Highlighted a DC & MD established restaurant, now onto a VA established one. Hard Times Cafe…read morestarted in Old Town Alexandria, VA in 1980, and the original is still there with an old truck in front. See my 4-star review from July 2018. I also reviewed a location that used to be in Clarendon, Arlington, VA in September 2012, which was a 3-star. Today, there are 4 locations: 3 in VA (the original in Alexandria I've been to) & 2 I haven't as well as the only location in MD, which I have been to their Rockville location on Sunday, October 26, 2025. My girlfriend's parents love Hard Times Cafe. They used to go to the one in College Park, but it closed so they occasionally will drive much further for them to Rockville. My g/f & I were in Gaithersburg that afternoon, and her parents mentioned inviting us to dinner at Hard Times, which we agreed. It had been a while since I had been there and got samplings of the various chili. I thought I liked their signature Cincinnati chili the best, but I think I realized I liked the Texas even more. Terlingua chili was great too. I got a beer, which was good too. Service was friendly & prompt. I got a chili dog with Texas chili & fries, which were great. We also split chili nachos, which were good too. Hard Times Cafe isn't necessarily a place I'll go out of my way for, but it's a place I enjoy when it works out.

I've been Jonesing for a bowl of red from Hard Times Cafe for while. I tried to get my fix a few…read moreweeks ago on my way back from the airport, but forgot that they were closed on Mondays (my bad). I was able to stop in today after another trip - my good! My go-to since my first visit in 1985(!!!) has been their Terlingua Red. It's a little spicier than their Texas Chili, not as sweet as their Cincinnati Chili. I always get it with jalapeños and onions, and get a serving of beans on the side. (Not in the chili. My momma raised me right). Served with a soft and sweet piece of cornbread it's a tasty, quick, and inexpensive meal. Hard Times opened - and closed - a shop in my hometown a few years back, and I don't get down the road as often as I used to. Today's meal gives me incentive to make the trip more often in the future.

The fried chicken is really good! We got honey garlic and the original. They were delicious! Don't…read moreforget the radish-- it makes each bite flavorful and fresh. I would definitely go again if I'm craving Korean fried chicken :) Love the Korean music playing in the restaurant. It's a nice, chill, yet fun vibe.

The chicken is great. Don't get me wrong.,…read more (something to take note of before reading this boneless wings cost less than the bone-in wings and you get much more meat from them then you do on the bone-in wings) I got the -wings of fire -cheesling wings (ordered boneless the lady taking the order put in bone-in) -cheesling fries The wings of fire don't come in boneless for some reason. This is a downside, but they are very good one of my favorite things of them is that they have the perfect amount of spice to get me out of my comfort zone, but not be torture me.(I have an above average spice tolerance.) Cheesling wings. I normally love these things, but I normally get them in boneless. I asked for them boneless to the person taking orders. I got home and realized I hadn't gotten boneless (also bone in wings cost a dollar more. Yes, I was charged for bone-in wings. I looked at the receipt.) Cheesling fries. These were ok, but I don't think the cheese powder added much (it was very sweet. Almost gross but bearable) to them next time. I'll probably just get the regular fries. I will continue to eat from here. But I will be contacting the store tomorrow about my wings not being boneless. The ambience was OK multiple televisions playing multiple different programs and a nice looking bar. Another problem was that Maps app says that this place is open till nine but my friends and I got there at 8:30 and the person working upfront said that we have to order takeout and they don't serve food in front past eight

Came here after picking up my kid from school (they've been coming there during meal breaks). I've…read morebeen wanting to try it for the longest time, so I got take-out for my spouse and I. We got the fingers (medium), the waffle fries, the mac and cheese, and for myself, the chicken sando (hot, without the pickles and slaw, which is probably sacrilegious to some. Good, quick service, the place was a couple of steps above a normal fast food place (very clean compared to other places; music was a titch loud but not obnoxiously so), and the touch screen order system easy to use. And now to the food. First off, the spice levels are no joke. My spouse got through a finger and a half on medium before quitting, though they found it more manageable the more they ate. The hot is HOT, it definitely grabbed my attention. But it wasn't overpowering and didn't detract from the flavor of the chicken. And that chicken is GOOD. Flavorful, juicy, good crisp. One of the best chicken sandwiches I've had, hands down. The waffle fries were good (slightly soggy); dipped in hangry sauce they were very good. Really liked the mac and cheese; cheesy, good texture (better than other places mac and cheese). Wasn't a huge fan of the Texas toast but I had eaten quite a bit by that point. The spouse really liked the pickles that came with the fingers. We will be back again (though dropping down the spice level).

Solid place for a spicy chicken sandwich. The chicken sando is huge and the perfect bite. Waffle…read morefries are also good, but the fried okra is not something I would recommend. Uber Eats usually has deals here, so we order from here often.

Mixed!! The Reuben is delicious but my friend had the meatloaf and it was terrible. It makes me…read moreafraid to try anything else. Julie Harris reached out and offered to make it right. Any business that takes care of it's customers gets a 5 star review!

This was our first visit to Full On, and we had a great experience. Although there is plenty of…read moreparking, the lot can get pretty busy. The service was good, and all three sandwiches we ordered--the spicy chicken, cauliflower, and Ruby--were delicious. They were made even better with the homemade chips. We couldn't stop eating them! I would definitely return to Full On to try some of the other items on the menu.

I love these wings, they are good and fresh. The potato wedges are also unique and fresh. The wait…read moreis usually about 15 minutes per order which isn't too bad. The owner is sweet and kind, we once were a given free box of wedges to try out and they didn't disappoint. Support this location!

Good wings. Simple concept…read more This place keeps it real simple- wings, potato wedges, veggie sticks, and your choice of ranch or blue cheese. DATS IT! And if you're an all flats lover like me, be prepared to pay an extra $2 for the privilege. The place is definitely no-frills. You walk in and might wonder if you're in the right place, but the owner was polite. I ordered 8 all-flat wings (well done, or so I thought) and wedges. The flavor was good, but I asked for well-done wings and they weren't, which was a little disappointing. Would I order again? Sure. Would I go out of my way to get it? Nah.

This is a very popular Filipino spot that has been featured because of their Lechon. I came with…read moresome friends to try and man was it good! The pork belly had a super crispy skin and the meat itself was fatty and tender. Pair it with some garlic rice and pickled papaya and it made for the perfect bite. The spaghetti here was also great as it had that slight tangy/sweet flavor you look for in a Filipino style spaghetti. This is a small restaurant so I would recommend either takeout or expecting to wait for a table with how popular they are. Great Filipino food! Entrees: Fully Stacked Lechon Combo (Lechon, longanisa and a fried egg overtop garlic rice) Sides: Filipino Spaghetti

This place serves amazing Filipino food! We ordered a bunch of dishes to share among three…read morefriends--lumpia, lechon, pork sisig, and pancit--and everything was flavorful and delicious. The restaurant has a casual, laid-back setup where you order at the counter and they bring the food to your table. While ordering, we had the pleasure of meeting the owner, Javier, who shared the story behind the restaurant. His sister runs the sister restaurant, Gwenie's, and Gwenie is actually their mom! The recipes here are inspired by their family's home cooking, which really comes through in the food. We ended our delightful lunch with desserts from Gwenie's: ube cake, an ice cream cookie, and a mango cream donut. Everything was fantastic! We're so glad we stopped by and got to experience such delicious food and a little piece of their family story. Definitely a place worth visiting!

Visited here once recently. Overall, a decent experience. Placed an online order for some jerk bbq…read morewings. Was greeted right away. My order was ready. The wings were pretty good. I just happened to be in the area so that's why I ordered from here but won't go out of my way just to come here! Parking is tight but not terrible!

I come here occasionally for lunch. I like that ordering online is simple and allows you to easily…read moresee current promotions. I typically am greeted/served right away. And in the rare event my meal isn't ready it's usually served by the time I finish preparing my fountain drink mixture. My only complaint is there is usually some form of cleaning happening when I arrive from mopping to wiping down tables and whatever products they use are noticeably very strong.

I stumbled on this place wanting some fried wings after a lonnnggg day of work. This place is…read morelocated in Rockville in a shared plaza with Safeway and other businesses. Let me say, I was pleasantly surprised. Upon walking in, I was immediately greeted by the owners. It was obvious that it was my first time there so the woman was super eager to explain their menu, specialities and other specials they have. They even have catering! I told her I was there for the wings so she explained all the flavors and highlighted the top 3 flavors. She even let me sample the soy garlic, sweet and sour and the K-bbq. I settled on the soy garlic and MY GOODNESS!!! They were so good yall! This IS a Korean Fried chicken spot so do not go in there expecting KFC, bc it's not that. Quite frankly, it's 100x better!!! The restaurant was clean, organized, and very easy to maneuver in. There were several to go orders waiting, so it seems to be popular. I ordered my wings and fries to go as well. The wings were so flavorful and were still hot when I got home, thanks to how they were packaged. They were juicy but not too soft. The breading and the sauce still allowed for crisp and the garlic was not overpowering at all. So glad I went with their recommendation. The fries were also still hot as well. The owners were so nice and hospitable. If you don't come for the food, at least go to experience genuine customer service! I work around the corner so I will be back for a lunch special! I'd highly recommend this place!!! Tip: the resty is more so on the backside of the plaza facing the residential area (if you're in the Safeway parking lot).

I have been here multiple times, and the chicken has always been good. It is crispy, flavorful, and…read morehas that authentic Korean fried chicken taste. This time, I was able to talk with both owners. They were really friendly and introduced me to somaek, which was a cool experience since I had never tried it before. The staff has always been attentive whenever I have come in. They have kiosks and a cashier, so ordering is easy. There are TVs to watch, good background music, and the overall vibe is relaxed. Definitely will be back.

This place is so good for Korean chicken I would def recommend as we've frequented a few times now…read more We get the garlic chicken drumsticks which are flavored so well - and my cat agrees.

Looking for good Korean fried chicken here in MD. Just moved from SoCal. This place was recommended…read moreand we were in the area and gave it a try. A nice restaurant tucked in a plaza. Ambiance is okay but who goes to eat fried chicken for that. Tv screens showing Kpop and Korean shows. The wait staff was busy watching more than serving. And actual drink displays of what they offer for drinks were on the walls. We ordered the regular fried chicken and the super spicy one. The chicken comes hot ( temperature). The breading on the chicken is not as crispy as other places. More hard from more flour. Perhaps that's why it's crunchy thru ever bite. The spicy wings were indeed spicy. My wife who loves spicy thought it was spicy. So I knew I was going to die from them. The small amount of pickled daikon was quite small. 3.5 stars. We are still big fans of Bb.q chicken Prob won't be going back here.

My wife and I were in the area with and just happened to find this place through Yelp. We liked…read morethe photos and we haven't had really great southern food recently. When we arrived we were warmly greeted. The menu was expansive so we ordered a lot. The food was delicious. My wife said this was the best place she has eaten at since we've moved to the area. I enjoyed and it reminded me of being home. The Catfish was super crispy and well seasoned. The wife enjoyed the ribs and fried corn. The sides met the high standards of the kids especially the Mac and cheese. I would like to also highlight the variety of deserts that the cheesecakes and apple cobbler were to die for. Some of the beta southern food and I can't wait to go back.

Wow! The bbq here is spectacular! Today I ordered the half slab of ribs with a side of Mac and…read morecheese and I didn't want to put it down. The ribs are tender and each bite is packed with the flavor. They're slathered with sauce which may be off putting to some. For me, it was that perfectly fine balance between enough and flooded. Oh and the portion size? Amazing! Definitely enough to get full for dinner. Pass out for a minute then finish the rest the next day. The Mac and cheese was great. No, these aren't hand made noodles but the amount of cheese, the seasoning, evening l everything else was done expertly. If you want to save yourself an hour or two of cooking mac and cheese at home, get it here. The atmosphere here is very home cooking. It doesn't feel like it's some massive cookie cutter operation. It's nostalgic. This is what comfort food is supposed to taste like. Eating it made me think about fun times with the family back in Florida. While I made the order online, I was greeted as soon as I walked up to the counter. My order was done exactly when it said it would be done and was made with my additional request. I couldn't it be happier and look forward to many more orders and glad to have this place in the neighborhood.