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Hard Times Cafe Watch Hard Times Cafe co-founder Fred Parker in a legendary video shoot that has come to be known as "The Fastest 3 Minutes in Chili History." This is our history, and we are proud of it. Our "Kid in the Tub" logo has become famous. Many people ask where it originated. The design itself was taken from a photo (displayed in our stores) that Fred and Jim's father took of a quiet tow-headed kid sitting in a tub back on the ranch. The significance of this image is that the steel wash tub represents the hard times of the past while the boy represents the hope for a better tomorrow.
Services
Hard Times Cafe in College Park has been a local favorite since opening its doors in 1999. Serving families, local neighborhoods, the College Park business community and the University of Maryland, Hard Times Cafe something to satisfy all appetites.
Dine in our family friendly Chili parlor and cafe, shoot some pool, in our billiards hall and catch the latest in our sports with a cold beer. Whether it's lunch time or late night when you walk in that door, you're family! Take- Out, delivery and patio seating available!
Our chili bone fides consist of a family recipe passed down from our Texas trail drive cowboy grandfather whose eldest daughter, our Aunt Erma, used it in her roadhouse on route 281 in Gracemont, Oklahoma back in 1949. She always bragged about how folks would drive the 50 miles from Oklahoma City just for a taste of her chili. Before she died she wrote the recipe down on paper and gave it to us. It now resides in our safety deposit box.
Our recipes are authentic and historically correct versions of the chili created on the turn-of-the-century cattle drives of the Southwest and in Cincinnati chili parlors of the Midwest. Soy flakes cooked in a tomato base with fresh mushrooms, onions, green peppers and jalapenos. Choice of chili with cheese and sour cream wrapped in a tortilla, topped with more chili and cheese, lettuce and tomatoes. Three soft tacos with seasoned grilled chicken, cheese, tomato-corn salsa and jalapeno ranch dressing.
Reviews (20)
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Russ Z.
Jun 30, 2022
Just over 1 hour before closing and they won't serve for. Disappointing to say the least. I guess business is not needed.
Nancy H.
Jun 28, 2022
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.
Jun 21, 2022
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.
Ann R.
May 04, 2022
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.
Tinkk C.
Mar 24, 2022
Good tried the fried pickles for the first time Loved them will come back for more Giving 4 stars because my wings were not the wings I ordered not to bad though
Cindy P.
Jan 24, 2022
Quality of food was very poor and greasy. Take out containers were plastic and did not hold heat well. Would not recommend. Probably are much better choices in the area. Beware: On top of everything, when you order online, they expect a tip. There is a choice: 15%, 18% and 20% or no tip. It does not give you the option of adding a custom amount. Tip for takeout?
Brian G.
Nov 27, 2021
My family was seated by a hostess at 1:10 on a Saturday afternoon, waited 20+ minutes for a waitress to acknowledge us, and then left. No greeting. No drinks. Instead we ate next door at Mama Lucia where they promptly greeted us, took our order and served great food. If this is the service Hard Times Cafe now offers, it makes sense why so many of their locations have closed.
Marky B.
Nov 03, 2021
Outstanding food and the deep fried cornbread desert is a must eat for sure. I can honestly eat hear every week and it will never get old.
Cheryl T.
Aug 01, 2021
First time here in decades. Inside not renovated since then. Food is standard. Met a friend. Ate outside. Had chili despite the weather and a piece of cornbread (dry) as did friend. Other friend had chicken wrap which they ate half of. Waitress nice.
Vincent T.
Jul 28, 2021
Terrible sat for 15 minutes listening to the waiter talk and not service us. As we walk out the host says "have a good day" like we were satisfied terrible, time stamp 7/28/2021 at 7:37pm.
Rachel T.
Jul 25, 2021
I can't tell you my rating. I went in at 8:30. Despite what it says on the door and their website, I was told they were closing at 9.
Colleen T.
Jun 12, 2021
Service was great. They have 50% off margaritas all day on Thursday! The food was a tad on the salty side this time, which was a bit disappointing.
Chelsea A.
Apr 14, 2021
Wow! We went here on a. Date night and it was delicious. We had Izzy as a server and I'm so glad we did. She was always there asking how our food was; and it was delicious. I've never been a large fan of chili but theirs was amazing. I order the chili taters with the Cincinnati chili and it was so good. The leftovers were even better. My husband ordered the cheddar chili burger (also the Cincinnati chili) and loved it.

We had Old Bay wings for an appetizer and they were also amazing. They were crispy with the right amount of seasoning. As individuals who were raid ones in Buffalo, NY: finding wings that can compare is extremely difficult. But these were right on par. They had inside and outside seating and were strict to the COVID rules.
Cabrail S.
Nov 27, 2020
I've only had their original texas wings through carryout but they were pretty damn good and the staff is friendly. No complaints.
Ronald L.
Oct 24, 2020
I ordered the NY steak dinner, first of the price says $14.99 and I was told the price changed but the menu is showing otherwise, didnt feel like arguing so I paid for it got home and my steak was burnt to the point it tastes bitter, tried to cut the burnt part off but the burnt smell is so much had to trash my dinner. waste of $20
Tyron H.
Oct 08, 2020
Better than I expected. I ordered the inferno wings with fries and a side order of chili. All of the items were good. Surprisingly, the wings weren't over-processed. The inferno wing sauce, on the other hand, needs some work.
Darlene K.
Sep 28, 2020
Someone recommended the chili! (). don't waste your time! I've never known chili to not have beans, heck, I've never known chili to not have beans nor chili seasonings. "Chili" from this place was JUST (and ONLY JUST) ground beef-- I'm not exaggerating. Made lemonade out of lemons, came home and made nachos with the un-CHILI-seasoned ground beef--- my nachos were amazing! Chili = waste of $22!
Peter P.
Jan 05, 2020
This is a old school classic joint that im surprised is still around. I used to come here in the early 2000s when I went to UMD and was happy to find that this place is still around in 2020. Food here is still good and cheap as I remember it. My go to order of grilled texas style wings and chilli nachos are still great! TIP: get wings grilled, you'll be much happier.

The prices havent much changed which is also nice. The service here is still very friendly and welcoming. Plenty of parking and enough tvs to catch whatever sports game is on
Carmen M.
Oct 31, 2019
This is the place for chili and great pub fare. They offer a taste test chili sampler. Really smart to have that preview. My mom and fiance are big meat eaters & surprisingly loved the vegetarian variety best. All 4 small bowls were great though. You have to option to order burgers with your choice of chili, and basically chili everywhere if that's what your heart desires. Also-- you MUST order the onion rings!

They have a lot of booths and they aren't bad, but aren't the most comfortable. It's not anything to keep you away. The wings are really good too. They're big, seasoned well, and taste fresh. I love the old bay wings with the crisp celery. It's a fun atmosphere, western theme, and has a nice bar section. It's a fun place to hang out with friends, for a date night, and is also family friendly. The community parking lot is pretty big and easily accessible. I definitely recommend this place if you're looking for some good food in a fun atmosphere.
Gary H.
Jul 04, 2019
Pros: Friendly Staff Fresh very good food Great parking Cons: None Our first time here, my wife and I were looking for somewhere different to go so we drove around and stumbled onto Hard Times Cafe. We found the place very clean and the staff extremely attentive and Friendly. We watched all the staff and they all remained very busy and they seemed to have a very well oiled system to ensure your food was served fresh and hot.

We love the fact that you can watch them make your food fresh right in front of you if she as seated in the bar code area. Chrissy our bartender was wonderful, she even gave us a sample taste of a cocktail that we never had before prior to buying it. We ordered thier Texas Chilli Nachos which were different but very very good, there were goodies throughout not just on top. My wife also ordered The Sante Fe Rolls which were also very good I definitely recommend this place.