing and ran to get it. My dinner was a the Hard Hat wrap. It was fresh and delicious, although bit sticky with excess apple cider dressing. The fries were hot and crisp. My husband got the lobster sliders, which looked delicious with chunks of claw meat,but the lobster was dry and bland. There was no butter on the lobster or any to dip. He was disappointed. My nephew got a fried chicken sandwich which also looked good. There was a thick slice of tomato that was too much. The avocado mayo? made the bun soggy. He ate the top only. One of us got a grilled chicken sandwich which was OK. She asked for hot honey on the side and it's more of a BBQ sauce which really isn't what she wanted. The Nashville hot chicken sandwich was good,but the chicken was small on the bun. The food is OK. I see how it could be much better. But we didn't leave hungry. We ordered 2 desserts. The lava cake...which did have lava! The cake was moist and chocolaty. My nephew ordered fried ice cream. But, after bringing out the lava cake, he was told they were having a problem with the freezer and couldn't do the fired ice cream. He chose a cookie sundae instead and it was on the house. The cookie in the sundae was hard. It could've been better if it was soft and warm. But, it was free. Nothing here was bad. Just a few things that weren't perfect. The staff was great. Friendly, helpful, and accommodating. I would give them another try in the future. read more

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Cozy spot with good comfort food! I really love the vibe here, especially visiting in the fall - the decorations were adorable! Their new fall menu and drinks are perfect for the season, and it's a nice spot to come watch the game. They even have a really good BOGO happy hour deal on wings that's worth checking out! Some of my favorites were their signature doob style wings, loaded nachos, and the sweet potato fries with a unique marshmallow sauce! The personal pizza was really tasty too. read more

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Food quality / price (value) rating 8.5. The atmosphere is contemporary tavern. The menu is exactly what you'd rxpect, and there doesn't seem to be any surprises. The prices are reasonable, and the pkace is new since 2023 and very clean. I had a Grilled Chicken Caesar Wrap with onion rings, and everything was good. They have a small selection of draught beers. They have live entertainment every Friday from 6 to 9 pm, They have a Happy Hour Monday through Friday 3 - 6 pm. read more

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I talked my guys into dinner out! We grabbed a table on the patio. It was airy and welcoming. Let me start by saying that the Doobs didn't last long enough to take a picture. I've never eaten at this location, but their wings were just as good as the other two locations. They were pretty amazing. Our son tried the All American Burger which he called, "bangin". My husband ordered the yellow fin tuna. It was cooked properly and tasted fresh. It lacked a marinade, but was served with a spicy mayo. I went traditional and opted for the meatloaf. I was expecting a less dense loaf. It is very heavy and mostly meat. It was served with real mashed potatoes and Al dente asparagus. Terry was our waiter and he was very helpful and friendly. We're all looking forward to going back. read more

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My husband and I really enjoyed this Hard Hat location. Really nice atmosphere, and a well curated menu consisting of bar food, sandwiches and entrees. The steak and cheese eggrolls with a spicy aioli dipping sauce were excellent. Looking forward to returning to explore more of the menu. read more

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Had an excellent evening at the Hard Hat Tavern in Durham. I was with a group to celebrate the holidays and were seated in their dining room. The restaurant is split in half with a bar area that is separated from the dining room to give more privacy. The restaurant is decorated with modern-rustic vibes: farm & animal artwork, mix finishes of woods, but also felt welcoming and family-friendly. Our server was absolutely lovely. We first started with our drink orders: mixed drinks, beers and wine while we waited for everyone in our party to arrive. The menu is very simple and to the point for pub food. We ordered a few appetizers to share. The Garlic Bread with Gorgonzola Sauce was very yummy. The warm Gorgonzola sauce was a tasty choice. We also got Fried Calamari and Buffalo Wings. The calamari was perfectly fried and crispy. I loved it the best dipped in the marinara sauce. For our meals, everyone got something different. All served was very fresh and tasted gourmet. Grilled Chicken Caesar Wrap, The All American Burger, Caesar Salad with Chicken and Strawberry Balsamic Pecan & Roasted Beet Salad with Chicken to name a few. I got the Creamy Mac and Cheese that was so rich and filling. I had to take half of it home with me so I could save room for dessert. Dessert was an amazing finish to our night. The Caramel Apple Pie with Vanilla ice cream was delicious. Sticky, but warm and sweet. Paired with a coffee, it made it even better! I was very surprised how busy the Hard Hat Tavern was for a week day night. It must be the prime local spot in the area. I will gladly return for lunch or dinner. read more

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Ambience in the restaurant portion is nice. Three times eating in bar section. It smells. Food is never cooked properly and really just horrible. Drinks are never tasty. I kept going back because location is convenient but each time our group has had subpar food and drinks. read more

Been driving right by this restaurant for years and never stopped, what a mistake!! The food was fantastic! I had a chicken sandwich and my wife had a wrap. Food was very good and the owner came by twice and checked on things. As the son of a restaurant owner I really appreciate that. It was a busy place and the staff was constantly moving. They had a musician playing guitar and both my wife and I commented it was at the perfect volume, we could talk without shouting or enjoy the ambiance. In short if not already obvious, I will absolutely come back. read more

Decided to come try Hard Hat Tavern last night for dinner. It was a solid 15-20 minute drive from us. Upon entering the parking lot, there wasn't a single available parking space. We giggled a bit that they have a valet service...which at the time no one was attending. It was around 6pm at this point, not sure any other restaurants around and our son was quite hungry. We were a bit nervous that the place would be packed, but we chose to keep circling the parking lot until a family came out and a spot became available. Once inside, there was all of like 4 tables full in the dining room and tons of empty ones. All of those cars must have been the workers and those on the other side at the bar. We were immediately seated. At this point it did take a hot minute for someone to come over to our table. So much so that I kept making glances at two waitresses nearby and when we locked eye contact, she came over to take our drink order but said that our server will be coming shortly for the rest of the order. Our server shows up and apologizes that he was also taking care of customers in the bar. I had the rose sangria and it was great. We ordered the Doob style wings to start and they were amazing. The best flavor and I started day-dreaming of potentially ordering them to go one day for Superbowl or as an appetizer for New Year's Eve. They were just so good. I'm a big fan of a dryer wing. Mind you they didn't come out as appetizers, they showed up the same time as all of our meals. I had the Chopped Steak Salad, it was pretty good, but felt a bit drowning in the dressing. My husband had a burger and said it was your typical burger. Our 3 year old son had the kids mac and cheese. It was Kraft, basic Kraft, not even deluxe. Now don't get me wrong, my son loves it and ate every bite of it (it also came with fries), but it was $10.95.....for Kraft. I'm gonna assume if we ever go back, it will be for those wings for sure. read more

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Last night my friend called in a takeout order to Hard Hats and paid for it over the phone for me to pick it up. The hostess at the front was really nice I asked if I should wait there for the takeout and she told me there was a 10$ gift card added to my order to grab a drink at the bar while I wait. I made it over to the bar that is so tight because there are so many chairs. Second I sat down, all I could smell was raw sewage. That was gross. Alcohol will kill whatever nasties are in their water and ice I assume, so I let the bartender know I had the gift card. I ordered my usual drink, casamigos and soda but I didn't want it in a pint glass because I wasn't going to be there for long. So I asked the bartender to put it in a rocks glass. She mumbled to herself "oh so you mean on the rocks"... um no that's not right. so she's got a jigger and fills the bigger side (1.5 oz) twice, (that's a double shot) and she just put a splash of soda in it and brought it over and was saying how I was getting a deal on it that way (which made no sense at all, I didn't care how much it costs, on the rocks gets a little more booze so that should be more expensive so idk what she meant by any of that) but she asked me to try it how she made it and it was way too strong. I had to practically beg her to fill the rest of the rocks glass with soda. I don't think she understands the concept between a short and tall mixed drink. My friend decided to meet me there for a beer. Before she got there I let the bartender know I had a friend joining me. She was obsessed with the gift card she made it seem like I couldn't afford to pay more than the 10$ gift card, that was rude. So it took at least 10 min for my friend to get a drink from her. She put ahead organizing shakers in a different manner than they were ahead of taking a drink order. It was so bizarre. She didn't speak nicely to any of the servers she was making drinks for. I felt bad they had to deal with her attitude. She was an older lady with dark short hair and glasses. I don't think she really knows what she's doing behind a bar at all. When we went to cash out she had to explain what she did like we were idiots about -$10 gift card. She threw away our customer copy receipts and didn't give us the credit card back with the receipts. We put a cash tip down and she immediately grabbed it and put it in her pocket, like what we're gonna change our mind and take the cash tip back? With all that going on we didn't notice we didn't have the credit card. Maybe 5 minutes went by and she came over giving us our card back she made a joke saying she was going to go shopping. Like ok you clearly have no idea what you're doing behind a bar lady. Not ever returning there and I hope the girl that got takeout from there doesn't have a stomach bug. Who knows what their kitchen is like considering it smelled like raw sewage the whole time. Don't waste your time or money there, go somewhere people know how to do their job. read more

Really good Sunday afternoon. I'm back at Hard Hat! Cozy and welcoming atmosphere with super friendly staff! Fantastic beer selection. Started with Philly Steak Egg rolls. "Shaved steak and American cheese served with chipotle mayo". Then Chopped Steak Salad "chopped greens, candied pecans, chopped tomatoes, hardboiled egg and red peppers tossed with balsamic blue cheese vinaigrette and sliced Bourbon Sirloin". I had The Triple Crown "Perfectly cooked medium burger; BBQ sauce, bacon and cheddar cheese on a brioche bun". Terrence was our server and was terrific but the whole team was attentive and helpful. read more

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I'm not sure why I only gave this a three. It's all new inside and out. The servers were friendly. The sandwiches were well stuffed. Lots of pastrami etc on the Rueben. Thick slices of turkey on the club. This was our first time since they reopened. It's in a location where there aren't many dining options. But in spite of all these niceties there was just no WOW, nothing special. But it is a good solid eatery. read more

Hard Hat Tavern - Durham - Newly refurbished - Pubs Near Me - Durham, Connecticut

The place is nice inside. Clean, new, comfortable. The service leaves quite a lot to be desired. There was no one anywhere around to seat us at 12:30, so we seated ourselves. Then, no one noticed us sitting, so we had to wave someone down. The waitstaff was generally confused, and all walking around like deer in headlights. I had a price fixe lunch, but the salad never came, so I had to ask when my main course came out and ended up eating it second. The food was Ok: it was very heavily salted, however; and the mashed potatoes had been reheated and were clearly sitting for some time. We had to wave to get anyone to refill drinks, despite sitting at a high top immediately across from the bar, with the bar tender being our waitress. She was only interested in talking to someone seated at the bar quite intently the entire duration of our visit. It seemed to be work-related. We asked for a couple of minor special requests, both of which she had to run by her manager, and both of which were denied immediately. Ambience: 5 Service: 2 Food: 3 Will give it another shot in case it was an off-day... read more

I hate that I'm doing this. We had a really bad experience. But it's an easy fix. Training. Basic social skills. 1.) Don't empty and clean your disgusting bar fridge at 8pm while your customers are sitting 6 feet away. 2.) If you MUST do #1, don't take the drink order while you're squatting to do #1 3.) While you're doing #1 don't yell to the new customer at the bar to my right "I'll be right there" The experience was cold and weird but easily remedied. 4.) When we announced publicly that we're leaving, don't lie and proclaim, "but she's (who?) making your drinks!" We watched you, you spoke to no one, and never left your squatting position of cleaning out your fowl smelling bar fridge. This is a treatise on training. That all. I think you have good people there, but they're just young and inexperienced. I can definitely help. read more

Fire the cook. This is the second time we gave this place a shot. First time the machine and cheese was so bad they took it off the bill. We tried it again with equally bad food, the food was severely overcooked and had no seasoning. We will not be back for food. read more

Classic rock (Queen) on the radio, football,basketball on screen. The Bar is Spotless Clean! Classic B&W historical photos on the wall. A pint of Sam Adams and Chomping into the Bison Burger done medium with chipotle, mango salsa and fried onion...so juicy I can't put it down. Bartender, Ed is your instant friend very attentive and kind! While having a relaxing lunch, the manager handed out some Valentines Day free glass of wine coupons to us. This place just opened about a year ago and I'd say its a sweet place to stop in if you are in Durham CT. read more

Hard Hat Tavern - Durham - Nothin left in that plate...it was yummy! - Pubs Near Me - Durham, Connecticut

Family of four quick stop on a road trip. The restaurant was super cute and the options were decent. The service was mediocre at best. As someone who works in customer service this is something I pay attention to. My husband and daughter said no veggies on their burgers (which they put anyway. I asked for no mashed potatoes, and there was a heaping pile which wasn't a big deal. I moved the rest of my meal to a side plate, and ate off of it. When the waiter came back and asked how the food was (with my heaping pile of mashed potatoes to the side) he never noticed and quickly walked away. He never came back until it was time for the check. When my husband mentioned he got order slightly off he had what appeared to be an attitude. I honestly like to give people the benefit of the doubt, sometimes great service can make up for okay food but both were lacking. I also forgot to mention the lemon pepper wings which were so salty that my 13 son was about to leave most of it. (Teenage boy who eats anything). So maybe be specific with instructions and don't go if you really picky about your order. read more

Well known for being a "biker bar"; Hard Hat three showed to be more classy, not just your local pub to grab a beer. Well decorated with ver comfy high top bar seats. Service was great. All smiles from the minute you walk in. Loved my burger, had that full just off the grill taste with big crisp pickles, yum! I Recommend stopping in if ever in derby. read more

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Good , excellent, cozy rustic Everything was very good. Service was excellent recommend to anybody to go there. I'm read more

Hard Hat Tavern - Durham - Penne, vodka with chicken - Pubs Near Me - Durham, Connecticut

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Cute ambiance. We ordered wings to start but they were brought out at the same time as our main meal, seemed to be a common occurrence as they did the same with the table next to us. Our dinner meals were good, big portions. I got the salmon, was tasty. Husband got the bison burger which he enjoyed. For dessert we got a brownie sundae which was burnt and barely edible. It seemed like there was one waitress running the show, she was behind the bar making drinks and taking care of tables while the others were in the corner just standing around at times. This place has great potential. read more

Hard Hat Tavern - Durham - Salmon - Pubs Near Me - Durham, Connecticut

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Cozy and welcoming atmosphere! Super friendly staff! Can't wait to try the outdoor patio this summer! read more

Hard Hat Tavern - Durham - Rigatoni Bolognese - Pubs Near Me - Durham, Connecticut

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I went to Hard Hat Tavern this past weekend with some friends to try it out for the first time. I have heard some conflicting reviews about the place but was hoping for the best. The first knock I heard about the place was the parking situation and we could see that was true right away when we pulled in because we had to be creative with our parking spot just to get in there. We walk in expecting the restaurant to be full because there was nowhere to park but there was no wait and plenty of tables open. I guess they have way more seating than parking spaces. The place looked very nice and clean and the staff was very friendly to us. We chose to sit at a table on the bar side and we were quickly taken care of by our waitress who asked what we would like to drink. We order our drinks and ended up ordering some apps. We ordered 12 wings 6 of them "Doob style" and 6 lemon pepper but the cost was a astronomical $22+ for 12 wings almost $2 per wing. I think to myself at $2 a wing these better be some big meaty wings for that price. We also order the Calamari Sicilian style to go with it. After a decent wait for the amount of people in the restaurant we finally get our appetizers and put in our meal orders. Both of wing flavors tasted excellent we loved them but we were honestly let down by the rinky dink size of them. They were small by anyone standards and some of the bones even fell apart while eating them. The Sicilian Calamari was also great it came with marinara and a aïoli sauce both of which were good. The only slight against the calamari would have been a uneven ratio of tentacles to rings with tentacles out numbering rings almost 2 to 1 it seemed. Shortly after we finished our appetizers our meals come out. Now I'm a big bolognese guy so when I saw they had bolognese I had to try it. I liked it a lot it was a good size portion for the price and it was delicious and I was very full after eating it. The people I came with one ordered a Ruben and the other ordered a burger and both were also very pleased with their food. So overall we had a great experience and some great food. I just knocked them 1/2 a star for the parking and 1/2 a star for the tiny weeny wings. It looks like if they wanted to they could level some ground next to the building and add some parking if they wanted to help out with the problem. They could also find some beefier meatier wings if they want to charge that much for them. We all said we would definitely be up for coming back and trying them again sometime which I guess is all you can ask for. read more

We went on an off time one day for an early dinner. The restaurant itself is decorated really nicely and clean. We started with the fried mozzarella which we enjoyed and would get again. We had the steak & cheese wrap (we asked for no tomatoes but got them anyway, not a huge deal). I had the salad with steak which was cooked medium-rare like I asked. My biggest complaint would be the service. For many people working and a pretty much empty dining room, we waited a long time for refills, getting the check, etc.and we could see the staff congregating and talking instead of taking care of their few guests. Otherwise, we'll be back to try it again! read more

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My wife and I decided to take a ride for dinner in the Bugatti Chiron we were so glad that they had valet parking. This is the second time that we were there in the past week our server Sarina was attentive without being overbearing. Food came out fast and was tasty and delicious. I am glad that this place is doing so well and can't wait to come back to sample more of the menu. read more

Hard Hat Tavern - Durham - Phiily Cheese Steak Egg Rolls - Pubs Near Me - Durham, Connecticut

Excellent! So nice to have a great tavern in Durham! Definitely stop if you live in Town or are driving through. Parking is tight but very happy that they're busy and doing well! Arianna was polite and diliigent in making sure our order was correct. No pics of food as we just did takeout this time... will take some good pics when we're in person. Crispy Buffalo Chicken Wrap - so tasty - crispy fresh (not frozen / processed!) chicken with lots of hot sauce and blue cheese - delish! Reuben - fresh, tasty just the way my husband likes it. Chicken fingers - kid approved... fresh made to order a nice change! Penne - this one just likes it buttered so I cannot commment on their bolognase sauce or vodka sauce but I'll try them myself next time and update : ) But the buttered penne was *chefs kiss* according to my daugher. Sw. Potato Fries - fresh, delicious and crispy! Regular fries - delish... crispy & flavorful read more

they used dark chicken meat in their Buffalo Chicken Dip..unacceptable not good with those chunks of dark meat...do better!! I doubt I'll be going back anytime soon... read more

There was no place to park when I arrived to meet my friends. This left me no choice but to use the valet service which I don't like to do. When we were ready to leave the valets were nowhere to be found. The front desk people said to check at the bar. No one behind the bar could find my car key. They said a manager was 'looking into it'. I went back to the front desk and said manager told me they were 'looking into it'. I went out to the lot, found my car but was upset that it was unlocked. By this time it was dark and I was worried about my safety and that of my car. My friend stayed inside and brought out my key to me. I went back in to talk to the manager. I said I had to check out my car to make sure everything was intact. He jovially said, 'oh you don't have to worry about that.' REALLY??? I should trust you?? I told him that it would be a long while before I came back. What is wrong with the people who run the place? You shouldn't be running a restaurant in this manner. I didn't get an apology and had NO CLUE as to where my key was. It's a shame. The service was great, the food was good. However, I won't go back to an establishment that has little concern for my car and therefore me. Please learn how to earn the respect of your customers. This was NOT the way to do it. read more

Chill with the salt! Heard others complaining about it. Food is well prepared. Customer service is also very good. It's dumb that you need to put 85 characters into a review. It's dumb that you need to put 85 characters into a review. read more

I have been several times at different times of the day and on days of the week. The service has always been consistent and food delicious. The parking lot can be tricky but with the valet service, it is much better than with previous businesses in the same location. read more

We have been to Hard Hat many times since it opened. We showed up on a Thursday night, that seemed somewhat busy but there was no line. We were seated by the hostess right away and then ignored for 20 minutes. Waitresses walked by us and we saw some tables visited by a waitress up to 3 times while we waited. No one took our drink order or even stopped over to let us know there would be a delay. My family ended up walking out. It will probably be a while until we return. read more

Great food and great service. We aren't usually in this area but if we find ourselves back this way we will definitely come back. I loved the beer selection as well as their food read more

Great meal, excellent service. The wings....get the door wings, they are the best! Also t4ied the steak and cheese egg rolls and they were delicious! Crunchy and packed with flavor. Will definitely be back! read more

Clean fresh decor farm style Friendly service Bar is fun to watch any game Dining room is nice and airy with pretty fireplace Food is yummy nicely presented and quite fresh I recommend the clams casino - some of the best I have ever had Steak eggrolls appetizer was outstanding Def order the Doobs wings are very good they make their own dry rub Wings are juicy and flavorful Very good lemon drop martini and good healthy pour of Butter Chardonnay Plentiful selection of beer on tap to chose from You can't go wrong here Every thing about this was both fun and satisfying- the very reason for dining out! read more