Hanks — Restaurant in Gold Coast City

We were really looking forward to the evening at Hanks. The space looked beautiful, and we were warmly welcomed.

But overall, the evening was hit and miss. We were either being rushed or were forgotten. The lady with an accent who was in charge of the floor was quite distracted at times. There was a younger girl in the bar who clearly had less experience, however, we had the better interactions with her to be honest because she was genuinely enjoying her job on this evening.

There were 4 of us and we were served 2 drinks whilst the other 2 decided but when the 2 drinks arrived there was no awareness that there were still 2 drinks to be ordered by the other couple. We waited but no one came so we had to kind of wave someone down. It wasn't very busy so it felt like the two floor staff were trying to get other things done and that's ok but the feeling of the restaurant was that tables were either neglected or being rushed. This is because there was no observation from afar - no tact - just trying to get through the night.

The food! The bread was delightful but we found ourselves asking for butter or oil - the duck rillette's were devine but a crispy bread or cracker should come with this as a standard. Charge what you need to but for those who make that assumption they will be disappointed having to wait. We were lucky that we had asked and already had bread at the table.

The Steak tartare was visually exquisite and wow - a taste sensation it was!

2 of our party had the flank steak and whilst it was delicious, especially the pepper jus/sauce.....as a cheaper cut of meat - at $50 with nothing else on the plate - it is on the expensive side comparable to other restaurants.

The seafood pasta was amazing but the beef cheek polenta was returned to the kitchen because the polenta was cold. They willingly obliged (and we hated to do that) but the dish that returned was ok - the beef cheek was crispy and not sure if that's how it is intended to be but beef cheek usually should be gelatinous and juicy - the polenta was now warm but not the best. Was hoping for creamy smooth polenta but this was more lumpy/watery.

Hanks has a lot of potential but at this price point - people are not tolerant of multiple mistakes and unprofessional service. The Floor manager in charge only took us seriously once we complained - and to be fair - she worked hard with us after that (and we are SO easy going) but don't get yourself in that position in the first place. People are spending a lot of money in this level of establishment and they aren't very forgiving when multiple...

I visited Hanks yesterday to celebrate my 30th birthday, and while the food was fantastic, the overall dining experience left much to be desired.

When we arrived on time for our booking, we were asked to wait outside in the heat while our table was being set up. Throughout the lunch, service was inconsistent, staff rarely checked in for drink orders, and we often had to walk to the bar ourselves. On one occasion, our drinks sat on the bar for nearly 10 minutes while staff were chatting and tidying up behind the counter.

The food service was also disjointed, with dishes being placed at the wrong end of the table and items like the burrata arriving 15 minutes before the bread it was meant to be served with. When we inquired, the response was curt and dismissive.

Smaller tables seemed to receive more attentive service, while our larger group often had to wait long periods to get staff attention. Even when the birthday cake was brought out, it was left on the table without plates, and we had to ask for them ourselves.

Additionally, it was unsettling to notice staff, including the hostess Paloma, frequently watching our table without engaging with us. Her standoffish attitude when we went to pay only added to the awkwardness of the experience.

We regularly dine at Siblings across the road and always enjoy both great food and service. While the food at Hanks was excellent, the service significantly dampened the occasion. Hopefully, with improvements in attentiveness and hospitality, future visits could be more enjoyable, but I won’t be rushing back when there are so many other amazing restaurants on the Coast that prioritise...

I would not recommend this place to anyone. We had lunch here on 30/11/2024. When we first arrived, we were advised that they needed our table back at 2:30 due to having a function in our seating area, which would not have been a problem.

The problem was that we were continuously reminded that they needed the table back. Throughout lunch, we were told by two other staff members and reminded another eight times. Staff members continually tried to rush us.

After placing our order for food, we started to receive the dishes quite quickly. After several dishes had already been placed on our table and we had not started eating, I asked the waiter if we could slow down the service due to having too much food already on the table. After asking that, within another five minutes, the rest of our food arrived. We were unable to enjoy any of the food due to being completely rushed, and our dishes eventually went cold, so we did not eat them.

A few hours after lunch, I actually got quite sick. It was from the Moreton Bay oysters. I thought it was a bit weird that they were serving fresh Moreton Bay oysters, considering the heavy rain we have had in the Brisbane area over the last two weeks. That would definitely affect the quality and taste of the Moreton Bay oysters.

Overall, I would never recommend this place to anyone. There are so many better restaurants throughout...