Fancy Hanks BBQ

Meat meat meat, oh yes glorious meat and crispy fries! Fancy Hank’s is my favourite BBQ place in Melbourne. Their brisket is always tender and not overly fatty. Be prepared for a line up on Friday nights and book ahead if you have a group and they can sort something out for you. Service wise it is no frills good American BBQ and the service is friendly and fast but it is very serve your self in terms of condiments etc.
My tips for food are the brisket, chopped hog, with chips and a mac n cheese. Also keep a look out for pop dessert specials!

For the price it wasn’t enough to fill me and I don’t eat that much.
+ the meat was nice

I ate the Two Meat with cornbread and black eye peas. Was good but the get your own drinks and pick up your own meal when the buzzer goes off isn’t in keeping with the price. The food was tasty but the black eyed peas shouldn’t be considered.

Let me start by saying that if you are easily filled by a small big mac-​meal, and perhaps find yourself passing off of a few measly fries to your friends… Then you’re going to not be disappointed by the potions at this joint!
Let’s be frank– when you think American styled bbq, three thoughts cross my mind.
1. An incomprehensible amount of delicious and succulent beef, pork and other proteins cooked for hours on end so that you wisely prepare for the meal with pants that have elastic waistbands.
2. Carbs that are delicious and slimy and cheesy and crispy and delicious.
3. Quantities of these that are both overly satisfying and make you unconformably full.
Well, my experience at fancy hanks was not what I expected. For two of us, we ordered the ‘three meats’ plus an extra 100g of chopped hog.
What was served to us included one slice of brisket, two halves of a relatively thick sausage, a dump of pulled pork, a measly sized ‘Mac and cheese’ that wasn’t very cheesy– it was more a roux on pasta-​. The hush puppies which were very ‘meh’ and. Three… Yes, that’s right just three, pork ribs that two people were supposed to share. I was jaw to the floor. Where was the rest of my meal? I mean, given an higher that most hunger given i had not had lunch in preparation for this dinner ‘feast’… I was uncertain where the rest of my meal was! In saying this, the meat we did have was yummy. Not great! I had better at meat maiden in little Collins and got more of it.
What made it worse was that the waitress upon retrieving our tray commented that it looked like a tray for one, and even after I explained my disappointment and she agreed with me reiterating that others had similar complaints… She said there was nothing she could do because i didn’t have a receipt.
So like I said, if you love American food and eat like a sparrow, then this is for you!

Just okay. I had read good reviews and wanted to try it. I tried a few different meats. They weren’t exactly cold but not even really warm either. I got a couple of the sauces and they must have just St come out of the fridge because they were cold, which made the meat even less warm. Mac and cheese was good but the crumbs on top were ridiculously salty; I think they were bbq crisps or something. Staff are super friendly, which is why this is three stars on place of two.

What happened fancy hanks?
The love I have for fancy hanks is one I have never had with a place before. The good memories of what use to be keeps me coming back, but now I’m just disappoint time after time.
I use to own and run a small cocktail bar in the area just down from fancy hanks and was a proud promoter of fancy hanks to all my patrons as a awesome food choice and alternative bar option. Fancy hanks was the only place I would tell my customers to eat. But now that I have sold my bar I have been coming back to enjoy the good old times I use to have here. «Use to» being the correct term. the irony of this review is that fancy hanks is so popular now and such a cash cow my review probably won’t mean much but I still feel I have to tell my side of the fancy hanks journey.
I moved to Melbourne in the summer of ²⁰¹³⁄₁₄ and walked into fancy hanks smelling that wonderful char from the smokers. The menu was well priced at $ 6 per 100g of meat and simple. Awesomely simple! The customer service was awesome and when we came back the regular staff knew our names and regular orders! The happy hour on a Friday was the cherry on top with ½ price beers! I can’t articulate how amazing it was to sit back with a great meal in your belly, well priced beer and the beautiful summer vibes from the balcony!
Now in the last month I have come back 3 times and everything seems to have changed for the worse. Price of the menus has gone up costing $-9−10 per 100g but ironically enough the quality has gotten worse.
It’s not as smokey or juicy as it use to be. The meat was dryer and the customer service was worse than average. (I think this was due to short staff which is all the time it seems)
Now it’s not all bad they do good fries, Mac & cheese and salad but who goes to a smoke house for fries and salad. In the great words of Homer Simpson «you don’t make friends with salad» and to be honest the crew at fancy hanks need to look at where they come from and be the people pleaser they once where.
I’m not saying you need to bring the price down, or change the menu but make it simple, tasty and provide it with a smile like you use to! And we will keep coming back. I miss you hank :)

It’s maybe a little unfair to be overly critical of Fancy Hank’s after living in Texas a few years. But hell, I think if you gave me a smoker, the right wood & a couple days, I could deliver better brisket at a more affordable price.
The place is handy, well-​appointed and the staff are friendly, but it’s hugely overpriced and the brisket (I’m not interested in Kansas or Carolina bbq) was dry. I needed the slaw to get it down. If I were to go down the bbq road in Australia, I’d take a big lead from the US — the setting is inconsequential if the product is good. Franklin’s, Cooper’s, & to a lesser extent Mueller’s, Stubb’s & Salt Lick don’t really care too much about the look of their establishments — they focus primarily on quality of product. There HAS to be a way to bring down the price of bbq in this country. Maybe use mesquite, a well known pest.

This was an ok restaurant. Very pricey! We came earlier in the day so we got the meats we wanted. There is nice places to sit in the restaurant. The food was quite nice. I would recommend the pulled pork. And make sure to hit the markets on your way out.

Arrrrgggghhhhh. This is a tricky review to do because of my absolute love of American food with my expansive trial of this style of food on United States soil.
The line was long to order food, however I am used to the with the very good BBQ joints in the USA can have lines up to 2 hours long. The boredom of standing in line was broken up by a couple of entertaining intoxicated people behind me that happened to also buy me a beer.
They had sold out of ribs, but we had some brisket & pulled pork. We tried all the salads, mac&cheese plus the fries.
The meat was nice. The sauces at the counter weren’t really labelled properly so it was a bit of a guess what we were trialling. The cornbread was absolute crap. The salads were pretty boring & bland. The mac & cheese along with the fries weren’t too bad.
The atmosphere of this place as very pub like. Not a good place to go for a nice quiet sit down meal with your other half. It is very noisy with loud music. It would be more recommended to come here after work for an eat & drink after work with mates, or before going out on the town for a night on the drinks.
The meat is pretty much covered, however they do need to work on the rest of the menu items.

Melbourne is certainly not short of US style BBQ joints these days, and based on others (meatmother as an example), or actual BBQ places in the U.S. (Salt Lick in Austin TX as another great example), Hanks falls a little short.
The half beer can chicken was delightful, but the rest of the meats (brisket, pulled pork) were a little dry. The Mac & Cheese was OK I guess. I suppose I’ve had worse, but I’ve also had way better.
We were there right on opening so didn’t have to wait too long.
I guess I was just left feeling a little meh about the whole thing.
Fun Fact — doughboy doughnuts run from the same location, so you can get your dessert fix before AND after your meat

Arrived at fancy yanks just after 9 pm. Main menu was unavailable so we, 2 chefs and FOH manager decided to try the bar menu. The Cuban sandwiches and spicy chicken wings. The must purchase vinegar buy the truckload because that’s all we could taste. The smoked beef brisket in the Cuban sandwich was dry and vinegary. On a bright note, Ra our bartender was attentive and really great.

If you love BBQ meat make sure you get in quick ‘cose the good stuff sells out!
Not a place to take your Vego or Vegan friends but a good spot for those that are carnivorous!
The main dinning area has a cafeteria /​dining hall feel however if you’re not into that you can find a table in the bar next door or out on the balcony overlooking the Vic Markets.
The meats are perfectly BBQ’d and can be ordered by 100g quantities or half or full chickens. The sides are substantial and right on the money — Mac’n’Cheese or tasty crunchy slaw.

A common theme I’ve noticed in most reviews is disappointment because they sell out of food so quick.
We got there at 7pm and unfortunately I too fell a victim to their poor management in supply and demand.
There were NO beef short ribs, Kansas City style pork ribs, quarter beer can chook or the sausage and the collard greens. That’s more than half of their BBQ meat menu.
We made do with one serving of pulled pork shoulder 100g, Angus beef brisket 200g and chicken wings (7 per basket). The wings aren’t officially on the bar menu yet but eventually will be.
Of course no American feast is complete unless accompanied by its traditional Southern sides; cornbread, mac n cheese, home fries, dill pickles and the coleslaw.
After one bite of the fried chicken and a fork full of mac n cheese all was forgiven. The wings were dressed in a zesty BBQ sauce which had a bit of kick to it but if you can handle spicy they have Hot sauce available.
I washed it down with an iced tea which tasted unsweetened and I preferred that. My mates raved about the beers so it’s safe to say the alcohol bevies get the thumbs up too.
The Positives:
— Live DJ and urban vibes
— Outdoor dining area (smoking permitted)
— Balcony view of the city
— Condiments galore
— Delicious wood fired style BBQ
— Happy Hour!
The Negatives:
— Lack of meat
It’s a shame they haven’t done anything to combat their ration problems especially during the arrival of the mass dinner crowds which is the reason I knocked off a star otherwise I would’ve given it a perfect rating.
Fancy Hank’s you win. I’d gladly come back to try your menu in full force.

Really disappointing. I traveled across the city for it because the food is actually quite good yet upon arriving I waited for about five minutes inside before someone came over. I was told I would have to order at the outside window. Then after waiting for another five minutes at the out side window I was told kitchens closed at three. It was five to three at this point. It was just a big disappointment. Poor customer service. Realł don’t think I’ll be back, there are other just as good BBQ joints with better customer derive.

This is a good rendition of BBQ. I only had brisket so I can’t make any judgment over 3 stars. The place smelled good and everything else looked right.

Yummy food and not expensive as t all! The brisket with the molasses sauce is awesome

In summary, decent food, but some dishes are overpriced.
It’s not exactly a fancy pub, although the firepit is a nice touch. The sticky layer of pub grime may be somewhat thinner on the furniture than at other older pubs, but it’s still there. Between us we tried the pork ribs, beef ribs, pulled pork, corn bread, farro salad, burnt end beans, potato salad, beef sausage, and pickled okra.
Best value in my mind, was the burnt end beans at $ 4, with lots of hearty flavour, and the pulled pork ($ 6 for 100g, a decent little pile of pork).
Worst value was the beef rib. $ 8 per 100g which resulted in one single smallish square of rib on a huge bone. Given that we’d recently paid $ 8 for TWO KILOS of similar cuts of ribs from the Queen Vic market next door, it was particularly underwhelming. The pork ribs had a nice flavour but I’ve smoked better ones at home (granted I have the luxury of a smoker at home).

Get there.early. they run out of food quick!
Seriously. Everything taste good. just get 100g of each meat. cost about $ 6 for 100g of meat!
You reallly have to get in early. they say lunch 12−3pm and dinner 6−9pm. but its more like 12 – 1:30 and 6−7pm. I dont know why they don’t cook more meat???
the sauces are awesome!
flavor of meat is very different to what some other southern style BBQ place is serving — it has a distinct smokeyness! and of course for those who know BBQ!- the pink ring of heaven!
great venue at the mercat! indoor and outdoor! just wish they had more food to sell! Seriously i was left longing for more!!!