Horrible service allowe me to explain.... Well when me and some friends from work decided to go over to play pool and watch a football game after a long day of work we had to wait 2 hours in a chair to get serviced or attended even on a regular afternoon day we waited forever! Would not recommend at all
Review Source:We come here pretty often. The food is good, you get a lot of it and it's cheap. I tend to get the Texas chili but I have tried the other varieties and they're good too. You can get chili in a bowl, chili Cincinnati-style, chili on top of Fritos, chili on top of cornbread, chili dogs ... plus there's burgers, wings, fries, and appetizers. And a pretty good beer selection too. Not great but pretty good. My main complaint is with the bar portion. Even though it's in a separate section, the swinging doors don't do much to shield the front restaurant portion from the overwhelming smoke smell. Plus if you have to use the restroom you have to walk through the bar to get to the restrooms so you're fighting crowds of people playing pool and that smoke smell the entire way.
Review Source:Hidden behind the big box KMART is a cool bar with great appetizers and drink specials. Â My better half and I often come out here late night to soak up some bar fly atmosphere. Â The staff is always friendly, the food is greasy(as expected), and the crowd is typical bar crowd. Â There is pool in the back and the very large bar.
Review Source:Of course I would go to DC and eat Texas style chili.
Lets start w/ the actual restaurant. It looked more like a sports bar, w/ a Texas twist, than a restaurant. Theres also a pool hall in back. We sat at the actual bar, sometimes its safer.
The server/cook we had was great. He told me about the chili sampler and was very helpful. I decided on the Texas chili (really, the only way to go), and stole a few of my husbands Old Bay wings. The chili was great. Really, really good. Hot, homey, and spicy. The cornbread was decent as well. The wings were not delicious. We had them grilled and the skin and seasoning was soggy. They also tasted old. Hoping this was just a "this location" thing cuz all I hear about Hard Times is that their wings are great. So far, not so much.
Im not sure we'll be returning to this particular location.
2 stars because of food, it was just ok, nothin spectacular, for the price in the NoVa, there are so many other places at these prices with mind blowing food. I'll give them their chili was ok on taste and great on the fact there was no filler. Pool hall- gets them the extra star, chill atmosphere, smoky in there but I give em credit for all the vent fans and AC kicking hard. Pool tables could use a little tlc but $2 mugs and 1.75 refill on domestic and tables by the hour with some cool cats deserves the extra star for atmosphere..
Review Source:Went there to meet up with a friend while visiting the area, we ordered the mini elvis sliders, the boneless chicken wings (chili lime), and a southwest patty melt. I had a glass of their root beer, it was delicious. The food was good, the drinks were cold, the ac wasn't quite working, but it definitely has its charm.
Review Source:Came to this location a day after we saw the Nationals score six runs and win (which equals free wings). The wings were good (grilled!), and the Cincinnati Chili was great. Â The servers helped out party (of 5) easily. Â The restaurant itself was kind of dirty, and I put my hand in a big pile of salt while sliding into a booth, but the service and good food more than made up for it. Â I look forward to returning.
Review Source:Went back to play pool to other night. Â It was a Saturday so the place was a little busier than last time but our waitress Evelyn did a great job taking care of us. Fun atmosphere good mix of locals and the usual military people you run into around DC. Â Much more fun than Fast Eddies around the corner. Â Found our new go to pool hall. Â Now I just need to sneak in here alone and practice so I can take my boyfriend by surprise next time :)
Review Source:This place is massive! I think it's the largest pool hall I've ever been to. The drinks are not that great though. I had a captain & coke and it tasted like all coke and no captain. Plus the coke had lost most of its carbonation, so it was flat. That could be attributed to the machine that day, so no judgement. It can happen. Other than that, the waitress who was serving us was very attentive even though she had to take care of numerous tables. This place is really good for large groups of people. The crowd can get a little rowdy at night, so I wouldn't recommend coming here with small children. Also, the majority of the establishment is smoking, so if that's something that bothers you, I would skip it.
Review Source:Meh, it's OK.  I'm not terribly sure how many times I've been here over the years but I know I've never been terribly impressed.  I do like their wings and nachos while playing pool but other than that their food is pretty mediocre. Their chili's are all pretty bland and grainy so I've stopped ordering. Their burgers aren't anything special that you can't find elsewhere. The chili mac and other novelty foods should be avoided as the pasta is mush and as mentioned the chili isn't very good.  I also kinda get annoyed over the faux "dive" atmosphere they are going for though I admit later at night (in Springfield anyway) it almost turns into it.  In the end  decent place to play pool not so much on the food
Review Source:Hard Times in Old Town Alexandria is my go-to place for a good burger, especially since it has vegetarian chili for my husband.  We came to this location when a friend was in town, but it didn't seem as good.  Maybe it's because this one is so much larger and they're cooking for more people, but the quality wasn't there.  Ditto on the service which, while not *bad*, wasn't as good as I've come to expect.  It's also very loud and surprisingly dark for such a big space.  To me, this is more a place to come shoot pool and grab a burger  than a destination for food, if that makes sense.
Review Source:I love their chili. Â At all the restaurants in the Hard Times Cafe chain - you can not go wrong. Â I especially love their Cincinnati Chili.
The Springfield location is closest to my house. Â The staff is always very friendly and like I said, food is always good. Â Don't expect a bright cheery place - it's very dark and loud inside. Â Even in the restaurant part.
My only issue (other than my Chili Dog today had very little chili on it) is the Pool Hall portion of the restaurant. Â Wouldn't be a problem if I didn't have to walk through it to get to the restrooms. Â It is always VERY loud and smoky - even when I'm there with my daughter for lunch. Â I wish this location had restrooms in the non-smoking part of the restaurant so I wouldn't have to gag with my kids as I take them to potty. Â In the future, when I take my kids, I will probably stick to the Arlington, Alexandria or Fairfax locations.
Sometimes you need a place you can go for a few beers, nachos, chili, hot wings, just all the sloppy feel good food you can get and this is my place. They do it all right and the service is great. The staff is very friendly and eager to serve and the bartenders are great. The guys who work at night are pretty funny. They have karaoke on Fridays which is fun and they have a ton of big tv's around the bar area in the back to watch Football, Hockey, UFC, etc. They also have no shortage of pool tables. My only complaint with this place is the smoke in the back. The bar in the back with the pool tables is a smoking area and it gets really bad in there sometimes but if you aren't bothered by second hand smoke it's fine. They do have the front restaurant area that's smoke-free so you always have that.
Their buffalo chicken tenders are really good, and so is anything with texas chili (Nachos are the best in town hands down) and the chili taters are really good too. The servings are pretty big so plan to bring a friend or have leftovers.
I feel like I say this a lot, but when you're so drunk, you kinda just don't care where the eff you are and have fun no matter what.
Came here on a Thursday night, and it was pretty hoppin'. This sounds messed up, but I think of this spot as a place where you might wanna bring a cheap date and not give a shit about how you look or what people think of you. I like the dive atmosphere and the bartenders were pretty friendly. Biiiig plus for having Dogfish Head, my fav. Plenty of pool tables and other fun stuff to keep you busy.
And they had karaoke! Alright I pretty much rarely ever do it, but like I said, when you're drunk...you know.
I didn't think this is the type of place to get hit on, but dudes might get a little creeptastic towards the end of the night. Usually will leave you alone if they see you're with people, but maybe not? I was blatantly with someone and this dude comes out of no where telling me how he wants to bang and show me things I've never seen before. I'm not sure what these things were, but I had to pee and didn't stick around long enough to find out.
Anyways, I guess I'd probably come back, as long as I'm at least a little bit tipsy before I do.
nothing spectacular.... Â located in a strip mall...
I didn't have a hard time eating -- daily specials on weeknights.. Monday is any burger for $6.99 .. and half price bottles of wine... any bottle... Â
so with my bacon cheeseburger and my glass of malbec... there I sat.... Â
-- however I did have a hard time getting a clean wine glass...
and a hard time. getting more napkins and an extra plate...
... not to mention a hard time breathing in the smoke filled bar.. that lingered over to the dining room...
so it seems like they have tons of drink specials, if you don't mind the secondhand toxins... Â
definitely won't be back... pretty unremarkable.
UNSAFE. My nephew saw guys selling and doing cocaine in the bathroom of this place. When he pointed it out to the manager, the manager called the police. When the police got there, the manager pointed at my nephew and then at the perps. The officer did nothing to the perps and my nephew was assaulted on his way out.
Review Source:Watched game 5 of the 2012 NBA Finals here and was impressed until the DJ started his gig at 10pm (Thursday nights). Â Although his music was blasting I could still somewhat hear the game. Â
Service was definitely attentive! Â Probably a bit to the extreme as the waitresses always asked if I was okay even though I had plenty of beer ($1.50 long-necks). Â Perhaps I should have taken her up on the offer as the HEAT shot lights out in the 3rd quarter putting away my THUNDER! Â :(
Decent Springfield watering hole
When my hubby's main waitress if not working Wing Night at the H.T. FFX location, he defaults to his #2 waitress at Springfield. Â Personally, I prefer the H.T. Springfield's Inferno Wings to FFX. Â It's weird, you'd think that the wings would be the same at all the Hard Times locations, but they're not. Â The sauce is thicker, coats the wings better, and makes my taste buds sing. Â Also, the bussing staff at Springfield is on point. Â They don't let dirty plates, ash trays, empty cups linger... quite the opposite from FFX where it seems that the servers do all the bussing.
Oh, and smokers can actually smoke inside at this location. Â I'm not a smoker- However, if you come here, you'll leave reeking for cigarettes.
Great place to watch your sporting events. Â Don't be fooled by the small facade in the front, this babys got back. One of the largest pub/watching rooms I've seen. The service is what it is, the good is pretty good.
Negative star for smoking. You come out smelling like cancer, but business is business.
I'll admit I've had one too many drunk episodes at this bar, but I can say that it wasnt always me :) Hard Times isnt bad. It isnt my bar of choice in Springfield but it can be a lot of fun. The bouncers have let me get away with way more than they probably should have, thanks guys!
Thumbs up points -
-Shuffle Board!! I dont know of any other bar in the area that has shuffle board, so this is a hit.
- Skee ball - Enough said.
-Double bathrooms - They have 2 sets, one on each end of the bar. Standing in line to pee in limited here!
-Great bar food! - So good for those "Im pretty drunk I should eat something" times. I recommend the Buffalo Chicken Salad, Jalapeno Poppers, and wings (any flavor).
Thumbs down points -
- Â Shots - They are pretty spendy, so pick your poison carefully.
- Mixed Drinks - Very weak. I like my drinks to pack a punch, or at least taste like alcohol. I stray away from ordering most things mixed here. Stick with beer. Its usually on some kind of pitcher special.
There really isn't much to do in Springfield other than maybe go to Jaxx for a metal show. Â Hard times is pretty decent, especially for the slim offerings that Springfield has. Â It's pretty big, they have karaoke, good bar food(at least I thought so before I transformed my diet), pool, Â tv's to watch sports(I don't watch sports, but I believe it's still essential to bar atmosphere), cheap beers(gave up drinking, but might be useful info for you). Â
I would find out what their specials for the days are, I think they have a lunch special pretty much every day. Â I remember we went one day for the burger special and we got a burger, a huge helping of fries, Â and some cornbread for around 5 bucks, these are not McCrap burgers, they're fresh, large, and delicious, no I'm not talking about your manhood.
This is my watering hole when I want to drink beer and play pool and have bar food. The wait staff are really friendly and I know most of them by now since I've been going there ever since they opened in the strip mall in Springfield.
I like their $1 beer nights on Thursdays, well now its $1.25. It used to last till 9pm but got cut back to 8 which isnt too bad cause Im get there in time to take advantage of the happy hour.
I also come here for the UFC fight nights which is always packed and I always get the best seats.
Very large location with a good pool room in the back. Â This place always seems to have plenty of patrons, and the servers keep up. Â I usually opt for take out, and just slide in to the bar, pick up my food and enjoy the chili goodness at home.
The chili nachos are unbelievably HUGE! Â One take out serving is two meals for a guy that can eat healthily (me). Â So take that into account if you order them.
How good Hard Times is depends on what you want it to be.
As a restaurant, it's not bad. Â They specialize in chili, and the four types they have are fair. Â The prices are good, but the food is pretty average. Â I'll echo what other posters have noticed, with the bathrooms being in the back of the place, which means a trip through the smoking area and the pool room to get there. Â The service is good, though. Â For the restaurant side, I'd give it 2.5 stars.
The bar area is a different story. Â First off, smoking is allowed, so if that bothers you (I tolerate it, but wish there was no smoking), Hard Times might not be the place for you. Â But it's pretty roomy, has lots of pool tables and dart boards, and lots of TVs for the sports crowd. Â The music is there, and is loud enough to be heard, but not so loud that you're screaming at your buddies to communicate. Â Hard Times also recently added two shuffleboard tables, which (at my last visit) were free. Â And finally, while I didn't rate the restaurant side's food all that high, in terms of restaurants, it is GREAT bar food, compared to others. Â So, I'd give the bar area 4 stars.
Bottom line: Â 3 Stars. Â (If I could do 3.5 stars overall I would. Â If Hard Times went no smoking, I'd rate it a 4.)
For specializing in chili, the chili itself is actually rather bland.
Let me put it this way, I was starving and after about halfway through the chilli I was sick of the flavor. Â
I guess its kinda cool to go there to play pool and get something different than your average bar food.
Definitely a place to go hang out with your boys. Â NOT a place to take a date. Â The ladies bathroom is inside the pool hall and passing by lowly lit pool tables can be intimidating to some girls.
Although I work in Old Town and live in Landmark, when I need a Hard Times fix, I almost always opt for the Springfield location. Â
First of all, parking is MUCH easier, thanks to its location in a strip mall, with ample free parking. Â And secondly, it's bigger, so I've never had to wait to be seated, even at peak times. Â Since VA banned smoking this past December, the Springfield location is even MORE enjoyable, since they're forced to keep the doors closed to the pool hall (where smoking is still permitted), which cuts down on the noise and stench considerably.
The service is generally pretty decent and the food is a slight notch above standard bar quality. Â I've had most items on their menu, but Hard Times is really my go-to place for grilled wings and cornbread (Texas Inferno and Honey Barbecue are my fave flavors). Â I also enjoy the nachos (which is large enough to feed several people), although you may want to ask for the chili on the side, because they can get pretty greasy.
Helpful Hint: Â They give you about a dozen grilled wings per order, for the (current) price of $8.59. Â It's cheaper to order in multiple single orders, rather than opting for the 25 wings/$22.99 option. Â Not sure why it works out that way, but it does.
Caveat: My favorite "Hard Times" location is King Street. There, I said it.
Went here this past Friday, and surprisingly, got seated right away. When the waitress came to check on the first time I put in the kids' orders right away (under 4's do not deal with kitchen delays well). Their food came out within minutes and at that point, hubster and I went ahead and ordered (the Texas Chicken Sandwich for hubs, 3 way Terilingua for me). It was at that point that things went..a little wrong.
For whatever reason , it took about 10 minutes for mine and hubs entrees to come out. Maybe the waitress thought they had been brought out with the kids' food. Maybe the kitchen got bogged down. Who knows.
Extra point for the manager checking on us and making things right. And giving our little man a balloon.
Having the girl next to us dancing on top of her pool table was enough to justify the cost of admission to this place. Â I usually don't judge people, but this tiny asian girl was definitely exhibiting excellent pole skills. Â A definite 9 in my book. Â
Unfortunately I can't say the same about the pool hall itself. Â This place doesn't really take care or note the wear and tear on the tables caused by the customers - including the heels of that girls shoes.
I didn't like the fact that people were allowed to smoke within the confines of the pool hall. Â I guess I've always taken that for granted on the west coast. Â Service was terrible and can't say I expect anything else from a pool hall, but it served its purpose for a Tuesday night.
If you've read my review of Hard Times in Fairfax, please understand that it doesn't even half compare to Springfield.
Springfield has great, quick service, the bartenders are awesome (hooked me up on my birthday... like, seriously), and it's huge. Â Tons of pool tables, arcade games, and the juke box. Â Love it.
Springfield has so much more space than Fairfax, and it really makes a huge difference when you can walk around without having to push through gaggles of drunk people.
I may live in Fairfax, but if I can help it, any time I have a hankering for chili or booze, I'll try my damndest to rally the troops and head to Springfield - definitely worth the drive.
I really only go here for Caps (or Flyers...they're my favorite team but after living in VA for 16 years, I decided that rooting WITH the home team in ONE sport might be nice...doesn't hurt that DC has the greatest hockey player on earth locked up for all eternity) games. Â Just broke my own record for most words between a pair of parentheses. Â Yeah, so Hard Times does $1 domestic drafts on Tues/Thurs during NHL season. Â From 5pm to 9pm. Â And they also put out a free chilli and chips bar. Â Plus there's a newly remodeled bar with about 20 plasmas, featuring at least 2-4 of the available NHL games and then usually some 2nd-tier sport like NBA or college catfish noodling (actually, Noodling would be a 1st Tier sport in my book).
All Hard Times restaurant/bars are generally good establishments. Â Jukeboxes that alternate between booty-rap and thrash-metal. Â Springfield clientele keeps the music aggressive...I usually hear a few old school Metallica and/or Deftones songs while I'm hear. Â That's a good thing. Â The beer selection is good (though Woodbridge actually has a better selection) and will offer you a few very off the wall drafts. Â The chilli is amazing. Â I got Texas style, hold the grease (they actually ADD a ladle of grease to the all-meat chilli), add jalapenos, onions, and cheddar cheese. Â Then I drown it in the red pepper/vinegar 'hot sauce' they have on the table tops. Â Good stuff. Â Clean 'ya out though...
There are actually 2 separate pool playing zones and both feature ample table space.  I've never played here, but there's always a rack of  Asians and Latinos rockin' the tables.  It does get quite packed during the 5-9pm period, especially during big hockey games.  The neighborhood is fine.  Sometimes it may appear mildly sketchy, but I've never seen anything (except one time...ok, maybe 2 times, but neither was that bad) bad happen here.
Definitely my go-to hockey spot. Â Definitely not a place you need to look around before you light your cigarette. Â This'un is smoke-friendly. Â Again, that's a good thing. Â If I went out more often, maybe it'd be a go-to watering hole as well...
This is the location that has the pool tables on the second floor, which is a plus for my pool-playing friends.
I've been to this branch lots of times for lunch, and went there for lunch today. We tend to hit this location while we're in the area anyway, running errands. This location is way less cramped than the Old Town one. The waitstaff is friendly and fast, though some seem like newbies, like the one we had today. I also appreciate that this branch consistently gives you a FULL bowl of chili when you get just the bowl.
Anyway, I've had lots of things here in the past: wings, chili bowls, chilichangas, chili bubbas (ha!), three-ways (double ha!), fries, etc. and all have been oh-so-bad-for-you, but so good at the same time.
Today, my co-worker decided to start it off with some bacon cheese fries. What? There was no way I was going to eat that, or so I thought. They were what you'd expect. The fries were fresh with the skins on, the cheese was good, and the bacon - who doesn't like bacon? Out of four people, I think I had the most. Oops.
Of course, I didn't bypass the cornbread which I love at Hard Times. I also decided on my regular staple of vegetarian chili with fresh tomatoes and jalapenos, which was DELISH as always. I love, love, love their vegetarian chili and it's spiciness! All-in-all, everything hit the spot. Yes, I will be back again.
I've been here to hang out at the bar, play pool, and also to sit down for dinner. They are definitely known for their variations of wings and chili- go ahead and try them, no one I know has been disappointed.
If you're going to play pool, order some cheap beers, a few appetizers, and play away. It's got a really relaxed vibe, and unless you're a total Debbie Downer, you'll probably get at least a little enjoyment out of this place. You can also sit at tables and grab a few drinks and watch a game on one of the screens. There's also a jukebox- just be willing to wait a while to hear your song.
There are always tons of different people at the bar- and of course, some people that seem like total regulars (and you see when you go there your first time... and then again months later).
Go with friends for some laid back fun, food, and drinks.
Great wings (Texas Style), great chili (Vegetarian or Cinci Style). Â I recently moved out here from Ohio & had been craving these two until I rediscovered Hard Times. Â This is one of the 1st places I was at when visiting b/f the move & believe me I'll keep returning.
(However, I just discovered the new Hard Times in Fairfax & love the vibe there, too bad it's not closer to home or I'd be there more often!)
Ok, so I love the Hard Times in Old Town, what could be better than Hard Times AND pool? Â That's right folks, the Hard Times Cafe in Springfield is also a pool joint.
A friend recently moved to Springfield and we decided to use this as an excuse to check this place out. Â Who knew such a huge place could be unassumingly tucked into a strip mall off of I-95? Â Seriously, this place is huge!
We were very warmly greeted by the hostess and the manager, and scored a seat for dinner almost immediately. Â My friend noticed the sign for $1.50 domestic bottles until 8:00pm. Â Yeah, we knew what we were drinking right away. Â (I also noticed that they had about 15 beers on tap - that was pretty impressive too!)
As always, the food here is really great. Â While our server tried to entice us with one of the special summer wrap sandwiches, I stuck with what I know - veggie chili three way. Â YUM-O! Â We had our food so fast, I was afraid that it was cold or something. Â But it was hot and delicious. Â Where else can you have great food and a few beers for around $10?
The only thing that detracted from this location (and why I take away one star) is that even up front in the restaurant section, the cigarette smoke was overwhelming. Â I think they need better ventilation.
If you like Hard Times like I do, and enjoy pool, get over to this location pronto. Â The staff is super friendly, they have great specials (Free pool for ladies on Thursday nights), and of course, it's one of the best deals in town!
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