Frankie's Restaurant Arthur Avenue

A couple of months ago I reconnected with a friend who happened to be in the Bronx for the day and wanted to go to Little Italy.

As a BX native I spent a lot of time in the area with my grandmother when I was younger. It seems that Little Italy has shrunk, but the staples are still thriving.

We decided to grab Lunch at Frankie’s, it was 2:15pm on Saturday. Only a couple tables including ours were occupied. Service was good but the food just was ok.

We started with the Pear Salad w/o the feta. The salad was fresh, crisps and had a nice balance.

I ordered Shrimp Scampi and a glass of white wine. As foodie I rarely mention or complain about price in my reviews. I feel that you pay for great food and good experiences. (We also all know that everything has increased) Needless to say my entrée of pasta and shrimp wasn’t not as flavorful as I would have hoped, and my shrimps were overcooked. Disappointing at almost $40 bucks. (Full disclaimer it was $36). My friend order spaghetti and meatballs and also wasn’t blown away.

Both dishes are basics which I expected to be perfected and executed with ease at an Italian restaurant.

Overall it was enjoyable to catch up with an old friend and take in a bit of nostalgia while walking down Arthur Ave.

Just A Note:

We enjoyed the pear salad and appreciated the service.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 3

Service: 4

Recommended dishes: Spaghetti & Meatballs, Pear Salad

My favorite Italian restaurant in NYC! Frankie’s is festive and fun, with superlative service and culinary delight. We came here with a large party and opted for the family style menu at $45/person where you choose from a large selection of options. We started with mozzarella di Buffala, calamari and house salad. All fantastic. Then two kind of pasta and the main courses which were chicken parm (maybe the best I’ve ever had) chicken Franchese and steak. Mouth watering! Followed by dessert and coffee. My other favorite spot on Arthur Ave is Tra di Noi, also incredible food, but a quiet little gem where you go for a classy date. Frankie’s is for fun!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Chicken Francese

Dietary restrictions: Severe shrimp allery

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Chicken Francese

Frankie's Restaurant Arthur Avenue is horrible. Let's start with the bad taste in my mouth, that they left. Okay, in front of their little sitting area, was a lot of residual dog poop that was never cleaned up. There are two doors to go in, which as a brand new customer, I had no idea about. The 'Opened Door', which I went into, goes into their micro inner sit down area.

The waitress gave me a shocking look, as though I was trespassing. She asked if I would close the glass door behind me, which I did. The other, young waitress came out and said she'd take care of me and asked me to follow her. She led me, after overhearing that I came for my order on Seamless to the 'Entrance Area' on the other side of the wall but decided to chastise me about the signage on the door before giving me my food and whether I saw it, to not enter through that door.

I told her I didn't know or realize that, so I grabbed my food bag and left. I knew my temper was about to get the better of me, so I left before I went off. I took the time to look at the closed, which has a transparent sign to use the other door on it but you cannot see it if it's open. Which means, they had the door that should be closed , was opened and the one that should be open, closed.

So, onto the food, they gave me absolutely wrong pasta, I paid for Penne and they put huge Rigatoni pasta, that is hard and now in the garbage. The chicken cutlets are too thick and the sauce is 'Meh'. Don't order, go or even waste your time here. They don't belong on this wonderful street of kind and helpful providers. In fact, due to the NY Marathon, we had a huge tourist body of people there but not at Frankie's. Be Warned!!!

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 2

Service: 1

Recommended dishes: Chicken Francese

I love the ribeye and spicy rigatoni. The service was good. Great atmosphere. Top restaurant on arthur avenue.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Too greasy. Too salty. Too cheesy. Big disappointment for all the hype of Italian food on Arthur

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

The meals were delicious. They were happy to accommodate gluten allergies as well as alter the spice level. Service was spectacular!! Great place highly recommend!!

Dietary restrictions: Gluten free pasta available

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Spaghetti & Meatballs, Bolognese

No to go orders but the lady that attended me was nice not rude

Been to many places on Arthur Ave. Much better food choices elsewhere; don’t waste your money.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 1

Service: 3

Had MUCH higher expectations especially to be in “little Italy of the bronx”. The staff was nice. Music was trendy.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 3

The chicken francese was amazing, 10/10

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Chicken Francese

What a fantastic experience! We spent the day at the Bronx Zoo and then walked over to Arthur Avenue to seek out Frankie’s. They were mobbed and getting busier. That’s when we met a fantastic server from Albania (sorry we didn’t get her name). She took magnificent care of us. And then things only got better when the food arrived. Out party ranged in age from 8 to 74 and every age in between. We were all thrilled! The food was expertly prepared. We shouldn’t have eaten it all because the portions are generous. but it was so good we couldn’t help ourselves. When you want terrific Italian food you will do no better than Frankie’s!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The staff was very attentive, and everything was delicious! We had the fried raviolis, a chicken Parm, a chicken marsala, and the chicken à la vodka. The “Key to My Heart” signature cocktail was delightful!

Excellent spaghetti and meatballs. Awesome chicken milanese. Great staff.
Try the lemoncello Spritz!

Definitely a must visit place when on Arthur Avenue.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

First time at Frankie’s. Food was amazing and our server Desa was fantastic. Highly recommend!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5