Frank
“Perfectly al dente, sauce not too salty but full of flavour, and the meatballs and suasage perfectly seasoned.”
“Lil Frankies and Frank & Vera's are probably my favorite Italian restaurants in the City.”
“A New York institution
Had the black linguine with calamari, wifey had the rigatoni al rage.”
Frank
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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Been a fan of Frank & it's siblings Supper & Lil Frankies for years.
This spot is perfect as it's just off the F line, so it's a quick jaunt into the city for me.
I arrived at the perfect hour of 7:30. Knowing New Yorkers preference for 8:30 dinnertime, I knew I'd snag a spot easily. So I sidled up to the bar waiting for my date.
Turns out she used Apple maps to find the address. And wouldn't you know it but Apple thinks that 88 2nd ave New York NY 10003 is at 58th street! Try it and see for yourself. BIzarre as it sounds, that's where she was while I was sitting at the bar. 🙁 I explained to her what to do, and then got off the phone.
The bartender was quick to bring me a glass of montepulcciano, which settled my nerves, while the resto filled up. I also ordered the insanely delicious fennel salad which has just a touch of parmesan on top. MMMMMMM
Slowly but surely the bar cum waiting area started to fill up. This is a tiny restaurant that seems to fill past capacity that even seems possible. Wall-to-wall people. And it's no wonder why, the food is very homemade and reasonably priced too.
It's now 8pm and my date is still on her way, sharing location via imessages, I'm watching her walk down second ave. 🙂 I'm nibbling on the delicious bread they offer, which keeps my hunger pains at bay. Oil for dipping, is a delicious touch right about now.
8:20 and finally my date arrives. By this point a gaggle of four women are dominating the corner of the bar where I'm desperately holding onto an extra chair. I make room for the lovely lady and we chit chat about how crazy apple maps is! She's smiling I'm smiling, ok alls good!
She asks about mushrooms and the bartender suggests a special, tagliatelli, which is mushrooms over pasta with a white creamy cheesy sauce. She lights up at that idea, and I order the penne with tomato basil. I'm a bit full already from the salad & bread.
Shortly thereafter our food arrives, and she is absolutely delighted by the mushroom feast before her. I've had the penne & knew it would be perfect, and yes it was.
Meanwhile the volume turns up a notch, with one guy already 3 sheets to the wind, shouting nonsense at the end of the bar. I don't know how he will make it past 9pm tonight!
Despite technological difficulties, the night turned out to be a good one thanks to the delicious food and superb service at Frank. Go here any day & be delighted.
Word of warning, if you don't like loud restaurants, especially very crowded ones, steer clear. Remember though its popular for a reason!
**CASH ONLY**
Not a criticism, just know before you go.
This place has a lot of good and it's been around a while. I like a lot of things about this place like the service, wine list and pasta. People love their chicken and meatloaf – I've never had either. Unfortunately or maybe fortunately, I'm too drawn to the pasta. I know I should eat less carbs. But their macaroni is great. Don't murder it in grated cheese – it's "grate" on its own. I'm a cornball…
Outdoor seating and two entrances and either avenue. Don't get lost! Given its location, menu and atmosphere, you shouldn't get sticker shock. Frank's is definitely on the pricier side for what it is, but it's tasty nonetheless.
Stopped in here for HH before heading to where we really wanted to go.
Cash only and I had to it on the drink board wish the bartender had of said something when we sat down.
Baked eggs pomodoro are savory and delicious; comes with only one slice of toast, but it's crunchy and good for soaking up the tomato sauce. Sausage is a bit thick and tough. French toast is amazing: firm and fluffy, filled with jam, comes with lots of fruit. Prices also very reasonable.
I'm usually skeptical about cash only places, but now that I've dined here, I know that Frank is a restaurant that cannot be doubted. It's a quaint Italian joint in the SoHo area that apparently every local seems to know about. The best thing about this place is that the pasta is freshly made to order and served with generous portions. It would take two people to finish one of their entrées, so if you like conducting your meals family style, you'll get to try several different dishes.
The first dish we ordered was the Burrata Mozzarella, which is a dish comprised of beefsteak tomatoes and slices of fresh mozzarella cheese. It is the one dish I recommend starting out with if you decide to come here. You can tell it is made fresh once you bite into it. The side of roasted garlic bread was toasted to perfection and tasted amazing! Our entrées were the Rigatoni Al Ragu with a splash of ricotta cheese and meatballs along with a Steak Salad, and if you saw the ratio of the steak to lettuce, you would be in awe! Definitely an A+ meal all around.
I definitely have to come back when I'm in the area because I can honestly say that it's one of the best Italian restaurants in SoHo that I've visited. It can be pricey and the restaurant may feel a bit cramped and crowded, but for great food, it's totally worth it.
Yesssss I love Frank! I mean it's one of Chrissy Teigen's favorite restaurants so it's gotta be good right!? I've been here multiple times but most recently was for dinner with with a group of 7 of my girlfriends. We went 7pm on a Saturday night — thank god we had a reservation. It was PACKED. We got right in though thanks to the ressie and our table was on the other side of the restaurant by the window. Super cramped but that's the atmosphere of it.
To start we ordered:
Burrata – I want to marry this burrata. It's one of the best things Ive ever tasted. Seriously. I could just eat this as my whole meal. You must order.
Bruschetta – If you're into ordering two apps instead of just one (which you should be), then the next thing you have get is the bruschetta. The bruschetta comes out on HUGE pieces of bread. Like giant pieces and are lathered with the freshest chopped tomatoes. They will bring out one for each person at your table. Wish they'd bring out two for each though.. haha
For my meal:
Gnocchi – This is one of the specialtys at Frank and what they're known for. It's honestly to die for. The gnocchi is so soft and the tomato sauce so fresh. I could eat it all day. It really tastes like something you'd find in Florence. You can't get more authentic Italian than this gnocchi.
Dessert:
Tiramisu – Our waiter was so sweet and gave us this for free. I love tiramisu. A lighter dessert especially when shared between all of us.
The only complaint I had to say and this is a super minor complaint and one that really shouldn't even be a complaint…but I thought the regular meal came out way too soon after our apps. We had just eaten a lot of burrata and bruschetta plus more bread so when the food came out about 5 minutes after our appetizer we were all like "agghh not yet!!" But I mean that's the only complaint.
This place is a tiny, no frills with good food. This place is cash only, as indicated on the menu and the sign on the door, so make sure you go to the ATM before you get here.
The food is delicious, I got a pasta on special – fettuccine with mushroom and a butter and herb sauce. The dish comes out piping hot, and since you can see the cooking process, you know it was just made and brought right to your table. The portion size looks small, but its the right size to leave you satisfied but not overly stuffed.
I've been here a few times with friends and on a quick/casual date with my boyfriend. It's a good spot if you want to stay local in the East Village. This is a sister restaurant to Supper, so the menu is similar. It's good Italian food, with a medium price tag, and a casual vibe. The restaurant is small, so be prepared to sit close to one another/other tables. I'd recommend this place mainly for dinner with friends (you can book large groups and choose to do family style if that's something you are into). It's cash only!.
RESTAURANT OVERVIEW:
-Small, rustic Italian vibe
-Outdoor seating in the warmer months
-Dim-lit atmosphere
-Tables are close to one another
APPS:
-Mozzarella Di Bufala: Amazing mozzarella reminiscent of mozzarella straight from Italy. Very fresh and tasty with the basil and tomato slices. This is a good portion for about 4-5 people.
-Bruschetta: Portion is 1 large toast with tomatoes on top – you can cut this in half to split with another person, or just have 1 for yourself depending on your mood.
DINNER:
-Uncle Tony's Gnocchi: This was great! Good portion size too. Very saucy (which I like) and cheesy. I would order this again.
SERVICE:
-Very good, no complaints.