I thought I was going to miss my very favorite seafood this season. I don't care what restaurant I visited or called ahead, they were always out of the prize of the ocean. Soft shell crab! Mother's Day really was my day. Marianne was our very nice server and when she said the special of the day, I was crazy excited. Boy did they live up to expectations. Quite large ( and you got 2 shockingly) with the crispiest and very flavorful crust, then to bite into huge chunks of perfectly cooked crab. Heaven! The dish also came with mashed potatoes and perfectly cooked asparagus with a lovely sauce on the bottom of the plate.,I am critical of every asparagus I've had in a restaurant. Not these. I also had their famous crab cakes with buerre blanc sauce. I held myself back from licking that plate! What a Mama's day I had!!! read more

Hank's Seafood Restaurant - Soft shells at their finest! - Seafood Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

See all

4.5 stars for this elegant and spacious restaurant is in the heart of historic Charleston. It offers attentive service and fresh seafood. We started with the shrimp cocktail and crab cakes. My husband and I shared the fried seafood platter for our entree, and it had grouper, flounder, and shrimp. Everything was really good, including the hushpuppies and fries. The desserts are small, so our table ordered three different ones- key lime pie, chocolate peanut parfait, and cheesecake. By far the best one was the chocolate peanut parfait. The dress code here says business casual, but you will see people dressed all sorts of ways. The restaurant and staff present as elegant, so I think most people would feel comfortable if they stuck with business casual attire. read more

See all

This is a top 10 Charleston, SC elegant seafood dining experience (and at a surprisingly reasonable price). This restaurant resides in a historical building which at one time was also a famous discotech in the '70's where you went to "see and be seen"........ Expect to spend at least $125 per couple all-in but sans drinks, apps or a dessert. Our hostess and waitress treated us like prince and princess immediately upon arrival and the service was impeccable throughout. Be aware: Your chosen entree's allow for side substitutions - one must try the fried mashed potatoes - see pic (in lieu of french fries). My shrimp, scallops and grouper was prepared broiled and perfect in temperature, texture and flavor/seasonings. read more

See all

Had a reservation for 5:30 and we were seated on time. Lovely ambiance including wood walls, table cloths and large round booths a long the wall. The waitress was very attentive and professional. Fresh warm bread was given to us shortly after being seated. I ordered the Seafood A La Wando in a cream sauce $ 40.00. My husband had the Broiled Seafood platter for $48.00. Both items were cooked to perfection. He also substituted the french fries for the fried mashed potatoes that were delicious. crunchy on the outside and soft in the inside. Service was wonderful! Will definitely return to try other items on the menu. read more

See all

We liked this place! We ordered the crabcake appetizer, a fried market plate to share between two, a side of asparagus for the table and our friend ordered the shrimp & grits. I can't speak to the shrimp & grits; but the fried plate and the crab cakes were outstanding! Before tip it was about $150 for the three of us. Had a very kind waiter, and we all enjoyed our dinner. read more

See all

Hanks Seafood Restaurant will be one of the fancier meals you'll have in Charleston. Prices are certainly on the more expensive side and reservations can be tough to get especially for larger groups. For appetizers, of course my group got chargrilled oysters AGAIN and they were delicious. We also ordered the local clams (simmered in white wine, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, herbs, tomato) which we thoroughly enjoyed as well. For my main entree, I got the broiled platter which consisted of broiled grouper, shrimp & scallop with french fries & southern coleslaw. All of the seafood was cooked perfectly and tasted fresh. All in all, Hanks is a great restaurant for a special occasion or event with a large group or family! read more

See all

I really wanted to like this place but I was served bad food. On a recent trip to Charleston I came here for dinner as I was told it was a good spot. I love seafood and was looking for a nice restaurant. I ordered the shrimp and grits as I was told it was delicious. Later on that night I started to feel sick and then proceeded to throw up the entire shrimp and grits that I ate. Needless to say I would never eat here again. Good luck if you decide to eat here. read more

See all

Second time here, first time was just a quick stop. This time we had dinner - both times at the bar. The bar staff was super quick at everything and would intercept with their comments when we talked about the menu. The food was pricey, which we knew, but it was not remarkable. Will.post comments under the food pics. The bus boy came by with our second round of food without utensils we asked and he just said, he'll give it to you (bartender who was now a bit busy) and walked away. I saw on the receipt that they charge the something percent for their staff (don't recall that on their menu) and the 3% cc fee which was automatically added so we paid in cash and took that off. read more

See all

Always a great spot. Classy. Great service. Food impeccable. Can't go wrong with the bouillabaisse or the crab cakes. read more

See all

Best bite of the trip = she crab soup! I wish I could have that every day! But honestly everything we ordered here was delicious and flavorful. We are from NOLA and have a high bar for seafood. I wish I would've saved room for dessert. Our service was also great! Definitely will have to visit again. read more

See all

Hanks came highly recommended to us! When looking online it is highly recommended to book reservations, which I would agree. If you don't mind sitting at the bar there always seemed to be a space or two for people to sit there and order their meal. We were about 15-20 minutes before our reservation and we were welcomed to the bar to order a drink before we were escorted to the bar. All the drinks that we ordered that night were very good and refreshing. We started our meal with Fried Calamari (AMAZING), She Crab Soup (DELICIOUS), and Oysters (SO GOOD). The sauce the gave with the oysters were delicious and honestly you don't need to eat the oysters with the sauces. Our main meal we split the Fried Platter. Splitting the platter was a meal in itself. If you are looking at a platter I would suggest splitting it. Overall a very good dining experience, I would highly recommend this place. read more

See all

Hank's has potential. The food was pretty decent -- nothing mind-blowing, but solid enough that I'd come back under the right circumstances. The service, though, was where things got bumpy. Our waitress was... unusual. She kept forgetting parts of our order, disappeared for long stretches, and seemed to ignore us even when the place wasn't busy. When we politely mentioned that one of the dishes wasn't great, her whole vibe shifted. She got noticeably cold and bsically threw the check at us. I'm willing to chalk it up to an off night, but it definitely affected the experience. Good food, middling service, and a strange interaction that made things more awkward than they needed to be. read more

Made a reservation and upon arrival was immediately seated. We ordered the Seafood A La Wondo and the Sea Bass special Ambiance 5/5: Love the historic Charleston ambiance! Service 5/5: Attentive, friendly, helpful, never felt rushed nor overlooked Food 5/5: Both dishes were great though our favorite was the Seafood A La Wondo. The seafood was perfectly cooked, flavorful, rich and complemented one another. read more

See all

We had dinner at Hank's Seafood Restaurant while visiting Charleston and it ended up being one of the highlights of our trip. The atmosphere felt classic Charleston -- warm, welcoming, and a little upscale without being stuffy. The seafood was incredibly fresh and the service was just as impressive. Our server was attentive, friendly, and made great recommendations. If you're looking for authentic Lowcountry seafood in downtown Charleston, this place is absolutely worth a reservation. We'll definitely be back on our next visit! read more

Service was great. This is obviously a place people go back to again and again. All waiters look as though they have been there a long time. Seasoned, professional and they know their stuff. A lot. Didn't see anything other than white men, but ok. Atmosphere is nice. It's a big space, with a lot of people but it wasn't noisy or crowded. It's done nicely. Tables had white tablecloths with sheets of white paper on top. Was nice though. Works. Food was the big disappointment. We got the two most popular dishes, and it was a Sat night to head chef should have been there. The grouper was nice, but, it had lemon overpowering it. Way too much. And I love lemon. The Seafood A La Wondo was interesting. But I wouldn't get it again. The sherry saffron cream sauce was quite light and nice. The seafood was fine, but overall it didn't have much flavor. Kind of bland. We got dessert also, 3 scoops of sorbet. They were quite good. Too bad, because this is a popular place and we had high hopes for it. read more

See all

The food was delicious. Thank you to Casey for making our dining experience wonderful as we were celebrating our anniversary. The atmosphere was great. read more

Hank's Seafood Restaurant - Salmon dinner - Seafood Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

See all

We heard of Hanks from friends who love the shrimp and grits and swear they are the best. We begrudgingly agree, they're right! You can't really compare to the standard shrimp and grits, these are in a red sauce and addictive. We had the seared tuna, the broiled platter, bouillabaisse, and seared beef tenderloin. Everything was delicious! We need to go back so we can try more of the dishes (and have more shrimp and grits!!!) It gives cozy steak house vibes. People were all well dressed but nothing too over the top. Give Hanks a try! You won't regret it. read more

See all

First time in Charleston and we decided to try Hank's Seafood based on great reviews. We were not disappointed! The wait for a table was long, but we hung out at the bar and enjoyed impeccable service. Tried the fried shrimp platter and it was outstanding with very generous portions! Our server, Sean, provided possibly the best service my wife and I have ever received, in spite of the fact the place was packed! Thank you for a great experience, Sean! We highly recommend Hank's in historic Charleston if you're ever in the area. Mack and Darla Houston, Texas read more

Such delicious food! Grouper was outstanding!!! Not to be missed! We had great service. The place was hopping!

Hank's ( as always) was a wonderful experience! Delicious food, great service and a classy atmosphere in the heart of Charleston! The Seafood à la Wando is always my "go to" and it does not disappoint! An always solid restaurant when in the Holy City! read more

Hank's Seafood Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

10/10 experience! The food was amazing and I highly recommend the crab cakes as an appetizer. The seafood tower was filled with lots of shrimp, oysters, mussels, and ceviche with 4 dipping sauces on the side. read more

See all

So, total transparency, we went to Hank's because it was highly recommended by trusted family members. But after seeing the reviews on yelp, I was skeptical. So I went in with a measure of skeptic. And honestly, I was looking for things that were fails. We found zero ways to complain! Matt was our server. He explained everything. Answered all 101 of our questions. And helped us choose wonderful appetizers, entrées and desserts. The food was fresh and warm when it came to the table, and as advertised in the menu. Highly recommend if you're looking for a high-end dinner. read more

See all

Verdict: Solid seafood, good service, pleasant ambience. We came during a trip to Charleston and really enjoyed our meal, though it was a bit loud in there. My wife, 3 year old toddler, and I came to Hank's for a dinner during our trip to Charleston. Being from Nashville (pretty landlocked in TN), we were looking forward to taking part in as much good seafood as we could and Hank's didn't disappoint. We started off with the table bread (just fine with bland butter) and hush puppies and chicken tenders for my son. The hush puppies (which we stole some of), were amazing. Then the East Coast oysters and fried calamari made their way out. My wife liked the oysters (I've never been a fan and these didn't change my mind) but we both loved the fried calamari. Not too fried and crispy like you see sometimes; they were perfect. Next, the flounder and swordfish arrived, with a side of the "risotto". First off, neither of us like that and we'll just leave it at that (our waiter was nice and comped it). The swordfish was great, but the fried okra was not it. The flounder dish though. Crispy on the outside, flaky on the inside, sitting on a slice of fried mashed potatoes...mmmmm. I know that sounds weird, but I promise it was worth it. The asparagus in the sauce finished it up perfectly. Finally, we also got the key lime pie to go. My wife is a huge key lime pie snob and she loved the flavor of this one, minus the crust. Overall, definitely recommend Hank's for a nice evening out! read more

Very very enjoyable restaurant with full Charleston feel, whatever that means from someone from the Northeast Servers are professionals that know the menu and are quick to answer questions or make requested recommendations. The ceviche appetizer is delectable with lime and a hint of salt in a lively display of seafood and veggies. The signature shrimp and grits did not disappoint in a tomato broth and creamy grits with more than ample shrimp. Overall I LOVED the experience. read more

See all

Great southern style seafood restaurant. Has a great ambience with a big dining room. The food was very flavorful - shrimp and grits wasn't too heavy like this dish can be. The oysters casino were fab and the jumbo shrimp were super fresh. Tuna was very flavorful, fun to see it with paired with tomato. read more

See all

Delicioussssssss , was recommended by a sweet older gentleman and glad I listened !!!

My sister and I had the pleasure of having dinner at Hank's and we loved it. It is a beautiful, cozy place. It's centrally located so easy to walk to if you're staying in the French Quarter or near the market. The food was delicious. The crab cakes were the best I have ever had. They had so much crab and little filler when I like. The couple sitting next to us was from Boston where they get lots of seafood. They also felt the crab cakes were some of the best they have had. My sister had the fish which was excellent also. We really enjoyed our waiter. He was very informative and the service was excellent. read more

We were all sick after eating here. I'll never come again. It wasn't worth the cost. And we had a sassy waiter. I asked for a dessert menu after my plate was cleared, and the waiter refused to bring it until everyone else was done eating. I'd prefer more flexible, guest-focused service. read more

Hank's Seafood Restaurant - Peel and Peel 'N Eat Shrimp - Seafood Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

The seafood tour fucks! Great fresh seafood and the tuna and seafood Al wonda was amazing. The server knew the perfect moments to come take away each section of the tower, empty plates and we never had an empty drink. Grab a cocktail at the bar while waiting for your table and it will not disappoint. Beautifully decorated to get the older souther charm. read more

See all

Outstanding good and service. Very nice upscale white jacket server restaurant. The oysters were done off the best I've had in a while. Every entree and side dish we ordered was excellent. I ordered the soft shell crab special and was rewarded with a succulent crunchy perfectly prepared crab meal. We highly recommend Hank's. read more

Hank's Seafood Restaurant - Soft shell crab - Seafood Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

See all

Service was incredible, very nice atmosphere and dim lighting. Food was delicious , we had a seafood platter, my favorite were the scallops.

Oysters were fresh and delicious Food was great Salads very good Service impeccable Nice ambiance read more

Another great visit to Hank's. Their common table is much appreciated -- especially since we didn't have time to make a reservation. Bouillabaisse is always so good. Very flavorful and enough to fill you up. They accommodate kids with some kids plates even though it's kind of a fancy place. Swordfish and appetizers were very tasty. Great, friendly service on a busy NYE evening. read more

Omg! The food is amazing! We got the ceviche, house salad, shrimp and grits & the lobster plate! It was truely the best lobster I've ever had in my life! The server was meh felt like he was just there to collect the tip, the food runners worked way harder than he did. Would highly recommend if you want so amazing seafood! read more

Hank's Seafood Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

See all

This is a perfect restaurant. We first came here 6 years ago upon recommendation from our hotel. And this summer we drove over from our week at Edisto Beach. And it was even better this time. Kailee, our server, is outstanding. The food: perfect. The ambiance: perfect. The staff: lovely and authentic. I've heard rumors that there may be some changes to the interior and the menu. PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE A THING. Being a New Yorker who is originally from the south, when I walk into Hank's, I am immediately transported to a classic supper club with warm wood, white tablecloths, martinis being mixed and classic crooners singing from the sound system. THIS PLACE IS PERFECT. The crab cakes, the buttermilk chicken, the shrimp and grits, the key lime pie, all were exactly as Kailee described. THANK YOU FOR A PERFECT EVENING. Charleston is historic and special. So is Hank's. GO AND ENJOY. read more

See all

We loved it! Had excellent service at the bar- oysters were awesome the salmon dinner was super good with crispy crust- swordfish was very good- its not super fancy but we had a great meal here. Very good drinks too, not watered down! We'd go back in a heartbeat! read more

See all

I have been wanting to try this place since moving here- everyone always says Hymans is the best which I personally don't agree with so I was excited to get some better quality seafood from a more reputable source. The atmosphere is stunning- dark and coastal themed with beautiful woodwork throughout the restaurant. Service was good, you can tell the staff has been here awhile which is a good sign. Food came out promptly and it was what I expected. Your classic fried seafood, but it tasted fresh. They also gave us a fun birthday dessert since we were celebrating my grandmother's 83rd birthday. She was so excited to come try Charleston seafood. Definitely will be back. read more

Hank's Seafood Restaurant - Seafood platter - Seafood Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

I can't believe I had never been here! We were back in town for the holidays and went with my parents. They start you off with a bread basket, which you don't see all that much these days. My husband had the fried shrimp, which he enjoyed. My mom had the seasonal salad and oyster stew, which she liked. I started with the she crab soup, I also got the charred romaine salad. The salad was more than delicious, it was definitely memorable. My dad got the seafood a la wando, and the two of us ended up splitting that a the salad. If you go, I really urge you to get the salad. The service was good. The atmosphere was upbeat. It was a great dinner, just remember to get that romaine salad. read more

See all

We decided to try Hank's Seafood during our weekend trip to Charleston and oh my what a great decision! It was so good we went back the next day. The food and service are equally impeccable. The seafood is extremely fresh and full of flavor. Prepared to perfection. 10/10, highly recommend. Reservations are strongly encouraged as this is a very popular, well liked establishment. Don't miss out! read more

See all

Overall was a good experience. Service was fast and good overall tasty. We got the she crab soup to start which was so good! They give complimentary bread, and we were celebrating our anniversary and got a flute of prosecco on the house. My husband got the scallops and said they were great. I got the grouper and the fish was very tasty- I just thought the peppers/ salsa was too acidic and over powering. Overall a little pricey for what you got, but maybe would want to try other seafood restaurants in the area before coming back. read more