Little Frankies Carlisle Review
Little Frankie's
Carlisle
Reviewed by Talisa Irving
My partner and I recently took our 3 (almost 4) year old daughter out to Little Frankie's in Carlisle as a treat. It was a cold January night but on entering the restaurant it was lovely and warm, we were greeted at the door and swiftly shown to our table. We were given a booth at the window, great for a bit of people watching in between courses. My daughter was given a play pack which consisted of an activity book, puzzle and a pencil, it was slightly advanced for her age but this didn't matter as we all had fun doing it together.
The general atmosphere in the restaurant was very relaxed and it had a great family feel to it. The decor was the usual Italian/American styling I would associate with Frankie and Benny's and everywhere was exceptionally clean. The staff were all very attentive and welcoming.
The menu had a great selection, both my partner and my daughter are extremely fussy eaters but both had plenty of choices to pick from. Both my partner and I opted for a burger and fries and our daughter chose a margarita pizza from the junior menu. The price of a burger and fries was slightly more than I'd expect to pay, however children's meals are free with a paying adult and this also includes a drink and a dessert.
I also noticed on the menu that they offered organic baby purées for both 7m+ and 10m+. We have 10 month old twins who were at home with granny on this occasion but thought this was a great idea as its usually a bit of a hassle preparing and storing food for both of them when we want to eat out.
The food took slightly longer to arrive than I anticipated considering the restaurant seemed relatively quiet. When it did arrive my partners burger had salad which he had distinctly told the waiter he didn't want, however this was quickly rectified and the waiter quickly brought him a burger minus the veg. Both portions of burger and fries were of a good size as was our daughters pizza and I really couldn't pick any faults with the food. The fries were nice and crispy and the burger appeared to be good quality and cooked just right. The pizza (which I had a few sneaky bites of had a true authentic taste and just the right balance of cheese and tomato). We were also brought a selection of sauces without having to ask.
After the main course our daughter needed a trip to the toilet, upon entering the ladies toilets I was quite disappointed. The theme of the restaurant hadn't been carried through and they were notably cold, even arriving back at the table in the warm restaurant I was still shivering. I cannot fault the cleanliness though, they were spotless.
For dessert my partner ordered a cinnamon waffle, my daughter had an ice cream sundae from the children's menu and I went for a sundae too. There was lots of choice on the dessert menu and there were many sundaes to choose from, I was instantly drawn to the chocolaty 'East Coast'. The desserts arrived fairly quickly and were consumed fairly quick too. Again I couldn't find a fault with the food. Our daughters sundae came with a pack of Cadbury's Buttons which she stashed away to eat in the car on the way home.
Overall we had a very pleasant visit to Little Frankie's, we will definitely return in the future with all three of our children. It’s hard to find places that serve good quality food but also offer a family friendly environment. I noticed that offer a lunchtime special of two course for around £8 which I thought was great value so we will definitely keep it in mind if we are in town for a bit of weekday shopping.
Rating: 4/5
For more information or to view menu's visit their website here.
