In downtown Columbus, OH – there’s a movement of classy restaurants taking over the intersection of Gay and High Streets. Beneath the billowing and iconic “The Current” sculpture the northwest street corner houses a new seafood establishment that will have you feel like you’re going back to the MidCentury era, rubbing elbows with who’s who of town but without the pretense.

What does this hard of hearing bloke think of the overall Hank’s experience?

My wife and I arrived as walk-ups a little before 6pm on a Friday. I would advise making reservations ahead of time; when we got there the main dining room was fully reserved for the evening but the bar in the lounge was first-come, first served. We aren’t picky so this worked for us!

The front lounge area is cozy. The noise level was consistent but manageable. I never felt overwhelmed. Should you choose to sit at the bar, I would advise sitting away from the right corner – otherwise you’d have to contend with consistent foot traffic in and out of the dining room; this path also goes near the raw bar area and is nearest the kitchen.

We sat the left corner of the bar in the lounge area. The decor was midcentury modern with two lamps flanking each corner of the bar. The seating position was a bit unfortunate; with the lamp partially obscuring my view of the bartender. It made for some humorous moments trying to communicate with him. All drinks, food and desserts arrived promptly but not so quickly as to make me feel rushed.

I ordered a house cab wine, an appetizer of fried calamari, sauteed flounder, and then some peanut-butter chocolate pie for dessert. I found the meal overall (except for the pie) to be fairly light and portioned just right. The calamari was excellent. I went out of my comfort zone with the flounder. My favorite aspects of that dish were the tomato-butter sauce and the grit cake. The former I wish popped just a little more in flavor since flounder is a neutral fish, and the latter was just right for that dish. I didn’t really know what to expect but thought it was a well-prepared meal.

Hey, I’m no professional food critic. I’m mainly here to comment on the experience as a whole. But I knew you’d want to know what I ate.

For obvious reasons I didn’t take any pictures but I feel I have to highlight the restroom experience too. There are four unisex restrooms that are first come, first served. I appreciated the low lighting inside along with the candles. There are no paper towels or hand dryers; you use a hand cloth towel and throw in the basket when you’re finished. The downside to this is during high volume days the restaurant might run out of fresh hand towels.

One of the finer details that stood out to me was the restaurant’s choice of audio equipment; they chose a large wood-cab speaker to mount on the wall. It’s 2024; we’ve mastered small discrete speakers hidden in the walls but here they clearly wanted to feel like you were in an old school parlor.

As an added bonus, being able to look outside and people watch, and enjoy the trippy hanging sculpture The Current as its all lit up made me forget I was in Columbus, Ohio and think I was in a coastal metropolis. This city is in its glow up phase and Hank’s is making itself a part of that story.

Image description: the lounge bar area. Glassware and liquor is placed on a dark wood display. The countertop is marble. A table lamp with a rounded wood body and a lampshade with a leaf pattern is visible.

Image description: A close up of gold-colored accents on the wall over the bar. An ocean scene is depicted.

Image Description: A view of the raw bar. A long translucent sign inscribed with the words “RAW BAR” hangs over a display of various shellfish and mollusks over a bed of ice. Two chefs stand behind the bar.

Image Description: The primary bar area is staffed with three bar tenders. Low lighting provided by seven hanging, rounded lamps provides moody and classy character to the room.

Image Description: Looking out toward High Street through the side exit door. The Hank’s logo can be seen backwards on the door. A silver car drives by.

Image Description: A large, retro-style wall speaker similar to what you would find someone’s living room several decades ago.

Image Description: The hanging sculpture “The Current” is illuminated at dusk with hues of pink, blue, and lavender.