fancy hank's

first off, ill mention that this new iteration of fancy hanks is a little different to the old one which was beside the queen vic markets. fancy hanks is now a sit down, table service restaurant. from what i've experienced, they've handled the change very well. at the bar, our bartender was friendly and helpful, offering advice on how we should order (to share) and the drinks specials that they had going. we ordered the brisket, pork, mac 'n' cheese and slaw. for two of us it was just the right amount. if you're a particularly big eater, maybe get a starter or third meat. everything was smokey and delicious. my only critique would be that the brisket was not as moist as i was hoping for, but i presume that's what you should expect after 8+ hours of smoking a meat (the sauces fixed this). it's a great improvement over the previous venue and i'd highly recommend the place to anyone who lives by the 'low and slow' motto.

went for dinner thursday night after work. first thing that hit me was the noise. i mean, wow. needed to scream to even be heard by my dining partners. 

ordered the beef brisket and the pork sausage. after a 35 minute wait the food arrived.

the pork sausages were full of flavor and were definitely the favorite of the night. there was only one issue - they came out cold. wouldn't be surprised if they had been sitting for at least 5 minutes.

the beef brisket had a nice smoke ring to it. it came out warm and pulled apart easily. however the meat contained no flavour at all.

all in all: disappointing experience, will not be returning.

there was a selection of ribs written on the wall, type of meat, weight and cost. i got an serving of the lamb ribs with a side of mac n cheese. i felt a bit underwhelmed, the lamb was decent but nothing spectacular. i expected an explosion of lamb/smoke/spice rub flavour and the mac and cheese was a bit ordinary.
my co-workers were also disappointed with their choices also. all in all, it wasn't bad but it wasn't great either.

really enjoyed dinner at fancy hanks. venue has a fantastic vibe and the design is very cool with expansive windows overlooking bourke street. our waitress was very bubbly and friendly and really helpful when helping us with what to order. we started with devilled eggs which were delicious. we then shared the pulled pork, the beef brisket and the iceberg salad with radish and onion jam. the pulled pork was my favourite and the salad was light and fresh to balance the heavy meat dishes. i also really enjoyed the house made bbq sauce.

american style slow cooked, smokey meat has become the ‘next big thing’ in melbourne, resulting in many restaurants opening their doors for this style of cooking. fancy hank’s is no exception. having begun their life as a food truck they have settled their smoker in one place, between four walls.

this place was amazing!! i had the brisket and romaine salad which they catered to my intolerances and the meat was so delicious, flavourful and juicy. the rest of my family had the banquet with a thumbs up especially the side dishes of the baked beans and jalapeño cornbread. was a little bit noisy to have a conversation but wonderful service.

i'll start off by saying that i'm a vegetarian, but was told by friends that there were vegetarian options available. however the sweet potato vegetarian option was a bit bland and underwhelming. most of the sides were pretty good though. the chips and corn bread almost made up for it. vegetarians probably aren't the target market here, but if you're planning a group lunch including vegetarians maybe go somewhere else. staff were very friendly and cheerful however. shame the food wasn't as good as they made it sound.

first of all our waitress was really annoying, she was over attentive and didn't really explain the menu very well. she said we were getting 700 g of ribs and that that would be about three per person but we ended up with a little bit less than that which was disappointing. we told her we were on our way to a show and would only have an hour and a half to dine, then when we tried to order macaroni and cheese she warned us it would take 15m to be served... i didn't really understand this since we ordered as soon as we sat down. all up the brisket was very basic i wouldn't go back just for that,the ribs were fine too as was the salad but it was really nothing special and i much prefer going to meatmother nearby to spend the same amount and get more tasty food.

the only thing colder than the food was the service. our waitress really didn't look like she wanted to be there, or want to serve us. we all got the feed me menu and we were suitably full, but that's about the only positive.

go to le bon ton, it's like fancy hanks, but actually good.

great new set up and fun rooftop bar! we didn't have a booking so waited for 10mins in the rooftop bar then headed down after we received an sms. we were sat at the bar since there was only two of us and it was packed, but it was fine. we ordered devilled eggs, fried cauliflower and half a chicken, beef sausage and the beef brisket. the chicken was incredible. smoky, succulent, it was amazing! the beef brisket is always on point. the fried cauliflower was tasty and had a great crunch. a really great meal! cheers!

this place is great. i'd call it a 'southern style smokehouse. we went on a friday night - it was really busy but service was still great. the menu is simple - smoked meats purchased by weight and served on a single sharing board. our group had beef brisket, pork ribs and pulled pork with sides of mac 'n cheese, corn bread with jalapeño butter, coleslaw, and a smoked sweet potato. it was all excellent although compared to everything else my friends said the ribs were a let down. the mac 'n cheese is phenomenal with a cheeto crust crumbled on top. vegetarian options were limited to side dishes. good but not amazing beer selection.
the decor is wonderful - art deco building with interesting interior design, some tasteful celebrity memorabilia. ambience right on the mark and chefs visible behind a bar at the front of the restaurant are happy to have a chat. young servers, but good service none the less.

we came here for our end of year work lunch and it was pumping and busy. we got a nice long table and the "feed me" banquet option. it was very hearty.

we had the:
1. beef brisket: 5/5
2. pulled pork: 4/5
3. sausages: 5/5
4. wedge salad: 2/5
5. corn bread: 3/5
6. braised beans: 5/5
7. fries: 5/5

service was rushed and they forgot to tell me my choice of drink was unavailable until about 30 minutes in and only after i enquired about it. then when i changed my drink to one that was actually available, they forgot to bring it to me for another 20 minutes until i enquired again. so i pretty much had finished my meal by the time i finally got my drink ... a cherry cola. not cool. 2/5

not 100% valid this review will be now considering fancy hanks new venue change, but overall it's positive nontheless!

the bbq here was great, with my smoked chicken maryland be absolutely delicious! the chips were awesome too!

can't comment too much on the old venues decor and atmosphere, but it was awesome while they were still there!

keen to try the newest venues food and see if it maintains the momentum of the old site or even surpasses it!

fancy hank’s? sure, once we had checked out their uber popular new palm springs themed rooftop bar we needed some sustenance and the bar staff were nice enough to nip down and secure us a table before the rush! the fit out is unrecognisable to what used to be here, with a big open dining room, both a little grandiose and modern, there is a massive smoker as you walk in to remind you what treats are in store and their extraction system must be amazing because there is no billowing smoke and saturation of bbq smells just the gentle hum of delicious brisket and pork.

absolutely delicious food! great service and atmosphere. highly recommend the bbq menu. great place for a group of people. definitely be back for more. 👌🏽👍🏽👏🏽😋