FRANCO'S BAR & RESTAURANT in Poole

Disappointing. Reading the other reviews on this restaurant, we must have just gone on an off night. The starters were incredible I have to say but that was all that was good about the meal. Absolutely gutted with the main course as we were looking forward to an authentic crispy pizza base. Unfortunately it was really doughy, good taste just inedible base. Ordered new forest ice cream for dessert not convinced. It may have been but could have possibly been in the freezer for a few years. Bit of a shame. We’d like to go back as this is a local restaurant, hopefully they were just having an off night.

I stopped off with a friend and our four kids for an early supper after a swimming lesson. We were the only table to start with. We got a very cold welcome and I felt as though we were an inconvenience. Service was slow. I will not be returning in a hurry 😏

Franco's is one of our 'go-to' restaurants in Broadstone, and it never disappoints. The service is great, the atmosphere is great, the music is great and the food is excellent. My wife's Ravioli Alfredo was "the best pasta she has ever had" and my Tournedos Rossini was equally good - blue, but with a warm centre, which so few paces seem able to do. We thoroughly recommend.

We booked a table with it being a Friday evening, but when we arrived the place was empty bar one table of four. Loud music playing and nobody on front of house to greet us or serve at the bar. Finally we were told to pick a table! Menus were handed to us, and while perusing, I noticed the state of the table cloth. Not clean at all, even with it being made of paper! Drinks were finally served, although the water we requested did not appear. The food came out, and the pizzas were delicious. Side salad was a bit lame with slight browning on the lettuce! After finishing whilst waiting for the bill, one of the employees was happily cleaning a table,squirting cleaning fluid on everything, including the cutlery and wiping everything with the same cloth. As if this wasn't bad enough, he'd knocked a fork onto the floor, which he put straight back on the table. I think hygiene needs to be looked into. A great shame as it used to be a great atmosphere in there.

Went for a meal to celebrate my grandads birthday. The food was excellent and despite the restaurant being very busy the food came in good time and was very fresh. Vinnie was an excellent host. The coffee after dinner was excellent.

A lovely meal at Francos, great food and great atmosphere will definitely be returning! Pasta was homemade and delicious.

Such a lovely restaurant. It has a lovely cosy atmosphere. The menu is classic Italian. All of your favourites as well as a board of specials. The staff are simply delightful and recommended a delicious white wine.

Starters good but if an Italian can’t cook a pizza without burning then it says it all . Gavi wine £8 in Tesco £32 here £27 steak cooked ok but just with chips no garnish no mushrooms sorry but not worth the money Service ok 1 guy on his own so you wait some time for a drink 1st and last time we go there , a shame but now I know why an Italian is half empty on a Saturday night

The opening times on Google say that it would be open for lunch today (Wednesday). We arrived at 13:15, but it was closed.

Had a fantastic meal for family birthday, party of 17. Food was lovely, they were very accommodating for everyone’s requirements and let us take a cake & table decorations too. Vinchenso our waiter was very attentive, gave us a real personal feel to add to this great celebration. Thank you

Pretty, very much below average. Absolutely not worth the money you’re expected to pay. How is this place still in business?

We ate here on a Saturday evening a few weeks ago and really enjoyed the excellent food and service. My mate had prawns for starter.... his wife had calamari.. I had prawns so did my wife. All very nice! For the main course my wife had the fish which was excellent & I had the sirloin....a good size, beautiful, tender and full of flavour ..never had better!! Our friends both had the Fillet Steak which they both raved about. Too full for desert so nice coffees and liqueurs. Based on our experience.... we would really recommend a visit. Thank you Francos for a very nice evening!!!!!!

Walked in here with the family at 6.05pm Thursday 19th October 2023, asked if they had a table, it was empty except for one guy drinking beer at the bar. The guy behind the bar just said "we don't open until 6"...nothing else. Clearly didnt even want to acknowledge us. It's pretty obvious why this place is nearly always empty when I walk by whether in the week or the weekend. Amazed it has lasted as long as it has.

Had a lovely meal with a friend. Authentic italian food and very tasty. Good service and friendly attention from Vincenzo. Had a fab time

13 of us visited on a Saturday evening. Despite being a large group ranging in age from 19 to 91, we were very well catered for. The menu was wide ranging and all items we requested were in stock. Thank you to our waiter Vincenzo who looked after us during the evening.

Bad service, poor quality food, and not enough space to sit comfortably. Will not be going back. Ordered a pizza with an extra topping and was served a pasta dish which was taken back and we both had to wait while the correct order was prepared before we could eat. When the pizza arrive it was burnt and missing the extra topping. Because there are too many tables crammed into the venue we could not site opposite each other. This was on a week night when it was not busy.

Visited Franco’s for dinner last night, had a lovely meal with a friend and the service from Vincenzo was great!

Visited Francos tonight food excellent my steak was amazing All starters and Mains in our party was delicious Service exceptional Lovely atmosphere Will be back xx

The restaurant interior was tacky and clichéd. Plastic wipeable placemats, small salt and white pepper cruets. No ice in my OJ and lemonade or my friends apple juice. Steak unseasoned and overcooked, saute potatoes from the freezer, veg from freezer, all unseasoned, bland, pepper sauce couldn't taste beef stock cream brandy peppercorns, really weak, my friend had a salmon fettuccine with no actual salmon. My other friend had pizza which was not bad, quite tasty. I eat all of my steak because I was hungry and it was a special birthday lunch and I didn't want to cause a fuss.ver

Had a very enjoyable dinner at Francos this evening. Food was great and the service was very attentive. We’ve been coming here for nearly 20 years and it’s good to see that while the restaurant has been updated it still retains the original charm and passion. Highly recommended.

Had a great meal at Francos this evening. The food was excellent and the service was very attentive. We’ve been using this restaurant for nearly 20 years and it’s good to see that while the building has been nicely updated it still retains the original charm and passion. Highly recommended.

We have been going to Franco's for years, tonight was the worse meal we have ever had there . Complained and they reduced the bill by £10 from a £90 bill the starter was fine the rest terrible should have looked after your customers better.

We go to this restaurant quite often The food is always excellent the pasta dishes are really good and very tasty The service is very good

I don’t like writing negative reviews but feel necessary due to how dreadful the food was for most of our party, poor quality and no attention to detail. Lasagne with no pasta and tasteless pasta dishes, the pizzas were the only thing enjoyed. The staff were friendly and happy to exchange food but we came away feeling disappointed from a local restaurant. Francos should stick to pizzas and bar service.

Pretty average food, service passable Not worth a special trip to visit

Excellent meal, very tasty. Vincenzo was very friendly , attentive and helpful.Certainly recommend if in Broadstone.

Went here for my sons 21st . We had a party of 14 people, I wasn't allowed to take any balloons for celebration, waiter seemed like he wanted us in and out as soon as possible, pasta dishes were tasteless although the children enjoyed their pizzas. I wouldn't recommend this place for a celebration and I definitely won't be going back.

The food is ok, the service is poor. Definitely not the quality you'd expect from Italy.

We have been coming here for years and the last 2 times the food hasn't been good. Carbonara was too salty and way too much mustard but I took it as a one off. Took my mum here tonight as she hadn't been in years and the pizza base was pretty much raw and was clearly not made in house, was just from a packet. Absolutely gutted. Staff are always lovely but the food just isn't what it used to be ☹️

Went for an anniversary meal and not impressed! Barely room to sit comfortably and only one waiter working who slammed our drinks on the table and didn't smile all evening. I got the wrong starter and my husband's steak was very small and thin with sauce more like gravy. No choice of potatoes or any veg, just chips. Music not in keeping for an Italian as overly loud pop pop music. Won't be returning!!

I went in to shelter from the rain and ended up by having some wine and a meal. A very friendly place, Franco was more than helpful, and the food was delicious

MacDonald fries are better no other potato choice, vegetables on the menu but not in stock and thats early on a sat night, waiter ok and apologetic, waitress was just plain rude , Wetherspoons has better food and service which say's it all really

Wanted to give this local restaurant a try. Waiter was miserable unwelcoming rude, clearly in the wrong job for the hospitality trade. The only reason for 2 stars was the food was okay but have most definitely had better Italian food.

We went here for dinner at the weekend. It was our first visit & won't be our last. Lovely small restaurant. Clean & modern. We only had time for main & dessert but both were delicious. Vinny was very charming 😀 Highly recommend.

Lovely bar and staff :-) thank you Franco

Like the refurbishment, the service and food were good but the table was a bit too small for 4 people. We all felt a little cramped.

Lovely meal, was served by Vinny, really enjoyable, especially the Tiramisu which we had to order again and have 2 it was SO good!

Just ate at Francos! Food was fantastic and the restaurant was great. Staff are very friendly, can't fault anything. Will eat here again!

Had a great time at francos! Good atmosphere, lovely staff, great genuine food. Will come again!

Booked a table, wasn't available, couldn't hear the waiter over the music (which he did turn down) had a chicken dish which was overcooked! The house wine was good.... Reluctant to return.

We came for dinner on a busy Friday night and we left unsure as to why there were so many people there. The service was generally slow and careless with the waiter offering no wine suggestions and putting plates and cutlery down without much grace....

Wasn't all that ok very bland food

Live local and thought we would try following recent refurb. Have given a two star as refurb is definitely an improvement, however…..food and service another story. Pizza was burnt and barely any cheese and chips, well some were cold and some hot, how does that...

Absolutely amazing service and food. An amazing choice of food and beautifully presented. The new decor is very nice and modern. Its our favourite restaurant in Broadstone. The service is so personal and lovely. Thank you again Francos for an amazing time again!!

Amazing refurbishment, great feel to the place now it all opens up at the front, new bar, great food with good service at excellent value for money, can’t wait to go back.

Haven’t been for years to Franco’s and was looking forward to it. The place was so grubby, every glass, jug, cutlery. The salt and pepper pots had marks all over them, disgusting, didn’t look like they’d been cleaned in years. Ordered a special off the...

Great food at reasonable prices I would recommend. 👌

Wonderful service, wonderful food. It was amazing

We went on Tuesday the 8th the meals were excellent the steaks cooked as we asked we had the option of chips or salad really good the service was spot on we will definitely be returning soon

We had sirloin Steak x 2 and Veal . The veal was tough and was served with only be described as McDonalds fries.The steak was OK and served with a good mushroom sauce.but disappointingly served with the same fries.the waiter was unsympathetic, and rude .A...

Really bad food . Could not eat it. . Vile . Was never even asked if food was ok even thou all food was left . Sooo bad

Lovely food, quick and amazing service! Vinnie our waiter was lovely and attentive and we left very happy and full!

Fantastic food, value for money

Garlic bread was a roll cut in half very bizarre. Pizza was cold in the middle had to be reheated!! Lasagna had pea in it not very authentic. First visit probably won't return .

Although we have been frequent visitors to franco’s for over 30 years this was our first meal out since lockdown. Pleasantly surprised by social distancing still being in place which for us with health conditions made us feel extremely relaxed. Food was absolutely superb and...

Great evening at Francos in Broadstone. Gorgeous food, great atmosphere and lovely staff. Always our favourite restaurant. Enjoyed a romantic evening with my husband whilst another family enjoyed a great evening celebrating a dad/grandads birthday. Looking forward to celebrating a friends birthday on Thursday night...

Excellent pizza excellent everything

Friends invited us out for dinner and mentioned this restaurant that they’d been before, so was happy to try. The restaurant is small, but it’s nice as we were able to have a conversation without it being too noisy. The menu had a lot of...

Terrible no vegetables, no choose of potatoes only chips , small bit of chicken. Waiter good waitress confrontational. Had better microwave meals

Amazing evening as ever, food was exquisite and the staff were very attentive. Vinny thank you for being so accommodating, a credit to the restaurant

Had a great meal. Good value for money and nice atmosphere. Attentive staff. Would definitely recommend and return in the future.

I live some way out of town and I have only visited a couple of times but will certainly be returning. There is an excellent choice for all 3 courses. The food is prepared and presented in a first class manner and the service equally excellent.

I live some way out of town and I have only visited a couple of times but will certainly be returning. There is an excellent choice for all 3 courses. The food is prepared and presented in a first class manner and the service equally...

We go to Francos quite often but rarely write a review but on Saturday evening the 11th was really busy but the food was excellent the 3 of us had a really good evening well recommended excellent staff very attentive well done all

Go to this restaurant regularly great service helpful

Great little place, friendly staff and the best pizza anywhere

Such a lovely guy serving, then it went down hill rapidly. starters were ok although think the whitebait were cheap frozen. Ordered the chicken with Parma ham dish and told there were no vegetables at all, served basically chicken and frozen chips at £17.00. Chef...

Very good qualuty food, large choice of food especially fish and seafood. Lovely ambiance and excellent service. Buonissimo!

Very good quality food, excellent service and great ambiance.Lots of menu choices and especially fish and seafood. Grazie mille ragazzi!

Great atmosphere and delicious food. Very friendly staff

Exceptional food and always great to see everyone. Cannot beat this Broadstone classic

Food and service very poor. Food bland and greasy. Service was without a smile and perfunctory. Wouldn’t recommend and we will not return.

Great authentic Italian food and friendly service. Would definitely recommend.

Service slow but food is very good and worth the wait.

We have been visiting The Borough of Poole for a few years now and one of the attractions of Broadstone has been the presence of the Sicilian Embassy, aka Franco's. What guests enjoy at this lovely Trattoria goes beyond excellent Italian cuisine and takes visitors...

First time we've been here and will definitely be back! Great food, fantastic atmosphere and good service. Staff are lovely and couldn't fault it :-)

We enjoyed an excellent meal last night in this Restaurant. The Owner couldn’t have been more friendly and helpful, food was great and very reasonably priced. Lovely atmosphere too. Many thanks

One of the best meals I’ve had. Absolutely fantastic calamari starter followed by seafood pasta and tiramisu. Great service and value

Just enjoyed one of the best Italians we’ve ever had. Great service and atmosphere. Calamari starter great and the Francos spaghetti main followed by tiramisu was amazing. Nothing was too much for the waiter. 10/10 great evening out

Franco's is good fun , friendly atmosphere and lovely Italian cooking. Excellent value. We eat there often!

Went here with the husband last night and was so impressed! The menu is varied and there are plenty of specials on offer too. Really tasty food, the most succulent meatballs we’ve tried, attentive service from Vincenzo. Definitely going back soon!

Tasty foods, big portions and friendly staff. If you want to have an Italian food experience, you definitely have to try Franco's food. Parola di un italiano!

This was our first visit. We love an Italian and as we expected, the menu catered for all tastes, from fussy in laws, to our children, to my husband and I, as Italian lovers. The atmosphere in Francos is lovely. Warm, welcoming and a traditional...

What can I say, this is the first time I have been out for a long time. It was a meal for my birthday of the same day. I had amazing food and was looked after by the wonderful Vinny who brought my dessert with...

Ok, waited a long time for meal Garlic bread v disappointing it was nothing more than cheese on toast, shocking for an Italian Restaurant Music not appropriate, it was a mixture of rock music, Rod Stewart not the usual music played in an Italian also...

You know when you are on holiday and there is a small restaurant, just off the beaten track that the locals know, where the food is excellent, the welcome warm and the price reasonable….. well if, unlike us you are not local, try Francos. We...

We stopped by for takeaway pizza. It was quite small therefore a bit overpriced. However, the pizza dough was excellent and very tasty. I would suggest adding some spices like salt and oregano to the sauce but overall good pizza.

We visited Franco’s restaurant whilst on holiday to celebrate our twin daughters birthday and were very pleased with our choice, the service from Vincenzo was excellent and the owner Franco who was also the chef produced some tasty dishes for us. Definitely worth a visit...

A bit crowded, only one waiter, food disappointing

My wife and I went here last night and had the most incredible meal! First night out in months so a lot of pressure but we were not disappointed! I had a diovola oven-cooked prawn dish to start which was one of the tastiest meals...

Really lovely place, friendly service and a warm welcome! Will be back soon

Awful service & food. Would give 0 stars if I could. Asked a few times for serviettes, he was very reluctant. When I finally got up to get them myself I was given one (table of 5), asked why I needed more & wouldn't give me anymore than 3?!?? All very very odd. Food not good. Calamari should come with a heat warning for the overbearing amount of chili. Bad pizza made worse by being burnt & all meals tasteless. Couldn't hold a decent conversation as music far too loud (agreed by all party of varying ages). Stressed atmosphere in there. Dont waste your money

Booked 3 weeks in advance as we were visiting Broadstone, and arrived tonight to find our table not ready. We were asked to sit at the bar (which is a tiny area) and for 30 mins had waiters and bar staff brushing right past us and making physical contact numerous times while waiting on the other tables. Far too many tables laid out in the restaurant and after 4 months of isolating just did not feel comfortable. After 30 mins of feeling really uncomfortable and no sign of our table we walked out. If this is their idea of social distancing... god help them (and their customers) Totally spoilt our first weekend away since start of lockdown.

As usual a wonderful meal. I would highly recommend!

Excellent Food and service, atmosphere and music FABULOUS, wonderful and friendly, 5 stars thoroughly recommend for a Great evening out.

Best food in the world & there pizza , lemon ice cream & Pizza are amazing & there staff are the best staff I have even seen’

After a very busy week all round, where is better to go on a Friday night than Franco’s? Warm welcome as always and plenty of exciting specials alongside firm favourites. Fantastic fresh mussel spaghetti as recommended and cooked by Franco himself- Just delicious. True authentic Sicilian cookery perfectly topped off by a reasonably priced bottle of Primitivo. Thank you Franco and team as always for a wonderful evening. 27 years of coming here and we will certainly always return!

Typical Italian restaurant with average food

popped in here for a lunchtime special.Great value and good food would defiantly recommend.Was a little quiet but thought that is was just before christmas

Beautiful restaurant, tasty canelloni.