Franco's in Teignbridge

Went there with the family, had a really nice meal. Especially the chocolate fondant afterwards, was delicious. Reasonably priced, good service, will return soon!

It’s such a pleasure to eat at Franco’s. The owners are always a delight and have such a lovely manner, really taking care of you. I recommend the pizza, which is delicious from the huge stone, wood-burning oven that’s a central feature of the restaurant. The owners’ wine suggestions should also be followed! When we have relatives from out of town, they invariably want to eat at Franco’s because of the great food and atmosphere, making for happy memories. (Also, in contrast to the other local Italian restaurant, at Franco’s they don’t expect you to order cheese as an “extra” on pizza lol)

Stumbled upon this Italian whilst on a stop off visit to Teignmouth. Once stepping inside you could be forgiven for thinking you are in Italy. With a vine entrance, stone walls, rustic tables ,stone pizza oven this place certainly is like no other! The host Elizabeth is such a welcoming friendly lady who is so accommodating as my children are fussy eaters. They both had pasta with cheese and loved it. I had the Pizza “Surprise” which had lots of different toppings and cooked in the pizza oven. I highly recommend this place and would definitely return.

No Pasta, what I replied an Italian restaurant with no pasta dishes !! All we could have was a choice of starters and pizzas…..We ordered bruschetta which was tasty may I add…The mains arrived which on appearance looked lovely a base baked in an pizza oven, well the pizza that I had (Mafia) was tasteless I’m sorry to say, very disappointed ! You can make a big batch of sauce and use throughout a lot of dishes you can add flavour etc whist cooking which is obvious…The next experience was the bill we we’re charged an extra £17 for items we didn’t have which was rectified, something we or anybody else shouldn’t have to do !! Then on payment we had to do either a bank transfer or pay with cash !!!

We have been to the Italian before and although the food was lovely the service was bad but thought it was a one off. We went there again but this time it was for a table of 7 as we had a family meal out. We got there and find out they are only going starters and pizzas. So it did restrict us for choice. The bruschetta was nice but the pizza could have done with more flavour. On trip advisor someone raves about the wood fired rosemary potatoes. But when we asked the waitress replied.. I don’t know as the chef would need to peel the potatoes. The service was a bit ditsy and lacked confidence. It seems like they stretch to a larger menu when they feel like it based on who they know as others had more selection. Where they did mess up was when the bill came. We were previously told by other people to always check the bill as they do add drinks on try and get away with it. On this occasion it happened. £17 more on our bill for several drinks which we didn’t have. When questioned they took it away and came back with a quick sorry and left us with bank transfer details as they do not accept card, it’s just transfer or cash. That’s the last time we will be going, too many things went wrong and when you are taking out family it’s rather embarrassing to go to such a incompetent place. Also, the restaurant has cobwebs everywhere, all in the plants and by our table. A family member went into the pizza area where they are cooked with bare feet after the beach. Just not nice. Will not be returning.

Visited this restaurant a few times recently, first time was brilliant all food served quickly & good quality. Second visit was very strange, sat outside & children fed & finished before our food was ready, side dish didn’t turn up, when asked they said oh yes sorry! Third visit, children fed & finished again while we waited for our pizzas. The bill was also incorrect so take a minute & check your bill! Needs an organised person to run this restaurant as it could be much better

Only when paying was I informed that it does not take cards. We missed our train as I had to get cash. That is totally unacceptable now, some dispute with card firms I am told. The cash only world is a thing if the past. Shame as food decent.

Although the staff were friendly, the service was extremely slow. We waited an hour for 2 pizzas! The pizza was ok - nothing special though. When I came to settle the bill, I was told that no cards were accepted and that they only took cash or a bank transfer. I don’t recall seeing this on the menu and we weren’t told beforehand.

We thought that this looked like a nice place to eat on our recent visit to Teignmouth and we were pleased to get a table outside. We had quite a wait before we could order our drinks but were in no rush and just waited for our drinks and, when they came, we said that we were ready to order. We then waited and waited and asked a couple more times before coming to the conclusion that they really weren't interested in taking our order for food. By this time, we had also noticed that others were in the same position and the whole place seemed rather shambolic - i.e. wrong food being brought out. We also noticed a family who had been waiting ages for their bill and, when it came, the poor chap had to go off to find a cash machine as this place doesn't take cards!!...........so, we paid for our drinks and off we went! A rather strange experience!

We booked our table for a family of 3 at short notice and were happily accommodated by the chef himself, were were informed over the phone that cash was preferred (which is a bonus for us as we support cash businesses!) We had a little confusion over the wine selection at the beginning but they were very happy to rectify the misunderstanding. We ordered all of the traditional dishes, Pizza, Lasagne and Bolognese which were all totally authentic and delizioso! The restaurant was really quaint with a classic style italiano and dominated by the wood fired pizza oven. I ordered pepperoni pizza but the chef asked if I would like more toppings which I said yes to and glad I did as the bacon was the most scrumptious thing on earth. The chef also offered to make us the most amazing rosemary wood fired potatoes as they did not serve chips but that was cool! The chef also asked if, instead of spaghetti he'd made some fresh tagliatelle and recommended that instead to go with the bolognese... good decision. Super friendly, Great food and if we lived here we would probably come here every week.

We arrived and asked if we could book a table on a Friday night for 13( yes I know) for 8pm The lady lizabet accommodated us with open arms We arrived bang on 8 after frequenting a local bar. The food was outstanding as was the laid back no fuss service. We struggled to get a cab home and as one of our party was on crutches and another having mobility issues , the owner said that she would give us a lift home! This is just unheard of and really cemented the incredible meal and experience, thanks everyone for a fantastic start to our trip

Moving to Teignmouth late last year we have been enjoying seeking out the best local restaurants. Franco's has become a firm favourite. At first we thought it was just pizza's on offer, not a problem because the wood fire oven and the pizza's we saw being made looked delicious. On our first visit we were pleasantly surprised to find a lovely choice of pasta dishes and specials available. On our latest visit there was lovely choice of fresh fish on the specials so my husband plumped for the bream, it was cooked to perfection and equally as good as any fish restaurant we have dined in. The restaurant has a lovely informal atmosphere and the staff are very welcoming. Its not a big restaurant so probably best to make a booking. Well worth a visit.

This is a MUST if in Teignmouth. Simply amazing. The best bruschetta I have ever eaten! And the pizzas are absolutely phenomenal. The staff are amazing and the wine was delicious. Quite simply the best Italian I have had outsode of Italy!!!

Last minute booking on the night of valentines and luckily, they had a cancellation, so could fit us in. Lovely lady waitress, who brought over 3 bottles of English sparkling wines….all organic. We went with the Prosecco, which was delicious. Food fantastic and service top notch. Very small restaurant, but the atmosphere and service is fabulous. The restaurant was decorated beautifully, with added extras for valentines. Will definitely return. Bellissimo.

What a little gem. I’ve walked past many times but always during the day when it’s been closed. So pleased to have finally managed to eat here. The whole place feels like a warm hug and you are treated like old friends. The wines are organic and, I believe, mainly fairly local. I didn’t look too closely at the whole menu as I was too excited at the chance of a gluten free pizza, boy I wasn’t disappointed. The intriguing Pizza Mafia- you get whatever they decide to put on it and each mouthful can contain a surprise- had to be my choice, I went for the mixed (meat and veg). I won’t spoil the surprise if any of you decide to try it. Overall great food, great atmosphere and great price Will hopefully be back soon

Authentic Italian restaurant. The staff were warm and welcoming, the pizzas were delicious! Thank you!

The best Italian by far amongst local Italian joints in Devon. Friendly staff. Authentic taste. Traditional thin crust pizzas baked in traditional oven on a fresh handmade dough base. Super tasty tiramisu. A special mention for Tom, our server. He went an extra mile to...

Have dined here several times over the last few months. Each time the food has been excellent. Portion sizes (particularly the starters) are huge, Both pizzas and pasta dishes very tasty. Staff all very friendly. A great place for a good night out.

Came here lady night for a spontaneous meal out, the restaurant was really busy and almost fully booked so they warned us that food may be a while although pizzas will be quicker. Food actually arrived in a really good time and the pizza was...

Probably the slowest service ever and not worth the wait. Took over 45 minutes for the starters and nearly hour and half by the time we got the mains. The main course lacked taste and could have been from a jar. It's a shame as...

Long wait. And I mean long! When it finally arrived was inedible. Burnt calzone, burnt pizza and tagliatelle Di mare with tough bits. We ate some because after 90 mins wait and a bottle of wine later, we were too hungry to refuse anything. Waiting...

Firstly I am not a pizza fan and it would normally be the last thing I would order unless I was in Italy where I found the pizza's amazing. So my wife fancied a pizza and I went along with it and was pleasantly surprised,...

If you’re thinking it’ll be as good as the old colleseum you’ll be sadly disappointed. Lasagne poor don’t have it. Tagliatelle too thick and stodgy. Starters ok, wine ok service ok. Pizza ok not great. Try L’invidia down the road for a much more authentic,...

We had booked a table for 4 for dinner yesterday and on arrival despite the fact they had our booking no table was available as they were running very late, I know a lot of places are short staffed at the moment but they could...

We have just spent a week in Teignmouth with Maybelle our Cocker Spaniel and were amazed how dog friendly the town is. On the first night we were recommended Francos as being a restaurant where we could eat outside in the evening and Maybelle would...

I came here two nights in a row, one to grab a quick pizza and a beer because my car had broken down. Decided to come back the next day because the staff were so lovely. The wait from being seated to being served was...

We were looking for somewhere outside to eat due to COVID and the fact it was so hot. I had wanted to try Franco’s for a while and as it had a lovely shady garden we thought we would give it a go. We had...

Great pizza but our two meals where served about 15 minutes apart. COVID regs where still in place at the time if our visit, none of the staff were wearing masks or other face guards and this is still a legal requirement. Tables are not...

The good, gluten free pizzA wasn't bad. The bad, everything else, tasteless food, very long wait time (over 2 hours for the mains), and all in nothing special.

Well, where to start. We had to wait 2 hours for the food to arrive and the service was very poor. No one knew what they were doing. Extremely overpriced too.

Super food, attentive staff, a throughly relaxing evening meal. Could not fault it! Deserves to be No 1 place to eat in Teignmouth

Fawlty Towers! Total disorganisation. Burnt pizza. Meals came out separately other a period of an hour. Gave it our best shot twice - won’t go for third time lucky 🙁

Stopped for dinner with two kids but had no booking, no problem! We were fitted in and served quickly. The pizzas were lovely as was the garlic bread, all cooked in a pizza oven.

We had a lovely time and the pizza was amazing. Lively atmosphere, busy, but still made time for us!

Fabulous Authentic Italian with really great service. Now serving a limited but delicious menu to takeaway or eat outside. Today the weather today was on our side so we had a Lasagna & a mozzarella salad ciabatta to share. Wonderful!

How lucky are we that Franco’s has a triangle of grass outside, where we can now enjoy a sit-down meal and really appreciate their delicious food. On our latest visit my kids had the gorgeous calzone, steaming with cheese, tomato & mushroom juices, and the...

Stick to creating decent pizzas without the politics please and if you could adhere to the pandemic guidelines that would be a bonus.

At the end of another week in Lockdown all I wanted was a decent pizza. Unfortunately pizza was broken the crust s8mply broke away, the dough was chewy and for £11 this was not good. Franco did not cook the pizza he had a helper...

The food was excellent - Tricolore Salad and Melon with Parma Ham, followed by Veggy Green Feast pizza and Carbonara, then Franco's special with amaretto and ice cream. But what made it a special evening, rather than just a dinner, was the warm welcome and...

Was lovely to visit an authentic italian restaurant while away on a short break. Great menu choice and the food and wine were lovely. Friendly & welcoming staff.

On a half term family break in nearby Dawlish and decided to try Franco’s and what a fabulous find! From the moment we stepped inside we knew we’d struck gold. A friendly welcome and shown to a great table in the window. We all opted...

We had such a lovely evening. We were warmly welcomed and the service was friendly and efficient. A really good atmosphere and we enjoyed the music. The food and wine were delicious. We will definitely return!

Pizza was burnt on the edge and not cooked in the centre. New oven in the middle of the restaurant isn't working properly. Used to be so good.

We visited francos on Saturday 10th october.food was reasonable as we had in our paty of 6 three with dietary requirements. Very friendly staff who expressed we didnt need to wear our masks when moving to the toilet. Ok but it appeared that this italian...

On holiday in Teighmouth came across Franco's restaurant went in and tgey were full,the Lovely owner managed to squeeze us in the next evening, what can I say well worth the wait, staff were all lovely and friendly. The food was out of this world...

Friendly restaurant. Sat outside on a beautiful evening . Excellent food and good service. Would recommend

We found this place by chance. It's owned independently which we like and the chef is Italian. We sat by a window which meant the ventilation was good. A guy playing a guitar (classical, not loud) arrived and that was super. Evening ended with a chocolate dessert which may have been the best of my life (certainly a long time)

Lovely independent Italian restaurant. Great vegan options, delicious pizza and pasta, and a wonderful selection of wines.

Myself and my partner visited the restaurant whilst staying in Dawlish. We’d spotted it during the dash and made a reservation for the evening. The proprietor and waiter were really helpful and friendly and made us feel very welcome . The food was amazing, we had garlic bread and then pizza’s and all was fantastic quality. My partner loves chilli and they used exalt he right amount. We wound definitely go back if we’re ever in Teignmouth again. Highly recommended.

We had a member of the party with dietary requirements - we checked this was ok before we came - on the day ‘Franco’ the chef couldn’t make the gluten free pizza.... Their were problems with the dough...we picked this place because everyone could have what they wanted... he has pasta instead which was ok. This would have been understandable but then it took an hour and a half for main courses to come... felt like takeaways were prioritised. Then when the main courses cane they forget to put through one of the main course orders... so that person had to wait for 20 minutes for their main course. We had kids with us... they were so patient and ufzz x was disappointing... couldn’t face dessert.

I visited last night with my partner and 7 month old daughterWe arrived at 7.15pm due to not being able to get a parking space. Our table wasn’t ready till 7.30pm so we were stood about outside for a while but we didn’t mind thisOur order was taken quickly and the starters and drinks were lovely with no issues (my partner had to ask for garlic mushrooms as they weren’t on the menu)We were looking forward to the rest of our meal as it was a very nice setting with good decor and a man playing the piano also, we found this very niceThe menu was very small with not much choice and to be told that a chicken breast was £20 was extortionate. The lady explained that it’s because it’s not processed and it’s from the local butchers, but even then one chicken breast shouldn’t cost £20 as it doesn’t even cost this back home from a butchers, it’s very over priced which put me off choosing a chicken dishI asked if it was possible to have chicken and mushrooma with penne pasta in a creamy, garlic sauce, to be told that I could have chicken in the pasta but the price would be £20, really not good compared to other restaurants I’ve been to whilst visiting Devon, the price is a big thing I decided to choose spaghetti bolognese as this was the only thing I really liked on the list of mains if chicken wasn’t an option. I asked the lady to confirm if it was just beef and she said yes. When our mains came she apologised and told me it was in fact beef and lamb (I don’t eat lamb, can’t stomach it at all)As a gesture of goodwill, the lady offered to re-do me a chicken pasta dish but not to charge me for the chicken, I asked for chicken, mushrooms and garlic in a creamy sauce with penne pasta.We waited 1 hour and 15 minutes for this to come and so did my partner as they took his back to keep it warm. When it came it was 9.30pm and it was wrong! No mushrooms and the pasta was tagliette not penne that I asked for. The tagliette was very thick and I couldn’t tell which bits were chicken and which was the pasta as the sauce was so thick and the dish was stodgyWhen I mentioned it the lady, she said we could either -1. Leave and not have to pay for our drinks or starters 2. Have a takeaway 3. Come back the next day and ‘try again’Baring it mind it was almost 10pm by this point and it was already too late to find anywhere else to eat. I also had my daughter aged 7 months who needed to be in bed, we were only expecting to be in the place till about 9pm, not 9.30pm without even had our main.I think what got our backs up more was that when my main was wrong the first time, it was wrong yet again the second time and we had already been at our table two hours by this point.We left extremely disappointed with the whole experience as it looked a lovely little place and the lady was very friendly and welcoming, but the slow service, mistakes and poor food let it down. Unfortunately due to such a bad experience, we won’t be returning again.

Always great food and decent service. Also does a restaurant quality take away service. Have been a few times and very friendly

We love Franco’s! The menu is great and normally they will have at least two specials on offer. Our last visit I have the lamb cutlets which was a special, they were cooked to perfection with lots of garlic, very tasty. My partner had the chicken which comes in a white chilli sauce, also very tasty. The service is brilliant, very attentive and friendly. This review goes for every time we have visited, always enjoy our evening. We will definitely be back!

Read the good reviews and thought we would try it. What a let down. I don’t know if normal chef wasn’t there but whoever cooked our food shouldn’t be a chef.. The lasagne was watery runny and tasteless, pizza a let down, lady in charge to busy gossiping to notice or ask if everything okay with food.

Fancied an Italian meal before a show, so walked to Franco's from the theatre. Despite the stormy conditions, the welcome was warm. We had starters of mixed meats and bruschettas, followed by two pizzas. Everything was freshly cooked, hot and tasty. Service was friendly and attentive. We were too full for dessert, so we'll try those next time. Will definitely return.

Lovely little restaurant- great service and very generous portions. Everything home cooked - delicious. Definitely need to book as very popular.

We visit this restaurant occasionally. It’s really lovely, a nice atmosphere and friendly staff. It’s hard to choose what to have off the menu as it’s all so great. My favourite is the carbonara cooked the Italian way! I couldn’t manage all of it but was able to take some home with me. Already looking forward to going back again.

The restaurant has a lovely ambience and Lizzie is a perfect host.The food can be delicious, however...We have found that the food is highly dependent on the presence of Franco, who is sometimes not there. In that case it can be very bland and disappointing.

We had a special family meal here and it was very good but a little chaotic.The meals were good from Pizzas to Sea Bass and were served hot and freshly cooked. There were no spare tables so it pays to book especially on a Saturday.Desserts were really good from Panatone to Soufflé. Worth a visit? Yes I think so. Be aware this used to be called Colloseum

Me and my wife were staying in dawlish with the inlaws we had visited Teignmouth earlier that day and stumbled across this lovely little Italian restaurant so we booked a table for 8pm we were early but got seated still shown to our table drinks order taken and with in seconds the owner welcomed us and took us through all the meals and the specials and said what had sugar and salt in as most dishes didnt have either and then we had ordered a my god my starter it was cured meats with shallot onions the wife had olive bread with some sort of vinger .mains i had chicken in a creamy white wine sauce instead of chilli i had mushrooms and fennel sausage .the wife had a ham and pineapple pizza cooked in a pizza oven . We had dessert but that was nice I had vanilla ice cream with espresso poured over the top and the wife had a raspberry panna coat. This was a true gem totally recommended. Keep up the good work.

Visited with my wife to celebrate our wedding anniversary. It is a genuine Italian restaurant serving excellent food at a reasonable price. We both had pasta dishes which we thoroughly enjoyed. The premises are comfortable, spacious and nicely decorated. The people working there made us feel very welcome and were friendly and helpful. During the course of our meal we were entertained by background music from an excellent acoustic guitarist.Slightly unusually for a restaurant, they do not take card payments.We will certainly be revisiting.

This is a very pleasant authentic Italian. We both had pasta dishes, which were very tasty. The pizzas looked good too. So we'll try them next time. The food and wine was lovely and the service was very friendly and attentive. Definately worth a visit. Just remember to take cash or a cheque book, as they don't take cards. This is the only negative point.

After a long walk along the sea wall we stopped here with our toddler sleeping in his pushchair. Had 2 lovely pizzas outside with Prosecco and beer. The staff and owner were so friendly and helpful. The food was delicious and really good value. Would definitely recommend!

Thank you to Franco and Lizzie for a brilliant evening. We were greeted with a warm welcome and chose a glass of merlot and prosecco to start our meal. We couldn’t resist the fillet steak - by far the best around (and we love a good steak!) what a gorgeous evening, all accompanied by great guitar sounds from Dave.

It is not often that you experience something so amazing you know you will remember it for a lifetime. Last week our extended family of 9 ate at Franco’s three times and each was equally fantastic. This pair really know their food and wine and their passion and enthusiasm for Italian cuisine shines through in both the service and the standard of the food. They have created a place where families can be relaxed, children are very welcome, their own son was around chatting to people, and pizza and plain pasta for fussy eaters is fine. At the same time grown ups can eat from a fantastic specials menu, my favourite was the fennel sausages, or a smaller but perfectly formed, main menu. I am gluten free and Lizzie guided me through what I could and couldn’t eat. They have gluten free pasta and pizza so there was very little off limits which was a treat. Perhaps one more desert option would have been nice but really I would drive from my home in Derbyshire to Teignmouth tonight just to see Lizzie and eat In this wonderfully hospitable place if my husband would let me!

We sent one meal back as it wasn't cooked as ordered - it came back this time with a burnt taste . The restaurant did not charge for this. However the wait between courses was very long, waiting staff seemed indifferent to customer experience and took plates etc without eye contact, not offered condiments, forgot the drink order. The specials are dictated to you, which is confusing , I chose one (expensive choice it wasn't particularly nice and came with a handful of lettuce leaves. The bill is handwritten and did not appear to have vat registration number on it. It was noticeable that although they were clearly struggling with the orders - lots of people asking when they would get their meal/drinks /order taken - they continued to sets more people. It was very disappointing my partner had to go to the chippy as he hadn't had a meal. We had hoped to support this independent restaurant as locals.

We had a lovely family meal here - service was fab, and the food was delicious! The owner, who took our order herself, was very friendly and very helpful in relation to our daughter’s nut allergy (as they make everything themselves, they can be as positive as can be re lack of allergens, which was a huge bonus). We’re only here for the week but have booked to go back on our last night! Would definitely recommend.

We visited here on holiday, There was a guy playing live in the corner, very nice atmosphere. The waiter was on his own this evening so he was really rushed off his feet. I had lasagna, which was a bit soggy but both my wife and son had pizza which was excellent. The starter was garlic bread which was £5 and enough for us all. Reasonable prices here, bottles of beer £2.50. We would return here if in teignmouth.

Visited Saturday 28th for an early evening meal with family. Staff were charming and very accommodating. Food was lovely particularly the prawn pasta and my hhusband's pizza. The only slight gripe is that the cheapest bottle of wine was €22. Will return though.

We went here again, after it was renamed, and it was just as good the second time. I had pork in wine and rosemary, my wife had shellfish tortellini, my daughter a pizza.

We've been a few times and will keep coming back. Probably would be regular customers if we didnt live in Switzerland. The fresh food is made with love and high quality products, the people make the ambience fabulously friendly and fun.

A great meal out with extended family. Fantastic food and really friendly service. What else can I say? We all had a thoroughly great evening.

This used to be the Colosseum and has always been good in our view. We went there yesterday evening. Super food as per usual with all our dishes meeting expectations. Excellent service and great ambience as well.