Ordered online ahead of time, drove 25 mins in traffic only to be be told they didnt have the order. They was able to get order made quickly, drove another 25mins home. Only to have over cooked chicken fried chicken, bland Mac n cheese, extra greasy "creamed spinach that tasted like jalapeño greens. The cornbread muffin was hard. The candid yams and gravy was the only thing that had any flavor. Very disappointing! Really wanted some soul food close to Southside. After asking around found out ownership changed, like most places it has now been gentrified. No seasoning!!

Decided to come here for a lunch work meeting. The fish came out hot and fresh. However sweet potatoes/ yams came out cold. Asked waiter to send back. They came back scorching hot. Mac and cheese warm. Green beans were spicy but ok. We ordered peach cobbler and it came out as a slice of cold peach pie. Thinking it was a mistake, we sent it back and was notified that this is how it is done now 😳 20% gratuity was automatically added to the bill; party of 4. Can't remember what the reason the waiter gave however told us "you can add more if you want."

Hoover’s Cooking has been around in Austin for quite some time. I hadn’t been prior but kept hearing I needed to go. I honestly was disappointed as the food was underwhelming and bland. I was contemplating giving 3 stars because the flavors just weren’t there. The fried chicken was pretty good but the hot chicken wasn’t hot chicken- it was just smothered in a bbq sauce. The Mac and cheese wasn’t cheesy. Overall pretty bummed, friendly staff though and the pies did look good.

The food just doesn’t taste as it once did. As I approached my car I noticed someone had hit the back of my car. FYI when asked if I could review camera footage I was told they have no security cameras. How could a place of business that has been iconic in the community for several years not have a security system? Apparently I now questioned my own safety of my family and I realize my car and any valuables I may have inside my vehicle are at risk.

Road Trip vs Road Kill! Let me start out by saying that the Host, Mr. Anderson was genuinely and affectionately kindhearted. He was the highlight of my visit, giving him a 10/10. Overall, Anderson is the BEST thing going for this business. Red Flags I ignored - hard to access, dark exterior, horrible parking!! FOOD CAUTION!!!! Not edible..... I'll admit I was enticed by the 4.2 rating. So, I didn't bother to read the remaining reviews like normally. Let me just say, it's time to Put Up the Apron! Nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing was worthy of my 1 star. My question is HOW did yall get a 4.2 rating....was it for the kindness? Honestly, I should have known better when I entered the building to see the restaurant empty on a Saturday Night! Now let me disect the food. And I mean this with no disrespect! The chicken was old, horribly dry and had no seasoning whatsoever; the sweet potatoes were bland and greasy, giving sweet potatoes a bad name; the butter beans were flavorless and gummy. My husband took one bite of his Jerk chicken and gagged. He refused to eat any of the food. I was so hurt because we both got sick!!! If a stomach could talk ours would say "what are you eating Road Kill?" I'm very sorry because I didn't want to do the review but wanted to warn this establishment to put up the apron before things turn legal (but not from me)! A Picture is worth a thousand words (and so are reviews)!!! Down & Out in Austin

Hoover's does a lot of classic southern style comfort food. If that is what you crave then this place is worth a visit. Unfortunately for me it didn't seem all that special. Food wise it was as if you took what used to be good 15 years ago and froze that idea. There is just too much competition with better tasting food these days.

Haven’t been here in a couple years. I’m wondering when did they stop seasoning the food? Little to no seasoning in the Mac n cheese and absolutely none in the cabbage or fried pork chops. The only thing that was decent was the candied yams. I’m not sure what happened here but this is not acceptable as soul food. It lacks soul. The 2 stars is for the fast service. The food itself earned 1 star.

The food is basic and bland. I do not recommend the gumbo or the quesadilla. See picture below. They should just call it "Dilla" because wheres the Quesa? It's a step up from Luby's, but that's not saying much.

Iced Tea is excellent! All these covid precautions and the bathroom stinks of stale urine with no HOT water for handwashing? Floor in dining area is dirty and needs a good sweep and mop and (if present) hot water. Table coverings are worn and have some tears in the corners. No offensive odors in the dining area so far and the staff is alright. Currently partial table service. My food was served HOT. (a rarity in Austin.) The chicken fried steak is diminutive and rubbery its sized is disguised by an overly large crust and is not a value the gravy is bland.... The black wyed peas are delectable as are the collard greens seasoned with honey ham!... fries... eh but cooked well. Breads were also average.. If you want a comfort meal I recommend Hoover's. Overall the experience is 3.5 stars.

Hoovers reputation goes along ways! This well know spot that came highly recommend. The food didn’t knock my socks and Im wondering if the places has lost a little of its shine everyone pleasant. The food was good not great.

I googled restaurants and Hoovers was the first one that popped up! My husband got the Fried Pork Chop and it was really good. It was big BUT have seen bigger, felt like it should come with 2 chops since the price is $18.00. I got the Chicken Fried Chicken and it was very good, only thing I would change is that the gravy had a lot of large bits of pepper in it. I was super excited about the sides I got mac & cheese and cream spinach but unfortunately I was really disappointed in both. The creamed spinach did not taste like spinach at all. It had a strong, overpowering taste that I couldn’t quite identify what it was. The mac & cheese, the cheese was really dry and had milk clumps of cheese in it. The napkins were clean but they both had a strong old grease smell to them. The restaurant looked really run down and the bathrooms needed some attention. It had that old grease and unclean smell. When we’re back in the area, I think this will be your last choice but The Chicken fried Chicken was really good!!

This is a place for anyone who has a hankering for the 70s, and Austin as it was back then. The special was chicken and dumplings and we were told it was « real good » but the temperature outside was around 105F so we passed. The waitress was sweet and hard at work. The clientele was for the most part over 60 or 70 old-timers and big fans of the place and it’s famed chef, Hoover. The collard greens side was a disappointment however.

Had the fried chicken, mustard greens and mash potatoes. It was like eating fried chicken for the first time. So simple, tasty, crispy batter, moist chicken, just excellent.

I haven't been here in a couple years.. so I decided to come by and give it a try.. First off the restaurant had a weird smell as if they were mopping with a dirty mop or water. It was so bad my girlfriend said she could taste it. Also the floor was still sticky as we walked. I ordered the chicken fried chicken, When I received my food the portions were very small. I asked the server what happened the chicken used to be bigger. He said before they used to smash it before and now it's thicker (it wasn't thick at all). The mash potatoes were similar to a box kind and they were cold. The food had no flavor or seasoning. I also noticed they only had two sides and asked what happened they used to have three sides before. The guy at the register said it changed 3 months ago and that the cost of food has gone up. After paying 50$ for two meals we were still hungry. One review on here mentioned how Lubys would be better and I think I'd have to agree. It's really sad to see the quality and potion size go down. After this experience I will never come back.

Great food and service! Chicken Fried Steak was wonderful. Hope to go back and try something else.

Oh wow!! Excellent food! Great staff! We will come again for sure. Huge portions and very reasonably priced. You must come here if you are in the area. You will not be disappointed.

Wonderful service from start to finished. Victoria is a wonderful server. Had the fried chicken etouffee amazing. The pies are delicious a must stop if you are talking a pie cation. Chocolate pie, peach pie, and buttermilk are all on point.

Fried catfish was delicious - absolutely perfect. Service was good. Everything else, lackluster. Sat near a table that was very vocally unhappy with the service and food. Would come back if food was better. I thought the greens were sweet - but the table near us felt like that was unacceptable and returned their food. Frankly, I don't think it was THAT bad. It just wasn't great. It feels like this business has seen better times - and I hope it will again.

Catfish was great, the squash was perfect, I would have like better flavor for the cream spinach but over all great experience. The fried chicken is on point and don’t get me started on there cheesecake! Whaitstaff was excellent both Kati and Katie were great and the gentleman matt that brought the food was cheerful and so helpful. Will be coming back again!

Nice place friendly staff family atmosphere. Great Mac n cheese and fried okra good food good price.Will return.

The absolute best home cooking in Austin. Hoover is an icon around these parts and his food is amazing. Personal favorites of mine are the meatloaf, chicken & dumplings and fried chicken but there really isn’t a bad choice on the menu. Last but certainly not least are the endless amount of side dishes and desserts. Love this place!

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 cost $55.00.