goatscar

Hard Times Cafe in Twin Cities, Minnesota
Mar 4

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.