Hard Times Cafe
Restaurant, Coffee/Tea/Juice
$ - inexpensive
American, Mexican, Eclectic (Varied)
Hard Times is a collectively run all-vegetarian cafe, many of the items are vegan.
Located on the West Bank near the U of M, Hard Times is open 22 hours a day, so no time is a bad time to drop by and get something to eat. Prices are cheap and the food is pretty basic, but when it's four in the morning and you've only got a couple of bucks and you're in the mood for some loud punk rock, there's not too many other options.
- Wireless (free)
Added by Let's Eat! on Feb 28 03 (updated Dec 14 08)
Reviews
Fun place, kind of a 70's punk atmosphere, grungy, loud, probably not the kind of place for a "first date" or anything like that, but they have good prices, great food, and an interesting clientele. I love that, as a vegan, I can eat pretty much anything from the menu. Remember to bring cash! I had the seitan gyro which was delicious, as well as a vegan brownie. Light and fluffy, perfect for a chocolate lover such as myself.
i love this place. my boyfriend and i go here when we want to spend little money on good food. we are big fans of their biscuits and gravy-THEY ARE THE BEST WE'VE EVER HAD! ANYWHERE! the cookies and treats cannot be beat. they make some of the ost interesting, delicious, affordable (fresh!) food out there. just make sure you prepare to pay only with cash and for a nice rustic atmosphere.
This is a great place to go for a casual meal at almost any time of the night.
You might have people ask for your vegan chocolate chip pancake if you don't eat it right away, but its a good place to eat when you're craving some vegan biscuits and gravy!
Always check the soup specials on the chalkboard, the options are amazing!
Yum yum yum, I love this place. I come here at least once a week, and have never had a bad meal or a bad experience with the service. The cooks and baristas are nice and efficient as long as you do your part to be a polite and attentive customer. I've been on a biscuits and gravy kick lately--a half order is a lot of food for just $3. Tasty, simple vegetarian food.
I am glad to see that the majority of reviews here are positive, but I would like to address those who say the service is lackluster, the restaurant is dirty, and the food is bad.
Yes, the folks who work at Hard Times are by and large a terse bunch. So what? If you want a bubbly waitress to pretend to be your friend for fifteen minutes, go to a restaurant. The help at Hard Times is cursory and even standoffish, but I am there for the food, not their company.
Yes, the bathrooms are scandalously putrid. Graffiti-laced and featuring chipped doors, no mirrors and off-white plastic toilets, it can be a fright to use the bathrooms. The floors do not appear to me to be any more gross than floors anywhere else, and tables are wiped down frequently. If you're concerned about sanitation in the food prep area (don't be) watch the cook for yourself as he and everything he does is plainly visible from the front counter.
The food is fucking fantastic. Get off your high horse. The made-from-scratch pastries available up front are made fresh daily and there is a constant rotation of new and interesting desserts to try. My recent favorite is peanut-butter-filled chocolate cookies. I can also recommend the seitan philly, biscuits and gravy, and their quesadillas.
Portions are good, prices are low, variety is in abundance. If you want to make friends, try a dating website, but for the love of god, don't try to make small talk with the baristas at Hard Times.
hard times has been my favorite restaurant in the twin cities for a couple years. the excellent vegetarian / vegan food and extremely reasonable prices make it somewhere i like to eat again and again. i went last weekend for the first time since becoming a raw food enthusiast, and i was at first nervous because i couldnt get my favorite sandwiches (the reuben or the banh mi, which is soooooo good) and the wonderful vegan baked goods (they also have 1/2 price ones that are only a day old and still tasty). but i ordered the garden salad, and at first i was only given a small bowl that lacked all the vegetables as stated on the menu. i was disappointed that this salad cost $5. i wasnt sure what to do at first, but i went back up to the counter and politely asked if it was the correct salad, and the cook was so nice to fix it right away and without a bad attitude at all. anyway, theres been a lot of reviews lately saying that the workers are rude, and i have never found that to be the case. my most recent visit proved very enjoyable and my interaction with the staff was certainly pleasant.
I am being generous with the "fair" rating. The attitude of the people working there is absurd. The food is quite awful. Contrary to popular belief, it is not that cheap. It's too bad, too. I would love to support an all-night vegan diner, but it's just a piss-poor place. Ah, fie; fie on it.
Wow, what a dump. The food might have been good, but I couldn't really eat it, as all I could think about was how dirty it was. The floor was dirty, but with the snow and tracking in, I could have overlooked that. The windows were streaked with grime. I have never seen a food establishment this dirty ever. I was with a group of people, otherwise I would have immediately left after walking in. The group did decide, never again.
If they clean the place significantly, I'd be willing to try it again. We need more vetetarian restaurants in the Twin Cities. It's too bad that this one was so dirty.
I love the Hard Time's menu which has many vegan options. I have ordered their vegan pancake twice, with two very different results. Once was at dinner time and the pancake was good, but very oily. The second time was for breakfast today and it was completely different - perfectly thick and fluffy without a hint of greasiness. I ordered cranberries in it, and they were tart, plump and juicy and it was the best pancake I have ever eaten (and I love pancakes!)
I have also ordered their East African peanut stew/soup and it had great flavor but could have been hotter in temperature.
Overall Hard Times offers a multitude of options for vegans and vegetarians at college student prices. Just be aware that you might order the same food and get completely different results every time.
*update* today I ordered the Shaman's Special with tempeh and got a wonderfully seasoned heaping dish of veggies, brown rice, tempeh, sesame seeds, and ginger. It was delicious.
Good food, shitty service. I was warned that the punk kids that work there weren't overly friendly but I still can't believe how rude they were. They were completely un-interested in customer service and it seemed like one of them was mocking a friend who brought in his own take-out container instead of getting plastic or styrofoam. Not cool.
That said, I really enjoyed the vegan gyro that I had. The chips that it came with were just plain old tortilla chips but I ordered a side of salsa, which was super flavorful and tasty. I tried a bite of my friend's vegan cheesteak and it was also very good. I had a chocolate-dipped orange cookie, which was so-so, but I really liked the banana-chocolate chip muffin that my friend ordered, it was surprisingly moist.
P.S. Don't use the bathroom.
I went there for the first time ever when I was doing some projects to prepare for the RNC protest and was hungry and everyone in my group always talks about it. So me and this other girl went and I ordered a Falafal and it was amazingly good! It was good with a huge plate full of food and it was even cheap. The atmosphere is awesome! The time I went there they were busy, so the staff came off as not so friendly, but I don't blame them. But I'm soooooooooooo looking forward to my next visit!!!!! :D
Don't expect gourmet cuisine. That's not what Hard Times is about. It's a greasy spoon kinda place. And damn do they serve it up right! I highly recommend the falafel platter or a vegan burrito. Hard Times is also great because it's collectively run, so you know you're supporting the workers directly rather than supporting some kind of hierarchical system in which the boss at the top lives large while the workers at the bottom scrape by.
You don't find many places like this... check it out!
I love Hard Times. I've only been there a few times, but have had an overall good experience each time. I can never remember the name of the plate I get, but it's breakfast tofu, toast, and hashbrowns, all vegan, of course. I always get a half order, which is still a huge plate of food! The vegan sausage is good, as well as the vegan blueberry cobbler. They're not lying when they say they have the strongest cup of joe around.
If you're a person with even an okay palate, don't come here. The food is absolutely terrible, with no taste and textures often completely off. I can't express how horrible the whole experience of going to Hard Times is. The people who work there are not only rude, but mean about concerns of the customers. The vegan baked goods are...not that good. We got a peanut butter cup and it tasted like wood chippings. We have gone there over and over again thinking that the food would get better, but it just got worse. The soup just taste like water and ANY dish you get, taste exactly the same. Even if you put EVERY condiment they offer on, it still doesn't cover up how disgusting the food is. I would recommend walking a a few block over to the Triple Rock where the food AND service is amazing.
This is one of my favorite spots in the Twin Cities. The vegan biscuits & gravy is quite amazing, otherwise I order the steamed rice & veggies (with or without seitan - either way is delicious). The vegan bakery selection is usually very good. The vegan chocolate dipped orange shortbread cookies, the vegan banana chocolate chip muffins, and the chocolate espresso cupcakes are all my favorites.
When there are soups available, the west african peanut soup is the best soup in town.
For what this place is, hipster employee owned and operated co-op, it's perfect. If you want a fancy sit down, this isn't the place for you. Good food, limited non-breakfast selection, fun atmosphere.
Hard Times is the ultimate punk-rock all-night vegetarian cafe and restaurant. At any given moment expect to see intellectual punkers, hobos with coffee, and everyday folks playing chess. The atmosphere is pure 1970s grunge, with a kick. The music is a bit too loud, but tolerable; the food is well-priced and tasty, with various comfort-foods, gyros, tacos, burgers, hummus and desserts. They can make pretty much anything vegan and everything is vegetarian. Waits for food are long and the service isn't the friendliest, but it's crisp and mostly efficient. Come to Hard Times for the food and the vibe. It's a Minneapolis institution.
What a unique, funky, cheap, and delicious place to eat, sip coffee, and chat with friends! Even if you go there for a meal, save room for a muffin or a cookie... they're definitely worth it. A great place for people-watching, as folks from all over the city come in. And food even non-veg*ns will love. If you're looking for a cheap, fresh meal, you can't beat Hard Times.
Awesome. I tend to go here now when its quiet Sunday AMs; but used to frequent the 1-4am in my younger days when smoking was allowed indoors. Awesome food, always different depending on the cook, which I love.
All-vegetarian, and a good amount of vegan options. I like the tofu scramble, very garlicky and brown rice a plus. I LOVE the seitan gyros. The coffee is infamous and I love it. Decent vegan baked goods.
Overall, great atmosphere, though you may not like it if punk rock, kinda dirty feel isn't your thing. Music can get really loud, lots of colorful characters from the neighborhood frequent this place, too.
this is a great place, i have lived all over the country and only in minneapolis have i found such awesome vegan biscuits and gravy. they are SO delicious.
the only problem with hard times is that you often have to wait a very long time to get your food. it can get very busy in there and there is usually only one person cooking. but if you have the time it is definitely worth the wait.
This place is awesome! It's a workers' cooperative, and the atmosphere was therefore a breath of fresh air. Highly recommended!
Both the atmosphere and good ol' diner food in vegan and vegetarian styles make this place fantastic. It vies for my wandering attention on the West Bank with the Triple Rock. Like the T-Rock, it is biker- and vegan-friendly. And they're open almost 24 hours. (Closed from 4-6 a.m., I think.)
Food portions are very large and very affordable as well. My favorite is the black beans, rice, salsa and kale, which goes for about $6-7 for a heaping plateful. Good coffee. Great place to hang out with a group or by yourself to catch up on reading. Informal, collective, eclectic.
I recently ate here for the first time and was very pleased with my vegan seitan gyro and my vegan brownie. I also had some kind of vegan chickpea soup which was good, but not as good as the brownie or gyro. My companion got a vegan muffin, a side of vegan sausage and the vegan Helter Skelter - all of which he thought were tasty, though the toast was not good (part burnt & part undone). The atmosphere was a little unpleasant, with lots of people walking through and a little too noisy. But we'll definitely go back for the food. p.s. - open quite late!
Update: Desserts continue to be outstanding and cheap. The Vegan Helter Skelter is a ginormous amount of food! The veggie bean burrito is bland, but again - lots of food.
Tons of choices, reasonable prices, large amounts of food. I ate here with five other people and everyone's food looked great. I had the seitan gyro on the recommendation of these reviews, and while it was good, I was expecting a little more magic after all the fuss. It was good, though, and I would recommend it. The carrot ginger pecan muffins are also excellent. My only issue was that I am pretty certain that there was some rotten lettuce in my sandwich and when I asked about it they told me it must have just gotten steamed. They were really busy so I didn't push it, but if there's something wrong with your food, it will pay to be assertive about it.
The staff was super nice and I loved what I ordered.
ok- i have to start out with the absolute confession of bias heart and head - but HTC is more than an eatery - it's a haven, a home for those that need it. i've been coming to the hard times since i was 14 and have loved it through all it's transformations, struggles, and acquittals (pun intended). not only are you in the middle of one of the few and true random and chaotic spots left in the world, but you get to eat awesome helpings of potatoes, veggies, beans and soup to go with it. Top this off with the coffee 'strong enough to defend itself' as their t-shirts once said and you have the best place in the world to spend an a hour, a day, or in my case, 13 years. get thee to the hard times fool! why art thou not there now?
I love Hard Times - the atmosphere is laid back, they're open late (and early), the food is great, and you never know what you'll see.
Probably my favorite part about Hard Times is the ever-changing menu, and the fact that you can get the same dish twice but have them completely different. I guess that doesn't appeal to everyone, but it keeps HTC as one of my top veg places to go. :)
If you can deal with the fact that the place is dirty and the staff rude, the food is actually pretty darn good.
I like that Hard Times has so many vegan options, is open late, and it's collectively run! Their vegan shortbread cookies are my favorite thing there and the selection of vegan baked goods is impressive! I'm not a big fan of the food though. I've ate food here twice and just recently tried their tofu scramble and it was pretty bland.
Hard Times makes some really good vegan desserts. The non-dessert food isn't too exciting but it's pretty cheap. I like the fact that it's open very late, too. A perfect place for late night dessert and tea.
I've been hanging out here for longer than it's been the Hard Times, and I still love this place. I eat meat, but I used to be vegan and I know good food when I get it. And this, my friends, is just damn good food. I wish you could still smoke inside. Oh well, I still go to Hard Times at least once a day, even if it's just for coffee. Don't forget the coffee. And it's (I think) about the cheapest place in town that actually serves real food. I mean stuff that doesn't come in a vacu-packed frozen brick. I've been in the kitchen, folks, and they really do make everything on site. No foolin'. Anyway, Hard Times gets my vote for best eats/coffee anywhere an the Twin Cities.
Update: I used to give Hard Times an 8 because it was too smokey but since it's now non-smoking I think it fully deserves a 9.
I really like Hard Times Cafe! All their food is vegetarian, it's reasonably priced, it's very close to campus, and the people there are never snobbish! They always have a ton of vegan options, including vegan omlets, gyros, falafel plates, tacos, rice and vegetables, soups, salads, burgers, pancakes, muffins, and cookies. Plus they are a co-op and they once made brownies for our group (CAA-UMNTC) to give out to students for free!
I wish I could move HTC with me wherever I go! 2 words, honestly: Seitan Gyros (someone said tempeh earlier, so maybe I have the wrong 2 words, but it's 2 words nonetheless). This place has fantastic vegan and veggie food, fair trade coffee, good reading, a great eclectic customer base, etc etc etc. One of my favorite eateries nationwide. I go there whenever I get back to the Twin Cities.
I'm a really big fan of the atmosphere as well. It's nice to have a place to hang out and talk, strategize, etc. until 4am when most places are closed. I can't really judge the food as much because i've only been there an had the same thing twice (how adventurous of me), but what I had I liked. The banana bread and the veggie burger i had were pretty good, but i'm not a big fan of the cheeze that was added the second time I tried the veggie burger. I also really like that's it's collectively owned and run, because most places I have a hard time supporting even if they have vegan options but still exploit their workers.
The Hard Times is one of the things that I actually miss about Minnesota, having relocated to CA not long ago. I used to make daily runs for the vegan pancakes and the vegan tempeh gyro is to die for. Unlike some people I know, I actually love the atmosphere. I've met some very unusual and dear friends there. They have a pretty good library too if you forgot to bring that favorite read. I always knew that if I suddenly had the urge to hear the pogues, eat tofu, and read Anais Nin at 3am, I had a place to go.
I don't care to spend much time at the cafe itself, but I do love thier yummy desserts! Some of the better vegan baked goods to be found in Minneapolis (which can also be purchased at the nearby North Country Co-op.)
Great vegan food at a cheap price! Lots of vegetarian stuff that can easily be made vegan, such a getting a haystack (big plate of taco fixings/ $6) without the cheese and sour cream. I also had vegan 3 berry pie there last week that was great but only available once in a while. It feel great to go some place that's collectively run, but my only gripe is how smokey the place is. They have a tiny non-smoking section with a ton of plants and weird art made from bike parts that I hide in.
You have to love Hard Times. It has good food at a fairly reasonable price, and it caters to a crowd often overlooked elsewhere. The bicycling culture that is drawn here is unequaled in the Twin Cities. Depending on your perspective, the loud music, the strange people, and smokey atmosphere may be enough to scare you away or draw you in. Rarely is a stop here uneventful.
I've been to Hard Times a handful of times. I make better tofu scramble at home and get bored really quick with the abrasiveness of the people that work there. I don't know if gruffness is something that appeals to most folks but I'm paying you and supporting your business. There is no reason for you to be rude ALL THE TIME. I don't think I've ever encountered a single friendly person there. If you hate people so much, which I can relate to, perhaps you should find another line of work. That said- the Vegan biscuits and gravy are well worth all the sass.