I've been here a few times and have never been disappointed. Apart from the food been top notch i love the actual building and the cosiness inside the restaurant. Shout out to all the staff, especially the young lady who liked my wifes t-shirt! She was very professional and training staff at the same time! Why would i need to go to any other Italian restaurant when this place is ?
Helen Millican
Came in for Mother's day. Although extremely busy on both floors & a queue going out the door, we were seen to by a smart & friendly member of staff.The food came in a timely manner for how packed out they were & what tasty authentic Italian. The portion sizes for the money is brilliant (you will need a doggy bag if you're not ravenous!)All in all a wonderful experience for the whole family.Read through a few of these reviews & I have to say what utter nonsense towards this beautiful little restaurant that has stood the test of time better than any other I can remember!Dietary restrictions: A whole menu for Gluten free!
Chris A
Wonderful food, lovely people and great atmosphere.
Soozy
Very tasty food, great atmosphere, wonderful owners. Love
Liane Ostell
Lovely food served by nice friendly helpful waitress. Booked for a Friday night at short notice. Had pizzas and side dishes which were really nice. Would definitely return.Parking: No onsite parking due to being in town centre but plenty of car parks or free street parking depending when you go
Willma26
Good food. VERY LONG wait. AWFUL service.
garymJ125RQ
We came for lunch on Christmas Eve thinking this would be more authentic than Pizza Express down the road...starter of minestrone was nice enough, but my partner's garlic bread starter was pretty tough and had a strange taste and texture to it. Both had spaghetti Bolognese for main. This surely is a staple dish in any restaurant calling itself Italian, but we've never had one like this! As another reviewer has mentioned, the meat sauce had a strange taste and the spaghetti tasted like it had been cooked in washing up water to be honest. Service was ok to be fair, but I don't know who was in the kitchen that day...not sure we'd make a return visit next time we visit Carlisle. Not normally given to writing reviews, but money is tight - this wasn't as good as it should have been.
Chris A
Lovely place in a very unique location, possibly the oldest building in the city except the castle and cathedral. Wooden floors and beams paired with hand painted walls create a lovely atmosphere. Food is great, lovely bolognese and fettuccine florentina especially. Great service and staff.
Vbpal6
Atmosphere was great! Loved the feta cheese florentina, well worth the price. Would go again for sure.
Roving21324870495
Enjoyable Christmas party a group of us had a selection of pizza &pasta ' my pizza was excellent meatball will definitely go back we all enjoyed it
The last time I ate here was terrible, but everyone has an off day so as my cousin booked it I decided to give it another go. We were a group and all had something different or we thought it was. The cannelloni and lasagna were identical and when it was put in front of the even the staff member said they were not sure if it was cannelloni or lasagna ? what kind of meat they use is a mystery. The Penne Matriciana was extremely over cooked and not al dente. Reheated? Probably. Gamberoni all’aglio forget it. The pizza was edible if you are desperate. But everyone on our table left almost all their food. What is impossible to understand is the number of items on the menu. It is impossible to have all fresh ingredients for the number of items shown as any great chef will tell you. If you want real great Italian food go to Amato’s or Sanna’s but please don’t go to Franco’s and waste your money. No doubt the owner will disagree
Tracey Bennett
Absolutely amazin food one our fav places ?
julie clanahan
1st time at Francos. Mum fancied Italian for lunch so thought we would give it a go. We were not disappointed. Food was amazing as was the
Alan J
Its been a while since we visited Franco's and it will be a while before we go back as our experience wasn't great. The food wasn't great in comparison to other Italian restaurants in Carlisle, we thought that the food was overpriced for what we received and the place itself looked tired and worn. The lady that served us didn't look too happy at being there, I don't think we will be going back in the future.
Ian S
Extremely poor. If I hadn't, been told I would never have guessed my dish was carbonara. My friend,s pizza was OK as was the anti pasta mixta. I won.t be back.
I've been here a few times and have never been disappointed. Apart from the food been top notch i love the actual building and the cosiness inside the restaurant. Shout out to all the staff, especially the young lady who liked my wifes t-shirt! She was very professional and training staff at the same time! Why would i need to go to any other Italian restaurant when this place is ?
Came in for Mother's day. Although extremely busy on both floors & a queue going out the door, we were seen to by a smart & friendly member of staff.The food came in a timely manner for how packed out they were & what tasty authentic Italian. The portion sizes for the money is brilliant (you will need a doggy bag if you're not ravenous!)All in all a wonderful experience for the whole family.Read through a few of these reviews & I have to say what utter nonsense towards this beautiful little restaurant that has stood the test of time better than any other I can remember!Dietary restrictions: A whole menu for Gluten free!
Wonderful food, lovely people and great atmosphere.
Very tasty food, great atmosphere, wonderful owners. Love
Lovely food served by nice friendly helpful waitress. Booked for a Friday night at short notice. Had pizzas and side dishes which were really nice. Would definitely return.Parking: No onsite parking due to being in town centre but plenty of car parks or free street parking depending when you go
Good food. VERY LONG wait. AWFUL service.
We came for lunch on Christmas Eve thinking this would be more authentic than Pizza Express down the road...starter of minestrone was nice enough, but my partner's garlic bread starter was pretty tough and had a strange taste and texture to it. Both had spaghetti Bolognese for main. This surely is a staple dish in any restaurant calling itself Italian, but we've never had one like this! As another reviewer has mentioned, the meat sauce had a strange taste and the spaghetti tasted like it had been cooked in washing up water to be honest. Service was ok to be fair, but I don't know who was in the kitchen that day...not sure we'd make a return visit next time we visit Carlisle. Not normally given to writing reviews, but money is tight - this wasn't as good as it should have been.
Lovely place in a very unique location, possibly the oldest building in the city except the castle and cathedral. Wooden floors and beams paired with hand painted walls create a lovely atmosphere. Food is great, lovely bolognese and fettuccine florentina especially. Great service and staff.
Atmosphere was great! Loved the feta cheese florentina, well worth the price. Would go again for sure.
Enjoyable Christmas party a group of us had a selection of pizza &pasta ' my pizza was excellent meatball will definitely go back we all enjoyed it
Restaurantji Recommends
The last time I ate here was terrible, but everyone has an off day so as my cousin booked it I decided to give it another go. We were a group and all had something different or we thought it was. The cannelloni and lasagna were identical and when it was put in front of the even the staff member said they were not sure if it was cannelloni or lasagna ? what kind of meat they use is a mystery. The Penne Matriciana was extremely over cooked and not al dente. Reheated? Probably. Gamberoni all’aglio forget it. The pizza was edible if you are desperate. But everyone on our table left almost all their food. What is impossible to understand is the number of items on the menu. It is impossible to have all fresh ingredients for the number of items shown as any great chef will tell you. If you want real great Italian food go to Amato’s or Sanna’s but please don’t go to Franco’s and waste your money. No doubt the owner will disagree
Absolutely amazin food one our fav places ?
1st time at Francos. Mum fancied Italian for lunch so thought we would give it a go. We were not disappointed. Food was amazing as was the
Its been a while since we visited Franco's and it will be a while before we go back as our experience wasn't great. The food wasn't great in comparison to other Italian restaurants in Carlisle, we thought that the food was overpriced for what we received and the place itself looked tired and worn. The lady that served us didn't look too happy at being there, I don't think we will be going back in the future.
Extremely poor. If I hadn't, been told I would never have guessed my dish was carbonara. My friend,s pizza was OK as was the anti pasta mixta. I won.t be back.