The Hackney — Restaurant in Washington

We went with another couple with high hopes but left disappointed. We liked the look of the building and were greeted with smiles and sincerity. We were on time for our reservation and we were qucikly taken to our table and given menus and descriptions of the meal and drinks availaible. Water and bread were brought to the table and drinks were ordered. The bread was very salty, but it was still consumed. Because I was driving, I was having one glass of wine and then I was drinking water for the remander of the meal. We were always out of water. I had to constantly ask for more water, which is brought in refillable capped bottles, that I poured into the glasses of our party. No water pouring service was offered once we sat down, but there should never have been a need for me to keep asking for more water. A full bottle of water should always be on the table. Drinks arrived, I had a Merlot. At somepoint from the bar to the table, it had been spilled. Red wine was down the stem of the glass and the foot was covered and very noticable. (Was delivered by Nick, Owner). I had to wipe off the glass to drink or it would have dripped on my shirt. At the same time, he tried to deliver another drink to our table, but we told him we had not ordered that.

Course 1 arrived. 2 orders of oysters on the half shell. The oysters had not been shucked properly. The muscle was still attached to the shell, and they had not been washed. Nothing worse than a bite of raw oyster full of sand. 4 of the 5 oysters I had were very gritty as were those from in the other order. The two other plates while small were good.

asked for more water

Course 2 arrived. While small, great flavors. Clams were excellent.

My friend left to use the bathroom, and asked us to order him another glass of wine. He had just disappeared when Nick brought a glass of wine, so we assumed our friend had ordered it on his way. When our friend got back, he said thanks for getting me a glass of wine. We told him we had not ordered it. He tasted it, and while good, was not the same wine he had been drinking. Almost immediatley, our waitress showed up (no water) to let us know that the wine had gone to the wrong table, and if my friend wanted to keep it, they guessed they would not charge for it. Remember this.

Course 3 arrives: I again ask for water. TINY plate of food. Pork loin is one small piece of loin, catch of day is tiny piece of swordfish with three muscles (2 not open) and the 2 orders of quail are just one quail each on a tiny bed of rice. Taste and flavors very well complimented. This is when we started discussing getting a pizza on the ride home. Asked for another bottle of water.

Dessert arrived and while ok, it was not what you would expect. My buddy, who knows food, felt his cheesecake should not have been called a cheesecake. I felt my brownie would have been much better warmed, not cold.

I left out that we had to order twice and then reconfirm because of ipad issues, but that happens.

So, we are asked about the bill, and I say just one please and hand my card to waitress. She stands right beside me to run the card, as as she hands me the ipad, says, remember on my tip the glass of wine I did not charge you for. She then stood right beside me looking at what I was going to give her for a tip, and I mean right beside me.

What is my take away? I love the Washington waterfront, and I hope it continues to be a huge draw for people wanting to come to enjoy an evening, a dinner or a weekend. The Hackney is a great location with alot to offer. I understand that staffing issues are real, and it is almost impossible to get solid help. I saw both owners working hard all night and as a business owner, I understand how hard it is to get help in todays world and greatly appreciate their efforts. What it comes down to is details. Little changes in protocols would be huge. Would make a below average dining expereince into a wonderful evening. Location and owners have great potential and I want...

My wife Sandy and I first visited The Hackney the year they opened, in October 2019 (see some of my review from that visit below - edited bc Google word limit exceeded). We've been trying to come back since then but only just made that happen this week. I stand by everything I said in my original review, which was well before Executive Chef Jamie Davis became a James Beard Award Finalist for Best Chef Southeast. A well-deserved acknowledgment of his work here.

Sandy and I had dinner on back-to-back nights. We regret that they no longer do a Sunday brunch as they did in 2019 so we couldn't do the trifecta. (They do serve lunch from 12-2p on Saturdays.)

Since my original review was comprehensive and still applies, let me just highlight some questions that this visit answered for us:

(1) Can you take a perfect cocktail like The Last Word or Corpse Reviver No 2 and make it a "G&T" by adding tonic to it? Yes, yes you can. I was a bit concerned about doing this, but found the drinks quite refreshing as an appetizer companion compared to the originals.

(2) Are those really collard greens? Yes, yes they are. Sandy and I kept asking ourselves that as we enjoyed the NC Collard Green Salad on day 2 (sorry, we ate before the camera). We've both eaten a lot of collards but nothing as crisp and refreshing as this salad.

(3) Can you put trout in shrimp bisque? Yes, yes you can, especially if you put it on a bed of rice and shrimp. I was delighted at how well the bisque complemented the trout without overwhelming it.

(4) Can you eat lionfish? Yes, yes you can. And if you serve it whole (bone in) and chicken fried you capture all of the juiciness of the meat.

Between the trout and the lionfish I would choose the trout, but in 5 visits to The Hackney over 5 years I've never been disappointed in a menu item I've chosen.

Congrats to Chef Jamie. Thanks to our server on both nights, Kayla Lilley, as well as the entire wait staff who chip in as needed. Owner Susanne worked front of house and made us feel very welcome, and we enjoyed re-connecting with owner Nick after so many years. Hope to see y'all again in fewer than 5 years!

SNIPPET OF ORIGINAL REVIEW FROM OCTOBER 2019:

This is objectively a 5 star restaurant, but compared to the other dining options in Washington, NC it is a 6 star restaurant. We stayed in 2 days we ate there 3 times (drinks/appetizers, dinner, and brunch).

After another disappointing dinner in Washington, we decided to stop in at The Hackney on a Friday night. We were going to just get some drinks but saw an option for a you-pick-3 cheese plate for $13. Hard to pass up, and it turned out to be lovely, with a delicious pear jam and house made crackers to accompany the local cheeses. The bartender, Riley, also slipped me the extensive gin menu, and there a beautiful relationship was born. The cocktail menu is also remarkable, notably the Pimms Cup with house-made Pimms.

About the food: Delicious. Although I badly wanted the Beef Wellington on the brunch menu, I was still a bit full from dinner the night before and needed to drive home so I opted for the ground filet burger. It was cooked to a perfect medium rare and well-seasoned. We even had a dessert with our brunch, the sticky toffee pudding which we enjoyed so much on two nights before on our first visit.

Hopefully I have given enough here to encourage you to give The Hackney a try. It is more expensive than the average restaurant in Washington, but well worth the...

Just for context: I have been to many wonderful "fine-dining" restaurants, and enjoy trying new places, new experimental flavors, experiencing amazing food cultures and experiences.

The food was perfectly cooked except for the toffee pudding, which I think was put in the broiler a little too long so part of it mostly tasted burnt, but the parts that didn't were delicious. Nothing too experimental which you wouldn't expect in a beautiful, little town in NC, but had delightful twists on staples. Cheesy polenta instead of croutons, swordfish paired with lobster and a pea/basil sauce, a delicious amuse bouche of a shot of apple/sweet potato bisque. Our service was very friendly but not what I would expect for the prices. We didn't get an order taken for about 10 minutes, the waitress (again, very sweet) was mumbling so much neither my husband or I could understand often what she was asking... It was not bad service, I just think when dinner is $100/person or more, part of what you're paying for is the service of a fine dining caliber. That all being said, I think for how delicious and well cooked the food was (besides the dessert) we might go back for a special occasion. It was our anniversary and we still enjoyed a lovely meal even if it...