Hoover’s Cooking

Went there to try their breakfast, they stop serving at noon. I had the chicken fried chicken and the spinach. I did not like the food. The only good thing they have is a bar. I will never go back

Love Love Love there fried chicken on sunday and there breakfast rocks!
Sadly they care closing the 183 location effective 12÷31÷11

Hoovers is an interesting mix of southern, Texas and Louisiana food. As a person who has mixed feelings about chain restaurants I do enjoy the food here.
My wife loves the lemonade and dies every time we go because she wants chicken fried steak. It’s good, dare I personally say the best I’ve had in Austin but I’ve also not been searching. Fwiw, mine made at home is better so bring over beer and I’ll break out the bacon fat.
I’ve ordered the fried catfish and for some reason I’ve never found fried catfish as good as what I grew up eating in Louisiana. It’s the best I can think of in and around Austin but again, I’ve not been searching. With seafood, fresh is everything. All catfish is farm raised these days, whether in Asia or elsewhere.
The chicken fried steak is good, I’ve ordered that several times as well. I never get dessert, I’m too full and can still bring leftovers home.

The other day I found myself at a crossroads: Half of me felt like savoring the fare at Musashino Sushi, after a Facebook friend from highschool who had just had a baby posted a delectable looking platter of sashimi she had been waiting 9 months to eat. The other half of me wanted to unapologetically stuff my face with comfort food at Hoover’s. I put it up to an informal Facebook vote, and after several double entendres aimed at me utilizing the word «Hoover», I chose the latter.
I prefer the original location on Manor, but when you’re ravenous and there’s one five minutes away, you make do.
The place was virtually empty, as I was totally in early-​bird-​special territory by eating dinner at 5:00 PM. Mere moments after thinking this, I noticed an elderly couple by the far window, confirming my analysis. The host took us to a booth near the front and sat us down. He went away. Expecting a different waiter, I was amused that a minute later the man who seated us returned and said «Good evening, I’ll be your waiter today». I guess he had just found out we were his territory, but it reminded me of those old-​timey sitcoms where someone is stopped for speeding in a small town and the arresting cop turns out to be the sheriff, the judge, and the mayor. Was he the manager too?
I rarely remark on tea, but my unsweetened iced tea was brewed quite strong, just as I like it. Maybe I noticed because so many restaurants seem to be cutting corners by serving anemic, almost clear iced «tea», much to my irritation. So, it was refreshing in more than one way.
Their blackboard offered several appetizing specials, and I ping ponged between chicken and dumplings and my original choice, meatloaf. I hadn’t had meatloaf in ages, so that nudged me into its corner. The menu recommends mashed potatoes as one of the two «mates» that comes with the meal. I wish they’d just say «side»; the constant use of the word «mate» confused me into thinking we were either in Australia, or the entrée and the sides were in some sort of weird dating relationship. I broke the mold and ordered the mac and cheese I was craving and the mustard greens, since I don’t get them anywhere else. My dining companion ordered one of the specials, the grilled tuna with «mates» of garlic new potatoes and fresh fruit.
The cornbread, which normally I adore, was a little underwhelming and dry. There was also a meager amount served in the basket. A disappointment, to be sure.
When the food came out (remarkably fast, but then again, we basically had the place to ourselves), I did my usual Unilocal thing and took photos. I always try to be subtle about it and do it when no one is looking, but every time I snapped one. a previously unseen waiters or waitress would saunter on by and give me a weird, somewhat bemused look. I didn’t want them thinking this was like, a HUGE deal for me, like I haven’t been out to eat because I was impoverished or something and I had to capture the majestic beauty of a slab of meatloaf to commemorate the occasion. I think my words were «Dag nab it, they probably think this is my first time out to a real rest-​eee-​raunt.»
The meatloaf was smothered in sauteed tomatoes, and I’d say was decidedly average. Maybe I’m just used to my mother’s, which is infinitely better. Of course, she hasn’t cooked since the early part of the 2000’s, but I still remember it vividly. Huge portions, of course. I enjoyed the unique «bite» of the mustard greens, and of course I licked the bowl clean on the oh-​so-​creamy and comforting mac and cheese. A taste of the garlic new potatoes revealed them to be quite flavorful, and the tuna steak was a surprise dark horse hit, and healthy to boot.
I topped off the meal with a slice of chocolate cream pie, although I had my choice between such other tempting flavors of sweet potato and buttermilk.
Our host/​waiter was consistent and polite and kept the tea refilled, so A+ for service.
Hoover’s «is what it is». It’s billed as traditional American, Southern soul food, and that’s what I go there to eat. You never leave hungry, and I’ve never had a bad experience at either location. I can’t indulge in this food every day, based on my personal dietary restrictions, but when I want to indulge, I certainly know where to go.
3 Stars.

I drive past this place on my way to work everyday, and I have always been curious about it. When given the opportunity to eat in the area, however, we always seem to overlook it. Tonight my wife and I happened to be nearby at the right time, so we decided to give it a try. Ugh.
As you walk in, the dank, stained carpet and 1982 Shoney’s retrofit look do not give off good vibes. They were not at all busy and we were seated immediately. First, a large, frumpy waiter takes our drink order. Several minutes go by, during which time three other servers introduced themselves and started to take our order. I think it may have been the manager that finally brought our drinks. When the last waitress showed up and started to explain the «good stuff», frumpy arrived with attitude in hand, acting like a used car salesman who just had a sale stolen.
The service through the meal remained a lackluster experience. He was there to take the order, to bring it out, and to provide one refill of my overpriced tea.
The meal itself, while not horrible, was not very good. My «cajun cobb salad» consisted of a fairly small salad, meager extras, and a heavily seasoned tiny, pounded-​flat chicken breast. The dressing provided was good and spicy, although I was never given a choice to begin with. NOT worth the $ 11 they charged for it as their Tuesday special. My wife said she liked the chicken fried chicken, but the bite I had proved ridiculously over-​salted. I was disappointed throughout the meal, which certainly is not the norm for me.
The final «we will not be coming back» moment was when our waiter dropped off our check about a third of the way through my salad, then came back about 30 seconds later and asked, while my mouth was full, if I had the payment ready for him. As he walked away, I put my credit card with the check, which he promptly collected. A couple of minutes later we were still eating as he returned the check, told us what a pleasure it was to serve us, and left. He didn’t ask if we needed anything, never commented on my empty glass of tea, and didn’t acknowledge we were still eating our meal! That’s it, we reached our service limit with the frumpy used car salesman.
So yeah, we won’t be going back, which sucks, as I’ve been looking forward to trying it out for a couple of years now. One star, plus one because my wife thinks I’m being overly critical…

You should know what you’re going to order before you walk in the door: chicken friend steak, jalapeño creamed spinach, and mac & cheese. See, protein, green veggie, and starch.
It’s a balanced meal!
Ok, maybe not the healthiest, but guaranteed to ease the most stressful days.
Other great entrees are the chicken fried chicken, the jerk chicken, and the Cajun broiled catfish.
If the special is chicken and dumplings, you might want to give it a try. I’m pretty sure this is the old Nighthawk Steakhouse recipe.
I’ve been there a couple of times for breakfast, and it’s solid as well. Thy the fried chicken and hoecakes for a little Deep South flavor.

Oh, where to start, where to start? FIRST, I should follow my instincts when I pull up to a place of business and it looks shabby and unkept– for shame! Then, after I walked in and saw the old, dank décor I should have left immediately. You see, I believe we use all senses to eat and we should never judge a book by its cover, so onward I pressed… even after the varied Unilocal reviews (fellow Unilocalers either loved ‘em or hated ‘em). Needless to say, I gave them a chance and I’m now on punishment from choosing the restaurants… according to my husband.
SECOND, when you walk in a restaurant that claims to have, «Honest-​to-​Goodness– Good cooking…» then I expect it to look and smell great, and it didn’t. I ordered the smoked wings and expected them to look like the photos posted on Unilocal and on their page, they didn’t. They were dry, overcooked and tasted like an ashtray they were so smokey. Problem is, they thought slathering them in sauce was the answer… NOT! But, I first sampled the jalepano creamed spinach, because I love creamed spinach; it was watery with very little flavor other than a background heat. I also sampled the cole slaw, not good, I’ll leave it at that.
My husband ordered the chicken special with boudain dressing, sweet potatoes and green beans. Now, he never adds salt to anything but rest assured, he kept dumping it on hoping to bring out some type of flavor. That’s when I was put on notice that I was, «on punishment.» (inside joke.)
THIRD, customer service left a lot to be desired. I mean, come on, if a customer has complaints I believe it’s a manager’s duty to see why and if there is anything they can do to make the customer’s experience better. Of course, he didn’t, and they seemed to be a little upset with my complaint after I asked to have my wings removed from my bill. Trust, I didn’t get past one tiny bite of A wing, so they were fully intact and untouched. Bless my husband’s heart, he kept trying to eat and even got a to go box. I guess 18 years in the Army does that you.
FINALLY, they still billed me for the wings after I was told they would be removed. We had to point out the mistake, so they double billed me! By the way, the quality for the price is just not worth it. So very disappointed because I wanted to love this place.
A word of advice from my husband, «Bro, it’s fine to clock your dollars, but you have to stay on top of your employees to ensure the quality is the same as when you first started and how you made a name for yourself.» If it is, then my standards for quality are much higher. Maybe it’s a matter of taste. The one plus, the sweet potatoe bisquits were delicious and warm.
Perhaps I will try the other location. Oh, and I’m still waiting on the credit to my account for being double charged.

It is a Saturday morning and Adam F and I are milling around the house. Me not wanting to take off my robe and thinking about what to do for breakfast or brunch at this point because it was after 10am. I remembered I had a NabTheDeal thingy and thought that Hoover’s served brunch on the weekends. The problem was they stop serving it at 11:30 and it was only good for the Hoover’s in south Dallas.
I ran into the living room and told Adam to pack the cooler and grab some good music because we where going here for a light brunch and then to IKEA for a day trip.
We start are trek up north and I was asked were on 183 it was. I saw a cross road called Anderson Mill. Where the hell is that Adam asked. Just keep driving a say.
We get there and there are a few other patrons enjoying their huge portions of goodness. We were greeted and given a table quickly. Now the ordering. I ordered the ham steak and scrambled eggs with a side of cheese grits. Adam ordered the open faced biscuits with chicken fried chicken strips and etouffe and cheese grits.
I checked in on Unilocal and a few minutes our troft of food came out. Our waiter seriously must have had to work out to carry all of it. My ham steak and eggs were pretty lukewarm which did not make me very happy. I asked for salsa to give the eggs some flavor.
Adam’s dish on the other hand was amazing. Huge, swarming with flavor and hot! I kept taking from his dish, taking a bite, closing my eyes and moaning mmmmmmm.
The service was excellent and Adam’s dish really saved this review. It was definitely a good beginning to our day trip.

Both locations of Hoover’s have always had the Southern hospitality thing down pat. Consistency is key, and I’ve never had a bad experience here.
Pluses: Jerk ribs — smokey, spicy and awesome, Creamed Spinach, Fried Okra, cowboy beans, and the service
Minuses: The margaritas — a bit overpriced and taste like a cheap mix.
But really, you don’t come here to drink margaritas — you come for the food, and so far they haven’t let me down.

There’s a certain style of restaurant, of which there are several along that side of 183. The interiors have a very 1970s feel about them, even though they are relatively new buildings. Their interior decorators were clearly very fond of brown. Their menus cater to an older generation and those of us with kids — lots of nice, safe food that won’t offend anyone’s palate, and plenty of soft, squishy options that the toothless at both ends of life’s road can gum down.
Hoover’s is one of these.
Now, I understand that breakfast is their specialty, so I’m prepared to admit that maybe I’m not seeing Hoover’s at its best. But in any case, we’ve been here for dinner a few times now, primarily because it’s reliable, the food’s ok, the service is fast and friendly, it’s never too busy at dinner time, and they’re good with the kids.
Last time I went for the chopped steak with mushroom gravy, which was fairly unpleasant, but you could argue that I should have known better. And you’d be right. Tonight I had the Poblano Burger, though, which was probably the best thing I’ve ever had at Hoover’s, so all is forgiven.
The kids shared macaroni cheese and okra, and got to scribble on the paper tablecloth with the provided crayons, giving their mother and I a chance to eat.
Will I be back again? Probably. Would I come here for dinner if I didn’t have children, or if it wasn’t just a few minutes from the house? Probably not. I will get around to trying their breakfast eventually though.

Another Breakfast review. I have had dinner at the Hoover’s near campus and I remember loving it. So, this other Hoover’s has to be just as good right? Eh, I had dinner there once, and haven’t been back since so it really wasn’t memorable at all. Even though we had a disappointing dinner a long while ago, that didn’t stop us from getting our breakfast on at this location.
The breakfast here was definitely much better than the dinner we had years ago. The Biscuits and Gravy were huge and pretty tasty. They put some sort of spice in the gravy though, so if you like traditional sausage gravy you won’t like this as much. I also tried a Hoe Cake, which is basically Cornbread in Pancake form. It was just okay. I like the sweetness of the Cornbread, but the texture didn’t quite do it for me. I also had a bite of their regular ol’ Pancake. It was also just okay. Nothing special about it at all. The eggs and bacon were just fine and dandy. They were pretty standard, but well prepared and tasty. The Home Fries were also surprisingly good. They were pretty much perfectly fried to a light crisp on the outside and warm mush on the inside, just as they should be.
All-​in-​all Hoover’s breakfast was a lot better than the dinner (Although nowhere near as good as anything at the far superior Manor Rd locale), but it’s still nothing to write home about. We might possibly go back at some point. But it will probably be awhile.
Pros: Local Flavor, Only Place I Know to get Hoe Cakes, Good Home Fries
Cons: The Food Isn’t Really Memorable

Whee-​doggies! This is what we wished Sunday dinner would be. Somebody’s Gramma is overseeing this kitchen. Portions are big and tasty, and I’d recommend wearing elastic waisted pants.
I had the Saturday special smothered pork chops, with a dinner salad and creamed spinach. Luckily I brought along a designated driver, because I also unwittingly downed 2 of their happy hour margaritas.
My only criticism of Hoover’s NW is their lighting. The back booths require either sunglasses or a flashlight, depending on which side of the table you sit. The main dining room is a little harsh, and you might feel like you’re under interrogation. My advice is to take sunglasses and enjoy the food. Order a piece of chocolate cream pie — — - but get it to-​go. If you add it onto a meal with the «clean plate club» you’ll explode…

I came to this place for lunch today and man. I almost passed out from food comatose when I got back to work.
I saw this place after swinging by a few times and it said home cookin.
I had order a typical baby back ribs and they are not bad at all. Needs a bit mo spice but at least the bone fell off the meat which still good for me to devour them all. The sides are pretty large and decent to handle with. Love the fried okra. I can just eat them all day. (sometimes). The potato salad was fine but it has big chucks (not for the faint of heart to eat big).
My co worker had the CFS and geez its huge and ordered the special to get 3 smaller sides instead of 2 large ones. Its a great approach to try out all the sides they had to offer. The mustard greens were oddly sweet instead of the typical type flavor. Also he had the spinach with the jalapeño crème sauce… this dish is a bit sweet so you can drown in hot sauce at your discretion.
I’ll most definitely will swing by here to check out their fried chicken and other home cookin items from the menu.
Note: Be warned, once you eat this. there is a high chance u will pass out either over or under your work desk!!!

I almost wished I lived far away from here so that I wouldn’t be tempted to eat here everynight!
What you have heard is right about the Jalapeño Creamed Spinach, and the Chicken Fried Steaks. Not to mention their absolutely to die for Sweet Potato Biscuits and Sweet Potato Cheesecake with Praline Topping. If I could make a Chocolate Cream Pie like that, I would be a food god.
I have only had top notch wait service here too. I asked if their chicken and dumplings had drop or rolled dumplings, and the server brought me a sample to try to see if I liked it.
Everything I have had here has been wonderful from Trout, to burgers, to Pork chops to the sides. The variety and quality is great. And you can’t get better southern/​soul food in Austin.
The only downside to this restaurant is you should not plan to do ANYthing but take a nap after eating here.
If you are on a diet, this is not the place for you.
If you want to have a bad case of the «itis» and leave pleasantly full and feeling like you just ate at a real southern person’s house, GO HERE.

Can you say food coma? Southern food with overly sized side items! Weekend brunch or a waist busting lunch or dinner — this is a local favorite of mine. From the fried chicken to mac and cheese or desserts this is the place to gain as much weight as you need.
when you walk in look around for the specials board and let your mouth water and your stomach turn in confusion.
Brunch? Fried Catfish Étouffée & Biscuits or the Chicken fried chicken will surely pop a button or two. If the fear of getting fat scares you too much to stop in a enjoy a meal just go running, ride your bike, or bounce on a trampoline for an hour or so afterwards. I do only visit once a month but I dream about it often.

I was convinced to eat here with my dining companion that was craving Southern/​Soul Food.
Vegetarians beware… I think they offer about 3 things… salads, steamed broccoli, mashed potatoes (without the gravy) and maybe another vegetable.
Although I am not a vegetarian, I don’t eat much meat either. I ordered the veggie plate… creamed spinach, Steamed broccoli, and mac & cheese (yes this is a vegetable in Texas) the broccoli was HUGE… the mac and cheese– ok, and the creamed spinach had a weird after taste with the consistency of spinach soup rather than creamed spinach.
1 star for the portions (for about $ 7 I had enough to make 3 meals)
1 star because our waiter looked like Napoleon Dynamite and was very friendly and attentive

Well the other night my wife wanted fried chicken and she thought Hoover’s would have it. Well on this night they did not have fried chicken. So we ordered other things!
I ordered the BBQ chicken and sausage with cabbage and a salad. The wife ordered chicken fried chicken with candies yams and fried okra.
The best item was the chicken fried chicken, we both liked it. My sides were fine but the wife didn’t care much for hers. My BBQ chicken was dry and way over cooked.
This is the third time we have tried Hoover’s, on a previous try I tried the meatloaf and did not care for it that much,
So Hoover’s style of cooking is not for me and my wife. I guess we were just disappointed. The service however was great.
Would I (we) go back? Most likely not, but I won’t say never.

Well, this restaurant is country. Any place that uses brown packing paper as a placemat is fairly hick. I was a little bummed I didn’t get crayons, but I guess they thought I was too old for them.
This weekend we decided to check out Hoover’s Cooking for brunch on Sunday. The ladyfriend was very interested in eating some pancakes and chicken. To her, that sounded like the greatest breakfast of all time. To me, not so much.
We got to the restaurant a little before 11 and there was a fair amount of people there. The patrons were definitely the after church crowd.
Our waitress was very nice. We sat down and ordered our food and it came out reasonably quickly and all at the same time. I ordered the migas, which the waitress said was bomb and a bloody mary. Only bummer was they messed up on my buddy’s order, but they remedied the situatation relatively quickly (unfortunately, the remedy then came out with the wrong side).
The migas was good, but pretty standard to be honest. In Hoover’s defense, I’m a vegetarian, so I couldn’t eat the beans because they had meat in them. The bloody mary that I got was kind of subpar. They do use pretty good vodka (tito’s is house), but it did not have much flavor. Ah well. I added some of the habanero and tabasco that was sitting on the table to it so that it had a little kick.
The happy hour specials appeared to be pretty good, but I’m not sure I could get excited about going to Hoover’s to knock a couple back.
Anyways, food’s decent and the prices are good, but it’s not going to put it on the top of my list.

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) entrée and 3 sides for around $ 8 — $ 10. Lots of Unilocalers 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.

Unilocal 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 entrée 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 jalapeño 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!