Saturday, September 25, 2010

Hank's Restaurant, Newport Beach

Anonymous remembers a restaurant called "Hank's" in Newport Beach during the 1970s...

Does anyone remember a restaurant called Hank's in Newport Beach? It was on a corner, down the street from where the pier is. It had the best fish and you could just walk in off the beach, very casual. This would have been during the 70's.

I did some Googling on this, but couldn't find any info. Considering this was in the 1970s, there's probably little information online.

But if you remember it, please comment.

33 comments:

  1. hi I remember hanks very well they had the best fish n chips its was very casual and they would give you balloons everyone would blow the balloons up and then let them go it was alot of fun and good fish My mom and dad are from england they said hanks was the best fish n chips they had tasted

    ReplyDelete
  2. My wife and I lived on 36th St. in the early seventies and Hank's was our favorite place for beer and the best fish and chips in the world. It closed in the mid seventies and a bar/restaurant called Mutt Lynches opened and is still there some 35 years later.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Remember Hank's well. Also Scotty's which was nearby. So I'll start a debate - Scotty's fish & chips were better than Hank's.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My parents lived on 32nd street when I was born in 1963 and took me to meet Scotty and his wife on our way home from Hoag, before meeting my birth family. Scotty's was the go to for fish and chips through out my life!

      Delete
  4. Hank's wow we ate there ALL the time we would drive from Orange about once a month to eat there. great memories and it was there well before the 70's. I was a tot in the 60's and i remember it being a shotgun style diner with booths and a counter and standing in line outside till a table opened up. my mom said if you could get one foot in the door they would serve you a beer while you waited LOL. in the 70's they expanded/moved a few doors down and i remember it being a 2 story place and then it closed sometime in the 70's so sad

    ReplyDelete
  5. My parents used to take my brother and I to Hank's often on Friday nights. We would wait in the long, long line in hopes of getting in and getting a table. Hank liked to drink beer while he cooked, and sometimes his wife would decide he had enough, walk over to the door, flip the sign to "Closed" and lock up. All of us waiting in thd line would be sad, but we would show up a little earlier the next time and hope to get fed.

    ReplyDelete
  6. They had the biggest and best shrimp, and it was a little bit of a dive but I took everyone there. Everyone loved it!

    ReplyDelete
  7. My parents took us to Hank's many times in the 1960s. It was on the boardwalk area of Newport Beach facing the water. The place was often a mad house with people standing in line right up to the front door and into the place,waiting to get a seat. Waiters yelled out orders to the cook, lots of loud talking and laughing. Hank looked like an old burned out military cook and the waiters and waitresses were teenage kids. On several occasions we were told the health department was after Hank because the waiters and waitresses often did not have shoes on. The floor had sand all over it from people coming in off the beach. Don't know what I would think now, but as a kid, the fish and chips tasted really good and I loved the chaos and beach style atmosphere.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I moved to Newport Beach in 1968 and loved Hanks. I did not have much money and you could get a ton of food (great fish and chips)for such little money. Impossible to find places with character like this anymore..Belisles was the same. JB

    ReplyDelete
  9. I remember Hanks. They had the best deep fried fish & shrimp plates. I was told they used beer to give the batter the best flavor. I remember it was first located next to Blackies Bar and then moved to the corner. They moved because it was a very popular restaurant and there was always a line to get a seat inside. However, once they moved, the restaurant folded.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I remember Hank's very well! We grew up on 24th Street and it was tasty. I recall it was where the Beach Ball is! Then it to moved to where Mutt Lynch's is now. My parents loved Hanks. Great memories!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I remember Hanks Seafood Restaurant..I had a friend working there in the early 1970's. I used to live next door at the Ocean Front Hotel with a few friends. I also knew some friends who lived in the A-frames next to the Ocean Front hotel.( In the summer anyway)We played guitar and partied alot..

    ReplyDelete
  12. you are right the beer was used along with pancake mix.i know i worked there for a summer.hank was a cool old man we had fun until that time came we worked our butts off. good times

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hank's Seafood: one of my fondest 70's memories. Used to eat there with friends & dates quite a bit. I concur wholeheartedly with the above claims their fish & chips being the best! Great times!

    Seems to me it didn't close until about 1980, but I'm probably wrong about that.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hank's Seafood is one of my fondest memories also. No other fish restaurant touches it. The shrimp seemed to be as large as my hand. Shrimp was by far the best ever made. I used to go in the mid to late 70's (when Mutt Lynches was by the ferry).

      Delete
    2. Hanks had the best fried shrimp sandwich I have ever had!! The prawn was huge in that good batter! I thought of that sandwich the other day and couldn't remember the name of the place!

      Delete
  14. We went there every weekend for a while when I was in high school. Great food. Fun atmosphere. Loved their fish and chips! I was sad when it closed. The life on the boardwalk went downhill after it closed...

    ReplyDelete
  15. We went there every weekend for a while. They had the best food, especially the fish and chips! I was sad when it closed. I think the life went out of the pier atmosphere after it closed.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hanks had been there since the 1950's. His success was largely due to his wonderful batter. Never had better deep fried fish.Since my dad worked down the street and knew him he would sell my dad batter in a milk carton to take home for fish that we caught in the ocean.

    ReplyDelete
  17. We used to eat there frequently on Friday nights. I can remember standing in line next to the aquarium as you went up the stairs to the upper level. It was a hole-in-the-wall, but boy did they have good fish & chips!

    ReplyDelete
  18. My husband and I were just there today! We were looking for Hanks where we use to enjoy our dating days back in '79 and we're pretty sure we ate there in '80, too. We asked several people around there today if they knew what happened to Hanks and no one had heard of it. We settled on eating at Charlie's Chili; another old restaurant from "back in the day"! I remember Hanks great tasting fried shrimp and it seems like I remember hearing the pounding of a mallet as the shrimp was being flattened to the size of a plate back in the kitchen. I also recall seriously questioning the cleanliness of the place after we saw the condition of the bathroom one night! Good times, good times, and hard to believe it was 32/33 years ago!

    ReplyDelete
  19. How can we forget Hank's on the ocean front, Newport Beach. Makes my mouth water to think about it. And I remember Hank. Lived in Newport from 1967 to 1998

    ReplyDelete
  20. Hanks had the greatest crab stuffed fried shrimp! I loved that place.

    ReplyDelete
  21. When I lived in Newport about 2 blocks from the pier, we walked to Hank's all the time -- the fish and chips were amazing and fresh. My friend Linda worked there in 75-77. We would just go see here and get a table right away. It was a great job for her -- good money and nice bosses. I was too young to work there because I wasn't 21 -- and couldn't serve alcohol. Would have loved to work there! I wonder if it's still around. Charlie's Chili is still there, I'm glad to see.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Hank and my father were very good friends... I remember as a kid walking right past everyone in line right after my dad....and getting a table and Hank always had a big hug for me and my dad... I have wonderful childhood memories of my times eating at Hank's... and the Fish and Chips were the Best I have every had in my life...... I have been told by my dad that the fish he cooks is from Hank's recipe... But with Hank and my Father being passed away ... I can only dream that my dad was telling the truth.... So glad to have awesome memories of this wonderful place in my life...

    ReplyDelete
  23. I only went there once as a kid and their fish burgers were the best.

    ReplyDelete
  24. I also remember Hanks Ocean Front Cafe, I used to work there in 1970.
    The place was a dream come true for me because of my love for seafood and the water. It was a husband and wife that owned it then. I remember the husband walking around with his parrot on his shoulder as he was telling me how to properly clean shrimp! I also remember all the photos of the celebrities that had eaten there and left signed pics about how good the food was! June was the wife's name and I don't recall the husbands name. But it was an experience I'll never forget.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Hank's last name was Pabst and his wife was Gert(rude). They were quite a pair, usually compatible but they both drank a bit and some times the compatibility disappeared just like the tide. It could get a bit blue. But the fish and shrimp were indescribable perfection.
    Hank told me his liquid in the batter was buttermilk and he confided he used a pinch or two of garlic if Gert wasn't watching. Absolutely religious about the freshness of his frying oil. More than once observed a drain and recharge with fresh oil while people lined up a half block outside on a Friday evening. They hooted and catcalled, but they waited nonetheless.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Hi,
    A tad late in the conversation, but what the heck. I worked at hank's from 1975-1978 while going through college. The owners were very nice to the employees and tok care of us. Most of the employees were going through school or were surfers. The food was a good, and lots of it. It took a great deal of time to peel, clean and prepare the jumbo fried shrimp. We used to occasionally over cook the abalone fish so it would come back and we could eat it ourselves. Nothing but great memories from back in the day...kw

    ReplyDelete
  27. I too am late to the conversation. Hank's was the best!! My boyfriend and I used to go there often, driving in from Riverside. Best fish in all SoCal. I remember the balloons and also that cats walked around in the restaurant. I sure miss it.

    ReplyDelete
  28. I dated the granddaughter of Hank for a while.I wonder where she is now?

    ReplyDelete
  29. I dated Hank's granddaughter for a while when The Peninsula was THE place to go for a good time and no problems. Drinking at 18 was legal on private property in those days.

    Sorely miss Bal-Week!!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My first Bal Week was in 1949! Lived in Seal Beach. Went with my big brother and three of his friends from his "club", the Chaparrals. Rented a house at 217 Diamond. I was only 16 at the time, but I had a truly great time. Hot chicks and beer to a 16-year old? Heaven!

      Went year after year until the military called me and said that they thought it would be good for the country's morale if I enlisted. I did. Stalin died just after I enlisted. Guess he heard that Bob King had enlisted and he had a heart attack!

      Bring back Bal Week and bring back Balboa Blues!

      Delete

Custom Search