Hard Knox Cafe

Great spot when you’re in the mood for soul food. Must try the chicken and waffles!
BBQ chicken is also very good with a side of Mac & cheese. Their cornbread is scrumptious!
Waiters are nice, prices are good, very SF like ambiance. The only downside is the long wait, but that’s normal for any good spot in the city.

Beignets, fried chicken, corn bread good
The yams and spinach seems like they come from a can. In addition the Mac and cheese is not authentic– it’s elbow macaroni and HELLA velvety fake cheese– gravy seems fake too– it was okay
Nice people

The food is good, nothing spectacular. I ordered the fried chicken with collard greens and rice and gravy. The fried chicken is a three piece leg, breast and thigh. It was good and so was the collard green (I’m not sure what collard greens are suppose to taste like but it seemed fine to me). The rice and gravy tastes a little weird and cheap to me. I also ordered jambalaya here before and it was just ok.
I’m giving it 3 stars mainly because of the service. The staff is friendly, however they always seem like they’re short-​handed so the wait is long and there’s only about 15 small tables at this joint. For example we called in one time for take out and were placed on hold for 10 minutes. While we were waiting, we decided to just walk there to see if it’s faster if we ordered in person. When we got there, we hung up the phone and waited in a line to order our food. (It didn’t seem like anyone was manning the phone). They said it would take about 10 – 15 minutes for our food to be ready. We ended waiting 40 – 45 minutes for our food. The staff kept saying the food is almost done, it’s almost done. However, I’m staring directly at the to-​go area and can see that there’s a bit of disorganization with orders. I’d appreciate it more if they would be frank and say sorry it’s gonna be a bit longer and give us a free drink while we wait. Instead they said «just keep the faith, have some faith, your food will be out soon.» Wtf?
This place is probably better to try out during the day time when there’s less people. Also, I’d say come here only if you’re in the area. It’s not worth going out of your way for this joint.

Meh, I like to think of soul food as comfort food. Fried fried goodness. There never seems to be a wait when I come here and I am not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing…
Service is pretty good. They’re nice and are really on it when it comes to refilling water.
As for the food, I think they hit it right on the nail when it comes to the fried chicken but I am not a fan of the sides EXCEPT for the corn bread. Corn bread is typically SO hard to make right without it being too dry or corny… but I would say that this place definitely has really good corn bread. It’s served warm to your table before your other food comes which is great but I would definitely be cautious of not eating too much because you will get full quick! I have gotten the fried chicken and waffles which is my all time favorite dish from here by far. Waffles are really good and fluffy. I have tried the mac & cheese as well as the red beans with rice. The mac & cheese is too cheesy and runny for me and the red beans with rice just isn’t for me.
I wouldn’t go out of my way to come here but perhaps if I’m in the area.

I never knew there was an Outer Richmond location! Had been to the Dogpatch location; but it was somewhat lack luster, I knew our paths would cross in the future.
Back to present day, I came here for a birthday dinner. I don’t know a single person who doesn’t like corn bread; if I did, they can never be trusted (just kidding, sort of…). The corn bread, «biscuits» (as they call them), are so on point. So delectable, the meal can consist of the biscuits (solely) and I’d be one happy fat camper.
I decided to go with the popular chicken (spicy) and waffles, with a side of coleslaw. If you like spicy food; these more of a pepper spice than «hot» spicy. The waffles weren’t anything special, nor the coleslaw, but they’re good.
Note: the sides were bigger than I expected.
I left extremely full; I’d say that’s a job well done, for a dining experience. I never caught our waitress’ name; but she was such a sweetheart, would’ve given a personal shout out.
Next visit will consist of me tackling them po’boys. Deuces Unilocalers

This two stars for the service here. Food is still good. Last time when I went with my roommate we had to wait for around 25 mins after finishing the food to get our check done. I never had such a bad experience before with any other service. Our credit card was kept there on the table and one or the other guys were coming and not giving attention to our table. One service person was talking for like 10 mins to the the ppl sitting on the very next table to us. This was ridiculous. Ultimately we had to call one service person to take the credit card, but after that also we waited for around 10 mins to get the receipt. We also waited for like 45 mins initially just to get a table and then after that this wait !!! Common!!! An engagement of around 2 hours all together to have a brunch done … sucks!!! We decided not to give this place another chance.

Came here actually to catch the Warriors game. Was greeted quickly and was given a good spot to watch the game. We ordered the fried chicken, jambalaya pasta, gumbo with mashed potato sides and Mac and cheese. Everything had plenty of flavor, fried chicken was not greasy and had the right amount of better. Gumbo had plenty of meat and veggies inside but the item that stood out most was the corn bread. It was extremely delicious and were considering more if the portions weren’t so big.
Staff was very friendly and attentive. Will definitely come here again

Considering my friends and I had lunch here on a Sunday and they were quite busy, the food and atmosphere were great. I think they can definitely benefit with a larger wait staff. We managed to get our orders in within the first 20 minutes or so, and waited another 20 to enjoy our meals.
The fried chicken sandwich was tasty, except that it lacked much of the ranch-​hot sauce that was supposed to come with it. I was also overwhelmed by the amount of greens in the sandwich. I chose to remove them and literally created a side salad. I opted for the coleslaw, although the mac and cheese my friend ordered looked delicious!
Their salads looks great. If you are looking for something that isn’t fried, the chicken served with the salad is grilled with what seemed like Mediterranean spices. You get a fairly large portion as well.
Don’t skip out on the corn muffins, for $ 1 you can enjoy two of them!

Great food & very affordable. We came during Halloween evening for dinner. It wasn’t too busy when we checked in. There were 7 of us in the group. Waited 10 minutes for a table. Our guests love their food. Fried chicken & pork ribs are really good. All of the portion size are huge. Customer service was superb. Our waitress was very friendly & sweet. Funny too. Definitely coming back whenever in the area.

Hey, sometimes you just want fried chicken.
And do you know what? There’s nothing wrong with that. Get the fried chicken. Some like it spicy, and they have a nice, crispy version of the fried chicken, too. I’m all for eating healthy, and all for keeping trim, but if you want the spicy fried chicken and mac n’ cheese, or maybe the mashed potatoes and gravy, then get them.
Hard Knox is on that great little stretch of Clement Street, and it’s been a fixture there now for a few years. I’ve had brunch there (grits!) and lunched once, but the other night I had my first dinner. And it was three pieces of crispy, spicy fried chicken.
Don’t fear the spice. I’m pretty sensitive to spicy food, and I was just fine as I inhaled the big plate of food. Servings are generous, and I also had red beans and rice which was a nice accompaniment. The sides weren’t as flavorful as I had hoped, but I’ve had other sides there that were okay, and they are, after all, called sides for a reason.
There are a lots more options besides the fried chicken – sandwiches, meat loaf, and a whole host of comfort foods, and since I seem to drop in here every so often, I’m sure I’ll get to know the other parts of the menu.

Came here solely for the fried chicken, but the corn muffins are delicious as well!
Hard Knox had a bit of a wait even at 2 pm. We waited approximately 30 minutes for a table and another 30 – 40 minutes for food because our order didn’t go through. Our server, however, was very nice about it and gave us very attentive service.
I definitely recommend the fried chicken. I ordered the spicy version with Belgian waffles. It also came with corn muffins which were crunchy on the outside and soft inside. It comes with 3 pieces of crispy, tender chicken, and a huge Belgian waffle!

Just had three pieces of their fried chicken, with coleslaw, red beans & rice, corn muffins, and a side of bacon
Fried chicken: average. Meat is tender, but crust is soft and flavoring is bland.
Coleslaw: bland, below average
Red beans and rice: bland, average
Corn muffins: pretty good, nice flavor and texture
Bacon: below average, thick slices, but tough like beef jerky and flavor was bland. Had probably been laying around for a few hours/​days before being delivered to me. I know bacon. This was not fresh bacon.
I had a serious craving for fried chicken after not eating any in about a year. This did not hit the spot. It’s not awful, but you can tell that the people preparing this food aren’t passionate about their craft. If there were another soul food spot nearby that served the same food but tastier, this place would go out of business quickly.
I won’t eat here again.

3.5 but, fine, I’ll round up. Arrived at ~11:15 AM and it was already crowded.
I’d never been before so I got the fried chicken. The «spicy» wasn’t spicy; it was like regular fried chicken with a small kick. The order comes with one wing, drumstick, and a breast/​thigh. I was full after eating the wing, drumstick, corn muffin, and some of the sides that I have my biggest piece to my boyfriend as leftovers.
Yam fries were like any other place’s «sweet potato fries» and were bigger than McDonald’s but definitely smaller than steak fries (I was worried about them being hella thin). They were good but get cold fast.
Mac n cheese were a bust; despite being there close to opening, the mac n cheese didn’t taste… fresh? Maybe it was fresh but it was runny with a puddle of «cheese» at the bottom and the texture was slimier than I liked. I prefer a drier, crispier/​crunchier Mac n cheese with al dente pasta in general. I won’t get this again.
Corn muffins, delicious. Nothing more to add to that.
I’d come again if I’m in the area and got money to splurge on fried chicken.

I gotta give it to them, Hard Knox makes one hell of a mac and cheese dish! Perhaps one of the best mac and cheeses around! No frills about it, it’s gooey, cheesy, and down right delicious.
Moving on, the chicken is good, waffle is ok, and the ribs are just alright. Nothing spectacular in that end, but expect to be satisfied. The portions are huge and can easily be shared with a friend. If you come with a big party, you have the option of ordering a Family Style Dinner which is a really good value.
What we ordered:
++My boyfriend and I shared a ribs plate (w/​2 sides), ordered an additional side, and we didn’t even finish it≠ $ 13 + $ 3.50 side
++Oh, and let’s not forget the cornbread. Hot right out of the oven cornbread muffin as I may add. Yes, yes, yes!!! Slather that bad boy with some butter and honey, and you got heaven in your mouth. For only $ 1 you get TWO of them carb loaded muffins! Now thats a deal!
The service is great, the waiters are attentive, most especially our waitress Christina. She was quick to attend to our table and provided excellent service. She’s super nice and friendly too! I couldn’t ask for a better dining experience at Hard Knox! Thanks Christina. We’ll come again! :)

Okay I have to say first off I wasn’t really impressed with the place but my friend suggested it as he often gets take-​out BBQ and said its really good.
We are greeted and shown a booth (okay well she pointed and said «you can sit there») to which I decided this place must be VERY casual which was fine. Then our server came by and I put in my order, my friend put in his and I guess there was a critical choice of bread that I must not have recognized cause no sooner than he ordered, I asked if we could also place an order to go and when would be best and I was told «sure after he orders!» And I was a bit taken back by the snippy comment, but I assumed she assumed HE was paying so she then asked him a few questions about his order and choice of bread. Okay, whatever… moving along.
I ordered a cherry coke and I normally don’t even drink soda but when I do, I don’t expect it to be flat. It was.
10min later I got a plate of corn muffins that had clearly been microwaved and were so hot I couldn’t eat them for 10min, then were hard as a rock.
30min later (no, really, it was almost 30min before our food came) and what I saw was NOTHING close to a plate of Oxtail. It was more like a bowl of gravy. Maybe I’m spoiled and maybe this is just how they execute their plates of oxtail but it looked gross. My yams were swimming in oil and gravy and the rice and red beans were cold. I tried to eat it because well, it cost like $ 17 but by the 4^th bite I started to feel sick. I just had to cave and I was ready to go.
20min later we finally got our check. Another 10min later and we got our to-​go order (that means it took them nearly an hour to have a to-​go order ready and it was only chicken that was cooked. Ridiculous). I was happy we at least got an apology from the server, but honestly this place was on my «never again in SF» list.
As the day went on I felt more and more sick, thankfully it didn’t get too bad but I’m just glad I quit while I was ahead.
On a positive note; their chicken is quite good (probably why everyone there was eating it!) and the to-​go order had some corn muffins in it that weren’t nuked to death, but service to me was meh, ambiance is not great (dust on everything hanging is really gross to me), the bathroom was grimy, and I was happy to just have this place be a distant memory.
2 stars and really, it’s ONLY for the chicken and corn muffins I got in the to-​go order that wasn’t microwaved and gross.

I’ve never visited the South nor claim myself a Southern food expert, but I know a good fried chicken when I see one. Hard Knox Café gives us the luxury of Southern food without having to travel to the South. Instead of spending $ 500 for a plane ticket, you can spend $ 10 – 30 for it at home. Be ready to bring an empty stomach because there’s a mixture of proteins and carb heavy items.
The nice carb items include the corn muffin (large, fluffy, and godly with butter), candied yam (sweet!), rice and gravy, french fries, and the mac and cheese. If you must have only 1 from the list I tried, I recommend the corn muffin followed by the mac and cheese. Well, I can say I’m biased for mac and cheese because I’m a big fan of cheesy and stringy cheese.
For main entrees /​proteins, we tried the spicy chicken and waffles, smothered pork chops, beef short ribs, blackened catflish, and shrimp po boy. The blackened catflish are traditional Southern food so you don’t want to miss that. The spicy chicken and waffles are another win since waffles are always good and the spicy chicken is cooked to perfection.

I can’t believe I haven’t written a review for this place yet after coming here countless times with family and friends.
What’s great is that the main entrees come with 2 cornbread muffins and 2 sides of your choosing. The cornbread muffins usually come out first and they are amazing! Crispy on the outside, soft and warm on the inside… Go ahead, take it to the next level and put some butter in there too!
I’ve tried a bunch of things here but my favorite entrée is the fried chicken (of course). Crispy skin, hot and juicy chicken meat… My god. You get 3 pieces, and for me, 2 is more than enough for a regular meal with the sides. Tied for first place in my heart are the BBQ pork spareribs… They are tender enough to eat with a fork and knife! For the sides, my favorites are the stewed cabbage, yam fries, and mac and cheese. A hidden gem here is definitely the stewed cabbage… It’s delicious! I don’t know what they do to it but it makes those veggies taste so much better. The yam/​sweet potato fries are standard and always served crispy. Mac and cheese is just a classic with soul food… It will go great with any of the entrees!
The entrees are always big enough to take half home and eat it for a meal. The portion sizes are huge, and the food is so comforting.
The service is usually great, waters are always filled and food comes quickly (or at least the corn bread does, which is still awesome). Watch what time you come though, because parking can be terrible in this area. Unless you want to pay meter, there is very limited residential parking!

I finally got to try Hard Knox for the first time last week. The corn muffins came out hot and they were great with all the butter I smothered on top. Although I didn’t get the famous fried chicken, I enjoyed my BBQ pork spareribs. The meat fell right off of the bones and they were nice and juicy. For sides, I ordered the mac n cheese and collard greens. The portion was pretty big, so I took my leftovers to go and got to grub on em again for lunch the next day.
The restaurant itself was easy to find on the corner of Clement and 25^th. I was able to find a spot just across the street, which was free since it was after 6pm. Inside was nice and cozy with table and booth seating. Our waitress was friendly and attentive. I can’t wait to go back and try the fried chicken and ox-​tail!

Came here with my best friend today for lunch. There is plenty of residential parking around the place, but I can imagine parking would suck around dinner time. The restaurant looked a little small but I didn’t get to look around the whole place so maybe there’s more room in the back. Anyway, the two girls that served us for lunch were really attentive and helpful.
First thing that came out was the corn bread. You get two muffins per order. It doesn’t sound like a lot but I was full after eating just one! Then our entrees came out. The portions are huuuuuge. I ordered the chicken and waffles and my best friend ordered the beef short ribs with mac and cheese and mash. The dark meat pieces that came with my chicken and waffles were soooo good. Juicy and moist. The white meat on the other hand seemed a little dry for my liking. As for the waffles, they’re like every other waffles I’ve ever tasted. My best friends beef short ribs were soooo good. The meat fell off the bone and the gravy was delicious. The mash and mac were so so. Wasn’t bad but nothing special.
We also got a chance to try their beignets. A really nice lady sent it over to our table because she recognized my best friend as the barista from Starbucks. LOL so cute. Anyway I really like the first bite of my beignet but after two or three it seemed overwhelmingly sweet. The berries that came with them balanced them out, but I probably wouldnt order it on my own.
Overall good place and i’d definitely come back if I was craving chicken and waffles! Maybe next time i’ll ask only for dark meat.

We had dinner plans with the in-​laws and decided to take them out of their comfort zone of dining on Asian fare. Thinking that they would enjoy simple comfort food, we opted for Hard Knox.
After checking out the menu and explaining the choices to the in-​laws, our order consisted of:
Fried Chicken Pot Pie, which consisted of boneless fried chicken, roasted pearl onions, potatoes, carrots, and herb gravy topped with a homemade puff pastry. The filling was tasty, but wish it had more chicken.
Country Fried Steak — breaded cubed beef, fried and served with country gravy. Different than traditional country fried steak in that it was covered with a brown gravy. It took the crispiness from the fried beef steak.
Fried Chicken — three large pieces of fried chicken consisting of breast, thigh and wing. It was crispy and tasty.
Beef Short Ribs, the oven-​baked ribs served with gravy. It was fall-​off the bone tender. Highly recommended.
Each entrée came with choice of two sides. We had sides of mashed potatoes, potato salad, mac n cheese, and rice and gravy. Also the entrees came with two corn muffins, which we are thought we delicious.
Overall, the in-​laws gave their approval to this meal and thoroughly enjoyed their foray into non-​Asian cuisine. Having tried several of the entrees, my go-​to has to be the short-​ribs and oxtail. If you’re looking for value in Southern comfort food, Hard Knox fits the bill.

Heard so much about this place. How good their chicken is and how there is a line outside. So my friends and I were around the area and decided to check it out. Its was about 8:30pm. No line! Prices were reasonable $ 7 – 15 and you get 2 sides. Worth it to my ears! I ordered the fried chicken. Looking at the condiments I was surprise to find Crystal Louisiana hot sauce. One of my faves! The chicken came with a side of Mac n Cheese, cabbage, and two corn bread muffins.
Chicken– Great! Not too oily, right crisp and tasty. Wish they gave more dark meat however
Cabbage-​Simple boiled cabbage. Seasoned good.
Mac n’ Cheese– YUMMM! Probably the cheesiest I had outside the box! I wouldn’t mind taking some home.
Cornbread– I love their corn bread. Good when hot.
Hard Knox pale ale — Tasted like a semi watered down IPA.: /​
My server, Meryl, was very cool. I ordered other corn bread and she said it was the last one. Who know maybe it wasn’t. Whatever it was all good to me. I told her I’d Unilocal how good the Knox’s. She asked if I could write how, shes «the best server ever». LOL. So if you see this Meryl. Best server indeed.
NEXT: Their chicken and waffles!