Update: Hard Times remains closed as of Thursday, October 17. The restaurant will make an announcement soon whether or not it will be open Friday.
Hard Times Cafe at 1117 Nelson St in Rockville is temporarily closed due to construction being done in the Woodley Gardens shopping center parking lot.
According to a sign posted on the front door of the restaurant, “We will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday this week due to extensive parking lot repairs. We will reassess the situation on Wednesday and decide on reopening Thursday. We apologize for the inconvenience and hope to see you back soon!
Other business in the shopping center, including Carmen’s Italian Ice and Z&Z, remain open. Hard Times Cafe reopened in July of this year after closing due to plumbing issues in September 2023.
The restaurant is known best for its wings and chili with variations that include Texas, Cincinnati, Terlingua, and vegetarian. Menu items include the Chili Bubba (chili over corn bread), Chili Mac (over spaghetti), Frito Chili Mac, chili dogs, chili burgers, and chili fries. The restaurant also serves non-chili dishes, such as salads, wraps, and chicken tenders.
According to its website, “The Hard Times Cafes are designed to recall a southern depression era chili parlor. Its design is simple and honest, making use of polished red oak and terra-cotta tile. Photographs of day-to-day western life, circa 1930, are featured on the sand textured walls.” The first Hard Times Cafe opened in Alexandria, VA in 1980 and the Rockville location opened in 1984. There was previously a Hard Times Cafe at 13032 Middlebrook Rd in Germantown, which closed in 2014, and others outside of Montgomery County. There are currently additional Hard Times locations in Alexandria, Fredericksburg, and Springfield, VA.
