Hoover's Cooking — Restaurant in Austin

I recently came to Austin, Texas to explore the culinary scene. Being a huge Orlando foodie, I like to see what other cities have to offer, to see if they can compete with my town. A place that was highly touted as I was doing my research was Hoover's Cooking. A place so fresh and homemade that their hours can change week to week and even day to day. I wanted to stop in the Wednesday I got into town, but they didn't open until like 3:30PM, so I had to wait until the next day, when they opened at 11AM. No problem.

The vibe of the whole place was as down home Southern as you can get, from the classic red table cloths to the specials written on the wall in chalk. It felt like home. Not Orlando, but my actual hometown. I got in there, asked the cashier for his recommendations, and made my decisions.

I ordered the Catfish Po'Boy (Served with tartar sauce. ‘Nuff said), with a side of Candied Yams. This was not a reeeaaal po'boy, but it was still good! The small-ish sandwich was served on like a crispy garlic bread baguette thing. Catfish fried perfectly. And a mountain of cooling slaw in there to give your mouth something fresh to cut through all the fatty stuff going on. I loved it.

Also, the candied yams were above and beyond. There were good medium sized chunks of yam in here that were cooked soft all the way through, and they were candied with a sauce that was sweet, but not too sweet. A good compliment to the sandwich. I definitely recommend getting this side if you're even a little bit curious.

I also got to try the Chicken Fried Chicken Breast (Boneless fried chicken breast, topped with our fine cream gravy! ¼ lb. + 3 House Mates), with sides of Macaroni & Cheese, Potato Salad, and Fried Okra. This was also solid. The fried chicken breast was a good version of what it was, but the true star here was the gravy. Creamy, no lumps, and excellently peppery. A fine gravy.

The sides were great, too. Mac & cheese had nice, big, soft noodles draped with ooey gooey cheese. Potato salad had large chunks of soft potato with a great base liquid. And fried okra with no dripping oil and no slime, a nice solid crunch.

Overall, this was all really great. I had a local, bottled root beer and the house Arnold Palmer. Perfect complimentary drinks. I just have no complaints. I...

I met my husband and my son for lunch at Hoovers today. It was my recommendation for lunch as I have previously eaten here a few years ago. I raved about the quality of the food to my husband. We ordered our food at the counter and then sat down. My son was hungry and was requesting chicken strips and french fries. My husband decided to try the red white and blue burger and I had the hot links with sides of steamed broccoli and squash medley. The food arrived shortly after ordering it. In fact it arrived so quickly, I have no doubt that the food had been made already and then reheated to order. My son who had been asking repeatedly for chicken strips and french fries tried the chicken and the fries and then refused to eat any of it. The batter on the chicken strips was not completely cooked (flour was still raw) and his fries looked like they had been fried 3 times. They were dark brown and hard. The chicken batter had VERY large pepper corns in it. My son will usually eat about 80% of his fries and chicken when we go out to eat. My husband tried the fries and said that they tasted like they had been fried in old oil. My husband's burger patty was burnt to the point that his burger was inedible. The patty was hard and dry and to be honest would have made a good hockey puck. My "hot links" were oddly colored and tasted old. The steamed broccoli was almost raw and the squash medley had no seasoning. I ate 1 sausage link and the vegetables because I have to work until 10:30pm tonight and did not have time nor the money to stop for another meal. As I sit here writing this review, I feel sick to my stomach and am wondering if I should have even eaten that. This was by far the WORST meal that I have had in a very long time. Those 3 items and a coke...

We were looking to enjoy some good soul food so we decided to try Hoover's. I saw mixed reviews but due to Hoovers's being black owned my party of 3 wanted to show support. I can tell you that I am highly disappointed. When we first got there we sat at our table and waited 10 minutes before a bust boy came over and sat eating utensils on the table. He didn't speak or anything which we know was rude. Next, we waited 5 more minutes before I had to get up and ask to be served and was told it's a Sunday and it's like this but the place was empty. After letting them know we weren't served we sat for a few more minutes thinking we should just leave when the cashier/host came and asked have we been served and brought us menus and took our drink orders. Finally we were able to order. The beet margarita was the best thing on the menu. The collard greens taste like vinegar, mustard greens were sugar city, chicken was ok but greasy and fatty, Lima beans and potatoes soupy, and not a lot of flavor. I asked for condiments and they brought me out empty bottles of hot sauce and let me know they did not have any Hoover's hot sauce or Louisiana hot sauce. They also had Mexican music playing and no African Americans serving, cooking, or in the establishment except for the host. This place doesn't feel like home to me and that's what you need when looking for that soul mix. I would never recommend this place to anyone. The food was horrible and this should not be considered a soul food establishment. The staff gave great service to the white people but treated my party like we wasn't paying customers nor wanted. We wasted $100.00 and should have just went to McDonald's...