Hard Times Cafe & Cue

I’ve been here a few times with my boyfriend and his mom. The manager with the dreads is very friendly and always stops by the tables to check on customers. Food is great (especially the wings!) and they have a good selection of craft beers.

I’ve eaten here twice. Their chili isn’t my thing, personally. I realize it’s how «chili is supposed to be», but I prefer chunky chili. Their chili tastes like pureed Alpo, however.
The reason I give it one star is the fact the I ate there last night because my bf wanted to and got VIOLENTLY ILL. My stomach hurt almost immediately after eating half of the Bubba meal (cornbread & two kinds of chili — I didn’t finish because it tasted foul). As the night progressed I got more and more nauseous, and I had to leap out of bed. I got pretty hot and I ended up puking/​dry heaving for half an hour and could only lay in one position to fall asleep. Today my stomach muscles are just so sore from last night. It was 100% food poisoning, and I will never, ever go there again! If I even think too much about the food I get queasy.

We live within driving distance of the original in Alexandria so we were thrilled to see one here when we pulled in to our hotel. But oh no! What happened? We got the sampler (I always go with the Vegetarian — always because it is THAT good) but when I tasted it in the sampler it was way too tomato tasting, almost ketchupy. This is not at all what it should taste like. I opted for the T.Red. So did my daughter. We got it over spaghetti. It came and tasted funny. Plus there was a lot of liquid at the bottom of my plate. When our bill came — it said Cincinnati chili? Which would explain why it tasted off, and I can’t stand Cincinnati chili and skip it on the sampler. This die hard Hard Times fan was just so disappointed.

I have been going to this restaurant for about 4 to 5 years. I always get treated good. Food has always been good. They have a good beer selection. And their prices are very reasonable.

Delicious burgers, tots, & beer selection! Service very, very friendly & helpful. Stayed at hotel next door and ended up there every night! (Craaaaazy loud on Saturdays, FYI!).

This is by far my favorite place to get wings and beer! The staff is so friendly and the food is excellent! I was in there tonight and wanted something different but wasent sure what I wanted… The manager said he would make me something special and he came out with a chicken Parmesan!!! It was oh so good! Please put that on the menu! When I’m not in the mood for wings I get the chicken Alamo but his chicken Parmesan is so much better!

Tonight was maybe one of the best burgers Ive ever had. Juicy and cooked to a perfect medium. I was gonna get fries but the bartender suggested I try the «Fresh Beer Battered Onion Rings». He also remarked how they were hand battered not frozen like most places. Amazing!!! Is all I can say. The craft beer selection was also very good. Saw some ive never seen before, bartender also let me sample one or two. Im definatly going to be back on Wed. for $ 3 craft pints and their wings special. If your just passing through town on business its a great local spot with that good olé mom and pop feel.

Pool tables were good and reasonably prices (10.00/hr), service was awful had to get ourselves a beer at the bar while she was hugging her friends and walking past us 4 – 5 times, cooking area looked gross– chili tubs sitting out and appeared to be mishandled, lots of great beers on tap but it was clear they hand not been cleaned recently– skunk smell :/​. I was really disappointed as hard times near my home is great. Call me a snob but bar rescue would have a field day here! Would go back to play pool and only drink bottled beer.

Our waitress and BBQ the ribs we ordered were what kept this from being a 1 – 2 star review… Hostess sat us immediately, and a Smiling, Happy, Friendly waitress followed quickly behind her to get our drink order. The waitress was happy, attentive and friendly the whole time we were there. We placed our order and the food came out in a timely manner. I immediately tasted my mashed red potatoes — definitely instant or at least instant potatoes were mixed in to make it stretch. I called the waitress and told her and I asked for fries instead. No problem, she brought out a generous bowl of fries in a couple of minutes — but a lot of them looked like they should have been discarded, like they had been fried twice or were tiny pieces from the bottom of the barrel… Meanwhile I had tasted my steamed veggies — they were cold, like not even warm! So I told the waitress and her immediate reaction (correctly, I think) was ‘I’ll get the manager’. Ok, I thought, good response. The manager came over and told me to my face that they were not instant mashed potatoes. I’ve worked in food service long enough to know instant mashed potatoes. He asked if I wanted another side of the veggies and I said yes if I can have them hot. Well, he brings a bowl (again, a generous side) and basically made what I felt was a sarcastic comment something like ‘well, they’re hot now so you might want to eat them right away’. He was only a little apologetic they were cold. It seemed he thought I’d let the first ones sit too long.
Oh, did I mention that my ‘steamed’ veggies were soggy and sitting in a puddle of water in the bowl? They were obviously frozen vegetables that had been boiled, not steamed.
If it wasn’t for the fact that the BBQ Ribs were tender and tasty, the whole thing would have been a really bad experience.
And we DID have a great waitress!
I think it will be awhile before we venture back in here… maybe for the ribs…

I come in on Mondays for burgers you pick any burger they have with a side for $ 5.99 they claim their meat is never frozen they taste very good however it seems to be hard to get a medium rare one here.

The beer selection was very good and a great place to shoot pool or hang with a crowd the food kinda sucks but after a few beers you won’t notice worth a stop if you like sports bars like this.

The fish tacos are amazing!
This place is great if you like to catch some live music when they have bands playing, it can get kind of busy during the weekends. The food has always been good here. Beer is priced kind of high for the area, but it works itself out because the service is always good, and friendly.
The front is set up like a restaurant, and the back is a large bar, with pool tables, TVs and a stage.
Fun place to check out.

This place rocks. They have the best grilled chicken wings and their ribs are so good. They also have a huge selection of beers on tap and they always have great drink specials. It’s a great place to watch a game, shoot some pool, or listen to music. A nice spot for a night out in Hagerstown.

The staff is friendly and the atmosphere is laid back.

Hey, if you are passing through Hagerstown on a Friday night and are hungry, you could do worse than stopping off here for some $ 5 nachos. Thought the beer wasn’t as cheap as I would have liked (considering it’s Hagerstown). Another giant Hard Times location (like Frederick and Germantown). It’s a fun chain. There was a band setting up to play while I was eating. But fortunately I finished in time to leave before they started!

good place… however I want to qualify this review I have yet to sit in the front of this establishment but the back area (pool tables, video games, bar and TVs) are cool
they are a little pricey all in all good place –1 star for beer prices

Having sample most of the other establishments in this part of Hagerstown, Hard Times is one of the best.
Of course the Chili is good to fantastic, but tonight I tried the Salmon salad. One of the best portions of salmon, and a great crisp salad to boot!
On the fun side of the menu, try the nachos, fried pickles and onion rings. Chili is great across the board… Cinci is my favorite, but the Vegetable is good too.
Make sure you make the trek to the bar and cue — that is where the fun is, bartenders who make great impression and food recommendations.
Don’t miss this spot in Hagerstown — skip the other spots near by, and get here and enjoy a good meal!

I decided to go with a friend here for lunch. For some reason I thought it was more café type food (sandwiches, soups, etc.) I was surprised when we walked in and I found it was a chili house. I decided on a Chili Cheeseburger with the Cincinnati Chili. It was awesome! The burger was chargrilled and had tons of smoky, crispy goodness with wonderful chili piled on top. Only wish there was a bit more cheese. But it was sure messy deliciousness. The fries were also very good. My friend got the Chili Lime Boneless Wings which she said were very good. They were! I highly recommend them, this coming from a guy from Buffalo, NY! Prices were decent. Service was decent. Waitress took a little long at times, but was efficient. Will return for sure!

Stopped by Hard Times Café while doing some shopping. Greeted at the door immediately and seated. Waitress explained the menu and offered us a sample plate of their 4 chilis. They have 4 types of chili, Terlingua Red, Cincinnati, Vegetarian, and Texas
Ordered the loaded fries with Cincinnati Chili and Cheese for an appetizer. They were pretty good. I ordered a bowl of heartburn city, Terlingua Red Chili with chopped onions, jalapenos, and cheddar cheese. I really enjoyed this bowl of chili. Oh, also had a couple tall Yeungling’s. That hit the spot.
Didn’t go to the back, but saw quite a few people walking in with their own pool sticks. Don’t know how many tables, etc. Check out their website for daily specials on their monthly calendar.
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Husband and I went here for dinner once and now I can’t get him to go back even though I enjoyed it. We had a completely different experience at the same table!
Very friendly staff right from the door. Explanation of menu and Chili selections was very thorough, my husband felt it was pushy. Ambiance was fun and casual. Nice lighting and level of music and I really wanted to go spend some time playing pool but alas no time. They even have live music scheduled.
I enjoyed all the chili selections and had a tough time choosing just one. Our entrees were served quickly and my burger was delicious and cooked to proper temperature. Corn Bread was tasty with lots of flavor and the traditional crumbs were actually minimal. I enjoyed dinner and will be persuading the husband for a second go.