"Food was pretty good, good pricing too. Atmosphere is cool. Wish they accepted cards or Venmo, cash app, PayPal, ANYTHING. I took a bus for an hour here because this place was recommended to me and I didn’t have cash. I ended up approaching another customer and asking if I could Venmo her for cash. Thankfully she accepted."

"Reminds me of the best of 90s era veg restaurants. Great value, quantity and quality. Had the Seiten Philly sub vegan cheese. Fantastic! Write your own order and pay up front then find a seat and enjoy the vibe until your name is called."

"It’s been surprisingly hard for me to find good vegan food in Minneapolis, but Hard Times is a gem. The vegan options are incredible, with tons of variety, all at prices that feel almost unreal by today’s standards, so I don’t mind it being cash only (there’s an ATM available if you need). We visit Minneapolis every year and this is a must-stop every single time. The vegan biscuits and gravy are my favorite, and all the baked goods I’ve had have been outstanding. Beyond the food, it’s very clear that the staff and restaurant are committed to creating a safe, welcoming space rooted in love and inclusion—while making it equally clear that hate (ICE) and harmful ideologies are absolutely not welcome. I love spending my money at a place that aligns so strongly with my values :) Can’t recommend it enough."

"5 stars for uniqueness of the ordering system, but 0 stars for efficiency and service of that system. You are basically responsible to taking your own order, but not through an app or a QR code: you must write it on a piece of paper that the person working the register (who was apparently extremely stressed out by their job) then read, gave you a total, and took your cash (only, no card) while simultaneously making any drinks you ordered. The person who rang us up had to restart my London fog, and made both it and my friend's chai latte with whole milk instead of the oat milk we asked for (she is lactose intolerant, just my preference). The food was okay. There were carrots in the gravy which was weird, but fine. Everything was both too salty and otherwise unseasoned."

"They cook food fresh and it's worth the wait. Very fun views of the neighborhood and close to parts of the UMN campus. It's obvious they treat their workers well and the workers seem happy to be there. There's something for everyone on the menu too."