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

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The service was stupendous! I ordered fried calamari and it was out of this world! The break and butter was good, butter was very sweet. The crab cake was alright (small) and the lobster was a bit too tender for my liking, but it was very flavorful. The key lime pie was yummy! It was overpriced in my opinion, but certainly a nice spot in Charleston. read more

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Went for Sunday brunch on Fathers Day I'm not a fish person but yielded to my husband for his day Beautifully decorated, friendly staff, great service Hard for me to rate a meal based on being a vegetarian. Previous Yelp reviews said they had a vegetarian pasta dish but found out today that is only for dinner service . Prepped myself for disappointment and after the server asked the chef about a lunch vegetarian meal and was rejected, I ordered a salad with French fries. My husband loved his crabs cakes and calamari and my son loved his she crab soup. Great cocktails. My $5 bargain cocktail was gin and grapefruit deliciousness Parfait dessert was fantastic If you're a seafood fan it's a no brainer, def come here I heard they have a vegetarian pasta dish on the dinner menu so I would come here again for dinner to try that, but would not come again for lunch read more

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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

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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

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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

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Fun place. All types of seating available: bar, booths and communal tables. We sat at the table and met some people from Tennessee. My son and I shared the she crab soup which was good but I was expecting more based on reviews. The Caesar salad was good. It has a nice amount of tasty fried shrimp on top. The best dish we had was the scallops and grits!! Perfectly seared and the flavor was delicately sweet. I'm not too much into grits but these were so creamy and the sauce was excellent! I think it was creamed corn based with bacon!!! Yum read more

Hank's Seafood Restaurant - Highly recommend perfectly seared scallops and creamy grits with corn and bacon sauce - Seafood Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

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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

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Had a friend in town, decided to bring them here for a nice dinner downtown. They did not disappoint, this was my first time here as well, and I felt compelled to write a review. Our server Jason was awesome, gave us a full rundown of the menu including some hidden gems and off menu specials. Super knowledgeable and professional, just super impressive. The food was up to the same standard. Our table sampled a lot from the menu, Sword Fish, Seared Tuna, Oysters Casino, Crab Cakes, and Raw Oysters. Don't sleep on the she crab soup. It had amazing flavor, just wish it had more crab meat. My personal favorite was the Fried Mashed Potatoes, exactly what it sounds like and wow. Quiet and relaxed setting. The entire staff was extremely attentive clearing dishes and getting refills. Just an all around wonderful experience. 10/10 highly recommend and would definitely do again. read more

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

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Over priced for the serving size and quality. The crab cakes were excellent but for $25, very small. The fried seafood platter was advertised as Grouper, flounder and shrimp. There was one time piece of grouper that would hardly be considered a "grouper finger" at a beachside bar and 2 small flounder filets. Again, way less fish than most bar baskets have. The shrimp were plentiful (7 or so) and nicely sized but for a combo platter, I was disappointed that more fish was not included or I would have just gotten the fried shrimp for considerably less. To have one night in Charleston and anxious for outstanding seafood, I feel as though I chose poorly this time. The atmosphere and ambience was very nice and great for small crowds. read more

My wife and I went here our first night in Charleston. The service was excellent as was the food. A great start to our visit to Charleston

Went here on Wednesday evening, we didn't have a reservation but luckily we got a table right away. The lighting in the restaurant was set perfectly. Decorated with historical maps near ceiling. Our waitress was friendly. Our food was superb. We had oyster casino and crab cakes for appetizers. I had the flounder and my friend had fried shrimp. For a drink I had a strawberry social which was quite amazing. read more

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Best seafood! Love it. Our server is really nice. Definitely will go back again. Thanks

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

The food for lunch was outstanding. However, I ordered 2 house chardonnay and it cost me $48. I said to the waiter I ordered house chardonnay. He said oh we only have one kind. Now I'm angry and it ruined the entire experience for me. If you are charging $24 a glass for house chardonnay you need to tell the customer that. That is need to know information and I would not have ordered it. read more

Met some friends for dinner. The atmosphere was amazing. Ordered oysters for appetizers and wow were they great!! The food was spot on. I had sword fish and it was so good. Our waiter was top notch! I have no complaints and will definitely be back!! 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

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

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Great service without hovering, food was scrumpdelicious, and the ambiance was casual, chill, energy vibes without being obnoxious.

Hank's Seafood is one of the best restaurants in Charleston! It is a fine and fancy establishment but not too fancy like some of the other downtown restaurants. We did not have to wait for our food long at all and got to enjoy some delicious bread before our meal. Our server Sean was super nice and attentive and helped us decide what we wanted and told us some of the best things on the menu. The menu had many options including one of the best things that I've eaten in a while-fried mashed potatoes. I love Hank's and will definitely come back! 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

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Outstanding meal from appetizers to entrees. The oyster stew is legendary. Service was good. Will return. read more

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

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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

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

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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

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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

We really enjoyed our dinner at this establishment. The food had the right amount of flavor without asking them to not put any added salt to your entree. Prices were higher than what we normally pay on a regular basis but you don't mind paying it because we enjoyed the dinner so much with awesome service. For appetizer we ordered their crab cakes. It was the best crab cake we've had all week. For dinner we ordered the roasted salmon and the roasted grouper. Both were just the right amount of food. You left there full without feeling like we over ate. Our dinner came with a delicious bread service. Not many restaurants offer that anymore. Keep in mind that they do charge a 2.5% of your tab for the kitchen staff and an additional 2% for paying with plastic. 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

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10/10. Delicious!! Service was excellent. Food was the best. Seared ahi tuna was out of this world!

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

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

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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

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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

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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

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