Hank's Seafood Restaurant

Ending our week-long, 1st time visit to Charleston for my birthday, Hank's (upon recommendation from a relative), was an excellent culinary finish to this amazing city!

Not wanting to order more than I could eat or was able to take home upon checkout tomorrow, "Sean", a 5-star very professional server, assisted both my husband and I in making our personal selections. And he was spot on...specifically because Sean seemingly has been granted with the gift of listening to not only what is said but, even more importantly, of hearing and seeing what is not being said. The art of serving his surrounding dining guests, when and how to approach our/their table(s), and how to make us feel like we were "the only people in the room" were impossible to miss.

Choosing the Oysters Casino appetizer, the Stuffed Grouper entree and Crab Cake appetizer, all were collectively adequate for dinner. Not one bite was lacking in flavor; however, the portions seemed undersized for the price.

Wanting one of each offering from the dessert menu, the birthday treat (pictured below) was an unexpected delicious surprise and more-than-enough to close the meal and our fabulous dining experience at Hank's.

If and when the Lord blesses us with a return visit to Charleston, we'll look to return to Hank's, especially if Sean is there!

Such amazing seafood!
We had the oyster stew which was chock full of plump and juicy oysters as well as bacon lardons and onions in a creamy broth. we also had a fresh salad with arugula, fried green tomatoes, strawberries, Shishido peppers. The taste combination was delicious.
Don't miss the crabcakes . They are light and delicious.
The Lawanda fish stew was succulent and full of tender fish , shrimp, and scallops in a delectable creamy sherry sauce.
We also had the shrimp and grits . The shrimp were expertly cooked and the grits were creamy and light.
We finished the dinner with their tart and refreshing Keylime pie with mango and raspberry sauce. Bourbon, pecan pie with caramel and à la mode was wonderful. I believe the crust is a shortbread rather than a piecrust.
An unbelievable dinner .
Service was attentive .
Ambiance was classy old school fish House with dark Wood panels and BLK painted chairs and white tablecloths. The napkins were a nice touch with "Hanks"included...

Having had more than our fair share of underwhelming Post-Covid dining experiences at C-Town's ubiquitous "locally sourced" (code for US FOOD) eateries, staffed by college kids and chefs whose only experience was on the Low Country circuit, we reluctantly agreed to meet some old neighbors when asked to join them at Hank's.

FYI, Hank's is one of the Holy City's Top 25 Restaurants according to Conde' Nast, despite the fact that they (and 23 other competitors) don't bother to participate in Charleston's Annual Restaurant Week - a real slap in the face to locals in our opinion.

Arriving shortly after our friends, we were shown to a tight fitting booth, with no tablecloth, located near the restrooms. To add to our already disappointing first impression, we faced the raw bar station, where one of Hank's employees would repeatedly remove his baseball cap to arrange his hairstyle while staring at the mirrored wall.

Ambience was classic downtown vibe - lots of inappropriately dressed out-of-towners (baseball caps, jeans, and "Welcome to Charleston" t-shirts, with one woman implausibly wearing Daisy Duke cutoffs and a faux fur Ushanka hat (at least the earmuffs were pulled up) - in other words, All-You-Can-Eat-Shrimp week at Red Lobster or Bubba Gump Shrimp Company customers.

Our server, much to his credit, sensed our unease, and did his best to make us feel welcome by cracking a few jokes, thoroughly reviewing the menu and taking our drink order. An all-around nice guy.

Soon after, a group of young women arrived with roller bags (confirming my tourist bias).

Drinks arrived, but without benefit of cocktail napkins or coasters - typical Charleston amateur hour.

Despite the menu proclaiming Hanks as being "voted Charleston's Top Seafood Restaurant" (by whom, it didn't say), I assumed that the actual selection of fish would be similar to most seafood restaurants around these parts (Swordfish/Tuna/Grouper/Mahi), and I was right.

Since moving here, we've given up on finding Snapper, Monkfish, Arctic Char, Striped Bass, Dover Sole, Branzino, Turbot, Rainbow Trout, Tilapia Rockfish, Halibut, Sea Bass or Mackeral, just to name a few.

The Broiled Seafood Sampler caught my eye, but then I noticed that the dish came with French Fries.

Are you kidding me? Not even some rice or broccoli or even asparagus?

Oh, wait a minute, I'd have to shell out $14 more for a side dish of three skinny stalks of asparagus. French Fries is a culinary cop-out folks, like serving bagged potato chips with the Yellowfin Tuna appetizer at Quinte Oyster Bar.

So, I decided to start with some She-Crab soup (almost entirely devoid of any crab) backed up by a $16 Wedge Salad, lacking any of the traditional croutons, blue cheese crumbles or egg, but instead, came garnished with a pitiful amount of onions, rock hard bacon bits and a couple of cherry tomato halves. Ugh!

At that point, I decided to pass on the main course. It was now clear, that Hank's bore no resemblance to my "best in class" SHAW'S SEAFOOD in Chicago (take a look at their website, if you want to know what a superior seafood restaurant is all about).

In closing, Hank's may be C-Town's top seafood joint, but in my book, it's just another by-the-numbers, tourist dining destination, recommended to Holy City visitors by the gal running their horse-drawn carriage tour that afternoon or local "Hotel Partners". The type of customers who equate "expensive" with "good" and are willing to overlook the restaurant's egregious 2.5% "Culinary Service Charge" or their 1% credit card charge, because they're on vacation.

But, who really cares what I have to say?

Hank's will always be as popular as a Titanic lifeboat, and besides, there's going to be a second location soon, in that other notable Foodie enclave...Columbus, Ohio.

I really like the vibe of this spot although it's seafood focus it is a bit on the classier side with the white tablecloths and grand dining room feel. The service is great, and the staff were very attentive. I absolutely loved the crab soup. It was delicious. Probably the best that I've had and it came with chunks of crab meat in it. I was a little disappointed with my portion of fried fish in the fried platter. However, it was really filling, and I could barely finish it. this spot is a bit on the pricier side, compared to other seafood restaurants in town however, you're paying for the ambience and service here more than anything else. I did see a few people get the seafood tower that looked amazing and would love to try that next.

A friend recommended we have dinner at Hanks. I'm so glad we listened, because it was the best meal we had while in Charleston. It was bummer to hit the meal peak so early in our trip (night one), but what can you do! Not only was the service we received from Kaylee fantastic, she was very friendly and extremely knowledgeable on menu, the food knocked our socks off... We shared the award winning she crab soup, the grouper, and the tuna entrees. everything was phenomenal and I will say the she crab soup was outstanding, I don't doubt the awards it has won! My one regret is we passed on dessert. That won't happen next time!!

Hank's Seafood was wonderful! It's great for a special occasion classy restaurant with family in town! We loved the options on the menu many choices of fresh and fried seafood! Of course oysters are a must! We had the roasted grouper and grilled swordfish. The desserts were crème brûlée and chocolate peanut butter parfait! Everything was fantastic! It's a beautiful downtown staple choice when coming to town! Close garage parking nearby with a short walk, service was great!

Service lacked, but the food was top notch, and the ambiance noisy, but good.

We came on a local recommendation. We're tourists, and a local overheard our "where's dinner?" talk of getting fresh seafood. They were right in suggesting Hank's.

Parking was easily navigable on the side streets. We walked over to a converted warehouse. It smells fishy, to which the hostess answered, "That's how fresh our fish is."

Our server definitely had attitude. So much so, the birthday girl wanted to leave. As we took three cars to get here, the inconvenience of it all had us stay.

Because of the food, we're happy we stayed.

Loved this restaurant. Atmosphere, classy old Charleston. Impeccable service. Food choices amazing & delicious.
Visit a few times a year to see family & try a few favs but first time here. Definitely the best seafood in town!

Solid seafood restaurant! We got a reservation for dinner. Service was great! And the food was even better!

We ordered the she crab soup, wow! I initially thought this soup would be very creamy, and yes while it was creamy it was not in abundance. This soup even had a strong sherry/rum Smokey flavor to it. It was delicious!

The crab cakes are also a must get! It was filled with so much crab meat with a peachy sweet sauce.

The flounder was amazing! Cooked with asparagus and cherry tomatoes. Absolutely delicious and tender piece of fish.

And of course can't had a meal without the collards! Which is officially one of my favorite vegetables!

Overall highly recommend Hanks!

favorite fresh, tender seafood platter. I love making my own selections. Great service from waiter and very accommodating for seating.