I've only been to Hofbrauhaus a handful of times, but I have had a good time on all occasions. Whenever I've dropped in, strangely enough, it's almost always been midday on a week day ...
Anyway, I am a huge wheat beer lover to I of course go with the Hefeweizen, which is quite tasty (though I still prefer Paulaner's over all others). I like all of the windows that let in an ample amount of sunshine, if the sun happens to not be behind a rain cloud (that happened to me on one visit; it poured. Thank God I was inside chugging beer). It was always empty on my visit except for one when I went later on in the evening. Then it was filled with college students who gave the place a slightly party-ish kind of atmosphere, and I don't mean that in a bad way.
As far as the food, I can't speak to it as absolutely nothing on the menu appeals to me. I've had their pretzels once and those are really good, but I'm not going to drive all of the way to South Side Works for some damn pretzels lol. I haven't heard many good things about their food. From what I gather most people just show up for the beer, especially during Oktoberfest.
I highly suggest visiting when their tapping the kegs for Oktoberfest. THAT was a fun time. ;)