Alexandria, VA – If you’ve had a hankering for good chili, you’re going to have to go farther afield than the Hard Times Café at 1404 King St. A little over two years ago when Hard Times Café received the Judges Choice for First Place, the owner decided that the restaurant was ready for a refresh. It took a while but renovations are underway.
For those not familiar with Hard Times, it has been at the same location since 1980 when it was founded by brothers Fred and Jim Parker. Their grandfather, Ira Goodfellow, provided the recipe for the Texas chili. The brothers discovered Texas Chili Parlor of Washington, D.C., on Pennsylvania Ave. The menu offered straight chili, chili with beans, chili dogs, and chili mac where the chili tasted like their grandfather’s.
The celebrated chili parlor will reopen later this year and continue to serve their award-winning chili featuring Texas, Cincinnati, vegetarian, and Terlingua Red.
