Frankos Italian Steakhouse

An excellent meal in up-and-coming downtown Franklinton. It's an old building, carefully restored to a new purpose. Lots of exposed brick and old timber. The main room is rectangular, with the bar in the center. There are a few tables outside on a covered patio as well. Upstairs is their pizzeria (Pizzeria Franko); downstairs the steakhouse. It's an upscale and cool style. Sound level muted for easy conversation. Beware the table closest to the kitchen though - the harsh light and server traffic take away from the atmosphere. Our server, Martina, was charming and friendly. She orchestrated the meal perfectly - courses came out in order and nicely paced. Thank you! The menu is diverse, from pasta to steaks. Not a 10-pager, but something for everyone. We started with focaccia, meatballs and caesar salad as an appetizer. Focaccia is delicious, crispy crust, moist and firm inside. The whipped ricotta/olive oil is a great spread. Meatballs are golf ball sized, impeccably spiced and served in sweet san marzano sauce with a dollop of ricotta. In a more casual environment, these would make a GREAT meatball hero! Salad is whole leaf romaine, well doused in classic caesar dressing, topped with shaved parmesan and focaccia croutons. Good! On to entrees. When you come to a place called a steakhouse - ya gotta order... STEAK! Filet mignon is offered in 6 and 10 oz. Opted for the 6. It is an outstanding medallion of beef - fork tender and juicy, with a subtle set of spices that highlight the taste of the meat without overpowering. One nit is that the temperature of the filet wasn't exact. Mine was medium rather than medium rare, so a little bit more cooked that I would have preferred. Others at the table had a similar experience - temps weren't right. Still - the beef was excellent. Also tried chicken parmigiana. A half breast is pounded thin, breaded and fried, then broiled to melt a thick slice of fresh mozzarella on top. No out-of-the-freezer pre-cooked chicken here - this was perfect. Crust nice and crunchy and well seasoned, inside juicy and tender, with a scoop of sweet and hearty house marinara. A minor miss here is that this entree was ordered with penne instead of spaghetti. But spaghetti is what was served. The spaghetti was perfect - just al dente and pan seared with the sauce to absorb the flavor. But it wasn't penne. :-(Couldn't decide on dessert so ordered all 3 that were offered. The winner is tiramisu. A 4" square of rum soaked heaven, with layers of mascarpone, lady fingers and a dusting of cinnamon. A really REALLY good rendition of this classic. Next up is 7 layer chocolate cake. Each layer is separated by a thin slathering of light and fluffy chocolate mouse. The cake is super fresh, moist and decadent. Least favorite were cannoli. These are freshly filled in-house, but the filling here is chocolate ricotta. I'm a traditionalist - my cannoli need to be unadulterated ricotta. That said, the shells were fresh, the filling creamy and lightly sweetened and dipped in chocolate chips at each end. Delicious, just not my favorite. Cost was $266 for 4, including wine. Very reasonable for a meal of this quality in a spot this cool. This place spot definitely makes it into the regular rotation. Go!

Food was amazing!! One of the best steak and Italian places I have been since moving to NC from NY. Will definitely be back.

My wife and I had a wonderful, early evening dinner and arrived without a reservation. It was a wonderful evening and they were able to accommodate in their outdoor patio. What I noticed most was the vibe of the place. You can tell it is a well run establishment with excellent service. The prices are a bit high, but I believe it was on par with the quality of the food.

Very happy with our first visit here. Worth the short trip up to Franklinton! Attractive interior with exposed brick walls and a working fireplace. Meatball appetizer very tasty as is the focaccia bread with olive oil/ricotta spread. I enjoyed my swordfish and my wife was very happy with the Filet Mignon. Sides are big portions to share, no way our friends and us were going to finish all those yummy mashed potatoes or mushrooms. We will definitely be back!

Someone did a magnificent job refurbishing an old manufacturing facility in downtown Franklinton, and created a beautiful dining spot which opened in June of 2023. We visited with an out of town guest a few nights ago, and have already made reservations for a few weeks from now. Favorite meals included the Swordfish and Parmesan Garlic Cream pasta; the calamari appetizer was great. The restaurant features USDA Prime beef, several pasta dishes including 50 layer Lasagna, and chicken and veal parmigiana. I didn't catch our waitress's name (young redhead), but she was terrific. This was the first server in perhaps forever who asked me what type of glass I preferred for my Manhattan: kudos! We'll return - at least twice - in the next six weeks. Give it a try!

We went to Frankos tonight for our anniversary! It was INCREDIBLE! We started with the wedge salad (one of the best I've ever had) The Gorgonzola dressing was DELICIOUS! Next we had the filet & lasagna. One of the best steaks we've ever had!! The lasagna was also yummy! We had some craft cocktails that were fresh and delicious. We can't wait to go back! This might become one of our new favorite restaurants! Great service also!

The food here is out of this world! Highly recommend the homemade gnocchi, homemade focaccia bread and chicken Parmesan! We also ate upstairs at Pizzaria Frankie and their pizza oven pizzas are divine! Their crust is crunchy and chewy at the same time...just perfect! Don't forget dessert! We were celebrating my husband's birthday and he was given a complimentary cannoli! So yummy! The seven layer chocolate mouse cake and tiramisu are mouth watering!Run! Don't walk to Franko's Italian Steakhouse!

We have been at Frankos a couple of times. First time we tried the bolognese and the veal parmigiana. Both delicious and plenty of food so we took leftovers home and was a great second meal. Second time we learned and we split the penne a la vodka and a wedge salad, this is perfect sharing for two, and you have room for dessert. I absolutely recommend the Tiramisu, I think it is the best I've had. Both times we came with no reservations and were lucky but probably is recommended. Service was great and the ambiance is perfect for a date night or gathering with close friends. I'm coming back to try the rest of the menu for sure!

My brother and I took my parents here for dinner last night. Chicken parm was perfect, pasta in all our dishes was cooked perfectly. Dad and brother got steaks cooked medium rare and medium. They were cooked right. The bruschetta was the tastiest I've ever had! Super good tomatoes, not overly garlicky. My only feedback would be the marinara needs red pepper flakes. My Dad's potato wedges were a little undercooked. Would love to try their pizzas next time I'm visiting my parents.

Service was top notch ; food was all really really delicious! We had the gnocchi- scrumptious; stuffed Hungarian peppers were off the wall, lobster spaghetti- the best around!We will definitely return!