The waiter was so gross I could not order. He had snot running out of his nose. The place was busy. Coworkers said they liked the hamburger and spinach dip.
Don L.
We have been to Hoover's so many times since it opened 20+ years ago. The staff is always welcoming, the food a great mix of southern comfort and bbq, and the margaritas some of the best (and most potent) in town. One of our all-time favorites. Thank you Hoover Alexander and crew for the many wonderful times in the past and to come!
I L G.
Well, I hadn't been to Hoover's for sometime, and I was craving something close to my home style Austin favorite Threadgill's. The menu is similar but the taste was far from it. I had the chicken fried steak, with was 40/60 steak to fried batter drowned in gravy. And the sides were no better. Mashed potatoes with too much unground black pepper and very jalapeño creamed spinach. Our waiter was polite and I appreciated the manager's attentiveness. I wish I had a better experience, but I can't say I'll be back soon.
Ayesha W.
My friend and I were in town on a Friday from Houston to attend Dave Chapelle show. We stopped by Hoovers for a hearty meal and unfortunately were disappointed. I ordered the catfish, potato salad and green beans, while my friend ordered the jerk chicken, a sausage link with Mac and cheese and Caribbean rice. We shared the queso and fries. The food really lacked a lot of flavor. The jerk chicken did not taste like jerk at all, the catfish needed salt, the Mac and cheese taste like it was out of a box. While the food was a miss the service was great.
Laura K.
Great chicken fried steak and meatloaf!!! Sides were incredible! We will definitely be back
Sariah S.
Well, I really wanted to like it because it was on a list of established Austin yummy places. It was not. Yummy, that is The catfish etoufee was full of Sriracha, which was surprising and not like any etoufee I've had before. It was not yummy. The butter beans were good. The salad was simple and the honey mustard was good. The buttermilk pie was inedible. The crust was stale, and the custard was weeping in the bowl in which they served it ( why a bowl?). I love a greasy spoon, but it felt like they'd given up on quality. Made me sad.
Jov N.
Arrived for lunch as they opened at 11. Ordered and served pretty quickly. Fried Chicken served lukewarm and tasted as if it was cooked a day or two ago and reheated...dry and not fresh. Candied Yams and Chocolate Pie were good. Mexican rice was dry and bland. Overpriced for below average "southern" food.
Pee M.
Basic blend and not much tasty, they had one job in one job only which is the easiest thing to not mess up Fried Chicken! What soul food spot can't cook fried chicken should not even consider them selves soulfood !
K K.
The food, service, and ambiance we're substandard at best. The automatic service fee (tip) should explain some of it. I will not go back.
Christopher B.
Hello fellow neighbor! I have lived right next to you (on Lafayette) for the past twenty years.Your website is an abomination. We have tried to order from it three times. It just straight up doesn't work. I don't know how much you paid for that website to be created, but you got put through the ringer. Not your fault. But is IS you fault for not having a working website.Furthermore, it's 2023. Have you heard of Uber Eats or DoorDash?Now to add insult to injury... the telephone ordering experience was not good. Hard to hear, had to repeat self, etc. Also the chicken fried steak used to be awesome, now it's pretty meh. The fried pork cutlet is still good though.
Went with my friends and service is good. Kind staff. I had a three piece chicken and it was two piece chicken and a sad little wing. It was too greasy for me but everyone else loved their meal. It is not my kind of food. French fries were ok hot. Better than many other places...but i dont go for french fries lol. I stay neutral. The most important for me was a little miss.
I527GZleef
Very disappointing. In the past, I remember Hoover's as being really good and I must say it has deteriorated considerably. The corn on the cob was virtually inedible - old, wrinkled and tasteless; the side serving of carrots was terrible...overcooked & mushy; also tasteless; the mashed potatoes were pretty bland and the dinner rolls dried out. The meatloaf was still ok - though not at all memorable. All in all, a real disappointment - Sorry to say, I would not recommend it. Will not be going back.
rebeccahU4071RZ
They were short on staff and didn't mention that the chef is a beginner. The fried okra was raw inside; the broccoli was a half-cooked small tree - I spent half the meal using a butter knife to cut some of the florets to eat. The mac & cheese was just plain cheap. Three veggie meal, with tax and tip cost over $17. Not worth half that amount.
492gildam
Three of us went today 1-13-23 for lunch. Our meals were a total of 59.94 which included tax. They added a Service charge of $11.07 and we left an additional $10.00 tip. When we got home and looked at the receipt we noticed the service charge. We called and they basically said “ it’s to pay for the employees wages.” So, I guess we paid her wages for our meal plus tipped her. The meal was mediocre definitely not worth $81.00. We won’t be going back or recommending Hoover’s.
713iker
This seems to be a place with a lot of history. It was a slow night this night which was a Sunday, not sure how common this is but it was fairly empty. We waited a little bit to be seated, which told me they were probably short staffed. All hands on deck...the host did make contact and after a few minutes came and sat us, he was very nice, our waiter came over right away and offered water/drinks (why don't waiters ask about appetizers...not for all you waiters,ask it helps your ticket) he did bring drinks fairly quickly and took our order. I asked for a piece of pie which I was told they had ...but then I was told they didn't have it, at any rate I didn't get the pie which it seemed they had but didn't want to cut into. At the cost of a piece of pie I guess I'm okay with not getting it. They start your bill off with a 20% service fee no matter what. No need to leave a tip, since they take it off the top. The waiter was nice and responsive so I would have left a decent tip, but since I have no choice in the matter I left a dollar just to leave something on the table because I don't want to be that guy. The food was real soul food but that is about it. The black eyed peas were cold...the greens weren't cooked down. The catfish is misleading but the j*** chicken was decent, didn't like the sauce for it. Overall, it's average, I think you will get an okay meal, and decent service.
The waiter was so gross I could not order. He had snot running out of his nose. The place was busy. Coworkers said they liked the hamburger and spinach dip.
We have been to Hoover's so many times since it opened 20+ years ago. The staff is always welcoming, the food a great mix of southern comfort and bbq, and the margaritas some of the best (and most potent) in town. One of our all-time favorites. Thank you Hoover Alexander and crew for the many wonderful times in the past and to come!
Well, I hadn't been to Hoover's for sometime, and I was craving something close to my home style Austin favorite Threadgill's. The menu is similar but the taste was far from it. I had the chicken fried steak, with was 40/60 steak to fried batter drowned in gravy. And the sides were no better. Mashed potatoes with too much unground black pepper and very jalapeño creamed spinach. Our waiter was polite and I appreciated the manager's attentiveness. I wish I had a better experience, but I can't say I'll be back soon.
My friend and I were in town on a Friday from Houston to attend Dave Chapelle show. We stopped by Hoovers for a hearty meal and unfortunately were disappointed. I ordered the catfish, potato salad and green beans, while my friend ordered the jerk chicken, a sausage link with Mac and cheese and Caribbean rice. We shared the queso and fries. The food really lacked a lot of flavor. The jerk chicken did not taste like jerk at all, the catfish needed salt, the Mac and cheese taste like it was out of a box. While the food was a miss the service was great.
Great chicken fried steak and meatloaf!!! Sides were incredible! We will definitely be back
Well, I really wanted to like it because it was on a list of established Austin yummy places. It was not. Yummy, that is The catfish etoufee was full of Sriracha, which was surprising and not like any etoufee I've had before. It was not yummy. The butter beans were good. The salad was simple and the honey mustard was good. The buttermilk pie was inedible. The crust was stale, and the custard was weeping in the bowl in which they served it ( why a bowl?). I love a greasy spoon, but it felt like they'd given up on quality. Made me sad.
Arrived for lunch as they opened at 11. Ordered and served pretty quickly. Fried Chicken served lukewarm and tasted as if it was cooked a day or two ago and reheated...dry and not fresh. Candied Yams and Chocolate Pie were good. Mexican rice was dry and bland. Overpriced for below average "southern" food.
Basic blend and not much tasty, they had one job in one job only which is the easiest thing to not mess up Fried Chicken! What soul food spot can't cook fried chicken should not even consider them selves soulfood !
The food, service, and ambiance we're substandard at best. The automatic service fee (tip) should explain some of it. I will not go back.
Hello fellow neighbor! I have lived right next to you (on Lafayette) for the past twenty years.Your website is an abomination. We have tried to order from it three times. It just straight up doesn't work. I don't know how much you paid for that website to be created, but you got put through the ringer. Not your fault. But is IS you fault for not having a working website.Furthermore, it's 2023. Have you heard of Uber Eats or DoorDash?Now to add insult to injury... the telephone ordering experience was not good. Hard to hear, had to repeat self, etc. Also the chicken fried steak used to be awesome, now it's pretty meh. The fried pork cutlet is still good though.
Restaurantji Recommends
Went with my friends and service is good. Kind staff. I had a three piece chicken and it was two piece chicken and a sad little wing. It was too greasy for me but everyone else loved their meal. It is not my kind of food. French fries were ok hot. Better than many other places...but i dont go for french fries lol. I stay neutral. The most important for me was a little miss.
Very disappointing. In the past, I remember Hoover's as being really good and I must say it has deteriorated considerably. The corn on the cob was virtually inedible - old, wrinkled and tasteless; the side serving of carrots was terrible...overcooked & mushy; also tasteless; the mashed potatoes were pretty bland and the dinner rolls dried out. The meatloaf was still ok - though not at all memorable. All in all, a real disappointment - Sorry to say, I would not recommend it. Will not be going back.
They were short on staff and didn't mention that the chef is a beginner. The fried okra was raw inside; the broccoli was a half-cooked small tree - I spent half the meal using a butter knife to cut some of the florets to eat. The mac & cheese was just plain cheap. Three veggie meal, with tax and tip cost over $17. Not worth half that amount.
Three of us went today 1-13-23 for lunch. Our meals were a total of 59.94 which included tax. They added a Service charge of $11.07 and we left an additional $10.00 tip. When we got home and looked at the receipt we noticed the service charge. We called and they basically said “ it’s to pay for the employees wages.” So, I guess we paid her wages for our meal plus tipped her. The meal was mediocre definitely not worth $81.00. We won’t be going back or recommending Hoover’s.
This seems to be a place with a lot of history. It was a slow night this night which was a Sunday, not sure how common this is but it was fairly empty. We waited a little bit to be seated, which told me they were probably short staffed. All hands on deck...the host did make contact and after a few minutes came and sat us, he was very nice, our waiter came over right away and offered water/drinks (why don't waiters ask about appetizers...not for all you waiters,ask it helps your ticket) he did bring drinks fairly quickly and took our order. I asked for a piece of pie which I was told they had ...but then I was told they didn't have it, at any rate I didn't get the pie which it seemed they had but didn't want to cut into. At the cost of a piece of pie I guess I'm okay with not getting it. They start your bill off with a 20% service fee no matter what. No need to leave a tip, since they take it off the top. The waiter was nice and responsive so I would have left a decent tip, but since I have no choice in the matter I left a dollar just to leave something on the table because I don't want to be that guy. The food was real soul food but that is about it. The black eyed peas were cold...the greens weren't cooked down. The catfish is misleading but the j*** chicken was decent, didn't like the sauce for it. Overall, it's average, I think you will get an okay meal, and decent service.