Franco's Ristorante Vecchio in Bridgend

It was my first visit here and WOW! The food, atmosphere, service, and experience were simply outstanding. I can't wait to go back. Thank you to the whole team.

Best meal plus service. Love this place.

Food is always excellent in fact the lasagne is the best I've ever had.

Good food. Friendly and kind servers, very hospitable and generous. I really respected how they provided us with good service without adding any service charge to the bill like some other restaurants do. This encourages me to support them 👍🏻 Will definitely come back to try more of their dishes

As an Italian I can say that I ate cannelloni with ricotta and spinach that were out of this world and what can I say about Mario and Franco, they really made me feel at home. If you pass through Bridgend you can't miss stopping in this place!

Come in for lunch and the food was amazing and the service was even better. Will definitely be coming back.

A lovely meal en famille at Franco's latest restaurant. The food was excellent, the ambience pleasant, and naturally the service was exemplary! We shall certainly be back. Mario/Franco Grazie Mille per amerenas

Came here for a family birthday celebration and it didn't disappoint! The restaurant is really well decorated and has a warm and welcoming vibe to it. Considering we were a large party, service was excellent and we didn't have to wait long for drinks/starters/mains or dessert. Table staff were friendly and attentive - can't ask for more really 🙂 The food was delicious. The portion size was also just right and I didn't have to be carried out in a pasta coma, always a good result. I tried the Tiramisu as dessert and it's one of the best I've ever tried, highly recommended if you have a sweet tooth. Would definitely come here again. Thanks all for a great evening 🙌

Excellent food. Excellent service. Staff were fabulous. Definitely recommend 👍🏻

Had an absolutely lovely meal, you cannot beat the atmosphere and welcome you receive. Franco you and your staff make the whole experience.

Fabulous birthday lunch. Set menu great value.Tasty mushroom first course and the haddock risotto nicest I've ever had. Franco's a legend . Ps sorry no photos too busy eating..

Excellent food,wine and hospitality,Franco superb as always

A real good evening great food excellent service with friends.

Lovely staff very good food. Enjoyed place very much.

I& a friend went to Franco’s with friends to celebrate our B’days🎂 As ALWAYS the food was DELICIOUS 🍽️🥂&Franco & Mario were GREAT hosts 🥰🥰 The atmosphere was lovely & we had an AB FAB night😊 THANX Franco 💙😘

Gorgeous restaurant, servers are so attentive. Food is out of this world good. Really quality hidden gem.

Wife and I called in on Thursday 8th August. What a fantastic place probably the best Italian we’ve been to the food and service were excellent can’t praise enough. The Italian cider is very good too👍

lovely food, we had seafood spaghetti and pizza, both good, lovely glass of red appassimento wine, nice ambiance and atmosphere, friendly staff

Perfect as always with Franco & Mario.

Very friendly staff, authentic food and reasonable prices

Franco and staff were genuinely lovely and kind, food was brilliant and value for money all round. Add in wonderful surroundings and I can see why this place is ranked no.1 on trip advisor. We’re not locals and I would recommend this place 100% to those looking for a lovely evening.

Excellent, food,service, atmosphere.

We come from Birmingham and once a year when we come to Trecco bay we always come here as the food is amazing and the staff are so friendly x

Franco created a small Italy in Pencoed. It's unbelievable how good the food is. Must have for any mediterranean food fan. Buon appetito!

Excellent food, the staff were friendly and helpful. Would strongly recommend.

Once again , Franco and the team nail it. We took our grandson for his eleventh birthday treat. He loves it there. Food perfect, hosting ..11 out of 10. ..once they discovered it was a birthday treat…hosting went to 12 out of 10. These guys are fantastic and food is amazing. We will return again and again…..Thank You to whole team.

Thank you to Franco and the team for an amazing birthday lunch. The staff were incredible with our 2 young children, serving them first and interacting with them. The food was superb and can’t wait to go back. Highly recommended.

Thank you to Franco and the team for an amazing birthday lunch. The staff were incredible with our 2 young children, serving them first and interacting with them. The food was superb and can’t wait to go back. Highly recommended.

Eight of us visited here for a girls night out to celebrate a birthday. Cannot praise it enough. Everyones food was delicious and reasonably priced. Staff were great - friendly but not over attentive. Such a nice atmosphere in the restaurant and Franco made it a very special evening. Recommended definitely.

I was here visiting from Canada back in April of 2024. I came with my parents and my aunt and uncle who are more than familiar with this place. The food, service, and all around atmosphere were TOP NOTCH. Had a wonderful afternoon and really appreciated the wonderful service.

We went to Franco’s to celebrate my daughter’s 18th birthday and had a wonderful meal. The welcome and service is second to none and the food was outstanding- the starters were all absolutely delicious and the tomato sauce that the cannelloni came in was outstanding. We will be back and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to all of our family and friends. In fact we already have!

An authentic Italian restaurant in the heart of Bridgend. Loved this little gem! Experienced a lovely family meal here with the in-laws and the service was on point. Could not have wished for better service. They were outstanding! Started with some great cocktails and moved on to apprises and main meals. Loved the pizza, chicken parm and the sea-bream. Their lunch time menus is great value for money.

Absolutely Delicious food, Excellent Service! HIGHLY RECOMMEND 5⭐️ Fabulous atmosphere such a hidden Gem!!! Can’t wait to come back!!

Franco is back! Excellent lunchtime meal with excellent food. Nothing is too much trouble. Wonderful atmosphere.

Food great staff very attentive

Asked for Ravioli Franco suggested The Canaloni....OMG outstanding! Great place , great staff I will return.thxs

Passing through Bridgend we decided on a pizza. Found this amazing takeaway under a full restaurant. Really friendly front of house and an excellent pizza for great value! Highly recommended! 👏🏻

Place and staff very welcoming. Service and food was excellent. My husband had haddock risotto for the first time and thoroughly enjoyed and would highly recommend you try it. Looking forward to our next visit

The food & service were excellent. Franco is a top host.

An absolute gem of a restaurant. The staff couldn’t have been more welcoming, especially for our toddler. Initially concerned over lack of children’s menu, but they could have anything on the menu just a smaller version. It was perfection. The food was delicious. Very impressed (and I hardly ever review but really needed to give credit where credit is due). We shall return.

Food was well cooked full of flavour. Great surroundings and service. Well worth a visit.

Outstanding. Quite possibly the best food in Bridgend. Service was amazing, prices were excellent!

Truly wonderful restaurant, outstanding food and the most friendly attentive staff. Each course was delicious and we can’t wait to return

We had a wonderful meal here. I'd already heard positive reviews from friends, but it exceeded my expectations. The food alone is worth coming back time and time again for....... But the service we received was outstanding. Great attention to detail and completely customer centric staff. Cannot wait to return.

An absolute gem of a place, really friendly staff who care about your experience, lovely building, and the food was superb

What more can I say about Franco and his staff that hasn’t been said before Excellent Excellent Excellent

I would like to thank Franko and his wonderfull staff for giving us an excellent night out. The food and the service was first class and the atmosphere in the restaraunt made it impossible not to have a good time!! Thanks again from the Robinson family.

Bravi one the best ever Italian / sicilian restaurant I've ever been in , in the UK. Proper Italian food and the owner who is Sicilian like me is a smashing chap , food top notch and service amazing. Kinda pricy but it's worth all the extra cost and more if appreciate great authentic food and service and atmospheric vibes then this is the place to take you other half your family friends lover or heck just yourself . I can not praise this place enough . It's a must try . You be glad you did. After you can take a stroll down Bridgend high street delightful place. And if the restaurant is to pricy for you there's always the pizza shop next door the same people own it and that to does not disappoint. Both places also offer veg and vegan options when requested .

Celebrated our Niece’s 18th Birthdsy last night we LOVED it, excellent food, atmosphere and service…. We were so well looked after nothing was too much trouble thanks so much we will be back 😊

Excellent food and excellent service.

Booked for 6.30 but got there 7pm beyond our control. Rain20mph. Friendly welcome and staff fab. Franco takes orders. Had drinks and mussel/prawn starters. Mains lasagne and il vecchio. Sides mushrooms and salad plus cheesy garlic bread. Dessert 2 rum babas. Thoughly enjoyed the atmosphere and abience. Left 8.40. Superb food and staff great,definately be back here.

Gorgeous restaurant. The food was incredible - the best Mussels I have ever had. The service was amazing, staff were really welcoming and attentive. Will definitely be coming back

My wife and I went for lunch today, I can honestly say one of the best meals we have had out in ages, Franco and staff make it a great experience- food and wines outstanding, brilliant find.

Consistently excellent food, great staff and a pleasure to visit.

Another amazing meal. Food was outstanding and staff were great as usual. Highly recommended for any occasion! Love it here!!

Good food, excellent service, brilliant surroundings and great company.

Without a doubt, absolutely the best restaurant in Bridgend and the best Italian we've been to. Food is delicious, a great choice of wines and you relax as soon as you walk through the doors. Franco, Mario & staff make the experience with their exceptional welcome and service throughout the visit. Can't recommend highly enough. Thank you

Without a doubt, absolutely the best restaurant in Bridgend and the best Italian we've been to. Food is delicious, a great choice of wines and you relax as soon as you walk through the doors. Franco, Mario & staff make the experience with their exceptional welcome and service throughout the visit. Can't recommend highly enough. Thank you.

Absolutely fabulous dining experience. Food was exceptionally delicious. The venue warm and friendly with such a lovely atmosphere. The staff were kind and super efficient and Franco was simply the best! Well done everyone 👍

I visited Franco’s Restaurant with friends to celebrate two Birthdays 🎂 The restaurant was lovely 😍The atmosphere was great 😊The service Franco & his staff provided was excellent ❤️💙& the food was DELICIOUS 😋 I will certainly visit again & will recommend it to others !

One of my favourite places. Franco and his staff make the place a but special.

Couldn't ask for more, fantastic service and accommodated us last minute on NYE after being let down by a poor Bridgend Bistro. Amazing food and delicious wines... Great experience al round and we will be back for sure.

Absolutely superb food and excellent service . Franco made us feel very welcome. Highly recommend ….

Lovely food and service as always. Won't be disappointed

Absolutely stunning food, Really nice service, Amazing atmosphere, See you soon!!!

This is by far the best restaurant to visit in Bridgend. We came for Christmas Eve. It was outstanding. We were well catered for and the staff couldn’t have been any better! This is a definite must for a visit!

Excellent staff highly recommend

A fabulous birthday lunch with our family for grandsons birthday.. Franco as always so welcoming and made our grandsons birthday very special. All the waiters were happy friendly and nothing too much trouble. Food was excellent nothing ‘bought in’ and just heated up everything cooked fresh we all had different meals and thoroughly enjoyed. A definite 5* from us

Excellent food, service and reasonable price

Everything up to Franco's usual high standards, always a wonderful welcome from mine host, great food & a lovely atmosphere.

I had a very nice meal. My steak was cooked exactly as I asked and was very tender.

Best Italian restaurant…. Great food great staff and amazing drinks! Never disappointed.

There’s absolutely no doubt Franco is the best front of house in Bridgend. Always love this restaurant but today exceeded all previous visits.The asparagus starter was as good as always. The linguine fruitti di mare was a new special and was outstanding . Good luck Franco with the new extension . Faultless service always

Such a lovely restaurant. We had a very warm welcome. Excellent food and a lovely birthday surprise. We will definitely visit again soon!

Had a fabulous evening at Il Vecchio. The food was absolutely stunning. Friendly and helpful staff. The atmosphere was great. Would highly recommend this place. Book a table, as it is very popular. Will definitely return.

Beautiful building and interior and delicious food

Great waiters, friendly and lovely .

First time we have been wont be the last everything first class

Great food, great service, nice atmosphere- visited as a group of 4, everything was excellent. Simple short menu but all our choices were a delight. Would highly recommend 👍

Tripadvisor rates this restaurant era highly. This led me to seeking out venue. I was not disappointed. Francos is outstanding. Greeted as if we were regular customers. Franco and his head waiter greeted me wife and grandchild 3 yrs old. Dining room pretty full by end of service. Wife ate table dhote menu (about£14 for 2 course) I had ala carte scallops and Franco recommended veal cutlet not on the menu. I hade aperitevo and large red wife had large white wine, iced water. Grandchild had nice bowl of pasta and was made a fuss of, oh and large plate of garlic bread for all to share. Quality was outstanding to match service. Unfortunately we live 250 miles away so may never visit again but anyone nor Bridgend should seek this diamond out. Thank you Franco

Gorgeous venue, incredible food and the most amazing owner. One of the nicest meals I’ve ever had in one of the loveliest places. Would 100 percent recommend and we will definitely be back!!

Jedna z najlepszych restauracji w Anglii czy w Polsce w jakich do tej pory byłam, a obsługa najlepsza! Na pewno tu wrócę. Polecam !!

It's stylish, classy, and always has an authentic Italian feel and welcome. Love going to Franco's, and there is always a warm greeting and hospitality from the owner and his staff. Food is always stunning, I can recommend the goats' cheese to start and the Risotto Haddock - both exceptional. Added a bonus free Tirumisu for the birthday girl. Def recommend.....but book in advance.

Absolutely top notch! I visited with friends under their recommendation. I was thinking of having a pizza, but this restaurant does not seem to do pizza. However, thoughts of pizza were soon forgotten when I ordered a pasta dish off the menu. The food is fantastic. The atmosphere is great. And I really like the fact they don't rush you. We were the last people in the restaurant, and they were not in a hurry for us to leave. If you want to eat in a classy place and have wonderful food and atmosphere, this may well be the place for you. I would say, make sure you book beforehand!

Always a great welcome and food and wine superb , highly recommended

Had lovely meal here staff are really friendly food is excellent we will come back

What an absolutely beautiful little hidden gem! The walk through the beautiful little brick alley to start just sets the mood of walking the streets of Italy and the staff are all so welcoming and accommodating! The food was beautiful, I had the king prawns...

My wife and derided on the day to go out for our anniversary We had a lovely meal, it was fresh and piping hot and served promptly. The staff were friendly, attentive and knowledgable. We would definitely go back, we will also try the takeaway...

Absolutely amazing food and wonderful warm service Everything from the moment we arrived was spot on from the warm welcome to pristine table cloths and beyond Great choice on the menu and something for everyone House wine was very nice and perfected complimented the food...

Lovely evening, food was great, customer service is second to none!

Excellent food & service Highly recommend Could not fault anything Staff are great & efficient Ower great guy

Fantastic meal with friends on a Saturday lunchtime. Great atmosphere and spotlessly clean. The food was excellent and service was impeccable. Looking forward to the next time we are visiting friends in Wales.

Fabulous experience in Franco's every time.

Treatment at this establishment is horrible. The owner resorts to lying about incidents that can be corroborated by many others. Any form of abuse, especially racial abuse should not be tolerated anywhere. Appalled to see it here.

Franco gives his food and customers lots of care and attention. It is always the same love going there

The experience at this restaurant was horrible. The owner is a racist that wont apologise or take any accountability for his wrongdoings, and embarrassingly uses his own family to manipulate reviews. Horrible people. Would avoid if you are not white or Italian as the owner will insult and degrade you to your face for being from another country (which is incredibly ironic). The sheer ignorance within this restaurant is appalling. I would like them to address this continual issue and learn from this as it is not okay in this day and age.

I see that the first post by a Mr. Khan alleged racist statements from the owner. On reading further posts I see that the person making these allegations was the delivery person for Just Eat and was 2 hours late delivering a meal on behalf of that restaurant. Has he and his 2 other reviewing friends ever had a meal at the restaurant? It may be that Mr. Khan has been reprimanded by the Just Eat company and has now decided to make the ultimate slur against Mr. Scuto being racist. This I know for a fact to be the biggest load of rubbish I’ve ever heard as Mr. Scuto is married to a person of colour and has mixed race children. I have never had a bad experience at the restaurant. Wonderful food, excellent service and first class atmosphere. Read the rest of the 5 star reviews to get a better unbiased opinion.

Fantastic food outstanding service

Had a works party here. Food amazing, staff very friendly, Franco is a wonderful host. A must if in the area and near a car park too.

Ex food and service! Franco never fails to deliver....❤️