I came in on a Sunday morning to check out their brunch options, it was alright, but I wasn't a huge fan of the flavor of the pork chop's breading. Nothing amazing but I'm still going to go back and check out their dinner. We didn't have any problems with the service, all in all our waiter was very nice and attentive. read more

Ordered the fried catfish and eggs for brunch on a saturday. They give you so much fish that I had to take the leftovers back me that day (i was flying home to los angeles that afternoon). That stuff was still tender the next day after spending several hours in my fridge! Oh, and the kale-and-beet salad was amazing (ate it last,) along with the cheesy garlic potatoes/garlic potatoes with cheese (I had actually temporarily ordered BOTH as my two sides - for a moment or two - until the locals I came with set me straight and said they were the same thing (lol). Can't blame a guy for wanting more garlic, cheese, and potatoes! read more

Soul food that's a bit less soulful than most spots. It wasn't bad, there are just better choices in Austin for food! read more

Hoover's Cooking - Every table is full with happy soul food consumers. - Southern Near Me - Austin, Texas

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If you like Southern Comfort Food this is your place. Their BBQ is richly smoked and the ribs fall off the bone. They don't put the sauce on it so if your a dipper ask for sauce to come out w/the meal. The fried chicken is on point! If you like a good old veggie plate they have plenty to choose from of the southern fare not like the fresh steamed sort. The sweet potato biscuits get me every time. Mmmm good. The wait at lunch on the weekends is to be expected. They only seat full parties. Service is medium. Hi Hoover! My go to meal is Ribs w/mashed potatoes, butter beans, & okra and tomatoes. Oh yeah licking my lips as I type. read more

Good prices and friendly service but the greens were overly salty. You get large portions for the price and their catering menu looks very good too. read more

The food was so good! I had the catfish, greens, yams and cream spinach. The spinach was just okay. I'll definitely be back. I had the sweet tea but next time I'll try the beet Rita. I heard it's really good. read more

Not what it used to be. They brought their sweet potato rolls and cornbread out and the rolls we bricks. They replaced them with fresh ones but they were very salty. Portions seem to be smaller and prices higher. A little surprise when the check came was a $1 per meal charge for the "community" kitchen staff so they can have a vacation. Found a table card that explained it. Is rather they just budget for it instead of forcing me to supplement their right. Saw your response. So when your expenses increase, it's better to print table cards and add a buck or two to the bill. Isn't that the same thing as raising prices? I am disappointed that things weren't as good as before, but I don't believe I can support this method of protecting your margins. What do you do when the food wholesaler increases prices? Print another table card. Just doesn't seem right to customers to tack something on the check because you can't afford to pay the kitchen staff. Sorry, but won't be back. read more

Tried to go out today and support a Black owned business. Decided to try Hoover's. Had a wait for about 30 minutes. When we were finally seated our waitress (whom we didn't know that was ours at the time) walked by a few times and never acknowledge us. Looked right at us and kept going. After about 10 minutes the hostess came over and asked if we had been helped yet.....no.......so she said she was going to get us some water and take our order. At that moment she stopped the waitress and asked her if she wanted to taker our order. This woman rolled her eyes and mumbled under her breath. Then said "I guess". So as she asked what we wanted to order, she turned her back to us and started talking to another table. We placed our order....but immediately knew we didn't want to spend a single dime in there. As soon as she walked off we got up and headed for the door. The hostess asked what was wrong. We stated our displeasure with the treatment we were receiving and decided to spend our money elsewhere. For this to be a "Black Owned" business I felt completely out of place there! I will never waste my time to go back and I will NEVER recommend anyone to go there. It's clear they cater to the gentrification crowd. read more

Southern cooking favorite. The Arnold Parmers are fire! All of of their food is delicious and full of flavor.

Good luck to any diet you're trying to stick too, this place is GOOOODDD!!! I felt like I was eating Soul Food prepared by all the Southern grandmothers that ever cooked for their family .... Ever... In life! The fried chicken ... Good The ribs .... Good The yams... On my God! The banana pudding cheesecake ... Mmmh mmmh good read more

I have been eating at Hoover's since moving to Austin over 20 yrs ago. It is a special treat for our family through the years. My favorite is the Cajun Ham Po'boy...love that it's dressed with creamy cole slaw. Other favorites: greens, yams, Mac and cheese, cheese grits and honey chicken fingers. The food has always been consistently good and it's a great place to bring kids bc the menu has a variety of options for the whole family. read more

Excellent soul food. I had the chicken fried chicken breast smothered in white gravy and the gravy had a nice smokiness to it. For my sides I enjoyed the potato salad, candied yams and Mac n cheese--all excellent. Service was fast and very active. So far, the best soul food restaurant I've been to in Austin. Will for sure be coming back read more

Chicken fried steak - 4 stars Yams- 4 stars Mac and cheese- 4 stars Peach cobbler- 2 stars Service- 5 stars Ah, the sum is greater than the parts so I'll be visiting Hoovers for lunch again. This is the place you go when you don't want overpriced comfort food. read more

I finally made it to Hoover's for the first time - my mouth watering from the recent writeup in Austin Magazine. Unfortunately, nothing really blew me away. On the upside, the brisket enchiladas, a special of the day, were very tasty. As were the grits that I chose as a side. On the downside, the cajun ribs were served cold-ish and overseasoned, tasting as if they had been sitting out for a while. Same for the fried okra - warm and wimpy (and not seasoned well) instead of hot and cripsy. Not one to pass up a coconut cream pie on any occasion (or nonoccasion), I was disappointed to find that the pie filling was on the blander side. 2.5 stars, but I'll round it up to 3 given that I may have had overly high expectations going in, and for service being prompt and friendly. read more

We went to Hoover's today & got to meet the actual Hoover. It was aroun d 3:30 and there were people there, always a good sign. The place was clean. I had the chicken fried steak with gravy, okra & tomatoes + potato salad. She had Chicken Fried Chicken breast, green beans & fries. I didn't get any of the chicken or fries, so they must have been good! The CFS was a bit tough & there was a bit too much breading. But it was saved by the creamy delicious gravy. There was no need for salt & pepper. The Okra & Tomatoes were so flavorful, had a nice bite to the sauce that took a minute to get there. Potato salad wasn't bad, just a touch too firm for my taste. The cornbread on the side was sweet, but in a good way! Couldn't finish everfything so got some more bread, a slice of pecan pie & took the remains of the potato salad & green beans. Just sampled the pie, yummy with plenty of pecans on top. Will finish all later. I was happy with it & I would go back! Oh, and Katie was waiting on us. The service was really good! Everytime we needed something she was right there, without being overbearing. And we really liked the min-pitcher glasses. Had lemonade & it was just right, not too sweet, let the lemon flavor come out. read more

This is one of my favorite restaurants in Austin! If you're looking for some good home cooking that will fill your belly with warmth and joy, then this is the place. One of the best things on the menu is their Chipotle Chicken Quesadillas. These are the best quesadillas I've ever had filled with a smokey, cheesy goodness with a little bit of spice. The portions are very generous and filling. You will not be skimped and will most likely have to be rolled out of the restaurant! Everything I've had there has been delicious! I've never been disappointed with the service, food, or drinks. There can be a bit of a wait so don't go if your looking for a quick meal. Just grab a drink from the bar and get ready to wait for some wholesome goodness--the wait is worth it! read more

Hoovers is some of the best southern food in atx Best things here: Chicken fried steak, pork ribs, anything jerked, gumbo, coconut cream pie (or any desert for that matter) read more

Hoover's left us full and happy! My boyfriend and I split a chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes, okra, and beans. The breading on the CFS wasn't too thick and the cream gravy wasn't flour-y; it was juuuuust right. Best I've had in a very long time, actually. You'll want to budget enough time to wait for a table, since the place is so popular. read more

I'll be honest, after a few bad service and cold food experiences at this Hoover's I was a bit skeptical to try it again. (Used to love the 183 location!) But a craving for grits and pancakes drove me to give them another shot, and I am glad I did. I had the sweet potato pancakes (and 2 is defintely enough!) and plain grits with lots of butter. My breakfast partner had a combo meal with eggs, bacon, homefries and garlic cheese grits (very large portions!). It all arrived at our table quickly and piping hot. Our server was so friendly and very attentive and our glasses stayed full. So, I am officially a Hoover's fan again. read more

The food is great; the service is so-so. I avoid coming here because of that. This is the best place I've found for seafood; it is cooked to perfection rather than being overcooked. In fact nearly all the food I've had here is delicious beyond my expectation. Dessert - pecan pie- is often either nuked into oblivion or served stone cold. Once I had it served cold, I asked to have it heated, and the waiter brought it back with the ice cream melted. Then he insisted it couldn't be fixed. It's not just one waiter; many of them are too distracted and running their "I'm in a hurry" program to even hear a request. Since it isn't just one person I put the blame on the owner/management. Been coming here off and on since they opened. Better service at Milto's, and they don't even wait tables there. If you're ordering take-out, then five stars. Better warm the pie yourself rather than have it ruined by the wait staff. read more

Hoover's is good. The cowboy beans are the best. Their meatloaf was good as well as their potato salad. read more

Hoover's Cooking - Meat Loaf. Legendary Cowboy Beans. Potato Salad. Jalapeño Bread. Green Beans. Mac and Cheese. Ribs. - Southern Near Me - Austin, Texas

I ate the gumbo it was really good but then again I love the dark rue. I also had the grilled Cajun fish didn't enjoy it much because it was burnt in some places, not grilled. read more

Hoover's Cooking - Grilled catfish - Southern Near Me - Austin, Texas

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So so so good!!! Went in today for breakfast. I have passed Hoover's almost daily for the last two years and just never stopped in. Took my "work mom" out for breakfast today for Mother's Day and everything was so delicious! I got the eggs and sausage with home fries and toast. Sausage blew me away. It's from Texas Sausage Co. So delicious. Deb got their cheddar grits. I'm not a huge fan of grits but it was super tasty. Only (MINOR) complaint was wait time. Restaurant was definitely not busy which was surprising considering the holiday but it still took about 30 minutes to come out. Still not enough to keep me away! Haha I loved Hoover's and I can't wait to go back read more

Been here many many times but never checked in or reviewed. It's pretty simple. The place, the staff, and the food are all amazing! I'm too hungry to be more specific. I'll write more later. read more

Hoover's Cooking - Southern Near Me - Austin, Texas

Hands down best service and good you can find in town. Sit at the bar for quick service. We were greater and served by the owner last night and everything was wonderful. read more

This is one of the places to go if you need some comfort food. Their breakfast is also good which you can have chicken and waffles for breakfast or basically fried chicken for breakfast. It's a casual hang out and basically Hoover's Cooking is an Austin institution. For dinner I had the chicken fried chicken breast and it was pretty good. You can also have it Hoover size which means 1/2 lb chicken with 2 sides and the original size is 1/4 lb with 3 sides. I had mine with mashed potatoes with gravy and macaroni & cheese both were really good. I couldn't finish it and make room for dessert. My plate was covered in gravy. read more

Austin and me went yesterday to Hoovers and we love it We split our fish,was,really good and then we went to the ingredients store and got ginger chocolate We both love to eat read more

This place is a really bad idea for holiday food. Super bad management of previously placed orders. Stay away at all costs!

We checked their website to verify they were open for inside dining. It was my birthday We loaded up the car very excited to get my favorite food. Chicken Fried Steak. When arrived there was a sign that said take out only today. No dine in today. How disappointing is that when you check before you go. read more

In a nutshell, Hoover's serves huge portions of delicious comfort food. I went with my friend for dinner one night, and I got the chicken fried steak with fried okra and jalapeno creamed spinach, he go the fried catfish with fried okra and fries (I think). The chicken fried steak was massive and perfect, with crispy breading and the best tasting gravy I've ever had. The fried catfish was also amazing, but uninspiring next to the cfs. The creamed spinach and fried okra were also killer. All in all, great food at a great price. However, there were a few things that quite confused/irritated me. Firstly, the bread basket that came with dinner contained four of the most tiny pieces of cornbread and (what I thought was) pumpkin bread. They were literally the size of chocolate nougats. Amazingly counter-intuitive considering how huge their portions are. Also, they charge you an extra $2 if you want to split something with another person, which is kind of crappy. But these two things won't stop me from going there because their food is amazing. read more

Not as good as gets, because some things are sort of average (like the fried okra and the sandwiches). But in general this place is fabulous. Delicious and filling, well-priced, and they do a lot of different things well. The home-cooking (like ham steak, meatloaf, etc.) is just as good as the barbecue and the southern comfort food (chicken fried steak, chicken, etc). As someone else has mentioned, the chicken fried chicken is definitely the best thing ever, if you're in the mood. It's literally a full half pound of chicken, and it's not pounded so thin that it's almost flavorless. It's a full half inch or more of tender chicken breast, with awesome breading and great gravy. Yum. Oo, sweet tea is good too. read more

We still love Hoover Alexander the person,he's the best of the best people, and a friend, however the cooks Hoover's Managers hire don't do the recipes justice. Low quality food preparation and great service this time. read more

Very nice setting food was delicious.. Comfort had the rib plate with sausage links added.. BBQ is delicious, but does not have a smokey flavor like from a pit. My fav food is sausage so I'm a tough critic, it was good.. Just good nothing to run back for.. The greens had a sweetness to them which surprised me, I'm used to a more savory green.. Mac and cheese was great as well as mashed potatoes and gravy.. We had the blackberry cobbler with ice cream it was very tasty.. read more

Hoover's Cooking - 3 Rib plate with 2 sausage links added, 3 sides come with I chose mashed potatoes and gravy, Mac and cheese and greens. - Southern Near Me - Austin, Texas

A RIP OFF - CLEARLY OVERRATED! I ordered the catfish fillet plate with three sides. The "fillets" were an INSULT! They were as big as my index finger. All the peices together made one average sized fillet. Everyone at my table made a comment about how small the peices were. The sides I chose were mashed potatoes (good), Jalepeno Spinach (nasty, tasted like it was frozen or from a can, definitely not fresh) and the fried okra (delicious). They also bring a basket of sweet rolls? and "cornbread". All of them were cold. They should be hot enough to melt soft butter. NOPE! The rolls were tasty, but cold and the "cornbread" muffins were flavorless, cold and crumbly. The service was good. The restaurant was pretty clean. And the prices were fair, assuming you get decent food, which I did not. I will never go back there based on this experience. read more

First I want to start off with their cornbread which is delicious. The chicken fried steak is the bomb here. That's my go to every time I come eat at this restaurant. I normally get green beans, Mac and cheese, and the yams as well. The sides are well portioned which is good because the whole meal will fill you up. Great service, definitely recommend if you're looking for some soul food! read more

Hoover's Cooking - Chicken fried steak! Delicious! - Southern Near Me - Austin, Texas

The food is below average. The five of us went on a Wednesday at 5:00 and ordered items like chicken fried chicken, chicken fried steak, meatloaf, a couple of salads. We had queso and spinach artichoke dip as starters. The starters were very bland. We added salt to one and salsa to the other and made it work. My chicken Cesar salad was ok. The report from the CFS was that it tasted ok but was gristly, the CFC was tough, and the meatloaf was ok. I wanted to like this place because sometimes a person needs "home cooking" but unfortunately the food is not good enough to make this my place. read more

The staff at Hoover's was fantastic (attentive and friendly). Outside of the staff, I was not a big fan of Hoover's. The food was OK, but nothing special. For the price, I would recommend going elsewhere. I had the fried catfish with a few sides and my friend had a salad. Both were not bad, but not worthy of the price. read more

Hoover's was simply--how do I say it..amazing! Left not one bite from my Chicken Fried Steak or my side of yams and mashed potatoes. Truly a hearty way to start a day and possibly the best food i've had in a long time. read more

The catfish, Mac and cheese and yams were on point. All cooked to order and worth the trip.

Trying to write a fair review. Tried for the first time for Thanksgiving, wait was about an hour and a half, but in all honesty it could have been much worse, I honestly feel that they did an outstanding job for the amount of business they had. The food was nothing spectacular, both styles of chicken were fairly dry, the turkey was dry and bland and the corn bread dressing reminded me of dried out creme of wheat. On the good side though, the mashed potatoes and carribean fruit were great. The service was solid considering the amount of people they were accommodating. I would have leaned toward 2 stars had it been a normal day, but again given the holiday an extra star is deserved for how well they managed the crowd. I would have loved to give them another try to see if they are much better on a normal day, but when I recieved my check, there was an extra charge for what I was told is a pass through for the employees for sick days, etc. It just kind of turned me off from giving them another shot and felt like some shady way to avoid paying employment taxes or something. The explanation was that the owner wants people to know what they are paying for, but honestly, when I go to a restaurant I just want to pay the money for the food, I dont need an itemization of their business overhead expenses, nor should I be expected to pay the businesses overhead as a seperate line item. read more

Hoover's Cooking - This was missing from our table, only found out about it when asking about the extra charge added to the bill. Not sure how I feel about it. - Southern Near Me - Austin, Texas