Hank's *A Restaurant

There’s a thin line between innovation and pretension — and unfortunately, this restaurant lands squarely on the wrong side of it. With a high 4.6-star rating on Google and a menu packed with aggressively creative dishes (think: eggplant with chocolate and curry, or noodles with pig head), expectations were naturally high. My dining companions were genuinely excited for what promised to be a bold and boundary-pushing experience.

That excitement lasted until the first dish arrived.

To put it bluntly, by the end of the night we found ourselves debating whether to stop by the Burger King across the street — not ironically, but because we were still hungry and desperate for some form of culinary satisfaction to help us fall asleep.

Before getting into the food itself, let’s talk about the service. We asked our server if the dishes were meant to be shared — the answer was yes, which aligned with our intent to sample much of the menu. Yet no effort was made to provide us with additional utensils to actually share anything. This lack of thoughtfulness set the tone for what followed.

Dish 1: Eggplant in Chocolate, Curry, and Lime

Avant-garde? Sure. Edible? Barely. The dish was a confused mess — wet, chewy, bitter, and incoherent. It vaguely resembled a poorly executed Indian-inspired creation with no balance. The chocolate and curry clashed, and the lime offered no real brightness. We were left guessing at what the chef intended — and not in a good way.

Dish 2: Street Corn

Corn on the cob, slathered in cheese sauce and topped with a mound of whole, unchopped cilantro. It tasted fine, but the presentation was baffling. How exactly are we supposed to share a single corn cob? Pass it around the table? Pluck off strands of cilantro like grazing animals? The dish felt lazy and strangely careless.

Dish 3: Steak

At over $40, we expected quality — either a tender cut or a generous portion. What we received were small, tough bites of steak served over jalapeños and a forgettable sauce. The meat was small, chewy and underwhelming, and the flavors clashed more than they complemented. We were left wondering not just about the dish, but the direction of the kitchen as a whole.

Dish 4: Fried Pig’s Foot

The low point of the meal. Instead of a crispy, golden, meaty cut, we were served a scorched, jet-black piece of bone. It looked burnt beyond recognition, with barely any meat to speak of. The accompanying dipping sauce was underdeveloped, as if it was thrown together as an afterthought. How does one even burn a pig’s foot in a fryer?

We had originally planned to order more — but after these four dishes, we simply couldn’t justify the risk of another disappointment.

Final Thoughts

The restaurant is overpriced, and while the concept is daring, the execution is a disaster. The open kitchen setup meant the chef and staff were visibly watching us for much of the meal, which only added to the discomfort. And while the chef clearly has no shortage of confidence, the reality is this: great cooking isn’t about combining the most unexpected ingredients for shock value. It’s about balance, intention, and — most of all — taste.

Here, the dishes weren’t layered or thoughtful. They were chaotic — a mashup of ideas without direction. Style without substance. And when you strip away the performance, all that’s left is the question: is this the work of a culinary genius, or simply someone trying too hard to be one?

Unfortunately, the answer couldn’t be more obvious.

Service was outstanding, food was delicious, loved the playlist - think Erykah Badu slipped into a playlist with bbno$ & Kendrick. The music was not loud (I think that was a problem at their last location but) the level was totally talkable for a nice evening out with my husband. I’m loving this new trend of amazing food served with Michelin level service in the most laid back casual setting where my husband can wear crocs with his nice outfit and I can come in with hair my baby just yanked out. Anyway.. I guess what would’ve pushed for five stars was a little darker lighting and a candle on the tables. The food does warrant a bit of la-di-da.

Our server was on point - he knew about the dishes we asked about and helped us decide. Loved him. Super friendly and made the vibe feel less pretentious.

The chef came over and told us exactly what was in our dishes (we asked - there was some “fish sauce salt” in the herb salad - so freaking good, that little nuance of *chefs kiss* something wonderful).

We ate: Brussels sprouts (fifteen seconds too long in the pan) with miso and tahini and pomegranate arils (what a combo); chef Etienne’s pig head broth (wowza!! Yummo - could eat all day) with buckwheat noodles and pigs head); sticky Asian trotters with potatoes, spicy jus and lovely herb salad; an exquisite Syrah; bread pudding with rummy caramely goodness (not pictured).

Go here!

Small space, industrial 80s vibe. Started with cocktails. Asked if they were still making one that had been on a previous menu - was just told no. Two that arrived were ok, not great. Food was ok. Bread and dip good, but was the ricotta dip just ricotta? Brussels sprouts nice and crispy but very hard, miso seasoning ok. Two fish dishes - ok - one a bit undercooked in the centre. One server excellent, knowledgeable and engaging, one not. We came because of the great reviews but didn’t have an outstanding experience.

Hot damn this place is amazing. Great vibes. Killer food. Go check it out. You won’t regret it. Mark is crushing it.

*Hanks has been our go-to for years, as visitors and residents of Victoria.
The food is unmatched. Atmosphere unmatched. Team unmatched.
Mark knows Van Isle soul food, classic Hanks style, and puts together incredible plates of his own.
If you're visiting Victoria, *Hanks has to be on your list.

We were 4 weeks all around in BC and Vancouver Island and we had our best meal at this place. Thank you Hank we loved it

Absolutely stellar experience. In this cozy little modern fusion kitchen, with Johnny Cash playing and lively conversation all around, my friend & I enjoyed a truly memorable five-course dinner.

Scallops, perfectly-seared flat-iron steak on a bed of plums, deliciously fatty duck on a peanut fried rice, and topping off the evening with melt-in-your-mouth caramel-glazed bread pudding.

Exceptional service, friendly and generous. Between these red-and-black-domino-tiled walls, magic happens. 10/10. Don’t miss out.

I first visited Hanks in 2014 (give or take) and have been back for every special event they have done, as well as bi monthly visits just for whatever is currently on the menu. The menu, by the way, is always changing and is always fascinating. Although there is a definite tendency towards things Beef and Pork related from their beginnings as Hanks Untraditional BBQ, there is something for nearly everyone and lots of it. Its rarely the same food twice as they may change their menu daily to match whatever fresh vegetables, fish, and meat that they get their hands on. If you want a truly unique experience, you need to go here. I don't know why you aren't making a reservation right now. These pictures are from our last trip when i was trying to be mostly vegetarian due to new dietary restrictions... My friend was definitely enjoying his share of red meat though.

Just visited again for another delicious offering before they end up closing down to move to their new location sometime soon.

In keeping with my new diet, I found the best dishes tonight were the vegetable based ones. Everything was colorful, flavorful, and tremendously interesting, as always.

This week I returned yet again to visit Hanks (like almost every week) to test the food under the new management of Sous Chef Mark, now the new master chef at Hanks. I erased a few old pictures to add some new ones of the slight changes to an Asian/Thai influence on the 4 dishes I tried. I liked the new creations and was happy to see all the old favorites were still there.

This is still our favorite date night spot!!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Burger

Great atmosphere and excellent food.
Friendly staff- chef served our last dish. Highly recommended.
They have another space next door called Nowhere-- same food but quieter ambience and will check that out next.

Had wings , cauliflower and the beets. Exceptional!

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

The food is unreal good! Every member of the staff is friendly and charming!
I cannot recommend "the Best Things" enough! I've tried so many things that I never would have otherwise and always leave satiated!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Fresh Halibut, Pork and Beans, Wild Boar, Wild Rice Risotto, Rabbit, Burger, Steak and Taters, Sandwich, Halibut Cheek, Fried Chicken, Wagyu Burger, Pork and Peaches, Cheeseburger, Ragu, Fish, Clams, Salad

I just went and already can’t wait to go back.

I loved the Maple Soda, I was expecting something else but it was mello and tasty and great. Flat iron steak in a perfect French onion soup with mushrooms and a grilled fat slice of fresh mozzarella was so damn good. Like SO good. We were attended by some lovely people who were cheery and friendly and super helpful.

We were comfortable dressed as we came and got treated like rockstars.

Worth the time to make reservations 100% plan to want to come back. Just saw the sister restaurant *Ate next door we are going to have to try that too.

Thanks Chef!!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

We enjoyed the tasting menu by chef Clark. The carrots with crispy salami were so tasty. Enjoyed the chicken alfredo. The Filipino cashew chocolate dessert was amazing

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Run don't walk to get the rabbit gnocchi! Probably the best gnocchi I've ever had. Hanks was the moist enjoyable dinner we had while visiting Victoria. Creative, unique, and delicious cocktails and food.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

We were given a recommendation from friends of ours. They raved about the food. We ordered the salmon and lamb loins. The salmon was fantastic, but when the "lamb loins were set in front of my husband, we both looked at eachother.
At 50 dollars for lamb loins, I am sorry that our expectations maybe way overexceded what was provided. He was served two very skinny, small and way overdone lamb rack pieces.
I asked to speak to the manager very nicely. When he approached the whole conversation started with him completely on the defense.
After a not very satisfactory exchange he walked away without much discussion.
I was not impressed. I than walked over to their other restaurant and asked to speak to someone else, who in turn ended up being the owner.
I was just trying to explain out experience and he was completely shut me down and was very aggressive in saying we should just leave.
The staff after when we got our bill and was just trying to have a conversation, said to us "would you say these things to me if I was a man"
OMG!! I have never felt so horribly treated in a restaurant ever as I was there.
As a server and manager for most of my life this is probably one of the worst experiences I have had in a restaurant.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 1

Service: 1