Franko's Italian Steakhouse

Ask me where I want to eat in Franklin county and I always come up with the same answer and of course it is Franko’s. Don’t get me wrong Franklin county offers some amazing options when it comes to food, beer, and wine. We wrote about them in our article titled the 12 Best Food and Beverage Spots In Franklin County.

But this article is about Frankos which is located in the heart of the revitalized downtown of Franklinton. This is a gem of an eatery (we have many friends who drive from Raleigh to enjoy the food here).

It is located in the now burgeoning Main Street district that houses many fun places to eat, drink and even smoke cigars. There is a speakeasy, a brewery, a mexican restaurant, a cafe, a cigar bar, and we hear a sports bar is on its way.

Some of these photos were taken when they first launched the addition of their pizzaria to the steakhouse. Now you can order from either option and sit both upstairs or down.

Based on the demand to get a table here this was a wise decision on the part of their leadership. We love both upstairs and down and the food is just exceptional.

Downstairs used to be a tad more formal with high backed leather booths and chairs, white tablecloths drape the tables. Around the bar in the back are a few high-top tables which we have also dined at.

When we last visited in the past, upstairs had more of an Angus barn kind of feel with exposed wood ceilings, wooden and leather chairs, and checkered tablecloths adorned the tables.

Today the whole restaurant is more uniformed with the same chairs and white table cloths both upstairs and down.

The Dining Vibe

The Seating

When it comes to seating, here is where Frankos also gets great marks from us.

Cushy leather couches and chairs to rest upon while you sip a cocktail or a glass of wine.

Check out the bar seating upstairs with these oh so comfy on our back side chairs. I sat here and ate pizza and sipped wine and could not have been more comfortable. A seat like this makes you feel anything but rushed.

The Art

While we are on the topic of the vibe. Let’s show you some of the art that is showcased around the exposed brick walls.

There is much to look at and it is all done in a fun and playful vibe. These first two prints sit at the upstairs bar.

Man and woman are also well represented in the upstairs dining room with these abstract prints.

This fun abstract shows the pizza oven and the wine being poured. While the colorful rooster wears the chef hat. They even got the detail down to the checkered tablecloth.

Here are the Franko’s owners Justin Bee and Nunzio Scordo proudly standing by the newly installed pizza oven.

Adult Beverages At Franko's

Franko’s has a great selection of white and red wines along with their signature sangrias.
They offer a full bar menu as well. We have had lovely martinis and other mixed cocktails from their bar. This bottle of Rattlesnake from Sonoma was recommended to us by our server and it was a nice accompaniment to our meal.

The cocktails at Franko’s are equally amazing. My husband had a barrel infused Manhattan.

I opted to drink my dessert which was a Tiramisu-tini. Oh…it was so good! Creamy, sweet, and coffee flavored with a crunchy lady finger rested on the top.

The Pizza

When we first visited the Pizzeria there were many choices of Pizza, my understanding is that they have scaled back the number of pizza choices since they have opened the restaurant to a full menu on both floors.

Below are one of the red and one of the white pizzas. The Meatball pizza and the Rosemary pizza.
I crave the Rosemary with a nice glass of their red wine.

Last I checked they offer only three pizzas on their menu now. They are the Hot Honey with Pepperoni which is very good. A Margherita Pizza, and a Bianco Pizza which has the rosemary that I love.

The Steaks

Okey enough about the pizza already. This is an Italian Steakhouse so lets get on with what you can expect for food when eating at my favorite steak restaurant in Franklin County.

First of all, you can expect quality- the steak is the best cuts around and they are cooked to perfection.
We were told the first time we dined here to get the ribeye.

Franko’s offers a bone in and a boneless ribeye. We have had the boneless many times and it never disappoints.

I do love a good fillet and the one that is served here is fantastic, but overall the ribeye just has more flavor.

What is all that on top of the steaks ? That is roasted garlic and herb butter and I could lick it off the plate, it is that good.

The steaks st Franko’s are served with a choice of roasted garlic potato puree, mac n cheese or steak fries. As far as I am concerned the only suitable option with a nice cut of meat like this is the puree.

Personally, I wish they just offered a baked potato. The puree to me is a bit like watered down mashed I still prefer it over the other more pub food like options

In the past I ordered it expecting it to be better and am a bit let down. Last night was the exception, the puree was more potato forward, a bit thicker and I actually liked it.

The Appetizers

Oh I have jumped ahead to the entrees before even speaking about appetizers. So let’s back up and talk about those for just a moment.

The fried calamari was very good, it was cooked properly. I look for the tentacles they are prefered over the rings. I am happy to report they had both.

We ordered both a tomato sauce and an aioli to dip. I would have liked a pepper sauce for some zing when dipping or more hot italian peppers mixed with the squid it self.

Last night we had the burrata appetizer the flavors were on point with the sweet candied figs and gooey cheese drizzled in herbs and olive oil.

We were a bit let down by whomever sliced the prosciutto. It is meant to be sliced paper thin and it was not. It was tough to cut and chewy to eat. We had it as a shared appetizer with friends last time we dined at Franko’s and the general consensus around the table was Yum!

Sides At Franko's

Got to get those greens in and at Frankos you have some choices. They offer three salad options a Caesar, a wedge, or a bibb. All sound amazing but my husband likes a Caesar so when in Rome…

What did I think, it was fresh, it was garlicky, I had the anchovies on the side so we were both happy.

My favorite green at Frankos is by far the asparagus. Big thick stalks that looked like the big green giant just picked them himself. Covered in butter and seasoned perfectly. I want these every meal. I do not care that they cost extra they are worth sharing.

Dessert At Franko's

Last time we visited there was only three options for dessert and we have tried all three. Starting with the cannoli.

I am from Boston where some of the best cannolis come from the bakeries in the North End. You will hear arguments over if like Mike’s or Modern best. Frankly if you ever visit Boston the are both so fantastic and you can not go wrong with either.

Unfortunately Franko’s cannoli did not rate, it was just an okay cannoli.

Next we tried the 7- layer chocolate cake. How can you go wrong? I love chocolate and the more layers the better, right? Well….it was dry and nothing special.

Before I gave up on Franko’s desserts all together a staff member talked me into trying the tiramisu. I had low expectations based on my two previous experiences.

Then the coffee flavors hit my palet and the cake melted in my mouth. This was a night and day difference from that store bought tasting chocolate cake.
Wahoo we have a winner! The tiramisu was as good as any North End Boston Bakery.

I later found out that at that time the tiramisu was the only housemade dessert offered on the menu at Franko’s. Now they have added a fouth dessert, it is a in house made pistachio cheesecake.

The cheesecake had a green layer of pistachio over the normal cheese layer and it was drizzled with a beautiful raspberry sauce. It was topped with more chopped pistachio nuts.

My husband is the cheesecake lover in out household and he was quite pleased.

Our Rating

Franko’s opened its doors in 2023 with lots of restaurant experience behind the venture. Both Justin and Nunzio were owners of the Driftwood Cantina in Lafayette Village.

We live close enough that we can order takeout and the Italian entrees such as the meatballs and Chicken parm are fantastic!

The high end steakhouse has been a big hit with the locals and those from surrounding towns as well. We have friends who visit often all the way from North Raleigh’s Wakefield area.

We feel fortunate that Justin and Nunzio along with their investor partners Joe and Stephanie Farrell have bet on Franklinton for the long haul.

Franko’s Italian Steakhouse is living proof that if you serve quality, people will pay for it.

What is the rating that we give them? Well, a Five Hearts Out Of Five of Course!