4.5 stars.
From outside the place looks like a motorcycle lover's paradise and the bar itself is really smoky and crowded and has a tough-ish crowd, or so it seemed to my neurotic mother. When you walk into the actual restaurant there isn't really a place to "wait" for a table and it's a little overwhelming. But the 4.5 star rating is really focused on the quality, quantity, and overall freshness and taste of the food.
We had the $2 dozen steamed clam special which was incredibly fresh although slightly overcooked. Let's be real though, the melted butter you drench them in will coverup the slightly overdone texture. I ended up ordering the crabcakes for my entree since my mom had been RAVING about them. As I was milling over the menu though - kid you not - 3 others guests dining at other tables were shouting to me telling me to try them and that they were absolutely amazing.
So I did.
And I can honestly say - hands-down - that they were the absolute *best* crabcakes I have ever had. Not only were they enormous (I ate half of one and was full), but it was filled with juicy lump crabmeat and barely any filler (which I think was a little of dijon mustard, a pinch of mayo, and spices). These blew all other crabcakes I've eaten out of the water. No matter what beach I've been to or what fancy seafood place, Bankos in good ole' Nanticoke has the best crabcakes you will ever eat in your entire life. Promise.
I also had some coleslaw and fries - coleslaw in all of it's mushy deliciousness and the fresh-cut fries that reminded me of the kind you'd get on OCMD's boardwalk with Old Bay seasoning on the side.
Just to note what I didn't like:
Our server was overwhelmed, had a slight attitude when we asked for silverware, and when she brought my fries out some of them accidentally fell off the plate and onto her serving tray. She "fixed" this situation by picking them up with her bare fingers and putting them back on my plate. Umm... gross. Go home.
I really wish that part hadn't happened.
Looking at the reviews on Yelp, it's hard to believe I just are at the same place. I had the shrimp basket (12.99) and it was pretty good. The fresh cut fries were great. My son had the crab (18.99) and it was awesome.
My wife had the Maine lobster special. I think they should have split the lobster (18.99), but it wasn't over/under cooked. Unfortunately, that is an accomplishment in NEPA. Add in a calamari app and the total was only $63 (I find that an incredible bargain).
As far as the calamari (8 or 9 dollars) goes; pass on it. It really made me think we were in for a crappy night. It was only rings and the sauce is literally a cold, dipping container of Hunt's tomato sauce. It was definitely the low part of the evening. It was literally state fair-level.
That said, I was clearly much happier with my visit to Banko's than most other Yelpers.
One helpful hit, park in the dirt lot. One of the drunken pricks in the bar hit and ran our car. Didn't see it until the next night. If you have any information on who hit my black TSX, let me know.
Additional information - I went back twice since I made the first post. Â The second visit was fine. Â Good food, mediocre service. Â The third visit was a disaster. Â My son ordered a sandwich which comes with a "choice of two sides." Â What they don't tell you is your choice is fries and cole slaw. Â Then food came and my wife and I both had fries that were room temperature. Â They had to have been put on the plate before my shrimp and my wife's fish were even started. Â My wife's fish was beyond over-cooked.
My wife said that I should say something about the fries. Â I decided I would complain if the waitress came back before I was done. Â Big surprise, she didn't come back until I was long done. Â
I'd give this place 4 stars twice and 1 star once, so that averages to three stars. Â The only problem is, how do you know which restaurant you're gonna get on which day. Â I think for me, it's time to take a break from Banko's.
Recently remodeled. Â Nice layout, more seating. Â Very popular with the locals. Â Get there by 4 PM on Tuesdays or Thursdays. Â Noted for rock shrimp, scallops, $22 crab cakes platter, pictured. Â Hardly any filling. Â Just enough to hold the cakes together. Â I took one of the crab cakes home and made two hefty sandwiches out of it. Â Friendly service. Â Smoking allowed in the bar area, which is closed off from dinning room.
Review Source:My previous reveiw is below. The place has changed a bit since I last wrote about it. You can not get a baked potato OR french fries, so youre not constrained to JUST french fries, and you get coleslaw. The service was much better than our previous experiences. So I will say Bankos is moving up in the resturant world.
I have been to Bankos three times. Each time I went I left up in the air as to how satisfied I was for a few reasons. Bankos is a very busy place, and is obvioulsy doing something right. That something is the food. Â The food is very very good. It is a seafood resturant, but they also have some burgers, steaks, ect. The rock shrimp are very good. My good friend loves the ribs, but I have never had them. The only issues I have are 1. A good portion of the menu is all fried foods. 2. You can get soup but they do not have salads so if youre looking for something light you may have a hard time. 3. You cannot choose your sides. Your sides will always be french fries and coleslaw. That is what everything comes with. You will not find a baked potato or otherwise in the joint. 4. No hot beverages. You want coffee youre outta luck. 5. The service is notoriously bad from everyone Ive talked to who has ever been there and from my experiences. If youre gonna need two cokes, order them when you sit down. Expecting your beverage to be refilled may never happen.
Good food, mostly unhealthy, sorta bad service.
The only thing that prevented me from giving this place 5 stars is their method of seating people. When you walk in, either in the bar entrance or the dining room entrance (which is new), there is a sign that says to wait for a server to seat you. They never come to seat you. You actually have to walk up to a server station, and give them your name, and then you have to hope that they recognize you to seat you when a table empties. If you don't know to do this, you'll be waiting all night, because nobody will say anything to you. The last time we were there we left, because there were about 10 people waiting to be seated, and there were about 4 large tables empty, but nobody came over to seat anyone, so the wait would have been hours. I love Banko's, but I can't wait hours to eat anywhere. After a 20 minute wait, we left. I have eaten here many times, and when our usual waitress is there (the girl with the glasses), we have no problem. The last night we tried to eat there, she wasn't there. It looked like a cook was filling in as a server (he was running around like a chicken with his head cut off), and there was a bartender running around the dining room.
Now, on to the good stuff. The food here is AMAZING! You can't get a better deal on mini lobster tails (cooked perefctly)- on Tuesdays and Thursdays, they have a dollar tail deal- I usually get 10 tails, with Banko's own seafood seasoning blend and melted butter and lemon, an order of fries (they are hand-cut, and fantastic, Â and I love them drenched with malt vinegar and ketchup), a side of colesaw (some of the best in the area), Â an ice cold Yuengling draft pint, Â When I say ice cold, I mean ice cold. Now that is a beautiful meal! When we get served by our usual girl, the service is perfect. If she isn't there, and we stay, the service is mediocre. There are not many places that I will return to if I don't like the service, but for this place, I just can't help but make an excepetion, and take my chances. It's one of my guilty pleasures.
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