Hoovers I will bestow upon you the greatest honor I can give a place. You make the best southern comfort food I have ever had. Now why is this the greatest honor I can give a place, you may ask? Simple... I grew up in a southern comfort food restaurant. My mother ran one of these in my hometown in East Texas for many years. Hoovers gave my mom's chicken fried steak a run for its money. Sorry mom but I could cut this thing with a butter knife, literally. I ordered the meat and 3 side plate and the girlfriend did the same so we could sample a large portion of the menu. Meats: Chicken Fried Steak and Fried Catfish. Both of these are dishes that live and die by the breading. both of them had the perfect consistency that let the meat shine through. Especially the catfish that did not carry that heavy corn mill flavor. Sides: Salad, Mashed Potatoes, Mac & Cheese, Cole Slaw, Cowboy Beans, and Candied Yams. Salad was really good and once I found out they make all of their dressings from scratch I felt like a homer for ordering ranch (although it was thick and flavorful) next time I will try the raspberry vinaigrette. Mashed Potatoes were a good thick mash that did not get overpowered by white gravy. The gravy was barely noticeable, which is a plus in my book. The best of the lot was the Mac & Cheese, I hate ordering mac and cheese because its such a crap shoot on if it will be good. Sometimes its not cheesy enough or its runny. This was the perfect split. Cowboy beans were awesome, Meaty bits of brisket and BBQ sauce mixed in, just order these they are good. Cole Slaw, I am not a big fan of cole slaw but this cole slaw was crunchy and most importantly not floating in liquid, this is another side that falls victim to being too runny. I did not try the candied yams but my girlfriend could not stop raving about the flavor of them so I will take her word for it. Even the Dr. Pepper was perfect. The only thing I had to do was salt and pepper a few things and I was good to go. The meal was so good we were discussing what to order the next time we go and we had not even paid for that meal yet. I am looking forward to trying the creamed spinach, green beans, and meatloaf. Girlfriend wants to try the chicken fried chicken breast. I will add a followup at that time. Hoovers is what Threadgills used to be and what Hill's Cafe strives to be, this is not a knock on those fine establishments its just shows that Hoovers is the gold standard for comfort food. read more

Nothing really stood out to me, but I really enjoyed that I could feel that heart was put into the food. My soul was definitely warmed by the various BBQ that I ordered, especially the jerk chicken. The ribs were alright, but they were nothing like real BBQ. Also, as in anywhere in Austin, the sausage that is offered is the native Elgin Sausage. The creamed spinach was pretty good, but nothing out of the ordinary, though it was almost up to steakhouse standards. The ham steak is kind of like country ham, but it lacks real country smokiness. This is definitely a true southern-style restaurant, but nothing was really outstanding, but all of the food was pretty good and very soulful. It was a bit too standard to remind me of true home style food, as it is sit and order off of a menu and less cafeteria/diner style. read more

food was great i would totally go again. i ordered the chicken fried chicken with mashed potatoes, and fried okra. gotta love a restaurant that has good fried okra - the portions are huge btw. server was very nice, we split the mac n cheese it was ok not the best. my friends joke ill be buried in a mac n cheese coffin so i might be slightly biased. id give it a B. when i asked about the award/ trophy it won as mentioned in here he didnt know what the hell i was talking about. ok obvi not a yelp person. it was a little loud in there. like bar loud without the music. i would have also liked to have not been sat by the bathroom there were a bunch of other tables open. but thats just petty. food was great......we got there during the last five min of happy hour ordered some margs...on the rocks....not sure if there was alcohol in them, and they were the equivalent to like sippy cup size. went in there with the intention of ordering the queso as an appetizer, so i was pleased to see it on the happy hour menu, grabbed that as well. first off it was very good, it has a bunch of fresh veggies (and im not a big onion, pepper fan at all) but its small. i said perhaps bc it was the happy hour size, however i asked the waiter and he said no it was the same size across the board. i would have been pissed to pay almost $7 for a tiny bowl of cheese. we order queso almost every where we go i know when its not a good deal. waiter told us about the awesome sunday brunch. we will check it out. but $6 for sunday brunch marg and $3.50 for a mimosa.....the bf is only off sundays when works heavy, so we do brunch all over town, these brunch drink prices arent exactly special. the dinner food rocked tho so im sure it would be good, too bad they dont have eggs benedict id have been n there a lot quicker. i did like the hoe cakes advertized in the menu dont know if id order them, but i got a good chuckle in. read more

I like this place, the staff is very friendly, the location it's really cute and the food it's really good. I want to go back and try the ribs. read more

So this is my first encounter with southern cooking. I really wanted ribs, which is what i got, along with fried okra and creamed spinach with Parmesan. I was slightly disappointed in the ribs. They had a dry rub, which was fine, but i didn't feel blown away. The okra was good, the creamed spinach was a little bitter. By far I think the best thing there was the chicken fried chicken with mashed potatoes! We ordered cobbler, which seemed more like pie than cobbler to me, but it was good anyway. Service is just completely different than in California, but it was good, in it's own naive way. Prices were cheap, I'd go back for the chicken fried chicken for sure! read more

Hoover's is a great place for southern home cooking. It's nicely casual and the mains largely kick ass. The meatloaf is fantastic and the chicken fried steak is pretty good too. They have a strong muffaletta and the best ribs in Austin (despite not really being a BBQ place). The main weak spot is the sides, which are hit or miss. I recommend the fries with a side of buttermilk dressing. The service is always friendly. read more

My mother and I were looking for good down home cooking....and we found it (thank you to all you other yelpsters out there!)....at Hoovers. I was a bit apprehensive...the neighborhood seemed a bit different and the restaurant was in a small strip mall...however, as soon as I stepped inside it was warm southern hospitality and delicious food. The portions are huge, and this is a once a week or less type place (unless you take a lot of Lipitor or are blessed with hyperparathyroidism) My mother had sausage and gravy with a side of cheesy grits. Everything was perfectly seasoned (no wall paper paste gravy here) and the biscuits light with a crispy crust. I had the honey chicken fried boneless skinless tenders over biscuits with grits and honey. I don't even like grits but these were somehow delicious (perhaps whipped?). Coffee was good-service was cheerful and spot on. Delicious-a gem-and I will be back! read more

This is one of my Austin favs. I may be biased, but being an Austinite makes me a great judge :). Everything is good here, some of my favs are the chicken fried steak, the breakfast tacos, the fried catfish, the muffalettas and the burgers. They also have great greens, fried okra and macaroni n cheese. I give it 4 stars because this being a "Southern Homestyle Cooking" restaurant, I cannot believe that they don't have real fried chicken on the menu! read more

Hoover's is pretty great in general. It's really close to my house, so it's a great go to place for a nice meal. I love the chicken fried steak and being able to choose from so many sides. The side salad is good, too, with non-iceberg lettuce and homemade dressings. I love the "meat and three" option and wish it was available all the time. Love the addition of sweet tea to the menu and the BBQ chicken is pretty good, too. Now for the parts I don't love so much. I don't love the bread they bring out. A pumpkin biscuit and a little sad piece of jalapeño cornbread. They always seem old, dry and cold. I love getting fresh hot bread to start off my meal and I am always sad about this bread. I'd prefer a big fluffy yeast roll or the cornbread done better, fresher and hotter. Also, on my last visit, I was craving a pulled pork sandwich. Lo and behold, it was one of the daily specials, so I ordered it. Then sent it back. Then settled for eating the second one. When I envision a pulled pork sandwich, here's what I see: a toasted bun piled high with shredded pork and topped with cole slaw and maybe BBQ sauce (preferably on the side so I can add it). Here's what Hoover's gave me: an extremely soggy (twice) hoagie roll (the top looked like a baby's ass that had been in a tub for an hour) with chopped pork (or was it?!?) that had been drenched in BBQ sauce. It really seemed like it was from a plastic tub like you'd get at HEB. The flavor was all right, but really I wanted to see the "pulled ness" of it all. I wanted to see and taste the "porkiness" of it all. But all I got was BBQ sauce and sogginess. Mr. Hoover, I'd like to suggest that if you can't do something well, don't put it on the menu. The menu is plenty big already. Later that night, I was at a BBQ place on Barton Springs and someone at the table ordered a pulled pork sandwich. I was so sad because THAT was the sandwich I had wanted earlier at Hoover's but failed to attain. One last suggestion for improvement: the green beans. I LOVE green beans. I love them so much that I used to asked for them for Christmas as a child (as a gift!). I love that you use fresh ones and make them fresh. What I don't love is the SUGAR that you add to them. I don't want sweet green beans. They taste great with some bacon and onions. Sugar is completely superfluous. All my whining aside, I'll continue to eat at Hoover's and continue to hope for better bread and unsweetened green beans. read more

Comfort food overload! Delicious southern cooking at a decent price. I was recommended here by a coworker, and she was right. I'll be back again next time I'm on that side of town or whenever I get a hankerin' for some good southern food. ;) read more

I like the chicken fried steak here. The sides are not great but they are not horrendous. If you get the mashed potatoes it's basically a bowl of white gravy with a few potatoes at the bottom. Get there early at lunchtime though because this place gets packed on the weekdays. read more

Amazing food with extremely reasonable prices. You will never leave there hungry if you order appropriately. The variety of sides alone are worth the price of admission--you have to see the menu to believe it. It's comfort food, so get comfortable and go to town! read more

I ordered the Chicken Fried Chicken, fries, and fried okra. The chicken was swimming in gravy so I would definitely recommend getting the gravy on the side. The fried okra was delicious as well as the fries. The fries had that home style flavor seasoning and were just the right amount of flaky and crispy. The server provided a side of complimentary cinnamon bread that was alright. It wasn't as warm as I would hope for. I am not a fan of heavy fried food and felt heavy afterwards, but it was decent home style cooking. Good place for families with young kids and picky eaters with all the selection. For a lighter option, they have vegetable of the day and a refreshing kale and beat salad. read more

I have returned 3 times since my first visit, bringing new lunch friends each time. Every visit has been wonderful. Great food, from the ham to chicken, sausage gumbo, all the sides. Feels like Mom dropped a plate of goodness in front of you. Great lunch spot for a mid work day pick me up, and every member of the staff is so nice. Highly recommend for a great meal. read more

comfort food done well! fried catfish, elgin sausage, chicken fried steak! Everything i had was great, tons of flavor! Although i've had better greens (these were overcooked and sweet), every side i tasted was excellent, especially the butter beans, soooo rich. The price is reasonable for the portions and they serve beers. So i will be back in the future. Can't go wrong here peoples. read more

I love Hoovers. For my $, their Chicken Fried Chicken is as good as it gets. It's huge and delicious. Their chicken fried chicken is 1000 times better than Threadgills, and slightly better than Ross Old Austin Cafe. Some of their other foods might be hit or miss. The pulled pork on Monday nights the first time I had it was about the best thing I've ever eaten, but the second time I had it it was too oniony. I meant to try it a third time and request no onions, but I've been distracted by the chicken fried chicken. The fried okra is a little bland for my liking, as is the macaroni at times. But, surprisingly, they have have the best queso in town. Seriously. I'd never think a soul food/comfort food place would be good at queso. They are. Seriously. And their happy hour is pretty super: $2 good beers (I had a Rio Blanco Pale Ale) and their apps are half off. Some reviews complained about the service. I've been 5 times since discovering it last year, and I've always had great servers, and terrific service. I like this place a lot. If you stick with Chicken Fried Chicken and mashed potatoes and queso, everything will be super. read more

This has been my go-to spot in Austin for comfort food since a friend introduced me to it last year. I've gone with the chicken fried steak, the fried chicken, and the meatloaf and every one of them has delivered. It's by no means top-tier best-I've-ever-had food, but I always end up satisfied and half asleep after a meal here, wishing someone would take me to the car in a wheel barrow. Isn't that the whole point of comfort food? read more

Finally found something they seem to do well and the same every time...the Muffaletta. It's close to Central Grocery in NOLA, albeit, *much* smaller. When I'm Jones'n a Central Grocery Muffeletta and can't get to NOLA, I go here. read more

A really great home cooking place I found in Austin. There portions are massive but they are a good size. If your looking for the heart healthy it isn't a place to hit up. Service was good and food was fresh and hot. The atmosphere is very casual. read more

I made Arif M. take me here so that his dignity can be redeemed after allowing me to go to Threadgills. Dignity redeemed. This place is SOOOO much better than Threadgills, it is ridiculous. I ordered the chicken fried chicken with mac n cheese and jalapeno spinach. Everything was pretty good and portions were quite large. I don't know if it would be one of my stops in Austin since there are so many places to eat, but If I lived there I'd probably come back often. read more

Ehhh... food is decent. It's not worth going out of your way for. If you're in the area, definitely give it a try!

Its good but I wouldn't necessarily call it soul food. I am used to soul food so this so cook fast food soul food lol. People in Texas keep calling food like this "comfort food" whatever that is lol ice cream comforts me is that comfort food??? Anyway for it to be fast food its pretty good. But I must rave about one thing...FROZEN MARGARITAS. There is this sweet little lady behind the bar and she makes the strongest frozen margarita yummm! Its good. This place is also a bit pricey I know how to cook real soulfood from scratch and I could offer a few tips. But yea great margaritas!!! I had the macaroni ( it was ok), "sweet potatoes" (did u use nutmeg&butter??), chicken fried chicken(it was pretty decent)&potato salad (room for growth) read more

The night I went there it was about 5 months. I went back another time and was not disappointed. They have a big menu something for everyone. I was on a eat veggies and meat, no potatoes diet. My meal was good. My service was awesome. Easy parking in that area. Something to be said for non-existent parking normally. read more

4.5 stars. Went here with some friends who raved about their chicken fried steak and I happened to have a hankerin for some chicken fried steak. I must say it was delicious! Usually I like it when I get it at most places but leave a ton of breading because most places overdue the breading and cover it with OK gravy. This was different and the sides were also better with fresh green beans. The breaded okra was Ok which gives the reason why it wasn't 5 stars. I think this is the best chicken fried steak I've had in Austin. read more

We just had Hoover's again last night. I know they have lots of good food here, but I can't stop ordering the chicken fried steak with the mashies and mac&cheese. The food is here is good and the service staff is usually friendly. We decided to go after we ran into Hoover at Specs earlier in the month. He is just too dang friendly! We finished up or cheat night meal with a big old slice of buttermilk pie. They had to roll me out. The only reason that I give four stars instead of five is that I have had better chicken fried steak, but that was my mom's!! read more

Hoovers never fails to make me happy..I always get the chicken fried chicken but I have tried the ham steak and the hamburgers and they are pretty good. The sides here are really really good, especially the jalapeno creamed spinach( and normally I hate vegetables). The desserts are wonderful here, my favorite being the sweet potato pie. The only unnotable was the macaroni and cheese( too bland). read more

Awwwweeessssooommmeeee!!! Give me some more of those chicken fried steak, creamed spinach, and gumbo please!!! Seriously... they are very very good that each time I think about them, I could feel my mouth is salivating. When I heard about it, I just thought I need to take a drive down to the east side, but hey! it was all worthed it! read more

Since my last post, I've started eating meat. I'm going to upgrade my rating to three stars. They do a pretty good smoked chicken here. Nice seasonings, smokiness, and moistness. read more

Everything is good. Good ole southern comfort food with a twist. I've had the jerk ribs, the chicken fried steak and any of the sides are good as a meal on their own. read more

I was so excited to finally eat at Hoovers. It was good, but it wasn't great. The portions are HUGE, and they serve fresh squeezed lemonade. The service was amazing. I had mac and cheese, stewed okra, and baked beans....which were good. I feel like this might fit under the category with restaurants like Chuy's who I feel like people spend a lot of time talking up because they are locally owned. Or maybe I just need to go back and try another dish that will really wow me. read more

There is nothing good for you here, but there's a lot that is SO DAMN GOOD here. Go with an appetite and take their recommendations on what's too good to be missed that day. And don't get too full, because dessert is also not to be missed. read more

Kenny and Jeff are the best bartenders, and the food is comforting.

At my first visit to Hoover's cooking. I tried the meatloaf, jalapeño cream spinach and mashed potatoes. The meatloaf and mashed potatoes were amazing!! The jalapeño cream spinach lacked the creaminess of creamed spinach but was good. I really liked the hidden kick in the back of my throat. I will come back again and try all their items on their menu. read more

Not bad, the mac and cheese is pretty ordinary, the Jerk chicken was kinda dry and my wife's gravy was lumpy...also the food was kinda cold. Despite all these things, I love the culture and the philosophy of Hoover's, I will be back. read more

I really liked the food here. I ordered the Meatloaf w/spicy spinach, mashed taters, and beet/kale salad. The beet salad was TO DIE FOR!!! So super yummy, I wish they had it all the time. The meatloaf was just what the dr ordered..I was looking for something that reminded me of home and that did it. I was not a fan of their breads...corn and some cinnamon something. blech!! :( But the meal was good. One down side...the wait....it takes a bit of a wait for the food to come out---and I got it to go... read more

Drool. Bring your belt notcher. This place is far from a healthy option, but has some many fantastically delicious menu items to choose from. This Austin staple is a can't miss. read more

Went in for some wings and a margarita and I was not disappointed. I love that they serve the whole wing (5 to an order). The margarita tasted like they use juice, not a mix. Great happy hour. read more

Best home cooking ever!!! We went here the other day while we were in Austin for business and all I can say is WOW! We had the most professional weightier ever!!! Ron was on point the whole time! He made sure we knew about the food/restaurant ....that it was all home cooked all the way down to the tarter sauce. Not only was the service amazing but the food was just like he described! It tasted home made and top quality! We will definitely be coming back next time we're in town read more

Love this place great down home atmosphere wide variety of food with large portions and great prices

Wow. Second time here and better than the first. If you're not getting the meatloaf, you're missing out. Best ever. The tomato mixture on top was to die for. Okra and tomatoes and mustard greens were awesome. Can't wait for next time in Austin. read more