Hank’s Oyster Bar

My visit to Hank’s brought to close to a weekend of delicious seafood dining and it did not let me down in any way shape or form. What a special little spot to stumble upon… It really holds its own, and then some among the many above par eateries you find in historic Old Town Alexandria. Centrally located on King Street, you find it easily with it’s royal blue painted brick exterior. The front section is a narrow and decked out with a full bar and oyster shucking station. The open plan gives way to a thin brief corridor that opens into a long dining hall of industrial rustic décor and table seating. Even though the place was packed, they happily accommodated our procrastinated reservation of 8 hungry and somewhat hungover folks.
The menu is everything you need out of a seafood brunch… down to the sake oyster shooters (delicious…talk about hair of the dog)…They have a great selection of wine, really focused on light well balance whites that pair wonderfully with the rich and savory seafood items… cocktails like bloody marys and tequila sunrises aren’t cheap but are a well priced given the area. The food menu boasts a few types of eggs benedicts, hearty hashes, rancheros, po boys etc… all looked/​smelled/​tasted delicious. I highly recommend the smoked rainbow trout hash with poached egg atop.
The al la carte raw oysters are seasonal and locally sourced, the Rappahannocks are my favorite… a delicious larger/​meatier oyster with a mild seasalt taste, the Pungoteague were smaller and softer with a similar mild brackish taste. If you like an oyster with more of a strong brackish tasting flavor, I recommend the totten inlet variety, but these are smaller and a little less satisfying of a bang for your buck.
All in all the service was phenomenal, our food guru Jeremy, kept things fun, fresh, and lighthearted and had insight and suggestions for everyone. I look forward to paying Hank’s Oyster bar homage again in the future.

Where’s the happy hour menu?
Ok, there’s the oysters, and they were pretty good.
But what about the other stuff that the Capitol Hill Hank’s has? Tacos? Hush puppies?
Or did you guys decide to suck?
Oh yeah, we had your punch as well. Kind of ok.
And the lobster roll. Thames St. Oysters house in Baltimore killed you here.
And fries. They were fries.
And lobster bisque. It was soup.
Maybe they keep all their best stuff for the people on Capitol Hill. That’s the only explanation I have for why this Hanks was so much worse…

OK service. A nice place for brunch and lunch with few friends (No more than 4 people). Lacking of variety comparing to other place and I didn’t see any specific recommend from the blackboard. I think this place over price their food and drinks. You can get a better quality at other place further down on street. I will prefer sit at the bar if you only meet up with one or two friends.

Hankie, oh Hankie! Where did you go astray?
I love Hank’s O Bar in DC — so I was especially happy to see it in the heart of Old Town Alexandria.
The space is super clean, sleek, and on point. It’s got great seating options at the bar, the restaurant, and a back bar.
Unfortunately, that’s about all I can recommend here.
Disappointed by the limited happy hour menu. Whereas the DC ones offer an array of eats from tacos to hush puppies and oysters, this one only serves oysters for happy hour. Hardly filling on the cheap.
The oysters we got were ok — just didn’t have that freshness at the DC ones. I have to compare. We also had a lobster roll and lobster bisque. Disappointed. The lobster was fairly shredded up (you usually want whole ones) and the slaw-​mayo mix that came with it had a noticeable sourness to it. Fries were meh. Bisque was salty and didn’t have enough lobsters to justify the price. Their punch drink was too sweet and didn’t have enough alkie in it.
Overall, OK food, great ambiance, decent drinks but nothing I’d be hankering (** PUN INTENDED! **) over soon.

Food was good, so one star for that (oysters were fresh and lightly fried, cole slaw was good). But do not come here with a group of people. We came in here on an early Sunday evening with my family (8 of us) for my birthday. I should have known better when they didn’t let us make a reservation.
We came in and they sat us at two 4-​person tables. We asked if there was any way to sit together and they said no, then let us move to a 6-​person table and a 2-​person table. That was an okay compromise but not great. When the 2-​seater right next to us became free, my sister and fiancé (the ones banished to the 2-​person table) tried to move to it, and the waitress told them absolutely not. Yet the table next to us remained empty for most of the meal.
My parents drove three hours to meet us here and also brought homemade cake but there was a plating fee for us to eat it there — $ 3 a person!
Honestly, I wanted to like the place. But they really ruined what was supposed to be a nice birthday dinner together with family. I felt like they couldn’t accommodate us and didn’t really try.

A cool spot but a little bit pricier. I went there for happy hour. Oysters were great and they had some different kinds but drinks were expensive. So I moved to a bar and restaurant close there after tasting oysters.

Now this is a place I could hang out at ALL The time… you know if I was single, had no kids, and could spend all my money on myself.
I enjoyed 12 delicious oysters on the half shell; all but two of them were on special and cost $ 1.25 each. Hell of a bargain. They were all tasty, but I have to say my favorite were the Prince Edward Island oysters. Plump and sweet and so satisfying.
I splurged on good whiskey. Yeah… it was $ 16/​shot, but Ive been dreaming of it ever since. Virginia Highland Malt Whisky. Think high density raisin/​fig/​oak/​port fantasy.
I want to visit DC Again just to introduce this place to my husband. You should go. Now.
Why haven’t you left yet?

We were staying in Alexandria for our DC visit and we went here for dinner one night. We had a great time and would highly recommend and would definitely return. They do not take reservations, so we got there for happy hour and then moved to the dining area for dinner. They do call ahead seating for ½ hour before you get there (we just asked to be put on the list during Happy Hour) and we were seated as soon as the dining room opened.
Happy Hour here was great. During HH, select oysters on the half shell are $ 1.25 per oyster (so $ 15/​dozen,) which is an awesome deal. The oysters are super fresh and the gentlemen they have shucking the oysters knew what they were doing.
For dinner there was a lot of sharing doing on. We did the popcorn calamari and shrimp, peel & eat shrimp tomato lobster bisque and mussels to start. The popcorn shrimp and calamari were fried and seasoned perfectly. There were not soggy and they were not over-​cooked. The peel and eat shrimp were served warm; which I am not used to, but really enjoyed. They are tossed nicely in Old Bay. For dinner I had the crab cakes and they were delicious.
My husband I stuck to beer and wine. For everything that we had, we were not at all surprised by the price. $ 10 for a glass of wine does not shock me and fresh seafood is always going to cost a little more. However, in my opinion, it was well worth the price.

Oysters here are super fresh. I love this place. The food is extremely high in quality and freshness. The tables are a little too close together but the food is too good to pass up. Great place for a fun date.

I’ve been here twice, so I’d like to write my first review now. On my first visit I had their Oyster Po’ Boy, which I really enjoyed– although is arguably over priced IMO. I LOVE their Bloody Mary though. House pickled Vodka is all I have to say.
I decided to try the Trout Hash today because it’s been nagging my mind every time I walk by. It took a little long today because the he’d accidentally over cooked the eggs the first time and decided to remake it rather than send it out. Kudos to Chef.
Also, my servers have been great– I sat at he bar both times. Miriam was great today, and she introduced herself which as you know is big in my book.
Back to the hash. It’s good, but a little rich for me, and I feel like they could ladle a little less sauce over the dish. I’ll be back to review more things on the menu!

10+ visits and counting, the Hank’s outpost in Old Town Alexandria is on the short list of why I love living in this neighborhood. The four star Unilocal composite rating is about right since there are definite highs and lows when one comes here, so I will let you in on how to maximize your enjoyment.
First off, the negative reviews are correct in that this place is not cheap, this is definitely teetering much closer to $$$ rather than $$ especially when you factor in the portion size, cost of drinks, and compulsion to include a round of oysters with anything else one might order.
Here are some quick DOs:
1. Come during oyster happy hour and late night (see below) when you can satiate your HANKering for bivalves at a marked discount at $ 1.25 vs the usual $ 2.75 per oyster. There is usually a chalkboard posted with 3 regional oysters and 3 outside the mid-​Atlantic region with the discount only applicable to the local, although quality wise, all options are fresh and outstanding.
M-​F 5:30pm-6:30pm (Dining Room & Bar)
M-​F 3pm-​7pm (Bar Only)
*Half Price Raw Bar from 10pm-​12am every night*
2. Tuesday night is Taco Night– not just any tacos, a triad of fish tacos! Hanks does a little creative license with the west coast original by substituting in a deep fried flour taco, a generous portion of tender flaky cod topped with a wedge of avocado, sour cream, a drizzle of chipotle crema, and pico and it is definitely one of the most unexpectedly delicious fish tacos I have sunken my teeth into. Pair it with the concurrent $ 2 Tecate drink special, and we’re talking a serious fiesta in one’s mouth.
3. Brunch/​Lunch– often overlooked and severely underrated, some of my best experiences have come from bringing folks here on a whim while strolling down King Street during the daytime with sudden pangs of hunger. Items unique to the brunch/​lunch menu that are surefire hits include the following
–Smoked rainbow trout hash w/​poached eggs, potatoes, dill & cream (good luck finding this anywhere else, easily cracks into my top 5 Eggs Bennies of all time),
–Seafood cobb– pristine individual components of chilled calamari, shrimp, crispy bacon, chopped egg, and cucumbers (+ roasted beets as the secret weapon) that all play off each other perfectly
–Garlic steamed Blue Bay mussels– you’ll need extra bread to mop up every last drop of the succulent broth
4. Fried Oysters– while the raw oysters are the leading actors, the fried oysters are the scene stealer. I have no idea which oysters they used to throw in the fryer and I don’t really care, but these are the largest, juiciest, and tastiest fried oysters I have ever had! I’ve taken multiple guests here and almost on cue I can witness the exact same epiphany when I watch them eat. If you order one thing on the menu or choose to try oysters for the first time in your life, get this.
Here are the DONTs
1. Easy on the cocktails– At around $ 12 and up, these cocktails are not cheap and are predominantly catered to the non-​serious cocktail drinker with a propensity for being on the sweet side and much like the catchy names, seem to be trying too hard. The local beers and wine are much more in line.
2. Pass on the sides– I’ve tried almost all of them, and they come up short for the price tag. Most notably the duck fat potatoes has barely a trace of duck fat within the flavor profile.
3. From the looks of the Caesar salad and «tomato» lobster bisque (tomato soup and lobster bisque are like a mismatched Hollywood couple), these sound suspect as well: caveat emptor. The small plate specialty salads are much more interesting and worth the extra few bucks.
4. Meat and two– having gone with the least expensive option (the fried chicken at $ 20), it amounted to 4 boneless crispy chicken tenders with two lackluster sides (as noted above), so I can only imagine the disappointment accompanied by paying even more for the other options.
In summary, here is the blüprint for the least cant-​HANK-​erous experience: grab some friends, order beer/​wine, order a round of raw oysters during happy hour, then do family style sharing of the daily specials including a balance of salads and seafood, then head down the street to Blüprint Chocolates or Casa Rosada for dessert.

A great spot during happy hour for oyster lovers!
They had 3 kinds oysters $ 1.25 each during happy hour. No happy hour special drink unfortunately.
Taste: Fresh and delicious! They shuck oysters pretty well.
Price: Pricy besides happy hour oysters. One glass of alcohol is about $ 10.
Interior: Clean, cool, contemporary,… Nice pictures on the bar wall.
Parking: Street or garage.
Customer service: Very good. They are sharp more than friendly.
I wish they had happy hour special drinks. Then I would not have moved a next bar for more drinks and snacks.

There is a reason this is one of the restaurants that I HAVE to visit whenever I travel to this area. That reason is the lobster roll! Huge pieces of succulent lobster on perfectly toasted flavorful bread. The fries that come with it isn’t anything too special. And I always have to get a dozen oysters as well. The oysters are sweet and very meaty. They’re served on the half shell, all laid beautifully on a platter over ice with lemon wedges, and a side of cocktail sauce and horseradish. Delicious each time!
I honestly come here for these 2 things only, but I went ahead and got a side of lobster bisque too since it was rainy out. The lobster taste is okay and the texture was on the thinner side. I would have liked it a bit sweeter, it had more of a tomato taste. But thanks again for including those big lobster pieces.
I look forward to my next visit here again!

Yester day I visited with my daughter…
We are so pike to eating but, when we went there waiter was so kind and good service.
The food was so good and delicious a specially oysters is so fresh and sweet…
We had three dozens but, that wasn’t enough so my daughter ordered for a roll lobster and that was so~~~~ delicious also.
Food& service was so great but, price was so high
That we can’t go often.

Well, as I said in my previous review, I would go back to Hanks if in town and when I was; I did! Hank’s was great and of course the oysters were the treat we all expected. Even my wife, who is not a raw oyster fan, enjoyed the fresh and delicious bivalves that they served us. We had a nice assortment and because we sat down early, the prices were very reasonable. We also enjoyed some nice seafood main dishes and overall Hank’s was as good as I remember it. This is not gourmet fine dining. And the best thing they serve, IMO, is the oysters.
I will repeat what I said last time. If I am back in the area again, I will go back to Hank’s.

It was mid week Wednesday after work and on a whim I end up at Hanks for happy hour! First time, and the definitely not a disappointment!
Tom, our bartender was great. As soon as we sat at the bar there were menus and drink orders were made. Thats what I call service! Food came out at an awesome speed!
We had a round of Happy hour oysters. It was fresh, perfectly shucked with all the dressings! Followed with fried pop shrimp & fried calamari, we figure we would balance our palette with a fresh shrimp avacado, & corn salad. Gotta have balance right?! We decided to put some of the fried calamari and shrimp on top and it hit the spot perfectly!
I could have probably ordered a few more items! The menu was short to the point and easy to read. Would definitely go again… maybe fried oysters?!
Eating deliciousness makes me happy!

I went here for happy hour with a friend. Wait was pretty long, which was expected, but we luckily got two seats at the bar right by the door.
Service was a bit slow for us at the bar. I still say it’s worth going. The oysters of the day were delicious — we both got one of each + a bottle of wine. Definitely not a bargain, but a good splurge after a long work day.

What a great spot! I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to get to try Hank’s Oyster Bar and their famously fresh oysters. I popped in here for lunch yesterday with mi madre, and we had a great experience. They just started serving lunch on a regular basis in April, I believe, so the place wasn’t super-​packed, but that meant we got good service and the best/​most awkward seat in the house — right in front of the giant street-​facing window! Haha, awesome for people watching, or for being watched by people — whatever your fancy.
We started with some oysters, naturally, asking for one of each of the six featured oysters on the blackboard. I am by no means an oyster aficianado, but I really enjoyed getting to try such a variety and easily identified my favorites. They were so fresh! The presentation is great, with oysters on the halfshell (oyster power!) on a bed of crushed ice, served with lemon wedges, some kind of lemony-​onion sauce, cocktail sauce, and horseradish, so you can mix and match to your heart’s delight! There is also sea salt, tabasco, and vinegar on the tables.
For my entrée, I got the fish and chips, which came with Old Bay seasoned fries and delicious soft fried fish. I actually thought the presentation of this was very cute, with the fish cut up into almost like classy fish sticks. It also came with cole slaw and a side of tartar sauce. I didn’t super-​love the fries (I’m a fry snob though), but the fish itself was fantastic and it was a yummy choice.
My mom didn’t get enough oysters to start with, so she opted for the fried oyster dinner as her entrée. (It’s actually served as a «small plate» on the lunch menu, but our waiter offered to turn it into a dinner entrée by pairing it with fries and cole slaw. Her fried oysters were ENORMOUS — definitely not what you typically think of when you think fried oysters. They were super soft and had a nice flavor, also served with tartar sauce.
The prices are Hank’s are not cheap, but, then again, neither are oysters ($ 2.25 each off the raw bar), and I thought the meal was well worth the price. The service is great for such a casual place, with complimentary goldfish to start your meal and some bittersweet chocolate to end it. I’ll definitely be back!

Hank’s Oyster Bar is a little bit of The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Yes, I am making a reference to that classic Clint Eastwood western, because like the movie, this place is filled with highs and lows for this oyster-​slinging anti-​hero. So let’s get right into this foodie gun battle, or as Tuco would say, «When you have to shoot, shoot. Don’t talk.»
The Good: The excellence of Hank’s oysters cannot be denied, for they are the oysters by which all other oysters in Alexandria should be judged. Sweet, salty, and tasting of the ocean, these beauties are magic and whether you select yours from the Pacific or Atlantic side, you will not be disappointed… Oyster perfection and just what this oyster beast craved. Trust me on this one, Unilocalers, I may not be able to outdraw Clint Eastwood, but when it come to these oceanic treasures, I’m a shucking master.
The Bad: Oh, it is one of my all-​time pet peeves and always results in the loss of a star the moment I witness it… That’s right, Buckaroos, I’m talking children sitting at the bar. Sure, it was during the day, and mom and junior were at the other end of the bar, but I don’t think I ever saw Clint belly up to the bar next to one of the Rugrats. I can never figure this one out, for the bar is simply no place for your child, people. Again, there is a place for child dining and drinking: It’s called the restaurant’s dining room, or if you prefer, the classic alternative that is ChuckECheese.
The Ugly: Ok, as much as I hate finding children at the bar – something which really detracted from my Hank’s Succulent oysters, sauteed spinach (yum), and frosty beverage – I’m also annoyed by their weird hours. Hank’s closes its doors from 3 – 5 PM. That is the start of some prime happy hour enjoyment and a tragic loss as far as I am concerned. I asked the bartender about this policy, and she offered up the much expected excuse of cleaning the bar, prepping for the dinner rush, and just getting things ready. Now, although I disagree with this policy and feel that Hank’s is being a bit elitist by somehow saying that my happy hour dollars aren’t good enough for them, I realize that they can run this oyster spot anyway they want. Remember, Seinfeld’s Soup Nazi had a quality product that allowed fans to overlook his quirky policies (No Soup for You). No, what I really found ugly was the fact that my bartender, by all accounts a pretty skilled drink-​slinger, decided to add, «This is the way all places in Old Town do it.:
I was stunned. I have lived in Old Town for over 20 years and can tell you that the majority of restaurants keep their doors open all day long. It is one thing to stand by your policy, quite another to pitch a false narrative. Shame! However, even with a three star The Good, the Bad, and Ugly rating, Hank’s offers up some of the best oysters in town. In fact, if I had gone in later in the day, I most likely wouldn’t have noticed these negatives and gone with a five star rating, for just like end of our epic western, there is treasure at the end.

2.25 stars and rounding down.
It is one of those experiences that you get hyped up about. It’s like when you’re a kid, and you’re so excited to go see Santa. You get to tell him everything you want for Christmas, you are going to convince him on why you were such a great kid and deserve that $ 100 gift that mom and dad said you weren’t old enough for — but you want it and you deserve it! Once you see Santa, you realize that Santa is wearing a fake beard, he doesn’t have the same jolly look as the Santa you saw last year who had the slightly happy persona than this Santa. Then it dawns on you that this isn’t Santa at all, but in fact your dad’s friend who he plays baseball with during the summer. I thought he looked familiar?! — — - True story on how I found out Santa isn’t who I thought he was when I was a kid.
Disappointed… what a bitch tonight. My hopes and dreams of eating at Hank’s Oyster Bar shattered by dull food, an overcrowded wall to wall seating, and a server who served up a pretty snide attitude after I got my measly looking crab cakes with baked mac and cheese and spaghetti squash. I be damned if I am going to pay $ 30 for this. PLEASE SEE THE PHOTO AFTER THE CONCLUSION OF THIS REVIEW.
My dining partner Mrs. Adrienne M. and I looked at the plate of food that sat before me, then looked at each other, then looked at the food again. Were they serious or was I on candid camera? First and foremost before I ordered the crab cake, I was reassured by the server that it was amazing. I told him that I was weary of trying crab cakes outside of Old Ebbitt Grill since I think they have the best in the city and they do not have fillers. More meat and less fillers is what I expected to have especially after the server told me he used to work at Old Ebbitt and went on the express how this one was so much better. False information if I’ve ever seen or heard such!
The food itself looked terribly pathetic. Loped on there with not much portion. The crab cakes themselves were EXTREMELY small. They couldn’t have been any thicker than a sausage patty from McDonald’s. I hate to compare the two, but that is the only thing that comes to mind in comparison at the moment. The size is also comparable in length. Adrienne took once glance and she said, «There are a lot of fillers in there with very little meat.» One bight justified her conclusion.
The sides were anything better. Instead of getting coleslaw and fries as my sides, I decided to take the $ 2 up-​charge and get two sides from their side menu. The spaghetti squash tasted old. I make really good spaghetti squash at home — usually with honey or cinnamon similar to what they had on their menu, and it was far from tasting worth a second bite let alone a second glance. Baked mac and cheese had a similar story except with it – it had no flavor. It was extremely bland and was crewy… not in the good way.
I decided to send it back altogether and Adrienne and I decided to split a caesar salad and each get a bowl of their lobster bisque soup.
Lobster has large chunks of lobster in it. This is a plus and thank you for being hefty on that portion size. Downside to the bisque, it had a weird taste to me. It was not like regular bisque that in my opinion is a little bit lighter. Runny ketchup consistency. Adrienne disagreed and thought the bisque should have been richer. Both of us decided it was underwhelming regardless, and not the most solid purchase that could have been made. $ 10 for lobster and ketchup…
Caesar salad comes with anchovies. IF you’re not into that, ask for them to not be put on there. Our server asked us before hand which I did appreciate. Not a fan of the fish… Adrienne said the salad was ‘watery’, and I think it lacked flavor. The shaved cheese didn’t compliment the romaine lettuce well. Adding pepper didn’t helps it case either.
What we did enjoy — yes, there was something we enjoyed here — were the oysters. We started with 12. Two of each that they had on their menu with 6 different kinds all ranging from east to west coast of North America. Our mutual favorite was the Battle Creek oysters from Virginia. They had the right flavor and consistency. Not too grinny with a slight salty taste. Since I returned my main course, we settled on just ordering another round of 12 oysters, but this time getting solely the Battle Creek oysters instead of the variety we had the first time.
We didn’t have drinks.
Service was good. We were well taken care of, but the server did seem to have a bit of a chip on his shoulder that took away from the dialogue between us and him.
Hank’s does have solid oysters. They live up to their namesake in that regards. Everything else — well, Hank’s is for the birds if you ask my opinion. I might come back for the $ 1 oyster happy hour, but you won’t catch me rolling in here for main dinner courses again.