Franco's Italian Bistro

Franco's Italian Bistro is a great local restaurant in Catonsville, Maryland. We have lived in Catonsville for about ten years now but we just discovered Franco's. I wish that we had visited sooner! Catonsville and the surrounding area just has so many restaurants to choose from. Franco's Italian Bistro is a gem.Franco's has a Monday Meatball and Manhattan Special that is both inexpensive by 2025 standards and out of this world delicious. The food is outstanding. The service is fast and friendly. The owner is working right alongside his employees. The ambiance is casual dining with a local flavor. Street parking but it is easy to park in Catonsville. Clean bathrooms. I can't recommend this place highly enough. We will be back.

If you're looking for a great Italian restaurant diamond in the rough, then Franco's is for you! I had a great experience there; it's a great neighborhood Italian place. Clean, inviting, great wait staff, and the pizza cooks make the pizza right in front of you next to the bar. I had their calamari fritti, and it was good. I'd have it again, but with room temperature marinara sauce. But the real kicker was the pizza. I had their shrimp fra diavolo pizza, and it didn't disappoint at all. I even asked for some olive oil to dip my pizza crusts into. Combine that with some fresh oregano, and the pie went the way of the Roman Empire; it was HISTORY. I treated myself to their 7-layer chocolate cake (as suggested by a bartender and a pizza chef), and it was so good it too went the way of Julius Caesar. This is a great diamond in the rough!

This is a great neighborhood Italian place. We've gone here several times and always have a good meal. The staff is friendly and the food is good and the service is fast. My favorite thing is the pizza. The brick oven makes the whole place smell amazing. It's a small spot and they don't take reservations so go early. Otherwise wait at the bar with a drink.

I really didn't expect to find such a small restaurant. Maybe a 30 seats and another 8 at the counter Small brick pizza oven looks like gas fired.Ordered the Antonio Bookie, Pappardelle Bolognese, Jersey boy, sausage with peppers pizza The salad was alright nothing to rave about.The bolognese was watery lacking body and flavor. The jersey boy was too salty and the roll was soggy and stale at the same time.The sauce pizza was ok, small and not worth the money.

Came here for dinner one night and it had an okay experience. Food: Grilled Calamari ($15): 1/5 - the calamari was extremely chewy, stringy, and bland. There was no flavor whatsoever, despite being marinated in olive oil and pesto. I had to ask for lemon wedges because it lacked acidity and flavor. It is hard to imagine that this dish is considered one of their most popular. Orecchiette Sausage ($19): 3/5 - the fennel sausage was the best part of this dish. I did appreciate the generous amount of shaved parmesan on top, but again the pasta was bland and the sauce has no flavor to it. Buccatini Crab Sauce ($26): 3/5 - they added a generous amount of lump crab meat to the dish, but if you notice in the picture, the crab sauce and the pasta are separate. So yet again, no flavor to the pasta itself. We also got a bottle of prosecco for $30, which was a reasonable price. My overall experience was that I was not happy with the food. I thought the pasta and calamari lacked flavor...

We often go to Francos, great pasta and pizzas, and moreIts a small place, but we've never had a problem - but we often do get the last table, but soon enough, another opens for the "next patron"The food is good, the service always good, sometimes better than thatIts a real nice local spot

A real go to place in Catonsville. I have only tried the pizza and the crushes but they are consistently good. The raspberry crush is amazing. The service is warm and friendly as is the restaurant. I love sitting at the bar.

Hubby and I eat here a lot. We love the pizza's. There margaritas are the best, fresh squeezed lime I'm vegan and it can be very hard to find food and, they accommodate me.

There's not enough space to tell you how great Franco's is. The pasta is fresh and they have half size servings, which are perfect. Their salads are fresh and the portions are great. They also have a great bar area in the service is extremely friendly.

This place is the best!!! I focund out about this place through the daily pizza specials. Each day, a different pizza is on sale for 12 or so dollars. This is a review of my second time going, but know the 12 dollar pizza drew me in! I got the pepperoni pizza. FANTASTIC!First experience was great but as someone that doesn't write reviews, a review at the time seemed unimportant; I loved it and that's all that matters! However, I came back today after leaving the area as a nice pick me up, for the same pizza deal that drew me in. I got the pepperoni to go but this time ate in-house a pizza that caught my eye that last time I was here: the prosciutto and arugula pizza. My favorite pizza so far! Jason is also incredible and very kind and attentive. Love Francos!