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Categories: Southern, Soul Food, American (Traditional) [Edit]
13376 N Highway 183
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Our family of two grown-ups and one hungry, 3 year-old, post-swimming-lessons maniac stopped in for dinner at Hoover's at 6ish on a November Tuesday. First impressions:
-- This is place is dead! Way fewer people than at lunch during the week. Hope this doesn't mean the end of another independent, local place on the north side....
-- Hey, there's a super-sweet happy hour menu with $2 beer and $3-$6 apps!
-- Chicken and sausage gumbo is on the specials board, so you KNOW I'll be trying that.
-- Staff seems fresh, cheerful, and attentive.
I decided to go for the "Meat & 3" where you get a half-portion (which is really plenty for most mortals) entree and 3 sides for around $8 - $10. Lots of Yelpers rave about the CFS, so I order that plus mustard greens, carrots, and yams (ya know, to get a few vitamins with my artery-clogging meat/gravy combo). Son-boy went for the kid-sized catfish, cheese grits, and free cornbread, while hubby took the muffaletta and a side of that gumbo, which as a true Southern gentleman he would be required to share with his lovely wife.
The CFS had good flavor, but the meat was barely edible, about as tough as a day-old wad of Hubba Bubba. The greens were okay, with huge hunks of lean salty pork throughout. In fact, all of the food seemed way over-salted. The kid's catfish was good in parts, but other bits were too fatty to ingest (and bitter catfish fat is something you don't want in your mouth - blech).
It wasn't all mediocre, though. The garlic cheese grits were heavenly, hubby (who's 100% Cajun-French) liked his sandwich, and we both agreed that the extra dark & flavorful roux for the gumbo more than surpassed Sambet's down the road.
So the 3 stars are for excellent gumbo, cheap happy hour deals, and being a place where I can come in with a squirmy kid and be served immediately with a smile. Next time, mom and dad will both order bowls of gumbo and we'll get the boy BBQ chicken or a grilled cheese.
Yelp research is making my belly bigger! Not that I haven't ever been to Hoovers but we only go about once or twice a year. This place is a gut-busting, calorie bomb. If you know that going in, you can rationalize to yourself that you only do it once a year....
I have to admit tho, similarly to Threadgills, the sides way outshine the main entrees here. They have a new thing on their menu called "A meat plus three" which is smaller servings of an entree and three sides, so this was perfect for me. Had the chicken fried chicken which was ok. Very thin piece, mostly breading, covered in gravy which needed pepper (come on pepper that cream gravy people!). But the jalapeno creamed spinach, the butter beans, and the mac and cheese were all delicious.
Even tho I had had a nice Sunday afternoon nap before eating, when I got done I could feel the blood seeping out of my brain and into my gut for the energy to digest this stuff. I was only semi-conscious going home and had to stretch out on the couch like a python and digest. Think you will be seeing alot of salad reviews from me in the future!
Ohh i can feel my arteries hardening just thinking about Hoover's!
I went here on Friday for lunch with some co workers, bad idea! The food is soo good but it will leave you wanting a nap, not fun when you have to go back to the office!
This is one of the best places to get Chicken Fried Steak in Austin. Its tender, and fried to perfection! The sides are great too, mashed potatoes, fried okra, greens....mmm!
The prices are great for the amount of food you get.
Hoover's is delicious. Some of their mains are overly spiced, like the meatloaf. Catfish is great. The veggies are delicious, the portions large. Good family atmosphere.
My wife and I recently stopped by Hoovers to grab some dinner, I ordered the chicken fried steak and Holly ordered the catfish and fried Okra. The service was very friendly and the food was served very fast.
It was pretty good for home cooking, the portions are Ginormous. The atmosphere was pleasant and comfortable. They do have daily specials and a full bar. Good place and I will be going back.
Love me some good fried chicken steak! Too bad it's been 2 years since I went to visit austin, but this place left a good impression!
So how is chips and salsa soul food???? Cause its on there menu!!!! The fried catfish was these burnt little dry pieces of cat poop!!!!!! The sides were horrible the mac n cheese was gritty. MMmmmmm hows it all sound so far???? YEAH I have not been back!!!! The chicken fried steak tastes like a salt lick. The vegetables were over cooked and not seasoned. The bread served with the meal was rock hard on the outside and gummy on the inside. If your blind with no taste buds and wanna flush money down the toilet then please check this GEM out for yourself.
Sunday Brunch priced right and in typically large Hoover-sized portions
I've been several times for the Hoover's brunch, and I usually get the Chicken Fried Chicken Etouffee and Biscuits. It's delicious and enough for two meals. This time I got eggs and Elgin sausage with a side of cheese grits and hash browns. The hash browns can be hit or miss (a miss today). When they hit, they're acceptable, so I think from now on I'll avoid them.
The eggs were fluffy, and the sausage was amazing as usual. The Elgin sausage is available at all times, and worth getting at any time of day.
My friend got the Sweet Potato pancakes and loved them -- be warned! They're not that big but are very filling. Two should be plenty, even if you're quite hungry. This is a warning that can be applied to many of the meals at Hoover's.
I love Hoover's for breakfast and supper (lunch is a much lighter meal for me), but I will agree that Hoover's food is not "Soul Food." It's hearty, comforting, and very tasty. Soul Food seems to be a moniker for a much heavier meal than even Hoover's provides -- Hoover's is better off for this, in my opinion.
Soul food??? Ha! It was edible I guess... Canned black eyed peas and pinto beans with Kraft mac-n-cheese, I could all do at home... Actually I could do better myself. It's bad when your favorite part of the meal is cornbread... which was probably a boxed mix that I could do at home as well.
I felt like I should tell my grandma on them.
We've eaten at Hoover's Manor Rd. location a couple of times and enjoyed it. But, I would venture to say that the meal we had at the 183 location tonight was one of the worst meals we've ordered in a restaurant in years -- if ever. Grilled mahi mahi was a special on the menu and when it arrived, it was so overcooked, the outer layer was something like leather. The inside was, well, ... like leather. Two of the folks at the table ordered spinach. One got one kind of spinach (creamed), and the other got something like you'd normally see, but the taste was unbelievable. It was sweet. Like sweet peas or some other sweet vegetable had been mixed in. Revolting. Buttered cabbage was good, but really, how can you mess up that? I guess you could put sugar in it, or mix in some olives, or something.
The meatloaf we ordered for our toddler was so hard I was able to pick up the entire piece with my fingers and hold it up for the others at the table to see. Nary a crumb fell off! Even the baby wouldn't eat it. (I told the waitress about that and they did take it off the bill; however, my son then didn't have a meal ... and we were hard-pressed to find anything edible to share with him. In reality, the entire meal, including two barely passable desserts (refrigerated pecan pie, and blackberry cobbler -- which was pie, NOT cobbler), should never have seen the light of day, let alone be eaten and paid for.
What makes me really mad is we've been cutting back on meals out and watching our waistlines a lot lately. What a waste of money and calories! I would have enjoyed a Wendy's fish sandwich more. Lame, lame, lame!
Seriously, if it's home cooking you're looking for, go to Threadgills!
OK people. If you are reading this review, then you have access to the interwebs. Go to Hoover's web site and check out the Menu page. Scroll down and see the glorious pictures of the meals. These are real pictures of what you will be eating on you next visit to Hoover's. These are not photo shopped or faked out photos with larger than life portions. I am currently drooling over the Southern Fried Pork Chops. I had this for lunch on Sunday and now it is Monday and I could do it all over again. If you can scroll down this menu and not find something you can fall in love with, then you should visit the doctor and have your pulse checked.
I have been to the original location many times, but decided to try the new location on 183 with a friend. It was awesome. Busy, but not crazy busy. We were able to relax and not worry about getting up quickly to allow access to our table. The server was great and knew when to check in on us for refills and everything.
All right, you might need one more selling point to be convinced. Use your interweb savvy again. Check out the Austin Chronicle 2008 Readers Poll and you will see Hoover's Cooking as the top choice for Comfort Food and American - beating out places like Threadgill's, Dot's Place, Hyde Park Bar and Grill, Kerby Lane Cafe and Shady Grove. They also get Runner-up status for Chicken-Fried Steak and Honorable Mention status for Vegetables and Chicken Dish.
The people that gave bad reviews are just full of themselves! They could cook that at home?! Then stay home!! My husband is a chef and we love this place! You have to get the jerk chicken, best chicken you will ever eat!! And the meatloaf is incredible!!! All the complainers from out of town need to go back where they came from!!!!
The Chicken Fried Steak was great! Also enjoyed the Grits, mashed taters and gravy, fried okra, and Sweet Tea. Since I am from California, I haven't had the pleasure of eating very much Southern Food but this was definitely a nice start! I tried to find an authentic place in the Austin area and Hoover's was the most recommended. Would love to know where else I can get a great CFS in the Austin area!
Out and about on a Saturday morning doing errands. Mid-morning.. and I'm hungry. Cruising up 183 trying to think of something new to try... and then I remembered Hoovers serves breakfast on weekends. Gotta stop. Give it a shot.
It was about 10:15am (breakfast is served until 11am), and there were quite a few people there.. not full.. but active.. some families.. couples.. groups.. individuals.. enough to keep the staff busy.. but not noisy or overwhelming..
Tried the Migas, served with home fries, refried beans, and two fresh tortillas. The migas were really pretty good. Hot and tasty. Eggs, cheese, tortillas, a hint of pico... The fresh tortillas were soft and warm. The home fries were the small chunks of potatoes, hot, nicely browned and a little crispy, hot and cooked on the inside. The nice surprise was the refried beans - they even had flavor! Being used to the obligatory scoop of refried beans served in most places around town.. these were hot, tasty, and for the first time, I wish I had more of them.
For $5.99, this was a satisfying breakfast. And nicely, I didn't leave feeling stuffed...
Will have to come back after the holidays and try some of the other choices.. They had a Shrimp Etoufee with Grits which really sounded tempting..
There are few things I love more in this world then Chicken Fried Steak. Throw in some Mac N Cheese, some bbq beans, and cornbread and you have a recipe for a food orgy in my mouth. I hope that Mac N Cheese has a good lawyer, it's gonna need a restraining order to keep me away.
I heard these things were served and could be served together at Hoover's. Better yet, it's in my neck of the woods. So off I went with fellow yelpers Cody "I am not mean" R, his wife and sometime yelper Madelyn R, and Jessica "Quit being mean Cody" s.
We rolled up, and it was not busy. Table right away, which is what I like to hear. I noticed that there was butcher paper that covered the tables, which is what I like to see. The table was begging for stuff to contain gravy on it.
The menu is full of things that I love to eat: fried catfish, chicken fried steak, bbq. I got my above mentioned combo up above. Jessica, the catfish, Cody, the chicken fried steak as well, and Mads the "smothered" pork chops. Needless to say a whole bunch of Heaven arrived at are table faster then I have ever seen. We ordered and our food came out maybe 5-7 minutes later. Score.
The food to put it bluntly made me glad to be an American. The chicken fried steak was tender, the gravy creamy, the mac n cheese cheesy, and the beans full of bbq goodness (there was brisket in the beans!). The cornbread was sweet and the most surprising thing, I don't even know what they are called. All I know is we called them little brown goodness discs, because that's what they are. They shower your taste buds with love and understanding as only little brown goodness discs can.
Needless to say I will be back for more. I mean they even have RC Cola on TAP! Yes! Check it out if you are a fan of Threadgills but don't care for the hype. This is one unassuming place that packs an artery clogging punch of doom. CLEAR!
I've always liked Hoovers, but felt they were somewhat over-priced for what it is.
That being said... I can't deny that their breakfasts are second to none. And the garlic cheddar grits are all you'd ever need to eat for an entire day!
There are bigger breakfast tacos in town. Some are lame, others are unique, etc. But Hoover's are just perfect. Not too big, not too small, and as with all of their food... you can just taste something a little extra special in every bite.
Not too crowded for breakfast and the service is always top notch.
A couple of weekends ago was the second time I have been to Hoovers on 183. It was nice that it was close to my apartment. The food is really good and reminded me of my best friends mommas cooking because she made me the first chicken fried steak I ever had. The service is really good to, or was until I went to eat with a girlfriend. We got a table near the back close to a waiter area and this bald older waiter and some really tall skinny dark haired man wearing a hoover shirt would go in that area and start talking and joking and snickering like no one could hear them even though there were tables all around them. Its not a sin to laugh but they were talking about some woman in the restaurant in a way that was rude and unprofessional. I dont know if Ill go back after that but the food is really good so I might
Wait...what?
Look, I know I'm not native to Austin. As they say, wasn't born here, got here as fast as I could, and so on. But why does everyone worship this place? When I moved to Texas, one thing I was looking forward to was chicken fried steak. I loves me some chicken fried steak. I'm told it is the Texas national dish. See? I've even learned to say national instead of state. This place does tend to grow on you.
This place being Texas, not Hoover's. Hoover's was downright awful. I'm reading these reviews, saying it is the best CFS in Austin. You know what? You might be right. I've not found a single place that does it right in Austin. The Gristmill in New Braunfels...THEY know how to do chicken fried steak right. That is the closest I've found so far. But hey, no reason for me to take Austin's inability to make a really basic food out on Hoover's. Rather than review the food (which other items on the menu might be perfectly passable, I don't know) let me review the service.
Wait...what? This place has service? I hadn't noticed. They weren't even busy, and we had to flag down a waitress, who took our drink and appetizer order and disappeared. We eventually flagged down a waiter, who did bring the drinks, but not the appetizer. We had ordered the spinach and artichoke dip, and by the time we finally got it it was cold. Ok, so we're not starting off on the right foot here are we? Again, we'll skip over the food part, continuing on with the service. After our party is done eating we wait for the bill. And wait. And wait. And wait. We ask for the bill. We ask for some water. We wait. And wait. And wait. Aha! The bill is here! Cards are whipped out, we wait. And wait. And wait. Are you getting tired of this yet? I sure was, but we're not done! We finally get someone to take care of the bill, and then wait for the cards to be returned. And...well, you know the rest of the story, I am sure.
I'm sorry, Threadgill's, but I'm never going to give you a chance. I was waiting eagerly for you to open in Cedar Park, and now you're not going to. Everyone says the best CFS in Austin is at Threadgill's, second best at Hoover's (though sometimes the two positions are reversed). Assuming this is true, I see no need to go out of my way to experience the same crap Hoover's gave me and dared to call chicken fried steak.
Sheesh, the boxed CFS at Sam's Club puts this place to shame.
Fantastic.
Yes your going to spend the money but were talking fresh. Their ribs are great.
I'm not missing Dot's after this though I will miss the price.
Great Happy Hour from 3-6. The margaritas are only $3, and you only need one! The food is old-fashioned comfort food and the desserts are just like my nana used to make them. Good for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
I love to go here on Saturdays for their smothered pork chops. This is just good southern comfort food. It isn't gourmet, it isn't fancy, but it's good and hearty. Can't quite give them 5 stars because sometimes the service is spotty (really just one waiter, but I always seem to get stuck with him) and yes, the food is sometimes a little greasy. I can't dock them more for that though because what do you expect from fried okra anyway?
ONE OF MY MOST FAVORITE RESTAURANTS IN TOWN. This place serves up some down home cooking that is LEGIT. The portions, as Becca commented, are HUGE. But if you want to split a plate, you're charged a split plate fee of $2 or $3. So order some side mates, and share an entree, and avoid paying the split charge fee altogether.
The wings are CRAZY messy and HOT, but oh-so-delcious. My honey likes the meatloaf, and we're both fans of the chicken fried everything with REAL homemade gravy. BONUS: you get a breadbasket with little cornbread muffins and sweet potato biscuits.
Now, I'm setting up a disclaimer here, because I've had nothing but GREAT service here, but you'll notice that most of the employees are overweight. I'll be the first one to say that I would be overweight if I worked at a place where the food was THIS GOOD.
The Bloody Mary mix is awesome. A little spicy, with a celery salt rim. The mac and cheese is the ONLY thing I've had here that's hit or miss. The Mustard Greens are good. The candied yams (which they have on occasion as a "side mate" are unbelievable. Southern Green Beans are seasoned perfectly. Mashed potatoes are hearty and creamy and thick. The of course, there's the fried okra. YUM! The jalapeno creamed spinach has the jalapeno flavor without the heat of a jalapeno.
Although the BBQ portions aren't super hearty, the ribs are smoked to perfection (to where they fall off the bone). I've never tried a "down-home burger" here because honestly, I'd rather have chicken fried pork chops!
On each table there are an assortment of sauces, from Habanero sauce, to the Louisiana peppers marinated in vinegar.
Other favorites: Sweet Potato Praline Cheesecake, Banana Pudding Cheesecake, delicious Gumbo.
STAR ALERT: I saw Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez dining at the manor location a few months back.
The NORTH location, south of Anderson Mill on 183 gave us great service yesterday. The cook brought the food out the second it was ready, and it was piping hot and ready to dig into!
Finally, there are guest cards on each table where you can rate your experience and be contacted by a manger if you so request it.
Hoover's is delicious, and if it weren't for my aging and slowing metabolism, I'd eat there all the time. Still, it's a treat worth going back for again and again!
NEW: They now (at least at the north location) have "Blue Plate Specials." Slightly smaller portions served all day M-Thursday, and part of the day on Friday. Still, I'm sure it'd be enough food to have you feeling more than satisfied.
Hoovers came so highly recommended, I was drooling at the prospect of going there. However, either people have faulty taste buds or I went when the chef was off his medication or something... because my meal was bland, stodgy and extremely oily. In fact all I remember is the oily, greasy, unctuousness. If you are thinking of going here why not just cook up some okra in warm canola oil and breadcrumbs and some Kraft mac-n-cheese and just get the experience without paying anything.
Hands down my favorite breakfast spot in Austin. I honestly cannot count how many times I have been there but I know that all but once was for breakfast.
Mostly because of the biscuits and gravy. Big chunks of Elgin sausage, not crumbles -CHUNKS, and the gravy is so thick you can pretty much hold your plate sideways without them sliding off! The pancakes and breakfast muffuletta are also better than butter. Portions are huge so expect to take some home with you.
The atmosphere is cozy enough and the service has always been pleasant. One of these days I'm going to pony up and buy some of the artwork hanging in the meeting room.
Fried green tomatoes...can't beat that.
They don't have those all the time I don't think. They should.
I like their five veggie plate better than threadgill's. And yeah...macaroni and cheese IS a vegetable.
I went here for a retirement party yesterday. I love Hoover's in general. The atmosphere is different at this location. It's a much older crowd. It's definitely different from the East side location.
Enough said, the FOOD IS GREAT. I had the meatloaf and mashed potates (kiddie plate) and a strawberry margarita.
We had a party at the back part of the restaurant. It's really a nice area to have a small party. We had only 1 waiter and he was great. He was on task, kept the drinks flowing and the food coming. The margaritas are pricy, but they are really good.
Overall, a good place for some good southern cooking in North Austin.
I don't get this place. As someone else said, "Soul food???" I don't think so. I know turnip greens and these aren't them. The ones I was served had clearly been spiked with sugar? This is a dish commonly cut with vinegar sauce. Why would you put sugar on them? Blehhh. Same with a couple other items like the black eyed peas. I have eaten there 3-4 times, each time thinking that the next time would be when I'd find out what others saw in the place. Instead I just leave wondering just what it is that I was supposed to order.
Hoovers. I have to tell you that I hope you are absolutely starving when you come here for lunch or dinner, because the portions are HUGE! I got the Texas favorite Chicken Fried Steak. It was great. I spent $10 and I got dinner, and lunch the next day! I have to say that Hoovers, in addition to having a a rather mellow, laid back type of atmosphere, has mastered the art of " soul food"
This is the worst restaurant food I've ever had. I wanted to leave and not pay the bill, it was that bad. The food was horrifically awful (macaroni in cheese water anyone?). The service was painful. The other patrons were atleast 75 years older than me on average. Go to the east side location, its much better. Avoid this place like the plague (you just might catch it here).
I probably had the best chicken friend steak of my life here! I'm on a quest for the best and this may have been it.
this is the place i always take out-of-town visitors.
there is something for everyone, and it's the hearty cooking that my east coast friends just can't get back home.
i agree with the other poster who said the mac and cheese is hit or miss.
everything else is spot on, and the portions are HUGE.
that being said, i don't think this place is too pricey.
i have not yet tried the blue plate specials for lunch, because then i would be in a food coma for the rest of the day!
Hoover's is pure comfort food. It tastes authentic. You will leave full and glowing. You don't have to drive all the way out to somewhere like Lockhart, Giddings, La Grange for a decent Chicken Fried Steak. All entrees bring back memories of dishes a relative used to prepare, be it mom, grandma, great granny. This is the best chicken fried steak in Austin. Forget about Threadgill's, forget Hill's Cafe. Hoover's kills it. The CFS is breaded just enough to be really crunchy and satisfying but never becomes soggy under the delicious and hearty gravy which is a dealbreaker for me. I love their fried catfish, and their cajun takes on Texas BBQ faves are a must try. Some delicious sides are their skin-on mashed potatoes, macaroni & cheese, mustard greens, jalepeno creamed spinach. Hell, you can make an excellent meal with just the veggie plate. Top it off with some cobbler and I can't think of any better Southern Style home cooking in Austin.
Neighborhood: Cherrywood
Category: Southern
Neighborhood: East Austin
Category: Sandwiches
Neighborhood: Pflugerville
Category: Southern
Neighborhood: East Austin
Category: Cajun/Creole
Austin, TX
Category: American (Traditional)
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