Nice place to get together but not the best for an efficient group outing. We came with a group of about 12 people and had to wait 45 minutes after ordering before the food came out, and this was on a weekday during lunch. I think that is a long wait for casual food. The food is fine but not consistent, I've been here twice and ordered the same thing both times, but the first time it was definitely less food. It's a decent place for casual get together though and they have nice happy hour deals.
tyler Kubler
I always come back when I visit MD for work. Big portions and reasonable prices. Can't get enough of the terlingua red chili. Love it. Huge fan of the frito pie! They also have a very good habanero hot sauce that actually has some heat to it, which is fantastic.
Moiria D.
Went to lunch with the work crew' Food was really good! Kudos to the cook!! Great place for satisfying meal!
Aref D.
Lisa our server was spectacular. She was speedy, professional, and friendly. Restaurant was clean and inviting. Vittles were gosh-darn delish!
Chris W.
Not great. They need to work on cleanliness. I know it's hard to keep staff, but cleanliness is the minimum. Gnats on the walls and dusty dining areas.
Eric B.
Staying at local hotel, walked on over thanks to recommendations. Very good chilli and awesome service. What I needed after a day
Therron Brown
A tiny homeatyle Cafe. Great simple food and service. I had the chili dog it was very good. Had the chili sampler as well. All the chili are different and tasty in their own unique way. A good place for a quick bite. Our server was Sarah. She was very good. We enjoyed our visit and will return.
Michael Kollar
This place is fantastic. The staff was great and helpful. The chili was excellent, with great flavors.
Scott E.
In the dystopian world of Chad Stahelski's John Wick, fluttering pigeons disseminate information so as to avoid the watchful eyes of the High Table. But what if, instead of eating the legions of street worms summoned by incessant downpours of rain, those cooing network protectors of Lawrence Fishburne's King Lear-like Bowery King opted instead for the succulent spaghetti of Hard Times Cafe's four-way or five-way Chili Mac, topped by onions, cheese, optional beans, and chili from the schools of Texas, Cincinnati, Vegetarian, or, perhaps most appropriately for the balletically bullet-soaked tunnels, streets, and back alleys, Terlingua Red? Would the messages still reach their intended recipients and destinations? At the College Park, Maryland location of Hard Times Cafe on Cherry Hill Road, the flights or flocks of pigeons might find themselves swarmed by stomach-growling patrons, all too eager to surrender as many coins as it takes to ease their hunger.
Limor R.
Came in around 445 PM. Ordered two appetizers. 30 minutes later the server comes back to tell me the nachos are now out and do I want anything else? I said bring the wings bc we're so hungry at this point and I'll look at the menu. 15 minutes later nothing, no wings or a menu or the server.. so we decide to leave. I find the server and tell him we're leaving bc it's been 45 min and still no wings and he said "ok bye!" And turned around. Two other tables left with no food that afternoon. We all went next door and actually got food and service.
It makes me sad to write this as we have been coming to Hard Times for years when camping. Our recent experience was terrible. When we walked in (3 adults and 3 children) there were only 3 other tables in the restaurant. It took 20 minutes to get our first drink after ordering them and an app and food for the youngest child. At that time we placed the rest of our order and immediately ordered more drinks knowing what the wait was going to be. When the bacon cheese fries arrived the fries were undercooked. Next my husbands dinner arrived and nothing else. There was a good 20 minutes before the rest of our food arrived. When it made it to the table everything was cold. The chili on the 5 way chili Mac had no flavor and the chicken sandwich was extremely salty. We do understand COVID has made staffing difficult and do not mind waiting extra time if the food is good sadly not the case here. I will say the one positive was our waiter who was very nice. I hope things can turn around as this truly was one of our favorite places.
Nicholas B.
You don't really ever see chili Mac on a menu, and when you do, the chili is only ever cincinatti chili, which is gross in my opinion, chili shouldn't be sweet. While hard times cafe has cincinatti chili, there are 3 other chilis to choose from. It was absolutely amazing. I feel like this place is a little hidden gem in the area. Service was good and prices were fair. They also have their own hot sauce and chili vinegar that you can buy. I bout got a chili vinegar to go, which is really nice.
M B
I love hard times chilli mac (chilli over spaghetti). We each got the five way chilli minus the cheese. I had half Cincinnati, half Terlingua Red. My wife had half Terlingua, half Vegetarian. It really doesn't matter what kind you get, they are all delicious.Prices are still very reasonable for a LOT of food.Service was great and we had a nice table on the outside patio.Hard Times never disappoints.
Don Knieriem
This is a great spot for delicious pub food... especially their signature chili. Some of the best chili I've ever had... with multiple options of spiciness and flavor... with or without beans... and served alone by the bowl, or accompanied with things like burgers, hot dogs, salads and wings. Nice cozy dimly lot atmosphere, and super friendly table service. Also a full bar with some good craft beers.
Ann R.
This place is definitely an okay place to go. I don't think I'll ever crave this place, but I definitely won't leave hungry. I came here for a friend's birthday lunch with a small group and one of us absolutely loved it here. He loved the small town vibes and the sheer monstrosity of food you get in one serving. We got the chili nachos as an appetizer to share and we devoured it in under 5 minutes. I'll give it to them, their chili is pretty good. I got the grilled chicken sandwich and it was decent. There was a little too much bread so I ended up just eating the sandwich without it. Maybe if they heated up the bread or toasted it, it could have been better. Service was good, we were tended to well and our waitress was very friendly.
Nice place to get together but not the best for an efficient group outing. We came with a group of about 12 people and had to wait 45 minutes after ordering before the food came out, and this was on a weekday during lunch. I think that is a long wait for casual food. The food is fine but not consistent, I've been here twice and ordered the same thing both times, but the first time it was definitely less food. It's a decent place for casual get together though and they have nice happy hour deals.
I always come back when I visit MD for work. Big portions and reasonable prices. Can't get enough of the terlingua red chili. Love it. Huge fan of the frito pie! They also have a very good habanero hot sauce that actually has some heat to it, which is fantastic.
Went to lunch with the work crew' Food was really good! Kudos to the cook!! Great place for satisfying meal!
Lisa our server was spectacular. She was speedy, professional, and friendly. Restaurant was clean and inviting. Vittles were gosh-darn delish!
Not great. They need to work on cleanliness. I know it's hard to keep staff, but cleanliness is the minimum. Gnats on the walls and dusty dining areas.
Staying at local hotel, walked on over thanks to recommendations. Very good chilli and awesome service. What I needed after a day
A tiny homeatyle Cafe. Great simple food and service. I had the chili dog it was very good. Had the chili sampler as well. All the chili are different and tasty in their own unique way. A good place for a quick bite. Our server was Sarah. She was very good. We enjoyed our visit and will return.
This place is fantastic. The staff was great and helpful. The chili was excellent, with great flavors.
In the dystopian world of Chad Stahelski's John Wick, fluttering pigeons disseminate information so as to avoid the watchful eyes of the High Table. But what if, instead of eating the legions of street worms summoned by incessant downpours of rain, those cooing network protectors of Lawrence Fishburne's King Lear-like Bowery King opted instead for the succulent spaghetti of Hard Times Cafe's four-way or five-way Chili Mac, topped by onions, cheese, optional beans, and chili from the schools of Texas, Cincinnati, Vegetarian, or, perhaps most appropriately for the balletically bullet-soaked tunnels, streets, and back alleys, Terlingua Red? Would the messages still reach their intended recipients and destinations? At the College Park, Maryland location of Hard Times Cafe on Cherry Hill Road, the flights or flocks of pigeons might find themselves swarmed by stomach-growling patrons, all too eager to surrender as many coins as it takes to ease their hunger.
Came in around 445 PM. Ordered two appetizers. 30 minutes later the server comes back to tell me the nachos are now out and do I want anything else? I said bring the wings bc we're so hungry at this point and I'll look at the menu. 15 minutes later nothing, no wings or a menu or the server.. so we decide to leave. I find the server and tell him we're leaving bc it's been 45 min and still no wings and he said "ok bye!" And turned around. Two other tables left with no food that afternoon. We all went next door and actually got food and service.
Restaurantji Recommends
It makes me sad to write this as we have been coming to Hard Times for years when camping. Our recent experience was terrible. When we walked in (3 adults and 3 children) there were only 3 other tables in the restaurant. It took 20 minutes to get our first drink after ordering them and an app and food for the youngest child. At that time we placed the rest of our order and immediately ordered more drinks knowing what the wait was going to be. When the bacon cheese fries arrived the fries were undercooked. Next my husbands dinner arrived and nothing else. There was a good 20 minutes before the rest of our food arrived. When it made it to the table everything was cold. The chili on the 5 way chili Mac had no flavor and the chicken sandwich was extremely salty. We do understand COVID has made staffing difficult and do not mind waiting extra time if the food is good sadly not the case here. I will say the one positive was our waiter who was very nice. I hope things can turn around as this truly was one of our favorite places.
You don't really ever see chili Mac on a menu, and when you do, the chili is only ever cincinatti chili, which is gross in my opinion, chili shouldn't be sweet. While hard times cafe has cincinatti chili, there are 3 other chilis to choose from. It was absolutely amazing. I feel like this place is a little hidden gem in the area. Service was good and prices were fair. They also have their own hot sauce and chili vinegar that you can buy. I bout got a chili vinegar to go, which is really nice.
I love hard times chilli mac (chilli over spaghetti). We each got the five way chilli minus the cheese. I had half Cincinnati, half Terlingua Red. My wife had half Terlingua, half Vegetarian. It really doesn't matter what kind you get, they are all delicious.Prices are still very reasonable for a LOT of food.Service was great and we had a nice table on the outside patio.Hard Times never disappoints.
This is a great spot for delicious pub food... especially their signature chili. Some of the best chili I've ever had... with multiple options of spiciness and flavor... with or without beans... and served alone by the bowl, or accompanied with things like burgers, hot dogs, salads and wings. Nice cozy dimly lot atmosphere, and super friendly table service. Also a full bar with some good craft beers.
This place is definitely an okay place to go. I don't think I'll ever crave this place, but I definitely won't leave hungry. I came here for a friend's birthday lunch with a small group and one of us absolutely loved it here. He loved the small town vibes and the sheer monstrosity of food you get in one serving. We got the chili nachos as an appetizer to share and we devoured it in under 5 minutes. I'll give it to them, their chili is pretty good. I got the grilled chicken sandwich and it was decent. There was a little too much bread so I ended up just eating the sandwich without it. Maybe if they heated up the bread or toasted it, it could have been better. Service was good, we were tended to well and our waitress was very friendly.