As a staunch believer in the power of soul food, I've had a hard time finding good places to get it in Austin, I came here on the recommendation from my future brother in law, and I was pleasantly surprised! The dress code is varied, on a Thursday evening there are people in dresses and button down shirts, but no one looked down on the girl in her sweatpants wandering in. The service is awesome, our waiter joked around, and was enthusiastic, creating a feel of excitement about the meal to come. My fiancee chose the chicken fried steak, and I had the fried catfish, and both were AMAZING. This place understands fried foods, not too greasy, but sinful enough to feel like an indulgence. I highly recommend the greens, with a bittersweet twist to them. Note to customers: If you are a light eater, definitely share a meal, because the portions are no joke, they are huge. But, they make awesome leftovers. I will absolutely be going there again! read more

My hamburger tasted like metal. Like carbon. Like I licked the bottom of a skillet. I ate at Hoover's a year ago and that's what my pork chop tasted like then. Their griddle needs to be cleaned. My fries were cold and dry. My mother's bowl of jalapeno spinach was cold in the middle. My friend's chicken fried steak seemed quite large but was mostly breading. We were a party of 5 and went in at 8PM on a Saturday night (Oct. 24th). There was no wait and plenty of open tables. Our waiter never spoke an audible sentence to my recollection. He hid in the kitchen or talked to the other staff. I honestly wish we just went to a franchised joint like Chile's where the manager will come by and he/she will ask you how your dinner was. read more

I'm not sure what's going on with Hoover's. I was once a devotee, but it seems to have seriously stagnated. Even the art on the wall hasn't changed in, what, two or three years? And it's hideous. Maybe I've just had my fill, but I don't taste the love in this soul food anymore. read more

Hoover's is the gold standard for comfort food inside Austin. Not sure what voodoo is going on in the kitchen at the original location on Manor road but it works. Dropped in recently for dinner to enjoy their chicken fried chicken smothered in rich creamy gravy, a side of lumpy mashed potatoes and bowl of sweet & bacony turnip greens. Southern magic! Taste tested my dining partners chicken fried steak, also good. Not my gold standard, that still goes to Cafe 290 in Manor but in my top three. Good friendly service. Price's and portions are right in line. Hoover's cooks with love. read more

Hoovers is easily the best comfort food in town. The smoked wings have incredible flavor, the portions are large, and who doesn't love pitchers of lemonade??? If you don't know, now you know. read more

The husband and I were on the hunt for some delicious comfort food. I wish I could tell you that we found some here at Hoover's. Frankly, there weren't a lot of things on the menu that grabbed my interest. I ended up ordering the bbq chicken with mashed potatoes. The bbq chicken was actually pretty decent. The mashed potatoes were disappointing. I prefer my mashed potatoes smooth and creamy. These were actually smashed potatoes. The husband ordered meatloaf. The meatloaf itself was "meh" and the topping was very tomato-y. (I won't lie - the meatloaf I make at home is better!) On the plus side, the husband did like the black eyed peas. Now, what was good was the peach cobbler and pecan pie! So, by all means, go to Hoover's for the dessert! read more

hoovers is one of my guilty pleasures. i lived in south carolina for a few years and ever since i occasionally cccraaaave chicken fried steak and okra. this is the best place in austin that i've found for that kind of over the top southern comfort food. the parking out front is very dangerous. i actually get my partner to drive us every time we go, because i am just terrified of pulling out of there. my only complaint is their beer selection is bad for an austin restaurant. also, i wish they would incorporate more texas-y southern dishes. also their portions are a little too big for my taste. these are pretty minor. as yelp says: yay!! I'm a fan. (: read more

Went on Sunday and the lunch crowd was in full force. I had the chicken fried chicken, creamed spinach and mashed tators. Not the lightest meal I could have ordered but was craving a southern cooked meal after the prior night out. Everything I tried seamed dry like it sat out or reheated. Our party was seated in a few minutes but the parking lot was full forcing us to park in the neighborhood and walking a couple blocks. I don't get what is so good at this place? I will try it again to see if my experience is any different so look for an update soon. read more

Pretty decent southern comfort food. I visit Hoover's a few times year and it's always reliable. Big fan of their chicken fried steak and catfish. Their sides can be a little underwhelming at times, as if they made a big batch of one item and you're getting the last scoopful before a new batch is whipped up, but your mileage will vary. Be sure to get dessert. The chocolate cream and buttermilk pies are my faves. read more

Food was pretty good, but not enough for me to come back all the time. I got the barbecue chicken and an additional slab of pork ribs, it was good but I felt it was expensive for the quality. I wis the cornbread was sweet though and the coconut cream pie needs more crust to balance out its sweetness. read more

We ate here about a year and a half ago at Thanksgiving. The atmosphere is good, the service is excellent, and the food was prepared well. Very big portions. Our only complaint was the wait time (close to three hours). But it was Thanksgiving, so what else could we expect. read more

We went to Hoovers for our anniversary expecting great things based on previous reviews. Perhaps they were just having an off night, but we were definitely not impressed. The chicken fried steak was overcooked and dry, the candied yams were cold and the squash medley was not seasoned at all. The fried catfish and greens were well prepared and the gravy and mashed potatoes were delicious. The disgusting situation I encountered in the men's room was enough to make me lose my appetite entirely. Over all we left feeling very disappointed. read more

We came here in search for some good comfort food and the Chicken Fried Steak caught our eye. We got the "Hoover size" of it and split. The decor is unpretentious and the service was pleasant. The large portion for around $14 was totally enough for us to split, but the two cutlets were mostly batter and little of it was actually steak. But, the flavor of the batter and meat, wasn't too salty, it was perfect. Sometimes cfs can be too salty and greasy, but this was good. We ordered Mac and cheese and fried okra as sides, those were decent but a little cold. Now, when we got the bill, they charged us $3 for splitting. I've never heard of that and we didn't see it on the menu, nor the waiter inform us. Nevertheless, we inquired and the waiter said the manager took "pity" on us and took the charge off. I was satisfied and would return, but I'm not sure the whole experience left a positive light of the way they do things. We appreciated the accommodation and I would give them another try. read more

If you get the right waiter or waitress this place can be downright awesome. Food is unquestionably good but service can DEFINITELY detract from the experience read more

It's such yummy southern comfort food!! We had a friend visiting from Colorado, and we brought him here to show him an Austin treasure. It's already reasonably priced, but you get so many sides and such big portions that it's even a better deal than you realize. read more

Great home cooking, good prices. Asked to meet the owner but the waitress said he was busy and probably wouldn't come out.. She came back and said he said he was too busy to come out.. Not that serious because the food and service was great, but I would have liked to tell him personally.. A spot we go go whenever we are in Austin!!! read more

This use to be my favorite spot to go to for comfort food in Austin. You could hardly make it through the door without experiencing Southern hospitality and smelling good food. I came for the first time in a while today, and the complete atmosphere of the place has changed. I was seated and rushed to order. I told my server I wasn't ready yet and he just stood over my table. The food doesn't taste the same. If you know good cooking, you know the meat and not only the breading should be seasoned. My chicken fried chicken was bland under the crust, and my Mac and Cheese was more like noodle soup. The waiter rushed me to pay my check, and no one gave my a salutation as I walked out the door. Needless to say next time I will be going to Rolland's, where the motto is good food for good people! read more

Man oh man, Hoover's, you've let yourself go. This place has been around FOREVER and they even used to have a north location. I've been to both locations and have REALLY GOOD food every single time. Well, I've heard stories from friends about lackluster experiences and well, every place can have rough patches. A friend and I were seriously jonesing for some comfort food a few weeks ago. It was around 6:30 or so on a Sunday and it was busy. We DID get sat immediately and from what I could tell, they were fully staffed. Sadly for us, we got probably the most forgetful server you could get. Our whole dining experience had us there for close to an hour and a half. Most of that time was waiting. 5 minutes to get greeted. 5 more minutes for water. 20 minutes later we had to flag down our server for bread and she realized that she indeed, didn't bring my companion's side salad. We both decided to try and eat clean and ordered the charbroiled catfish. That said, I prefaced that I'd like my fish a 'little more done' due to a terrible experience at Threadgill's. The food took another 15-20 minutes and when it comes out, the top of the filet is practically blackened with grill marks (I'm cool with that) and I take a bite and the fish is just mushy. I don't care how you cook fish, it shouldn't come out mushy. My first bite in and I'm pretty sure I made a disgusted face. I decide I'll tell our server and just eat my sides. I point it out and she seemed really annoyed. I'm waiting probably 20+ more minutes and FINALLY she comes back by and apologizes and tells me that "the kitchen apparently has a different idea of urgent" and tells me that they're going to take care of my meal. All this time I've seen the manager shooting the bull with other tables, one table for probably 10 minutes. I'm just confused why my SERVER is telling me all of this and NOTHING from the manager. By this point I'm more annoyed than I am hungry. The manager finally brings out my refired fish and a slice of dessert that they're comping. The first thing out of the managers mouth was an explanation of HOW they cook the fish. No apology, no "I'm sorry for _____". Just an explanation. At this point, I'm poking around my fish which resembles a dried out hockey puck and I'm just looking at it. By then, I'm just pissed off and not hungry and just want to leave. I explained to the manager that I'm from the gulf coast, grew up eating fish and nowhere and at no time, should a fish be mushy. Also, WTF cooks just ONE SIDE of a fish? They literally charred the top to hell and just plated it seemingly. I just sent the damn thing back wanting it out of my face. It's one thing to have terrible and slow service and it's another thing to have your food be inedible but it's a completely different thing to have a manager insult you on top of all of that. Hoover's, you used to be pretty damn good but now I'm not sure if you'll be in business much longer if you keep this crap up. read more

Coming from a super small town with one of the best chicken fried steaks I've ever encountered, i was disappointed with not only the previous reviews but also the food. I ordered chicken fried steak with okra, and house salad. I was brought out the house salad first with welted lettuce and mushy purple cabbage. Super unhappy. Then was brought out the chicken fried steak. There was plenty of food but the bread over powered the meat. Just no flavor for the chicken fried steak. The waiting staff was great and they had great service. I just don't care for that particular item. read more

i never thought i would write a bad review about anything. i like hoovers, but i have not eaten there in about a year and will probably not any time soon. previous to this incident i am about to explain, i had eaten there only about half a dozen times, so i was not a regular. i went about a year ago for lunch, and ordered one of those big burgers. to keep this story short, i said no mustard and it came back w/ mustard. i was on my lunch break during the week and only had an hour, but i can not stand anything w/ mustard on it, so i had to send it back. 15 minutes later it came back w mustard on it. i didn't think it would come back w/ mustard on it again, so i took a bite before i found out it had mustard on it. i didn't want to make a scene, but i also didn't want to starve the rest of the day, so i asked them to take it back again. the 3rd time it came, there was no mustard, but the meat had a chunk taken out for when i bit into it. i mean i could tell they were my bite marks. the waiter said he was really sorry, and took it back again. the 4th time it came out right. i didn't ask to get comped for the meal and wasn't offered it either. that didn't bother me. it was the 3rd time, when they just took the meat and put it on a clean bun. i like hoovers, but unfortunately they lost my business having to correct there mistake four times. read more

I have been to this establishment once before and spoke highly of it. But, this last time was an experience that I will never forget and I would caution others to take into consideration before stepping in. Food is good yet the service was a story of its own. We had a waiter (Mark) who started off on a bad note when my mother asked him if the lemonade was fresh and he decided to respond with a smart ass remark by saying, No, it's 6 weeks old! First thought that came to mind, was this guy born stupid or is he trying to work at it? I should have asked the question in simple terms, Is this minute maid or freshly squeezed lemonade? As lunch was served, my order was wrong; therefore, I advised the server that this was incorrect which he proceeded to fix. No big deal until our idiot waiter comes back and says, I don't know what they (back staff) are doing, they must be on a Mexican holiday! Are u kidding me! Not only was this a racially stereotypical slur, but very insulting to me considering my mother is from Mexico and having lunch with me at that moment. What was most disheartening is knowing the fact that this is a minority owned establishment; therefore, I will give Hoover's the benefit of the doubt for this experience. But, I assure y'all that I have no respect to whom is handling the hiring. My tab was nearly $50 to be have an idiot as a waiter who made stereotypical racial comments. I have had better experiences in less diverse areas through out the United States. I truly never expected that in the most liberal city of Texas! When such instances take place, the food is no longer worth it in my opinion. So, I only ate a small portion and left the rest and proceeded to eat once I got home. Never again will I waste my money at this eatery! read more

Mr. Hoover, I have been dining there since you opened and as well at your 183 location when it was open and also at Good Eats Café. I know you to be hard working and passionate. I will continue to keep coming but there are issues (and great accomplishments as well) that are brought up in your reviews that are consistent. I think if you read them and root out the negative stuff you have the makings of an Austin institution. Some of the reviews are from haters and you can usually tell those but I write from an earnest position as I know of your life long dedication to your business and food. Thank you for the follow up and for that I upgrade you a star to four read more

greeezy chicken fried steak,low quality meat,couldn't eat it,sort of tired of all the keep austin weird stuff,how about raise the level,it is 2008! read more

Excellent food and service. Will definitely return. What really needs to be discussed is the kindness and grace shown to other customers. I was able to observe the host greet a number of guests who had varying degrees of visual impairment. This young man treated each respectfully and offered appropriate assistance to each one so that they and their service animals were comfortable in a crowded restaurant with a 20 minute wait time. His poise in leaving the host stand and assisting each patron then returning to his duties also let me know that he had confidence in the owners/managers support in leaving the stand to provide assistance. In a harsh world, his awareness and grace made my morning. I'm sold on this restaurant. read more

yup, this is southern cookin! delicious soul southern cooking. I loved the location in SA which was closed to due to some robberies and bad location. where do I start ??? I always start with some lemonade to drink, which comes in a huge pitcher sized cup (in Texas everythings BIGGER?? :) and the rolls they bring are kick ass! either cornbread rolls or this cinnamon-y sweet roll with butter, yum! as far as ordering, if your not hungry, share a dish, because the plates are HUGE. I lovvve, the elgin sausage here but I really stick with the meatloaf (you haven't had any like this) or the chicken fried chicken, with of course some mashed potatoes, or cheese gritz, or (on the days they have the special sides) get the butter beans....damn, those beans are the most savory side dish. all the veggies here are good, and even for you vegans, there is a vegetarian menu. if the enormous sides and huge entrees are not enough for you, their is a sleuth of home made pies to choose from, or the brownies they serve ? oh my! warm fudge brownies w nuts and ice cream. these guys have got it all right, down to a tee. i would like to meet the person who doesn't enjoy this place. read more

I really enjoy this place. Before moving to Texas, I didn't know what chicken fried chicken or chicken fried steak was. Boy, have I been missing out!!! The chicken friend chicken is massive and comes with two very generous sized side dishes. I always manage to completely clean my plate every time I go here. I usually always order the chicken fried chicken, but when I'm feeling a little bit more adventurous, I'll order the pork ribs, which are surprisingly good, or the meatloaf, which is also quite tasty. I've also tried the chicken dumplings here, which are out of this world!!!!! It's not a regular dish on their menu, but I forget which day of the week they serve it. It is a must-try if they are serving it. I also like the collard greens here-they taste a little sweet. I don't like the mac n cheese though-it always tastes so bland and dry. Service has always been consistently good every time I've been here. read more

I have lived in Austin for 12 years and met some friends to eat at Hoover's for the first time on Sunday evening. I was impressed at how quickly we were seated and served because they were crazy busy. I enjoyed the Cajun charbroiled catfish, mac n cheese, kale with beets salad and black-eyed peas. I was pleased with the quantity of food for the price. I thought the sides could have been warmer. I decided to go back for lunch the next day. This time I enjoyed a tasty Beet-a-Rita before ordering. Corey, my server, was attentive and kept checking back to see if I was ready to order. I had chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, green beans and the kale with beets salad again because I loved it the day before. Everything was tasty, but I felt that the lukewarm sides could be better if they were warmer. Also, if the bread selection was warm, it would be better. I decided to save the kale with beet salad for work the next day. I enjoyed it in the morning until I was almost finished. I was sadly disappointed to see a small roach floating in the oil. Needless to say, my days of dining at Hoover's was short-lived. An older building needs to be sprayed on a regular basis. I also think that a person should be assigned to completely check the food; especially produce so this doesn't happen. Too bad that Austin has not instituted a rating system as other states have adopted to keep restaurants in check for cleanliness standards. read more

Some of the best chicken fried steak I have ever had and the friendliest wait staff in austin.

Has Hoover's management changed...what about the Chef??? Food is not the same, quality and taste has gone down. Service from wait staff, excellent! Service from cashier, excellent!! read more

It seems to me that anything you order off a menu should be delicious, whether it be a cookie or a chicken quarter. In this case a burger was the source of my disappointment. A simple medium rare burger... a burger that came out not medium rare but well done. Wait let me rephrase that, It wasn't well done it was a blackened piece of rubber that actually hurt to bite into. It was aptly named the "Backyard" burger, that's where I would normally find it... In the backyard, in the trash pile. I know some will say that I should've ordered some soul food but this goes back to my original statement. Anything on your menu should be delicious. What a huge disappointment and a waste of money. Whoever was behind the grill should get a lesson on how to cook a simple burger. The only redeeming aspect of this experience was the cordial server and host. Unfortunately this has turned me off from goin back and trying anything else. Absolute trash. read more

This place was a disappointment. We came here 3 years ago and had their chicken fried steak and was very dissatisfied with the entire meal. But that's beside the point. Today now with an 11 month old decided to give it a try again hoping it was just the cook that ruined my last experience. So ordered sides like buttered carrots, they were hard and under cooked to hard for baby to eat and green beans which had no flavor and finally broccoli, was the deal breaker while I was feeding this to my son I tried a bite and it tasted gritty so I picked it up and looked under it and there was a dirt substance I smelt it and it had a raw fish smell. We were not happy so called the manager over and he didnt seem to understand that he exposed a baby to raw fish he then came back with the ticket and only offered half off of one meal, $5, which was an insult. Hopefully this doesn't affect my son in a negative way. And by the way wasn't just the cook the whole meal was a big disappointment again. Won't be back EVER. read more

This restaurant has gone down hill, ordered a turkey avocado sandwich it was nasty, turkey had too much fat and the avocado was hard and only just a small slice. The prices are just to high for lunch. read more

Just went for the Thanksgiving dinner. Hour and a half wait so I ordered to go. All of the staff were working so hard! Ordered a glass of wine while I was waiting because I figured it would take a while. My order was ready before I finished the wine, this could be a good thing or a bad thing! My dinner was sooooo delicious! I even have enough for another meal. This is obviously the best Turkey Day gig in town!!! read more

This is the epitome of comfort food! You can just taste the Love in every bite! Everything I've had there is delicious and reasonably priced. The service is always friendly and attentive. read more

After a visit to the Johnson presidential library, we asked a volunteer where to eat. She recommended Hoovers. It is only five minutes from the library.the explained to us that everyone is homemade. It is country food at its best. We had the ribs and my granddaughter had the country fried chicken. Each main comes with three sides. There must have been a choice out of 15 sides, we had candied yams creamed spinach, tomato cucumber salad. My grand Daugherty had Mac and cheese and mashed potatoes. It comes with sweet potato biscuits and corn bread. The dessert menu is extensive too. We were so full we took ours to go for later tonight. We ordered peach cobbler, pecan pie,and coconut creme pie.service is good and friendly. read more

Very good chicken fried steak, maybe the best in Austin. For an extra $2 you get two portions. Creamed spinach quite good. The potato salad was fresh but lacked much flavor. Decent margarita. I was disappointed that they charged an extra $3 to share an entree; I can't even remember the last time I ate at a restaurant that charged for that. If they want to charge extra to share, they should have senior citizen portions, as we don't each as much as we did when we were young. I might have considered 5 stars if not for that extra charge. read more

The food was meh. I had high expectations. The service was good though. Our waiter was very attentive and recommended dessert, which we tried. The chocolate cream pie was just okay. I ordered the catfish po boy sandwich. The sandwich was huge, so the portion sizes are excellent. You could definitely share an entree. I didn't like the shredded lettuce/mayo mixture that was piled on the sandwich. It overpowered the catfish. The coleslaw was good. The "housemates" sides were relatively small. However, the entrees are huge, so it balances out. My sister ordered the chicken fried chicken. She loved it. I had a bite and it was very tasty. She ordered mac&cheese and baked beans. She didn't like either. I was hoping the mac & cheese would be piping hot and cheesy, but it was lukewarm and lumpy. The ambience is vibrant which I liked. I don't mind trying this place again and giving it another shot. I won't be ordering the mac & cheese though. When I think of comfort food--ooey, gooey macaroni & cheese immediately comes to mind. I want something creamy, cheesy, and straightforward. I'll stick to cole slaw as my side. read more

If you like fried catfish this is the place to go. Came here for lunch and it was super busy, but only had to wait around 15 minutes. The food is a-ok but is it 5 stars probably not. The chicken fried steak was smothered in a super pepper-y gravy that just took away from the integrity of the meal itself, just way too overpowering. We also were not fans of the majority of the sides: the steamed broccoli is basically a huge chunk of a head of broccoli, the mustard greens were super sweet, and the creamed spinach was too salty. The fried catfish was super tasty- light and airy and the highlight of the meal. For dessert our peach cobbler hardly had peaches in it and was mostly crust- super disappointing. Our waitress was also in "training" so service was just ok- she seemed to disappear for long periods at a time. If you're craving this type of food and are close by-this is probably the place to go. Would I go out of my way to eat here-no. My final grievance is the $1 charge per person for the "comfort fee". In my own personal opinion this fee left a bad taste in my mouth. As a business owner you should already be taking care of your employees- not adding a mandatory fee per head to supplement that. How do we know for sure you are not profiting off that extra earned income? read more

First off, I have been I Austin since the mid 90s, and I have been going to Hoover's for the most of those years. They are my go to place for country cooking ( I think Threadgills is way overrated ). Alexander Hoover seems like a great guy, and a accomplished Chef. However, I had out of town guests in yesterday for my son's graduation and had a not so great experience there....embarrassed as I recommend the place highly , and told my guests they would really like it. This is the type of food they are into, so I thought they were in for a treat. Anyhow, we arrived there after the lunch rush so it was steady, but not overly crowded. The food took forever to come out...where it got uncomfortable sitting there. I asked the hostess to check since I had not seen out waitress, but she was little help. When the waitress came I asked her and she just said it is coming. I then asked if we could have corn bread that is normally there on the table, and was informed that " it comes when the food comes out ". I asked if we could have it before the food as we were hungry, but I guess this was not an option. Food finally came out and was mediocre and luke warm compared to how it normally is. My fiance had one of her sides missing and when asked she was told that this (green beans ) did not come with it. She said it was one of the sides she ordered...and was missing a side...so they finally brought it out. So , our guests said all was fine....but again was just a bit dissapointed that they had to experience this after a long flight. Mr Hoover, I like your restaurant and used to even go to the location on 183 when it was there. However , please step it up a bit on the service. I will assume the fair to poor food quality this day was a fluke...... read more

Great service, great chicken fried steak, mustard greens and macaroni and cheese!! Can't wait to try the other items on the menu!!