Hard Times Cafesimilar businesses >
1404 King St
Alexandria, VA 22314
Fax: 703-683-8801
(8 Ratings)
Official Website | Directions | Nearby Businesses | 
Send to Cell
Find this business under: Restaurants
- Credit Cards Accepted: Credit Cards
A magnet for chili aficionados and folks seeking an affordable meal, the Hard Times Cafe got its start in Old Town Alexandria in 1980; there are now 16 locations nationally, most in the D.C. metro area. The casual restaurant excels at making power-packed chilis in four different styles: Texas, Cincinnati, vegetarian and Terlingua red. (That last one is named for a Texas ghost town that reportedly hosted the first chili cook-off.) And even among those categories, the kitchen offers plenty of choices to customize your chili. Order it with spaghetti, with beans, atop cornbread, paired with Frito's or with a handful of toppings.
There's also plenty of other inexpensive items on the menu if you're not in a chili mood. Appetizers include chicken wings, onion rings and bacon cheese fries. A selection of burgers, grilled chicken sandwiches and salads round out the menu. Responding to America's love for the chili bowl, each cafe sells pints, quarts and gallons of chili to go, plus its sweet corn bread. You can also find Hard Times signature root beer, t-shirts, hot sauces and spice mixes.
8 Ratings and Reviews
THE REAL EATIN GOOD IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD!
Nfanmail - 06/11/2008Call me biased, because I am blessed to live less than a block away from this Old Town Alexandria institution. A left out my door and 65 paces West gets me to Chili Mecca. When I get reeeeeal hongry or if I just wanna have a beer and hobnob with the staff and whoever is at the bar, Nirvana is a very short walk away.
Food: Hard Times serves three styles of chili; Cincinnatti style, Teas, and Terlingua Red, which is Texas with a bit more kick; plus a vegetarian chili for all you PeTA types. There are also ribs, wings and such. The place is dedicated to providing the bestest and nthe mostest for the leastest amount of money with freindly service, and they succeed spectacularly on all counts.
Service: Highly accomodating family-freindly staff see to your comfort the moment you walk in. Service is speedy to rival McDonald's if nyou are ordering chili, plus you get more and better food per dollar. ribs, wings and such are cooked to order so theyn take a bit longer, but the time will fly by I promise you.
Once I ordered a mix of 1/3 Terlingua and 2/3 Cincinnatti, and the dish was served up without a quibble and at no extra charge. Special orders don't upset nthe excellent wait staff here.
Oh, and don't overlook the condiments, particularly the Hard Times Chili Vinegar and the Hard Times hot sauce. The hot sauce is the best blended habanero based sauce I've ever tasted but warning it's still pretty fiery. Both of these can be purchased by the bottle to take home.
Ambiance: The Hard Times is family-freindly and adult friendly at the same time. All the staff seem to love children and will accomodate their needs with a smile and a sincere smile at that. then bar area is a bar after all and conversations can get a bit salty; but there is an unspoken understanding that nwhen families are within earshot they must be respected and thatr rough language should be kept to a minimum in any case. "be polite" is the watchword, and the staff provides a cheerful example that i infectious enough that everybody "gets it" when they walk in the door.
If you're going to be in Alexandria as a tourist or on business or if you just live nearby, I recommend the Old Town Hard Times Cafe to your attention. I npromise you won't be sorry. Far from it!!!Add Commentexcellent cheap eat
divapickle - 06/30/2007Homemade food at a reasonable price and a fun atomosphere. Chili was amazing! If you're going as a "virgin" ask to try the sampler chili tray(at no additional charge). Service was two thumbs up! Definitely going again for my next chili craving!
Poor Service
allkink - 06/12/2007A friend and I received extremely poor service at the King Street Hard Times Cafe recently. The server who was working at the back bar practically threw our food on the bar, was nasty, and a complaint to management fell on deaf ears.
NOT RECOMMENDED!Basic, affordable, consistent
molwade26 - 05/18/2007
My husband and I regularly go to the Old Town location. There is rarely a wait of more than maybe fifteen minutes, the service is more than competent, and the food is very good (to the reviewer who complained that the chili was "salty," I would guess that your taste buds are off--I've never had that complaint, and I am VERY sensitive to salt). The restaurant is somewhat tight quarters and tends to get noisy and crowded, but it's also very family-friendly--my two-year-old son is treated well by the staff, which we like. One night, my husband ordered the ribs, and they were out, and the manager apologized by way of a $10 gift certificate. This is a nice change from all of the boring, ubiquitous chains (Chili's, Applebees, etc.) in the suburbs and a HUGE relief from the many overpriced restaurants on King Street.
Mamma
lauraross6910 - 03/08/2005Their chili is the best.I'm pregnant and have been craving their cornbread for the past week now.Very tasty chili, Pack on the onions & Sour cream and there you go!
"O.K." Chili
lawver643 - 02/26/2005Chili was salty as hell. If you like your blood pressure high and you look foward to sweating like a stuck pig, this is the place to go.
Bars
terp4law - 04/13/2000The ambiance of the original Hard Times is wonderful. I love their onion rings. Of course their award winning chili is the best. It is a nice casual place to kick back.