Oyster Fest at Hank’s Oyster Bar

This past Saturday, Hank’s Oyster Bar in Dupont hosted its seventh annual oyster fest. In an all-you-can-eat, all-you-can-drink affair, Hank’s offered a packed house a first-rate selection of everything buttery, briny and slippery to be found on a half-shell as well as craft droughts to wash them down.

Oysters piled high at Hank’s Oyster Bar’s 7th annual oyster fest (Photo: Richard Barry/DC on Heels)

Featuring oysters grown in every coastal area imagined, Hank’s filled its breezy lounge and bar area with shucking stations and buffets of fried oysters, flaky onion rings and popcorn shrimp. Guests gorged and slurped holding plates piled high while enjoying fine spring weather on the shaded patio.

Beers and oysters go well together in the spring shade. (Photo: Richard Barry/DC on Heels)

Two friends went head-to-head in an “oyster-off,” consuming somewhere in the neighborhood of 600 oysters between them.

Ken, second from right , was the reigning oyster champ of the day with close to 300 to his name. (Photo: Richard Barry/DC on Heels)

In addition to oyster fest, Hank’s has a lot to celebrate these days having become a D.C. mainstay since its opening in 2005 with two additional locations in Capitol Hill and Old Town Alexandria as well as being nominated for three Rammy Awards from the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington in the categories of Everyday Casual Restaurant Of The Year, Cocktail Program of the Year and Favorite Gathering Place Of The Year.

Hank’s Dupont location recently began serving lunch Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. The menu sports old favorites like the oyster or shrimp po’ boy with cayenne remoulade and Old Bay fries and a lobster roll with Old Bay fries as well as new creations like Hank’s grilled cheese with La Mancha goat cheese, Cabot white cheddar and house-made tomato jam on Pullman bread, and a grilled fish sandwich with arugula, tomato and Old Bay fries.

Oyster shuckers after a long day of shucking (Photo: Richard Barry/DC on Heels)

You’ll have to wait another year for unlimited oysters at Hank’s, but the half-price raw bar from 10 p.m.-midnight every night is a year-round bargain.