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![Photo of Hank H.](https://s3-media0.fl.yelpcdn.com/assets/srv0/yelp_styleguide/bf5ff8a79310/assets/img/default_avatars/user_medium_square.png)
Hank H.
Shock and awe food. Also classic stuff from around the world produced using exceptional ingredients. Also beer. Also booze. Also making people full and happy.
Recommended Reviews
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Overall rating
100 reviews
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1 star
- Mark M.Victoria, Canada1620812Mar 14, 2014
I've eaten here twice this week and I have to say that it is the best BBQ in Victoria. They use high quality ingredients, cook them with skill and care, and provide amazing value for money. I had a glitch with my order the first time I ate there which the owner addressed immediately and very much to my satisfaction.
I have had BBQ in various places around the US, and I would put Hanks up there against the best of them. The owner very obviously cares about doing an exceptional job, which really comes through. The other staff need some tuning, but I am thinking that will come with time. This is why despite calling it the best BBQ in Victoria I am giving it 4 stars. I am confident that as I continue to eat here and watch it grow into its own, that my rating will also improve. I wouldn't usually say this about a restaurant, but the care and attention that I have seen from the owner is what makes me so sure of this.
If you're looking for high quality meat cooked with care and respect, this is the place to go!Helpful 1Thanks 0Love this 0Oh no 0 - Dan M.Seattle, WA01Apr 12, 2024
If I was a chef/cook, I'd eat here. And if not, I'd still pretend. Dynamite flavor, ample servings and attentive professional service. Plus a bomb 90's/early oughts hip hop soundtrack? Pasta was al dente, beats were banging, and a good time was had by all.
Helpful 0Thanks 0Love this 0Oh no 0 - Aug 15, 2024
I unfortunately only enjoyed 1 of the several dishes that we tried (but the portion was super small and not worth the price). Most items were burnt, too salty, or both. The burger's flavor was flat (all I could taste was the dry beef and overwhelming burnt cheese). The chorizo tostada was more like potato tostada with a sprinkle of majorly salty chorizo. There were no good veg/salad options to balance out any of the heaviness. Each dish came out quite sporadically... I could ramble on.
Our service was fairly awkward throughout the night. I was lastly shocked at how many people they turned away at the door simply because they had not made a reservation, even though half of the restaurant remained empty the whole time we were there (presumably reserved spots that simply no-showed).
Even with all the other good reviews, I really doubt I would give this place another try even if someone else paid for the meal.Helpful 0Thanks 0Love this 0Oh no 0 - Parris J. W.Victoria, Canada6841308May 17, 2019
I've only been here the one time, but man oh man will I be back! This small, intimate restaurant is perfect for those looking for something romantic, local and very charming. There is only about 15 seats in the entire restaurant and I don't believe they take reservations. It's more of a: if they have room- you better take advantage of it.
I wish I was able to go into more depth as to what these guys do- but pretty much everything they do is made in house from scratch. They have a small team but a knowledgeable one. Hank's is a great place to go if you appreciate the art of cuisine. Ask questions because everyone there is super friendly and wants to teach the community about what it is they do.
Check it out if you're walking by and you see room! It's worth it.Helpful 5Thanks 0Love this 6Oh no 0 - Karen C.West Side, Vancouver, Canada0131Sep 29, 2022
Very small restaurant, lovely staff
Burger was salty, cold bun
Cauliflower excellentHelpful 0Thanks 0Love this 0Oh no 0 - Fast L.Los Angeles, CA6906828Nov 14, 2019
Fun - lots of character and an amazing effort. Staff really cares and tries... A small sit at the bar "it's about the food" place. This place is on the edge of being 5 stars,not quite there yet, but easily could be ... the base of each dish great but then lacked that final complex searching for changing /balanced flavor complexity. That said the 150 day aged beef with beet reduction was terrific by any standard as was the home made ham. The dark truffle dishes relied too much on the truffles. The pasta very good but was missing that last aromatic, herb or cumin finish ...wine list interesting but could be a bit more sophisticated. Also the tightly measured pour is a bit clinical and counter to the warmth and vibe of the place. I am being tough because they really could totally nail it with that last push...
Helpful 5Thanks 0Love this 5Oh no 0 - Vitor L.Vancouver, Canada86924Oct 12, 2019
Just amazing.
Everyone here is super nice, always happy to strike a nice conversation, give you recommendations and the story behind each dish.
It's clear that they are passionate about food and are excited about their menu, which is always changing and featuring amazing local handpicked ingredients.
Don't be afraid of their heavier dishes, they are worth it!Helpful 0Thanks 0Love this 1Oh no 0 - Karim F.Sunnyvale, CA01716Sep 16, 2018
Fancy fancy place...
Every meals was so original and amazing !!
I heard they change the menu once a month or something so I hope I can go back again.
But it's a bit pricey so maybe on some special day :)
This place is pretty small so maybe it's hard for a big group to come in when it gets busy. We saw a lot of people who tried to get a table but were told the waiting time and left.
Also the staff were good. Our server was friendly and another looked drunk ... I mean he looked happy.
:)
I'm looking forward to going back :):)Helpful 1Thanks 0Love this 0Oh no 0 - Jacqueline D.Victoria, Canada26531Apr 15, 2017
By far my favourite restaurant in Victoria. Never the same menu, never a less-than-spectacular meal.
This is my happy place.Helpful 1Thanks 0Love this 0Oh no 0 - Grant M.Seattle, WA9016297Aug 18, 2016Updated review
When this was Hanks Untraditional BBQ I gave them 5 stars. They changed my perception of BBQ and I went home to change my own BBQ recipes. I can't say any one establishment had that much of an impact on my own creations. It was a small place with a small menu and everything we tried was exceptional.
The last time I went by in February they were closed for remodeling (according to the guy at Blenz on the corner). We waited and returned to Hank's A restaurant excited but also a little scared. I'd seen an article in the local free rag about how they were going to cook whatever floated their boat at the time. I also followed their Twitter feed and saw how much they wandered around between cuisines. A bit apprehensive we wandered into Hank's again.
The environment has changed a bit. As what they cook has broadened it seems they needed more kitchen so what would have been half of the bar/counter space is not blocked off making a very small restaurant tiny holding maybe 25 people max. Worse is how you feel in Hank's. There are very dim bulbs hanging from the ceiling and the walls are painted black. Trendy or depressing? Our group of 4 unequivocally agreed to the latter. We sat in the booth that used to be the hallway to the back door. We were surrounded by black painted wood on three sides and a dim bulb that barely lit up the area enough to see. We looked longingly at the 4 top tables near the streetside window and sunlight. That is probably the only decent place to sit in the entire restaurant and there's only two of them.
Adding to the low light problem was a menu that's been hand written by someone who could have been a doctor. We had to ask the server several times to read it for us. If you're going to have cutesy handwritten menus have someone write them that has legible handwriting.
Both of our servers recommended the pork chop with gnocchi so we got that and a grilled cheese. The pork chop was exactly how you'd expect it - a bit tough and boring. Years ago when I worked in a restaurant we had a saying for some foods - inferior. There were some things that just aren't aimed for greatness so you just avoid them. No matter how talented you are they're not going to be great - spaghetti and meatballs comes to mind. Pork chops fit into that category. You can braise them, marinate them, cover them with sauce but they all still taste the same.
The gnocchi however were excellent. They were small, had the right chew to them and were seared lightly. The sauce with them was largely a basil heavy marinara and was lovely.
The grilled cheese is not what you think it is. It's a fairly tough rustic baguette cut open and grilled with some nice cheese inside it and a roasted chili pepper puree. Too tough for my mother to eat so she ate the tomatoes and lettuce that came with it and I ate her grilled cheese. I took one bite of the grilled cheese and thought Ooh! that pepper puree is nice. Then I took another bite and it started tasting a bit strong. By the time I got done I was so over the pure that I was scraping it off. Some things get old fast. As an hors d'oeuvre this would probably work but as a main plate it gets old.
So where does this leave Hanks? Lots of swinging at the ball and a few hits. Like a lot of restaurants that rotate their menus and try different things they don't have the time to perfect anything. The two guys running Hank's are clearly talented and they're willing to try new things but nothing we had was really great. There was always something that dragged the experience form a hell yeah to a shoulder shrug.
You can have a truly great simple dish like a smoked duck leg with a fresh lemon and rosemary potato salad that makes you exclaim or you can have a complex dish that tries to check a lot of boxes and a week later you can't remember. Hank's Untraditional BBQ was the former, Hank's A Restaurant is the latter. Sorry Hank's. If it's on the plate and I have to convince myself to eat it then it shouldn't be there. At Hank's Untraditional BBQ I didn't think, I just tasted until I ran out of food.Helpful 5Thanks 0Love this 0Oh no 0Feb 20, 2014Previous reviewI've delayed a bit in writing this review primarily because I wanted to make sure I wasn't over-reacting. There should be a law keeping people from reviewing a restaurant within three days of eating there (like buying a gun). I don't hand out 5 star reviews that often because I think every restaurant can improve. However, I have to say that Hanks deserves these in just about every way.
We hadn't planned on going to Hanks due to it not even showing up on the Yelp radar (Victorians haven't adopted Yelp and Hanks is only 2 months old) but discovered it due to the door being open and the smell of smoked meat oozing out into the street. I stopped to ask if they had a real smoker as opposed to just using nasty liquid smoke. Indeed they do. We returned later to eat dinner on Valentines day instead of fight the crowds at the "romantic" places.
For our first meal we did a plate with three meats - brisket with guajillo sauce, pork belly, and maple chicken. This also came with potato salad and beans. They were out of cornbread so they gave us a dinner roll. We returned the next day for a pulled pork sandwich and a smoked duck leg. I'll outline all below.
Most of the food here is what I call exclamation food.
One bite of the potato salad and you're set back on your heals. Citrus! Very exciting and very addicting.
The beans follow suite. Spice, citrus, dark beer, not too sweet but very very exciting (common theme at Hanks). These are not traditional beans but after having these you'll cringe at going back to traditional beans.
The pork belly was very very nice. Good deep flavor and not much to complain about.
Maple chicken. There's not much you can do to chicken but resist the urge to overcook it and add flavor to the skin. Hanks succeeds at this. It was moist and the skin had a nice maple glazed flavor to it.
Pulled pork sandwich - again exclamation food. Bright exciting flavors mixed with deep smokiness. Not your boring pulled pork that's been sitting in a slow cooker all day.
Smoked duck leg - nicely done duck and a bit odd on a bbq menu. It works though and the Cherry Q sauce set it off nicely. It gives hint that the chefs behind Hanks have some "more refined" restaurant experience hiding in the wings.
Brisket in Guajillo sauce - this was the largest letdown of our meals. And let me just say that the brisket here is as good as any brisket in the Pacific Northwest but next to the other items it came away tasting a bit, well, plain. I don't have any suggestions but the brisket came to a gun fight with a knife and it's going to have to kick it up a notch to reside in this company.
I'd highly recommend anyone coming from Seattle to stop in here since we don't have bbq this good anywhere in the Puget Sound (including Jones, Cask and Trotter, Chucks etc.). In the Seattle area our bbq places all serve the same thing in varying levels of quality. Nothing there is like this. And Hanks is only a couple of blocks from the Victoria Clipper port (behind the Empress and up the hill).
In summary, the sides are game changers, they really make you question why we've been doing bbq sides the way we have all these years instead of innovating. The meats are new and different while maintaining the core purpose of bbq. The folks that run Hanks are great conversation and decent people. They'll sit and shoot the bull about bbq for as long as you want. I highly recommend stopping in here. Overall we were impressed with the food choices in Victoria but even then Hanks stands out.
Cons: Not the cheapest place around but well worth it. I'd rather they maintain quality then lower prices.
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