Hard Times Cafe
| Address: | 1117 Nelson St, Rockville, MD 20850, USA |
| Phone: | +1 301-294-9720 |
| Site: | hardtimes.com |
| Rating: | 3.9 |
| Working: | 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 12–10PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 14
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AdMan The Lab Rat
STICK WITH ORDERING THE CHILI - Everybody goes home happy tonite. An American Chili Parlor in Rockville.- STICK WITH ORDERING THE CHILI Pick any one of the four Chilis, and you have a winner, the less you add the better it is. (Some folks combine them, we dont, we just get a quart of another one to take home.) Skip the MAC, add some CHeddar CHeese, SHare/split a side of onions and or Jalapenos. Served with a hearty piece of cornbread.. Start with a chili sampler (its free) if you are new or unsure. GRILLED WIngs - any flavor - there are no words to describe this local favorite. TIP:When ordering a bowl of Texas, it;s best to ask for it Double eXtra Dry. With a side of Fritos and... A large Draft Root Beer., The service is hit or miss, usually it is fine rarely great mostly good and can sometimes be really bad. The further you stray from the Chili the worse your experience will be. Focus on politely resolving the issue and you will leave happy.
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A Private User
I visited Rockville on business. I ordered the New York Strip steak on the phone. I couldnt substitute the cole slaw for anything except extra fries. The location wasnt too difficult to find with my GPS. I was greeted by two very friendly youngsters, who sent me to the bar to pick up my order. The restaurant is extremely casual and was about half-occupied. The bar staff was friendly and there wasnt an empty barstool. Payment was quick and I was on my way. When I opened my bag in my hotel room I realized I had no utensils. Luckily, I had plenty of towels to wipe my hands after eating. The steak was okay. It had more fat and grisel than I like and didnt have much flavor. It was a healthy portion, though. The fries were also okay. They didnt have much flavor either.
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A Private User
Not pleased at all. Bad service, bad food, and worst of all, not sanitary! You are not welcomed by the teenage hostesses as you walk in but instead stared at as if you are an inconvenience. If you order take out, the bar is in no hurry to acknowledge you nor give you your food before it gets cold. They keep the cornbread in a large bin near the bar, and employee after employee dips their bare hands into the bin to grab cornbread and slap it on your plate. Worst of all, my friend ordered their chili to go, got home, and there was a medium sized COCKROACH at the bottom of the chili. What a great seasoning to add, Hard Times! Never ever going back, have warned all my relatives and friends.
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A Private User
Walked in extremely hungry with my mother for a midweek lunch. Started off with low expectations, and they werent even close to being matched. If i could give 0 stars as a rating i would. The chili was greasy, dry, and about 10 times too salty. I ordered the nachos with texas chili on them, and could only stomach 4 or 5 chips total, despite my hunger. As if the food was bad enough, the service was almost as bad. The waitress couldnt have been less attentive if she tried, and when she asked if we were done we said "the entire meal was so salty and dry it was inedible" and yet she still brought the check and glossed right over our complaint. Worst $24 I ever spent.
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Roy Jaquez
The chili is done right! So Im from Texas and my opinion of chili is very restricted and this is the first place up here in the North that gets it right. No tomatoes, no beans, just meat and seasoning. They have a couple to choose from, but I prefer to mix the Terlingua Red and the Texas together for the perfect mix. Now, because this is real chili, there is going to be a little grease, but they have amazing cornbread to sop that up! The grilled chicken wings dusted with the Texas seasoning is amazing. The house beer on draft cools the palate after this tasty treat. Stop by to warm up your soul.
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Deb Korth
The food is consistently good, tasty and varied selection. The wait staff is friendly but usually not enough staff to accommodate a busy lunch/dinner crowd. Hence my lunch (simple chili 5 way) was orders at 12:15 and arrived at 12:40....I should mention the chili is in large vats ready to put on a plate. The draft root beer is awesome and the prices are a little high. They plate the chili on appetizer sized plates and it is extremely hard to eat without dropping some think off your fork and it ending up on or near your clothes...
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Michael Stadnicki
Best grilled wings in town, hands down. This place is a no frills dive at its finest, offering some excellent wings, some solid straight forward beers, and simple service. The Texas Original is the bomb, as is the Old Bay. They come out nice and crispy. I also highly recommend the Fried Pickles. Have been coming here for years, and dont see any reason to stop. For game day - TVs are limited and in some really strange spots. Just as a heads up this is not like a BWW type sports bar with every game on.
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A Private User
You either like traditional, historically accurate chili or you dont - but Hard Times does chile right! If you like bland chili filled with flour (crummy fast food style) then you may find this chili to be too greasy (because its made of beef!) and expensive (because its made of beef). If you order something other than chili, it probably wont blow your mind, but I dont usually get a mani/pedi at the dentist either.
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Rita Sayers
If you come here for the first time, make sure to get the chilli sampler so you can decide which one you want. I personally like the Terlingua the best, add some cheese, onions and jalapeños and it is super yummy! I like to get the corn bread also to complete the meal. Hard Times Cafe is very interesting in that I have brought several friends here and they either really enjoy it or dont like it all.
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Derek Donnelly
The kid behind the bar was polite and attentive. Chili was fair but the burgers look great. Ill try one next time should i dare to go back. The place is filthy. The front door is so dirty that it will make me think twice about returning. Layers of gook. Just wash all the places customers touch including the front door. Lazy.
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A Private User
The staff and manager were genuinely interested in giving you a hard time here. None of them were happy to see a customer walks in at all. We had chili and chicken wings, all mediocre. The service is the worst I have ever seen anywhere. Won’t recommend it to anyone and will not go back again.
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Charlene Payne
Absolutely awful!! I ordered Cincinnati chili. It came to me cold. I asked the waitress to heat it up. She got another bowl and it was still COLD!! Unbelievable. So then I asked her to nuke it. Quality of food sure is horrible. Sorry Hard Times Rockvilke but you need to step up your game!!!
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Scott Clausen
A great local diner. The food is solid, not spectacular, unless you get the chili. Chili is fantastic. Burgers are okay, but the buns add nothing, maybe ask for them to toast them. Decent beer selection. Place is relatively inexpensive especially considering the large servings.
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Nick Strocchia
If youre a chili fan, I dont know of ANYWHERE on the East coast you can get a killer bowl of chili at a premium price. This neighborhood establishment has roots and is second to none! This is a gem of Rockville and I know theyll be around for many years to come.
