Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Hard Times Cafe

    2.8 (256 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 12:00 AM (Next day)

    Order Hard Times Cafe Takeout or Delivery

    Hard Times Cafe Photos

    Business Info

    HARD TIMES CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Juke Box
    Moderate noise
    Happy hour specials

    You might also consider

    Recommended Reviews - Hard Times Cafe

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    5-Way Chili Mac (Texas chili over spaghetti loaded w cheese, beans and onions)
    David S.

    The food is excellent, superb service, very chill ambiance! And then if u like beer, sports and pool u got a monster pool hall in the back! I love this place, we bring our two kids here a lot, very family friendly in the main dining room:)) the chili recipe goes back to the 1890's! Gotta check it out:))

    TJ C.

    5 stars for the weekend brunch. Omelette, waffle & pancakes. The omelette maker was the friendliest. The table's & benches are wobbly so be careful. The brunch sides are not that great. Still 5 stars. Cost $25 per person for brunch Buffett all you can eat.

    For some reason, I am in the mood for chili, with Fritos and corn bread   ‍
    Carl C.

    In the mood for chili, cornbread and Fritos for Sunday brunch. Surprisingly, good DMV weather today. Hard Times is a great local staple for these items. The food is always solid and the service is attentive and authentic, especially today. Not geared to be that Michelin experience, but it is good amd reliable diner food that brings me here! Chili portions are big, too!

    Corn bread
    Nancy R.

    We've all heard that old adage, "you can't go home again.".  Well, as it applies to a once family favorite, it unfortunately rings true.  I don't know what happened to Hard Times.  Maybe we just hit it on a bad day but the dishes we ordered we really not good when they used to be hearty and delicious.  The onion rings were so greasy that I don't even think they were drained between oil and bowl.  At least the dipping sauce was still tasty, but, I don't understand why they didn't at least try and rest them on a paper towel or something before serving them up.  We had the Texan, Terlingua and Cincinnati chilis and were disappointed in all three.  When did the meat get so tiny that it is more like grain?   It used to be so comforting and now it was so runny.  Unfortunately, I think the chili of our memory will have to just remain there and we won't chance going back again only to be let down.

    Corn Dog Nuggets & Fried Pickles
    LanChi N.

    Apparently Hard time a has fallen on hard times...Today's visit was lackluster. Our server was great but the kitchen was having difficulties. What I mean is normally fried food is very simple throw it in the fryer wait for it to cook. Everything was cooked and a bit dark versus the normal golden brown(hard to tell cause I took it on and iPhone 13 with enhanced dark mode) . So it looks very golden brown. Why are their old grease like stains on my plate? That means the fryer oil is old and hasn't been changed. The table ordered wings naked no sauce and the Texas bbq. I didn't get a chance to try one but we had a mix of partially cooked and under seasoned wings. The loaded fries were loaded but lacked salt.my coworker had to add salt and even that she said was inedible. My other coworker tried to eat her loaded fries and pile was so glued together and congealed she couldn't even lift it on her fork. Overall...I think there is a reason I have avoided hard times for food...I don't know if it's this location or if it's pandemic effects but dirty grease on plates after frying food is no go for me. Lou's if the food has been sitting there because they can't find the tickets shows a lack of organization in the kitchen. This was shared by food runners who drop food at the table. But the steak tips looked pretty good and another coworker enjoyed it. So perhaps if your looking for lack of flavor and dirty bar food it's your place. At least the pool tables are nice.

    Sirloin tips with sides of onion rings and cilantro rice
    Jane M.

    My husband and I have popped by this Hard Times location a few times over the years for chili mac, wings, and their weekend breakfast buffet, and went there this evening to try their dinner entrees for the first time because they have daily specials, and customers can get $3 each entree on Saturdays. My husband got their sirloin tips (+ sides of onion rings and cilantro rice), and I got their fish and chips (+ cilantro rice), and we were both pleasantly surprised by how large, delicious, and fresh their entrees are. The sirloin tips are so tender and have a delicious char. The cod and French fries were very fresh (definitely not from frozen)! Overall, great prices for much better than expected food! Their service has always been great - the waitstaff has always been so friendly and hospitable. Their breakfast buffet is delicious and hard to beat for $14.99!

    The bar area here is nowhere near the level of College Park's bar.
    Deborah B.

    Chili cheese fries with Cincinnati chili was great, but the service is what lowered the rating. Sitting in the front bar took five minutes before anybody was willing to take our order. When asking if the repair on tap was alcoholic, the bartender did not know. Ordering it anyway it came to our place is very flat. When you get something on draft do you expect it to have a wonderful foamy head this did not, it hardly had any bubbles at all. We also ordered a cider on tap and the bar we were at was "tapped out", so the bartender went into the back bar and poured and glass from there. The front of the restaurant was not busy at all and looking into the back bar it wasn't too busy there either. This was on a Sunday at 2 PM. The hard times and College park has better food is much better service and is laid out in a more friendly way.

    Beer, 4 way - Texas style, corn bread.  YUM!

    See all

    1 month ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    24 days ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of TJ C.
    0
    100
    147

    4 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Dang N.
    330
    2349
    459

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Really yummy chili, great on the chili salad. Tasty chix wings and on tap root beer. Attentive service.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    2 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    5 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    11 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Chix Alamo, all day long! I've been coming here for years, that damn spaghetti hits the spot every time.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of C W.
    0
    1
    0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Been a while. I forgot how dang good the chili is. I had the chili bubba and I'm happily stuffed.

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Jeff C.
    497
    1234
    1294

    5 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 2
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Neta H.
    1
    178
    23

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Chris W.
    167
    49
    16

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Fox E.
    4533
    16894
    49978

    9 years ago

    Helpful 12
    Thanks 1
    Love this 13
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 6
    Thanks 0
    Love this 4
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Liz B.
    1
    97
    0

    3 years ago

    We called for carryout Our order was correct and on time. Always great service and yummy chili.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Luke C.
    0
    12
    18

    6 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 1

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Jacinda N.
    136
    84
    11

    8 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    Page 1 of 7

    Ask the Community - Hard Times Cafe

    Do they still allow smoking in this place?

    No.

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

    You might also consider

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for American 10,527 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    Yard House

    Yard House

    3.7
    (1.6k reviews)
    0.9 mi
    $$

    Always love Yard House! Recently discovered their HH and it's great. Half off of most appetizers…read moreand all the pizzas. $2 off of drinks. Staff/bartenders are awesome. It gets really busy, so it is normal to have to wave a bartender down to order. However, they are very good about making rounds and asking if you are good to go or need anything. For a bar, The food and selection of food is very good. They have a great variety of options and everything I have tried so far has been great. Pizza, boneless wings, the hummus!, the sliders and tacos. All very good. If an order is wrong, they will make it right. I ordered boneless wings (half buffalo and half lemon pepper). They gave me whiskey pepper instead of the lemon. I told the bartender and he said he would take care of it. They brought me a whole order of lemon pepper wings on top of the ones I already had. Great customer service.

    The bar area was really packed when I came last night for a late dinner, but service was…read moresurprisingly very fast! Aimee was a fantastic bartender! She was very attentive to everyone at the bar while also slinging drinks. My skinny margaritas were really delicious. I ordered a chicken bowl, and it was surprisingly way better than I thought it would be given that it's in their under 700 cal menu. I would absolutely order it again!

    Photos
    Lobster Garlic Noodles - Maine lobster, shrimp, shiitake mushrooms, spinach and parmesan.
    Lobster Garlic Noodles - Maine lobster, shrimp, shiitake mushrooms, spinach and parmesan.
    Enjoy a variety of appetizers, like our Chicken Nachos, while watching your favorite sports games.
    Enjoy a variety of appetizers, like our Chicken Nachos, while watching your favorite sports games.
    Mac + Cheese]² - With white truffle, bacon, chicken, crimini, shiitake & oyster mushrooms, parmesan and panko cheddar crust.

    See all

    Mac + Cheese]² - With white truffle, bacon, chicken, crimini, shiitake & oyster mushrooms, parmesan and panko cheddar crust.
    Kilroy's

    Kilroy's

    3.3
    (351 reviews)
    2.6 mi
    $$

    We come to Virginia once a year as my family resides in the area. Every time that we would visit…read moreSpringield, we would take our uncle out to eat. He always recommended Kilroys to us as he was a regular at this restaurant. So, it became our annual tradition to have dinner at Kilroys. When you walk into Kilroys, you'll appreciate the amount of details thag went into the interior design of the restaurant. It should be noted that Kilroy's honors its veterans. My uncle was a proud veteran, so he always felt welcomed here. There is a lot of military memorabilia throughout Kilroy's. The walls are filled with so many photos that walk you back through historic events. There's so much love for the USA in here! The menu consists of a lot of traditional American food. Most of the items are heavy, so expect to leave with a full belly. They have your typical meat, fish, poultry, and pasta dishes. However, they also offer flatbread pizzas! There really is something for everyone. I typically order catfish or trout. Both are delicious, but I really like their catfish. I love Cajun spices, so it's always nice to enjoy something that hits close to home. I also appreciate that their servings are large, because it's well worth the money that you spend here. I would have never heard of Kilroy's if it wasn't for my uncle. Kilroy's definitely lived up to the hype. I enjoy coming here because it's like a hidden gem. It's situated in a small shopping center and you'd probably walk past it as it doesn't really stand out. Kilroy's is definitely a great place to enjoy a hearty meal, hang out with friends, or to grab a drink before heading back home.

    Place is apparently under new ownership. Don't waste your time. Overpriced terrible food and new…read moreowner isn't interested in customer service. Out of half the beers on tap and some of the menu wasn't available either. Our server was good but that was the only positive. Spent $170 plus tip on two dinners, an app and a couple beers each. Which is insane. Place isn't actually open until 11. Only the bar area is and even there the owner was pushing people out at 10:30 and reminding everyone they had to be gone by 11. Was putting up chairs around people and turning off TVs. Don't waste your time or money. You can get a better steak at Golden Corral.

    Photos
    Inside dining
    Inside dining
    Artichoke dip
    Artichoke dip
    Inside dining

    See all

    Inside dining
    Dave & Buster's Springfield

    Dave & Buster's Springfield

    2.3
    (662 reviews)
    0.9 mi
    $$

    So... this was an interesting experience in customer service!…read more I used the FANZO sports bar finder website (fanzo.com) to determine that a pay-per-view boxing event was "confirmed" (per the website) to be showing at Dave & Buster's Springfield this past Saturday afternoon. I called the location ahead of time that Saturday and spoke to a D&B employee, who confirmed that the bar would be showing the boxing event. I drove 20+ minutes to the location and, after waiting at the bar for a while, I was told that, after checking with the manager, Dave & Buster's would NOT be showing the event--even though it had been listed as "confirmed" on the sports bar finder website and despite D&B staff confirming it over the phone less than an hour earlier. On my way out the door, I noticed a poster advertising another boxing event (Errol Spence vs. Tim Tszyu) that Dave & Buster's planned to show later that night. I didn't see the event confirmed anywhere online so, when I got back home, I again called Dave & Buster's to confirm that they'd at least be showing the boxing event that night, given the poster advertising the event near the front entrance. They quickly confirmed that yes, the event would be showing. So a couple of hours later, I again drove 20+ minutes back to Dave & Buster's Springfield to watch the event and patronize the venue. Upon arrival, one of the first things I noticed was that the poster I'd seen near the front door just a few hours earlier had been removed. I asked a D&B front desk employee about the event, and she sheepishly replied that the venue had "planned" on airing the event but was unable to do so (for some unexplained reason). So that was two sporting events advertised as airing that same day that ultimately weren't shown. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me, I guess! Later that night, I emailed Dave & Buster's Guest Relations (corporate) to explain what had happened and express my frustration with the experience. To my surprise, they responded promptly the next day (on a Sunday!), apologized, and credited me with Dave & Buster's gaming chips as a gesture of goodwill. (I did have to pay a little out of pocket to purchase the Power Card needed for Guest Relations to transfer the gaming chips, but I nonetheless very much appreciated the goodwill gesture.) So I'd definitely rate the initial experience at the location a 1, but I'd rate D&B Guest Relations' prompt response and gesture of goodwill a 4 or 5. So they get a 3 overall from me (higher than their current Yelp average). I'll say that my experiences at this venue prior to this past weekend have generally been good. I just don't think I'll feel comfortable relying on this location for pay-per-view sporting events anytime soon, and, given the experience I had here, I'd warn others to independently verify any pay-per-view event before making the trip, even if Dave & Buster's staff confirms it over the phone.

    First off, the food was surprisingly good here. I treated my family to dinner and gaming last…read moreSaturday , so we started with dinner. My wife got the chicken sandwich with sweet potato fries, which she loved. I had the Fish and Chips dinner which was great. Our son enjoyed the Chicken Fingers and fries. His wife had a large salad which she said was tasty. And our grandson had the 5 cheese flatbread and fries which he devoured. Service was quick and attentive. After dinner, we played a lot of games for close to two hours. Lots of fun! The only negative comment I have is that the noise level was very high. They could probably turn down the music and games a few hundred decibels! Other than that, a great time was had by all.

    Photos
    Arcade area
    Arcade area
    Truffle Fries
    Truffle Fries
    The reason why we were limited to two hours.

    See all

    The reason why we were limited to two hours.

    Hard Times Cafe - tradamerican - Updated August 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...