Hard Times Cafe
Hard Times is one of the best, easiest going places to get a quick but good bite to eat downtown. Their focus is chili, and they offer 4 varieties of chili. When you sit down they give you a taster with the four verities (Cincinnati, Terlingua, Texas and Vegetarian) Cincinnati and vegetarian are my favorites.
I Like hard times because there is always something different you can have. Along with chili, they have a grill (metal slats over fire) that they cook burgers, chicken etc.. on. This is different from a glorified hot frying pan many places use.
For lunch today, I have one of my favorites, the chilichanga. It’s basically my choice of chili wrapped in a tortilla and covered with shredded cheese, lettuce and tomato. It comes with a side of sour cream, and salsa. I like getting some jalapenos as well to spice it up.
This is very satisfying meal. It’s served quickly and is inexpensive. I’ll alternate this meal with the chili-salad. Which like it sounds is a salad with chili on top. Again, I’m always amazed at the number of dishes you can make with salad.
About half of their menu is chili and chili related items. Some other items I’d recommend are the Bacon/Blue burger (with a heaping pile of crumbled blue cheese), the chicken wings, chicken nachos (absolutely huge) or their quesadillas. They also have excellent french fries if you’re a fan of fries.
As I said before, I’ve eaten here many times and will continue to go back. Look for some changes in the near future. Mark (the owner) is trying out staying open later and having some local music. One of the biggest things they’ve got going for them is their enormous outside seating area. It’s covered with fans right on Glenwood Ave. I’ve spent many hot North Carolina afternoons sitting on the porch drinking a cold beer.
–Matt