Have been here twice with my grandkids for lunch after sports games. Even though the restaurant was not crowded, the service was pathetically slow. Â The food is just fine - standard Hard Times fare and consistent quality. Excellent wings.
I thought the first time was a fluke so we tried it again today in hopes of getting better service. No luck. I'd give the service 1 star and the food 3 stars. We won't be back.
The hours listed are misleading. Food stops at 9 pm! We had to learn this the hard way. Otherwise, we very much like their food, especially the Cincinnati chili mac 4 or 5 way. We went during lunchtime and things were civil and orderly. It's a good place to eat if you avoid certain days and times of day.
Review Source:Had lunch at this location on Saturday. Â It was a little after noon so the crazies hadn't shown up yet. Â That's the deal with Hard Times, good food, good value, always good people working there, you just have to get out before the drunks and party people show up. Â It can get a little rough in the evenings and on big football Sunday's. Â
So, that cleared up, I ordered something a bit unusual this time, a fish sandwich. Â It was very good, served with tarter, lettuce, tomato, onions and pickles on a crusty roll. Â I added cheddar cheese and opted for tater tots. Â Washed it down with a couple of $2 beers (their Saturday special). Â I'm looking forward to having that particular combination again. Â On top of that, as previously mentioned, the workers are always great and this visit was no exception. Â Our server was attentive and enjoyable.
My buddy got Terlingua Chili with beans loaded all the way and enjoyed it as usual. Â They've got some crazy toppings if you want to go that route. Â It's served with cornbread which is a bit on the sweet side but very good.
The only suggestion I have regards the hot dogs. Â I LOVE a good chili dog and would love to have one at Hard Times but it is not to be. Â A good chili dog has a steamed bun and the cheese is melted. Â Hard times serves the bun right out of the package, no steam, and the cheese is scattered on top with no heat to melt it other than the chili which, in my experience, has not been hot enough to do the job. Â Fortunately there are plenty of other good menu choices but man, I'd love to have a GOOD hot dog at Hard Times.
So, in conclusion, not really a family place except maybe at lunch. Â Kind of a Buffalo Wild Wings (BW3 for the initiated) but with much better food, and, if you're into it, pool tables.
I have a love-hate opinion on Hard Times. I love the food, but hate the noise and drunk scene. The pool tables are great as is the bar, but at times it is just too damn noisy if you're here just for some eats. Not everything is bar room food to Hard Times. It tries to combine a sports bar with a club and can pull it off some times.
The food is solid and consistent, and I can eat till I puke then eat again. I love the food. I love the chili, the poppers, the burgers, but not really in to spaghetti-chili. I do not find the food to be greasy as some people say on here. I think the food is pretty much the same between all the locations. In the day this was the place to get chili, but now they cater more towards the beer and pool crowd than the foodies.
However if you are there for dinner on a Friday night or Saturday night, the noise from the bar and pool hall bleed over way too hard in to the dining area and can be a bit of a put off. During the day the teens who work there can be pretty apathetic, though watching the waitress, usually in their teens get hit on by drunk college frats can be relatively amusing to say the least which may be why they are apathetic.
I now take the food to go, and would not suggest trying to bring kids here when the music is loud, the drunks are out and people want to get laid. The first HT I went to years ago did not have the games so it wasn't so bad, but the the Frederick location is a combination of a pool hall and sports bar which makes the place a little less family friendly. Still love the food though.
Hey! Â I liked this place!
Pool tables galore, space galore, and customers galore for a Friday HH. Â Was good to be able to order some chili-covered food instead of regular bar food. Â Very nice crowd - wait could that be because it's in Frederick and not MC? Â Yep, took a little road trip last Friday, a little "staycation" and enjoyed a change of scenery (mountains) a change of climate (colder) and a change of attitude (people and prices were friendly!).
Oh and the chili was all right too. Â (I had the chili nachos with the Texas chili. Â The chili was a bit salty but tasty and not too spicy.)
Also, pool is free on weekday afternoons. (Something like 1pm to 5pm - don't quote me).
Man, the food is greasy here.
I'm not a big Chili-on-Spaghetti fan: But I enjoyed it.
We have been here a couple times because kids eat free on Sundays. Â
So, we visited after church.
Both times that we visited we were served by teenagers that didn't seem to have the greatest customer service skills. Â
Yet, overall it was a decent experience.
We'll try them out again to take em up on the free-kids meals on Sundays.
Hard Times is better than meh, but not quite A-Ok.
If you like really good chilli flavors and not a ton of grease, get the vegetarian chili. Â I am NO vegetarian, but this is about the only one of their Chilli's I'll eat and it is actually quite good. Â If you're not looking for chilli at all, find somewhere else to go. Â The rest of the food is basic Sysco product (maybe not that brand, but it comes off as something similar).
They do have a decent beer selection (from what I remember) and they've hosted some cool events like a beer tasting for a local micro brewery.
All in all, fun place to be with the guys, maybe even the kids. Â BUt I don't frequent it.
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