Franco's Ristorante

This was a delightful little Italian establishment in a corner building in the heart of Bridgeport on 31st Street that can be easily reached with a short walk from White Sox park. There is a lot of street parking available also. Nice old-style interior shows someone took a little time to decorate. There are only a few waitstaff working the room, but they were handy and attentive, and did a nice job. They have a full-service bar and can pretty much make you anything that interests you ... but I'd stick with the wines that were nicely priced with decent pours. After starting and sharing the Caprese Salad (3 stars only for the generous balsamic glaze as the tomatoes were a bit woody), one in our party had the Nonna's Meatball Salad (a 5 star offering of very nice greens with three of the house meatballs that were excellent ... meat and a salad in one dish), another had the Pipette alla Vodka (a 4 star offering only because it could have been hotter ... the taste was there but the temperature was off), and the last had the Risotto Special (another 5 star offering of delicious risotto). The Pistachio Copa and Cannoli Cake were the desserts our table shared, and they shined. So what's not to like: good food, nice wines, great atmosphere, nice prices, and fine service all in a wonderful neighborhood setting near Sox park. Give this place a try.

I finally had the chance to try this place. I'm so sad to say that I lived in Bridgeport for 7 years and I didn't know about this place. Well now that I know about it now I'm going to be a regular. This place is amazing. From the food to the ambiance to the service is top notch.We were greeted by two nice servers. The girl server is full of energy and it's very attentive. She makes sure that you're well taken cared of. The bus boy was also very nice. This place has no costumer service issues. The food is very delicious. We had the bake clams and the fried calamari as appetizers. The portions were huge and everything was cooked to perfection. To cleanse our palates we order the caprese, it was perfect. The entrees were just one of the best Italian dishes I've had in years. My usual Italian restaurant in Volare, well now I don't have to make that long drive now that I have this one in my backyard. This place is very family friendly. Lots of parents eating here worth their children, it was a great thing to see. I will definitely be back next time and try their other dishes.

In the heart of Bridgeport, I took my best friend for a nice evening and dinner. What a treat it was to be here!The chopped salad was excellent. The calamari were fried just right. The veal Limone was heaven sent. My best friend thoroughly enjoyed her dish (sorry I forgot what it was). Service was spot on (our waitress was very attractive. A plus!).I will be back. An excellent place to start a romantic night with the one you love or to celebrate something special with family/friends.

Absolutely amazing food and lovely ambiance. Service was great and food absolutely delicious. Got a Tiramisu for my birthday and it was so great. Can't wait to be back!

Food and ambience was just perfectly classic Italian restaurant goodness. The staff was so friendly and our waitress was notably. Good don't skip the dessert.

We found the best place to celebrate our sis' last week in Chicago at the most quintessentially Chicago Italian spot, Franco's. The ambiance, food, and service were absolutely perfect without pretension. Fried calamari was light, crispy and tender. Ensalata Caprese and fresh hot bread with olive oil & Parmesan were also excellent starters.Everyone was elated by their pasta dishes. We love Franco's!

Just a short walk from my son's apartment, he and his friends took us here for dinner on our first night in Chicago. Because they weren't sure about the timing of our arrival, they didn't make reservations. The place was surprisingly fully booked on a Wednesday night, but the hostess was so kind to squeeze us in. She asked us to come back in about 45 minutes. Everyone else who came after us without reservations was turned away.We were started with some bread and olive oil, then we ordered the Fried Calamari and Nonna's Meatball -- both prepared well and delicious but I have to highlight the calamari. By far the largest and best calamari we've had, lightly coated with batter and perfectly fried. For our entrees, we had the Pipette "Little Pipes" alla Vodka, Spicy Penne Pesto, Tortellini Carbonara and Bucatini. It was all so good! Although the dessert menu looked tempting, unfortunately we were too full. We'll have to try it next time.Service was relaxed as we enjoyed time with our son and his friends. It was a lovely start to our Chicago visit.

Order: ORECCHIETTE - Chicken, Spinach, Tomatoes, White Wine Sauce | 20Such an intimate Italian gem!! Bar seating looked fabulous & will shoot for it next time we go, but loved our experience at a table. Seating is cozy and almost community / family feeling, which is part of what I absolutely adore about Italian culture & dining!We went here the night before bf ran the Chicago marathon & it served him super well - he ran an awesome race!!!! We were the lamest but also quickest patrons, splitting one Orecchiette dish that we both loved. I ordered a side of Alfredo sauce because all day I was joking that we would carbo-load the athlete with a dairy-based entree pasta like Michael Scott does for a fun-run in The Office, but eventually came to crave it!!! So he went without the Alfredo sauce, while I enjoyed mine with the addition of a little cream sauce.Such a great spot! I don't do a ton of Italian food because it can make you feel so heavy (probably because it's so delicious that I overeat!), but I really think when you eat quality, fresh Italian food you can feel amazing after, which we absolutely did. Highly recommend!!

Monica and Ralph are the best! This is a true hidden gem, been my go to spot for years now. Decent specials, but the menu is incredible. You can't go wrong with anything here. So fresh and they serve it so fast. one note to the owner, it is past time to fix the AC. Gets really warm in here on days when it's in the 80s.

Absolutely love this place is one of my favorite Italian restaurants in Chicago, i got fettuccine with allá vodka sauce and a side of breaded chicken and it was the best, the taste the chicken everything was perfect and freshly made. I absolutely love the bread, had such an amazing I will definitely come back for more The customer service is always amazing as well and very attentive no complains