Handsome Hank’s Fish Hut

Oh you Handsome devil, you, Hank’s is seriously one of the best fried fish places in NYC and definitely the best bang-​for-​your-​buck stand in Smorgasburg. I don’t think they have a permanent location (I may be wrong), which is a huge shame because there are many weekends when I have a craving for their meals and the only place I can find them is all the way down in Brooklyn (I live in Hamilton Heights, so I’m not just whining as a Manhattan-​ite). Almost every time I am at Smorgasburg, I’ll stop by this place to get an order. It’s just that good.
At around $ 10 for Fish and Chips, they give you a TON of fish and deliciously seasoned fries. Sometimes I feel like their fries are a bit soggy, which a few people have commented below. I’m a much bigger fan of the extra crispy so I’m not crazy about their potatoes. However, they still work well and complement the seafood they come with. I’ve also tried their shrimp which comes in a huge portion as well and are excellently fried.
Hanging from their ceiling are giant tubes of tartar sauce and ketchup and cocktail sauce so you can fill up to your heart’s content (although squeezing these things feels slightly odd… you’ll see what I mean). The fish is fried perfectly and the staff is always kind. If you are hungry and looking for a full meal, this is the place for you — one order will suffice one stomach. Otherwise, share and try some other fares as well!

I had Handsome Hanks like 4 times at Governor’s Ball 2014 and it was amazing. Like really really really good. I love fish, seafood, etc and in my opinion there isn’t enough of it in NYC. I’m from Pittsburgh and for some unknown reason everywhere in Pittsburgh specializes in fried fish sandwiches so I would consider myself an expert. Handsome Hank’s is really freakin awesome and I recommend it to everyone and anyone. If there was a Handsome Hanks restaurant I would probably be there right now and tomorrow. Don’t tell my girlfriend but secretly I bought 2015 Governors Ball tickets so I could get Handsome Hank’s again.

My first time i’ve experienced Hanks was at the Electric Zoo Festival this past labor day weekend. The event was 3 days with tons of food venders to choose from. I was to looking get something to eat but the lines where crazy. I came across handsome hanks and ordered the Shrimp and Chips… Ioved it! The next day at the festival, I wanted try something different but now i was craving for seafood and figured ill try the fish at Hanks… not only the fish was the fish seasoned well but the fish portion was huge! To my surprise, it wasn’t greasy at all! I was hooked! Im craving this as im writting this. Im sure to go there this weekend. I wish i knew what kind of fish they used. Lightly breaded and soft… Never heard of the Smogasburg in Brooklyn but i will make the trip for the best fish i ever tasted!

I visited this vendor at the Smorgasburg Sunday event this past weekend. I ordered a deluxe platter w everything. I got 2 fried Whiting fish, some fried shrimp and french fries, well seasoned and a good amount of food for the price $ 16. There were other size platters that ranged from $ 8 and up. The only complaint is that the ff were undercooked. Friendly service and quick!

Had the fried shrimp at Atlantic antic today. It was delicious, but a touch salty. A great value for $ 10.

The fish /​shrimp platter was absolutely amazing. The batter was lightly enough to enjoy and the food was enough to share with friends. I def will be back

My favorite vendor at Smorgasburg. Tried the fried fish/​shrimp combo my first time there two years ago, but the shrimp made the meal and now I order just the fried shrimp every time I visit. The shrimp made fresh and are always breaded and fried perfectly. They go amazing with cocktail and hot sauce mixed together.

Tried Handsome Hank’s fried fish at Smorgasburg in Williamsburg. The fish is fried fresh upon ordering so it comes to you crispy, hot and flaky. They gave four long filets for $ 11. A good amount to share with friends if you want to try other foods, but a very decent meal for one person as well. I would definitely order it again.

I realize that at Summerscreen the vendors are very busy. But that’s no excuse to serve a shitty product. My girlfriend went to get two orders of fried shrimp and fries, and came back 35 minutes later looking sad. Not ONE shrimp was battered. On both of our plates. And I don’t mean lightly battered or partially battered. This was like a shrimp cocktail had been dumped over fries. A couple shrimp had some fried batter flakes hanging off the tail. Super disappointing. You’d think that whoever handed her the food would exhibit some degree of pride or quality control and not distribute food like that. My girlfriend had said when we arrived that she didn’t trust seafood from a stand in the park, and I had assured her that Handsome Hank’s was legit. In this case, I was embarrassingly wrong. I don’t think either of us will be returning to this stand.
But I love fried seafood, so please get it together and I will be back in a flash!

Had a fish sandwich with coleslaw at Smorgasburg yesterday and, seriously, what a great deal! For $ 8 you get what seemed like an entire fish and tons of ‘slaw. The fish was tasty, but there were still a few bones in there and the skin was left on. I realize the skin helps keep the fish moist, and some people like it, but I just don’t.

Embarrassingly enough, I’ve only had two fish and chip experiences (before Handsome Hank’s) — one at Disney World, which I thought was pretty good, and the second at Chip Shop. Despite my lack of other places to compare, Handsome Hank’s blows both out of the water. It was 4:30pm on a Sunday, and many vendors at the DUMBO Smorgasburg were either closing up shop or still working on extremely long lines. Luckily, there were only about two people waiting at Handsome Hank’s and it looked like a lot of food. Considering the totality of the circumstances — short line, generous portion, lack of other choices — DONE.
Asked for an order of fish and chips, and 5 minutes later, we’re sitting on the lawn bent over the paper plate scarfing down delicious fried fish. The breading was light, crispy, and well-​seasoned, unlike my past two experiences, where the batter didn’t really taste like anything. With or without tartar sauce, the fish is great. And given the setting, where you’re most likely going to be eating without a table, this is easy finger food. The fish rips apart pretty easily without crumbling — good choice of fish for finger food (I’m sure they have forks for the squeamish) — and get this — the breading actually stays on. Uh-​mazing.
The fries were also top notch. If you’re a fan of seasoned, lightly battered fries — think curly fries — then you’ll be grabbing them by the handful.
Looking forward to eating more, and hopefully a brick and mortar location as well!

Went to Smorgasburg on Sunday. The food at this stand is decent, but I’ve had better. The cook was nice, but the cashier/​food order person couldn’t have been more rude if he tried. I stood there, only one online with my husband, and asked the person how they were doing. The guy completely ignored me. Looked around. And then asked if I wanted anything. At that point, I wanted to walk away. Not sure why I didn’t.
If you’re desperate for fish and chips and prefer rude service, go to them on a Sunday early afternoon. Never again.

A great find in the corner of the Williamsburg food court known as Smorgusburg. Multiple fried seafood options, but the special of the day got me swooning. Soft shell crab sandwich for the win.
This sandwich was heavenly. It went pretty well with the tartar sauce too.
All the other options looked pretty tasty too, especially the shrimp and chips and the fish and chips. Hats off to you Handsome Hank’s

I ate an order of their fish and chips at a street fair a in Brooklyn in the not too distant past. The air was filled with a nice batter smell and a the line was long, which signaled «hopefully good food», albeit it with a time consuming wait.
The fish used by them is Whitning, not the best/​highest quality choice by any stretch. But they cook it well, use a nice batter and have a tasty seasoning. The fries were pretty good, but where on earth was the salt shaker for them ???
Anyhow, for $ 9, these folks really need to use Cod as their choice for the fish. And it seems like they are trying to put out a good product, so the switch would only make sense. Overall, it is tasty and they do their best to professionally manage the long lines that seem to sometimes develop at their small stand.

got to try this «stand» at Electric Zoo on Randall’s Island!
—$ 9 for fish & chips was a STEAL! they gave me 4 HUGE pieces of fried fish! the thick cut fries were yummy, as was the lightly battered fish
—$ 7 for a fish sandwich w/​coleslaw: I liked how crispy the fish was, although the white sliced bread wasn’t anything special
don’t know where else they’d be located. or if they have a truck, but I was definitely food coma-​ed out after my meal!

It was this funny thing where the first time I went, I had a card but no available cash and I was working on credit that weekend. The next weekend I meant to go and get a soft shell crab sandwich, but I had some stuff to do. So I finally get to Smorgasburg around 11:15 or so and head straight to Handsome Hank’s because now it has become a mission to get this sandwich. Like ‘by any means necessary’ type mission.
I get there and they are not open yet, 15 mins. I go sit in the park, but I had set my mind on getting my sammie and setting up my netbook to edit pics for this fashion story I needed to upload. So I sit and pretend to read Anna Karenina with my stomach growling, wondering if I should just change my mind. But no, I remained resolute, gave them an extra 5 minutes, and went back.
The goofy counter girl was doing something with the ice chest under the table, then pretending that she couldn’t move it back where it belonged. Really? I’ve seen little skinny chicks grab 50 lbs of photo equipment and keep it moving, but she can’t move an ice chest? Lame. Then, after playing with her sharpies and staring into space she tells me they won’t be ready for another 20 minutes.
I wanted to slap her and go to one of the booth next door (or any booth since they all seemed to be open) but I’m a lady and why should I miss out on what I want? I prepaid for the sandwich (no receipt and she was so snotty when I asked if she could text me when the sandwich was ready. Ugh.) Whatever. Now I’m committed, right? Like, I put money down!
When I came back the sandwich was ready, cold, but at least I had gotten what I wanted. The crab was good. I have never had soft shell crab before? And I was actually excited to be trying something new until superfool spoiled it. For $ 14, it was meh. It was ok. It would have been better if I had gotten the sandwich hot, but the flavor in the crab’s coating was ok and the bread was decent.
But, in future? When you treat people badly and don’t even say thank you for the money that they are giving you– the food ends up tasting like shit.

Enjoyed this wonderful fried fish treat at Smorgasburg. great value and great taste, and big enough to share with friends. Fresh, tasty and lots of smiling faces from Handsome Hank’s!

These guys currently have no shop other than the booth they set up at the Smogasburg every Saturday. Their menu primarily consists of only fried fish and shrimp. I got the fish and shrimp for $ 14. It came with 6 shrimp and 2 pieces of fish. The breading was thin, crispy, well seasoned with a little kick, and not greasy at all. The shrimp was the star of the show. One of the two pieces of fish was awesome, the other was as thin as a board, it was almost as if it was just breading with a piece of fish skin. When I’m paying $ 14 at a booth like this I don’t like feeling ripped off and I wasn’t a fan of this. Other than that they really impressed me with the food, a well fried piece of seafood is actually harder to find than you’d think.
When I went they also had a sign advertising chocolate bread pudding with bacon ($ 5) but when I went up to order it they were out of the bacon, wasn’t that the whole appeal of the salty/​sweet play? If you’re going to under estimate your bacon needs at least wipe off that part of the chalk board and/​or offer the dessert at $ 3 – 4.
The Menu:
Fish Sandwiches (3 different slaw options): $ 8
Fish and Chips: $ 10
Shrimp and Chips: $ 12
Fish, Shrimp, and Chips: $ 16
Just Fish: $ 11
Just Shrimp: $ 10
Fish and Shrimp: $ 14
Fries: $ 3
Cole Slaw: $ 3

If you are at Smorgasburg and you want to get enough food to fill you up in one shot, go here.
The portions are enormous, the fish is delicious and perfectly fried, and the white bread is cut nice and thick. It’s not easy to eat as a sandwich, but honestly, who the fuck cares. it’s tasty, and filling.
Oh, did I mention the girl working there is absolutely adorable? Yeah, a cute girl and some big portions and $ 1 waters will keep me coming back…

Best fish and chips ever! Lightly breaded and seasoned well. A short five minute wait on the fryer at the williamsburg smorgeburg
So full could not even finish all the fries!
My dog approves :)