Frankies Spuntino
“The pine nut polenta is fantastic and the Gnocci with Marinara and Ricotta is worth having.”
“I am the type who likes to nibble and the antipasti (cheese, charcuterie, veggies,) salad selection and crostini's keep me coming back.”
“Also got the meatballs and creme brûlée bc I heard both were great and they were absolutely amazing.”
Frankies Spuntino
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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KenScale: 7.5/10
West Village is always overflowing with Italian restaurants, and I've been to a good number of them but somewhat Frankies Spuntino has been off my radar for a while. Perhaps because this one is sort of an outpost of Brooklyn flagship that has been gaining praises here and there? Anyways, I finally made it to this casual Italian joint; overall, the food wasn't bad but none of them was particularly remarkable either.
I'm always partial to grilled octopus dish whenever I order at an Italian restaurant, and the one at Frankies Spuntino was pretty solid, nicely cooked with decent balance of flavor. The pasta menu at the restaurant is rather short and both dishes that my dining group ordered were a bit uneven. I think pappardelle with braised lamb ragu could've used a bit more vigor in flavor (i.e. a bit on the bland side). On the other hand, cavatelli with hot sausage and browned sage butter was a bit too overpowering at times and the promise of textural combination between cavatelli noodle and sausage wasn't realized. Bronzini with grilled baby artichokes and lemon aioli was a nice, simple dish that showed how well the fish was cooked without being overpowered by seasoning, but then I've had other more memorable and better-cooked bronzini dishes elsewhere. For the dessert, red wine prunes and mascarpone looked interesting and actually didn't taste too sweet to my liking.
Getting a reservation could be tough at this restaurant constantly flowing with people looking to have a casual night out. It's probably ideal for a casual date or gathering with friends, with a nice neighborhood vibe that doesn't wow you but makes you feel comfortable sipping a glass or two of mostly Italian wine. If Frankies Spuntino had more satisfying food, I probably would've used this place again on my next blind or online date.
This place is really lovely. A group of six of us got meats and cheeses and then split a few pastas and other plates. The pasta was amazing. Also easily some of the best grilled octopus I've had. So good. We also got some sort of linguine with peas or something that was also just perfect. Definitely want to come back.
Also was glad we made a reservation!
This would definitely fall into the "don't believe the hype" category.
A friend went to the Brooklyn outpost of this restaurant and thought it was just dandy, so we thought we would pay a visit to the Manhattan outpost.
The pasta was okay, nothing to write home about – comparable to any one of a 1000 other Italian restaurants. I had the pasta with sausage (so did most of the table). My friend had the pasta with lamb ragout.
The antipasto was a joke. We ordered it for 5 people and it only had 2 tiny pieces of cheese and hardly any olives. It was embarrassing!
The service was EXTREMELY slow. When we sat down, it took the waiter FOREVER to come and take our order. Ditto for our entrees and check.
With all the other options in the city, I don't think I would come back or recommend.
Just okay and definitely not a place I'd go out of my way for.
Positives go to the ambiance which was quite nice, and the cocktails are innovative and delicious.
The food is pretty inconsistent – the appetizers we got were good though perhaps a bit overpriced ($13 for cut up tomato and avocado?); my gnocchi with sausage and broccoli rabe had great sauce and taste, but half of the pork sausages were rough, chewy and completely inedible (I don't remember the last time I didn't finish the meat in my dish but this was one such memorable occasion!). Overall, for mediocre Italian food in NYC, the prices seem a bit much.
Also, very slow (my first drink took forever to come) and spotty service (when we got our entrees they'd neglected to get us utensils, and it took the hostess noticing for us to be able to begin eating). However, the staff themselves were all very nice, apologetic (when remedying an oversight e.g. utensils) and helpful (when you manage to get their attention), and it seems they may just be a bit understaffed.
Came here for drinks prior to dinner. Sat at the bar and had good service.
One expresso martini, a cosmo, a tequila martini, and a rum and coke. All were good, except their spiced rum is a bit harsh!!! In the 30+ minutes that we were here, the place became packed!!!
Looks like a great place to try for dinner next time.
3.5, but I reserve the right to round-up if we ever actually visit the restaurant. We had a BLT delivered through Caviar and it was quite good. Good but not great. In any case, not a bad option for delivery at least.
I brought friends here for dinner, mainly because of the great outdoor seating options overlooking Hudson Street. After our meal, I maintain that the patio seating is probably the best thing that Frankie's 570 has to offer. Nothing was bad by any means, but I don't have an overwhelming urge to return.
The rundown–
DRINKS:
Our group tried wine, beer and cocktails, so a decent sampling of their drink menu. All were fine, standard pricing and quality for the West Village though nothing remarkable.
FOOD:
Antipasto appetizer was by far my favorite! Fresh selection of cured meats, some roasted veggies, olives and cheese. They skimped a little on the cheese which is never the right move in my opinion but all around a good starter (though a bit overpriced at $18)
Two gnocchi dishes were tasty enough albeit very rich. Again, nothing spectacular here and for $20 pasta dishes I usually like to be a little more impressed.
Sandwiches might be Frankie's best offering as they're moderately priced and fresh (though once again, nothing amazing). The meatball sandwich was a hearty portion.
Skipped dessert, don't regret it.
ATMOSPHERE:
Nice. Laid back, low lighting inside and a generally nice ambiance. Staff were accommodating and helpful too service is pleasant/on the leisurely side.
Another little trendy spot In the West Village that gets packed to capacity over the weekends. Unless you have a reservation the wait time is pretty extensive and by pretty extensive I mean wellllll over an hour. Worth it? Thats debatable. Something has to be unbelievably mind blowing for me to want to wait that long. And although my dish was good I cant say that I'll be running back here.
For my entree I had the Sweet potato & ricotta raviolis in a parmesan broth. It was very unique and tasted delicious. All of the pasta is hand made here and it shows. Portion size was pretty small so be prepared. The drinks were good as well as the bartender recommended a mixed tequila drink with a smokey kick that I definitely liked. Overall yes this place is good but unless you have a reservation I cant say that I would wait around.