Hard Times Cafe

Never again!!! Manager is nice but that’s about all. The smoke is unbearable!!! There is a section not in the smoking area with a small TV screen but the smoke from bar/​pool table area is so strong it seeps into that area as well.

Good food with great service! Only bad part is to many people and not enough pool tables.

It was a nice atmosphere! The bartender Bria was very attentive and on point with everyone! Would’ve liked to see a DJ rather than a live band, but it was still a nice spot.

I’ve always enjoyed Hard Times, though to be honest I prefer the Old Town Alexandria and Arlington branches — much better vibe, less run-​down, and better service at those locations. The Woodbridge location hasn’t ever been quite as good — you almost always have to wait (and wait) for a host to show up from somewhere back in the bar area and portion sizes were wildly inconsistent, but once you’re seated, hey, the chili and cornbread is exactly what you expect from a Hard Times outpost. They’re not perfect, but they’re a neighborhood joint, reasonably affordable, and tasty.
Sadly (I think?), I just discovered that in the not-​too-​distant future, the Woodbridge Hard Times will be closing, to be replaced with a higher-​end brew pub and restaurant (also owned by the same people). So we’re losing Hard Times, which kinda sucks. Hopefully more attention will be paid to customer service and the overall dining experience in the new place.

Tried their chili sampler… just OK.
Decided on the salmon… small portion.
The veggie sides were so bland… must have been frozen.
James had the fried cod… he said it was average.
Very poor service on a slow Friday night.
Joey must have been busy taking care of people in the bar.

I have come here a few times and it was just okay the first few times. Always completely crowded.
The last time I went was later at night with my boyfriend. He had just gotten off of work and we wanted to get a few drinks because it was Valentine’s day and we didn’t get to do anything together because he had to work, so this was our only shot. It was TWO HOURS before they closed and it was PACKED. There was only one seat at the bar so my boyfriend let me sit and he stood next to me. We kept trying to flag over a bartender (all of them were running around so quickly, almost frantically) to order our drinks and one said «hold on a minute» and ran by us. We waited for a while and then tried to get someone else. They kept looking at us and then running by, ignoring us.
We tried getting their attention for AN HOUR. Then the bartender served the people next to us and finally looked at us. Now it was one hour BEFORE closing time. We said what we wanted and then he looked at us and said in a rude manner, «Do you have a tab open?» We said «No, but we only want two drinks and we can pay for it now and the rest of the cash can be for you. (We held out $ 30)» He then REFUSED to serve us because they were doing last call. An hour before closing.
We waited for an HOUR just to be REFUSED a drink. We got there at 12:00am and were waiting until 1:00am to even be noticed (They close at 2:00am). If they had served us right when we got there instead of ignoring us, we could’ve gotten drinks. They are RUDE and UNFAIR. This was the worst experience I have ever had at a bar, and they ruined our Valentine’s day. I would never recommend this terrible place to anyone, and we will NEVER come back after being treated like that.

I do not typically like to go out to bars or clubs, but I had a great time here. I went on a Friday night, there was a $ 3 cover charge which you need cash for. There was a DJ and he played some pretty great music. The atmosphere of the place was pretty casual and seemed to cater to an older crowd than any club I have been to. Everyone seemed as though they were mid 20s to mid 30s. I enjoyed it because there was no drama and everyone seemed as though they were having fun. I am not a smoker but you are allowed to smoke inside but thankfully it does not reek of heavy smoke like other bars I have been to. The prices were kind of high but were lower than other bars I have been to. My margarita was $ 9.50 but came in a decent sized glass. I also got an order of fries that were delicious and only cost $ 3. Inside you can pay with credit cards. It was pretty crowded but they had ample seating and space. You can play pool and they seem like they have a couple of digital gambling games. I don’t know if you can win real money with them. They have plenty of TVs and most were tuned into sports channels. The staff was pretty friendly and they had a good amount of security. All in all I had a great time and since I only got one drink and the order of fries plus the low cover charge I didn’t have to pay too much money. I would certainly recommend this place to the older crowd that may not be too into the younger crowds you generally find at clubs.

A short and sweet review: went in for a quick early lunch by myself on a Saturday morning after escaping the craziness of Ikea. I had a coupon for a free chili mac, so I got that with Cincinnati style chili. I was the first one in the restaurant portion, so my order came out very quick and it hit the spot. My server was too sweet, and checked in on me multiple times. I’m so happy I decided to run in for lunch as opposed to running through a drive-​through and trying to fight the crowds at the food court.

I have this place 3 opportunities and so far this is the worst place to look for customers who are looking to be treated fair and honest. The girl Megan at the bar (that’s the name given when asked) is the most rude and unprofessional trashy person in there. I’m really disappointed because I love the food.

Not impressed. Corn bread was dry and burt, crackers where stale and service was very slow. Food was fair at best.

I’m a fan of Hard Times, I particularly like this location. I generally only come here when I know the band that’s playing, only because it’s not really that close to my job or condo.
There are two separate areas, one dining area that is smoke free and an enclosed room with the bar, stage, and about ten pool tables.
I’ve always had pretty decent service here; the servers are pretty level headed even when they have a room full of drunkies in training all requesting drinks at the same time. I threw my younger sisters birthday party here last year and made plans and reservations with the manager who was extremely helpful. Somehow there was a mix up with the seating arrangements that had me in a quick panic but the crew there stepped up and made everything perfect for me.
I love the chili here. Basically all the food from the wings to the 3-​ways is pretty solid. It’s not a 5 star culinary masterpiece but its tasty bar food. (Which is what I want after a few beers.)
I also think the security here is pretty awesome. They do their job well when people get a little rowdy, opposed to some other Hard Times I’ve been too when the bouncers walk around screaming and getting in peoples faces when its time to leave.
Overall, I’ve had many a fun night at the Woodbridge Hard Times and look forward to getting back there again.

Don’t waste your time. I’ve been going to the Hard Times in Fairfax for many years now, and I love it. I figured the one in Woodbridge would be comparable at least, and we had a coupon so we checked it out.
First, they don’t have yuengling on draft, which I suppose is a personal gripe but most places do offer it on draft, so I was not happy with that.
Second, the service was sparse. The two bartenders on duty walked past us many times before asking for a drink order, offering us a menu, and finally asking what we wanted. They also let my card sit on the table for a good ten minutes after I had already finished and asked to close out.
Third, I ordered the vegetarian chili, which I LOVE at Fairfax, but it was made completely differently — it was super watery, the ingredients were chopped poorly, and it tasted bad. My friend got the same thing except with beans, and the beans had not been cooked at all, so they were still hard.
Fourth, the prices were all at least a dollar more expensive than the same things offered at Fairfax, which are cooked better. Prices in Fairfax in almost any other establishment are more expensive due to the differing costs of living, so this was backward from what I expected.
Again, don’t waste your time here, go up to Fairfax. The atmosphere is great, they’re super friendly, the food is much better, and while the service isn’t the best it is WAY better than what you find in the Woodbridge location.

I had to check twice to make sure I had the right Hard Times there were so many one star reviews!!! This place is great! I only go there with my dad and we always get great service from the friendly girl who seats us (wherever we want) to our equally friendly server. Everyone is friendly and they go out of their way to make you feel welcome.
And the chili! Delicious any way you order it and it comes in so many varieties. I always get the Texas, NO BEANS, «all the way wet» with chopped jalapeños and cheese. My dad gets the half and half (Texas and Terlingua), WITH beans (why dad why???), with cheese and their chili vinegar sauce. Both come out fast and hot, mine brimming in that good red grease that is so, so bad for you but tastes oh, so good… it’s just really good chili and the fact that it’s made by a chain makes it that much more amazing, it’s basically the Famous Dave’s of chili!
Additionally, they have a phenomenal selection of brews, not just the biggies or foreign beers, but many MANY microbrews! We’ve been going to Hard Times for literally decades and I don’t think my dad has ever had the same beer twice!
Wrapping it up, Hard Times is a great family joint (with a huge pool room off to the side) that serves a great chili (and some other tasty selections) for a great price.

Hard times is a great go to for wings and beer. Chili is always hot and wings are delicious. The service is wonderful. Love the large draft beer selection and the $ 6.99 burgers on Monday.

Good things: Cornbread, French Fries cleanliness, friendly staff and chili sampler for first timers.
Bad things: BBQ was like rubber. The first time I’ve seen my husband leave half a sandwich on his plate. Veggie Burger tasted like uncooked tofu. I was starving, but could only stomach a few bites. Food was not according to order, but they brought the missing items out timely. You have to walk 30 feet in a smoke filled bar to use the restroom. Dining room is filled with a heavy base sound from music.

I would not recommend this place to anyone. My boyfriend and I use to love this place last year the wings were amazing. I would say the past 4 to 5 months we have had terrible wings and customer service. The staff are rude and will ignore you for a good 10 to 15 minutes. The wings taste awful now, stay away from them.

OK first things first. Like the Hard Times in Manassas, this Hard Times has a separate bar which allows smoking. I’m not a smoker. And I don’t think the mixing of divey smoky bar with craft beer is necessarily a winner. But I also abhor snooty non-​smokers, especially those who give places one-​star reviews on Unilocal just because the place allows smoking.
That being said, I do rate this Hard Times lower than the one in Manassas because the food just wasn’t quite as good as I’m used to from Hard Times. I didn’t get chili, and the chili on the sampler tasted about the same, except for the vegetarian. It was WAY hotter than I have had in the past, and also tasted like someone just dumped a jar of hot picante sauce into it. They had the wing special that night, and I went for two orders of those, while my wife went for the sliders. But before that, we got fried pickles. And those were the highlight of the meal. The batter was great and they were nice and puffy and not greasy and limp. A definite winner.
But I wasn’t a big fan of their grilled wings. The chicken quality was pretty good — bigger and better than BWW. I’ll give them that. But to me, wings are all about the sauce, and the grilled wings were lacking on sauce and seasoning. The Texas/​Hot wings had no heat and barely any sauce … I couldn’t even tell what kind of sauce it wanted to be. The Old Bay wings had a tinkling of Old Bay, that’s it. I’d prefer small wings with little meat and outstanding sauces (like BWW) over those. My wife’s sliders were OK, but the bread was a tad stale I thought, and the meat a tad on the dry side.
Like the Manassas location, they have a solid craft brew selection. They don’t rotate the selection much, but it’s always a safe bet for a good beer. They have 3 Starr Hill brews, including a seasonal and their co-​branded Hard Times Lager. It’s pretty much the only place to always have Blue Mountain Full Nelson on Tap. Arrogant Bastard is a staple here, as is Port City’s Porter and Evolution #3 IPA. And a Devil’s Backbone seasonal (Kilt Flasher this time). Beer nerds — you’ve seen this locally-​influenced selection at many other places, but it’s comforting to know it’s always there when you need it. And the service here was, as others have noted, excellent.
I’m sure this place can get a bit sketchy and a bit crowded at night … it is Hoodbridge after all. (And I’ve seen what comes out at the Manassas Hard Times at night) But if you like good local craft brews, Cincy chili, and grilled wings lacking in flavor, then Hard Times is your spot.

I have gone here many of many time and to be honest I can’t even eat there anymore. The service is great. Pool pricing is reasonable. But the food is poor to put it lightly.

Smoking in bar area makes it not pleasant for non-​smokers. Walked in and out right away to avoid smelling like an ashtray! I would have liked to stay and have a beer or two at the bar, but I refused to stay.
I will NEVER come back as long as smoking is allowed inside. Gross.

This place is dark and dingy and the food is terrible. Service is also lacking and the waiters can take forever to come back around to you. The only real draw are the pool tables. The problem is – every time I try to go with friends to just hang out and play some pool, there are a lot of sketchy guys there checking us out and trying to talk to us. There’s really no draw for me to come here.
Food: 1
Value: 1
Service: 1
Overall: 1