Francesca’s Fortunato

The fried calamari is excellent. Lightly fried. Not overdone. Best I have had in a long time and much better than other Francesca’s locations. Dinner menu is heavy on the seafood which was appreciated by everyone in my family. My swordfish was very good and I would order it again. Our server, Kathy, was very attentive and helpful. A really good option for dining in Frankfort. Even my often crotchety, hard to please italian grandparents (haha) enjoyed themselves.

The woman that cleans this restaurant should get a raise. It is always so clean. The staff is always great and the food is so good. The staff and consistency of the staff and food make it great. I have gone there since they opened and have not had a bad meal well… there could be more Marsala wine in the Chicken Marsala but it is always great. The staff has been there for so long. We had a rehearsal dinner there and and it was amazing… Love the staff. I would suggest forget fat Rosises (bad service) and go to a place that is wonderful.

I’ve been here a few times for dinner parties and lunches. The food is always good, occasionally even above average. But the service is poor every time I go. Most recently I took my mom there for lunch to use up some gift cards. And again the food was fine: mushroom polenta, rigatoni, chicken saltimbocca, profiteroles, lava cake, all delicious. But yet again the service left a bad taste in my mouth. To start, the hostess seemed bothered that we even walked in. Once seated our waiter Mario could not have been less interested in our dining experience. We got off on the wrong foot when I ordered a pepsi/​coke and his response was «diet?» um no, if I want diet I’ll ask you thanks. He brought our drinks and took our orders. He really needs to work on either his customer service skills or his poker face because he seemed quite annoyed that we ordered appetizers AND entrees.
They utilize runners to bring the food out, and they were polite and pleasant as could be. Never once were we asked for a refill or a second mixed drink. I think that’s bizarre through 3 courses. A runner brought us a dessert menu. After walking past our table 3 times our waiter stopped and took our dessert order. Again Mario, need to work on the poker face. He seemed thoroughly disgusted at our decision to have dessert. First of all, your income is based on a % of the bill so maybe you should be encouraging the up-​sell. Second of all, I don’t care about your views on my eating habits. And third, we were trying to rack up the bill to utilize the gift card.
And it’s not just poor Mario who’s name I happen to have on last month’s receipt, service is an issue every time I have been here. Either annoyed and disinterested or rushing you so fast you barely have time to chew. It’s a shame, and I feel bad for the kitchen staff as they are doing their part.
All in all decent food, but crappy service.

Excellent service, though, I would have preferred the wine bottle poured in front of me. Who knows if they gave us the correct wine?! Excellent salmon. Well done. Good place for a date.

In a word, average.
I wouldn’t avoid Francesca’s Fortunata, but I wouldn’t be in any hurry to come back without first exploring the many other options in the area.
This place confused me as I’m not sure who it is aimed at servicing. Food is average (mostly, some dishes (bruschetta for example) are below average), service is average, prices border on above average, ambience is zero (the place is very noisy) and the paper on the tablecloths is a big no-​no as far as I’m concerned (if you want to be the sort of place that has tablecloths you need to expect to pay for laundry, not go cheap and nasty).
Unfortunately I couldn’t recommend Francesca’s for much more than a noisy night out with low expectations.

Francesca is wayyyyy better than La Dolce Vita.
Not many choices in Frankfort for dining but a recent experience at La Dolce Vita narrowed it down to one… Francesca’s.
Went to La Dolce Vita for 25^th anniversary and was greatly disappointed. Sent wrong appetizer salad twice.
And then after waiting for entrees (which was shrimp scampi that doesn’t take long to cook) for 1.5 hours we thought it had finally arrived when the waitress put two plates down, only to have her pick them up and take to next table over. I thought she was kidding. At that point we decided to leave. No apology from manager or good will compensation. Still waiting for response from email I sent but won’t hold breath.
Never had a bad experience at Francesca and realize now we should have gone there instead.

To sum it up: Good food but bad service. I have actually been here on multiple occasions. Some experiences have been better than others but I can say truthfully I’ve never had «amazing» service, and I do believe service is very important and can make or break your entire experience. Nothing more off putting to the overall ambiance of a dinner experience than an awful waitress.
Went here with my parents and my child for Grandparents Day. When we got there, there were only 3 other tables currently occupied in the entire restaurant. So I almost couldn’t belive it when the hostess was going to sit us RIGHT next to another group of people at a small, smooshed, corner table. Normally this wouldn’t be such an issue, at a place like this it’s already a fight for personal space to begin with. However, when spacious seating is available than there is absolutely no need to cram guests on top of eachother. We might as well have been eating at the table with the other guests, the tables were so close together, I’m not kidding! I asked to please be seated elsewhere. Why it seemed to dumbfound the hostess and bus-​woman was beyond me. I requested to sit in a different corner booth just a few tables over and the bus-​woman almost seemed as though she took it personally. She fought with me saying that it was a booth for 5 people. We had 4 people. 3 adults and one baby. Okayyy. Good God there was nobody there and peak hours were not even in the nearest future. What were they saving it for? Meanwhile I’m holding my baby in the carseat just waiting to be seated so my arms can rest as she continues to tell me how «that booth is for 5 people.» I finally had enough of listening to her and asked for a manager. I was finally sat.
The waitress quite frankly sucked. Zero personality. Like absolutely none at all. When I pointed out that my glass was dirty, she didn’t seem to care and nonchalantly replaced it, in no hurry at all. Gross.
I will say the food was good. Everybody enjoyed what they ordered. The atmosphere and overall appearance of the restaurant is nice.
But again, the waitress sucked. And even though the restaurant was damn near empty, she was very slow. Service could have been a lot more friendly and hospitable.
I did not feel welcome or appreciated here.
I did come here once before for a friend’s baby shower and the food was good then too. So their food is good. All the other times I’ve been here to eat I have always had issues with the seating. They seem to struggle with that. Don’t expect to have any elbow room here, because even if there is only one other guest in the entire place, odds are they’re likely to sit you right on their table. ;)

This has been a family favorite for a long time. The only reason I’ve given the restaurant 4 stars, rather than 5, is their mediocre pasta and loud atmosphere. When I go to an italian restaurant, I want the pasta to melt in my mouth. Sadly, I’ve never experience this at Francesca’s. Also, beware: if you go on a Friday or Saturday night, you will have to shout to be heard.
That being said, their pizza is amazing. I highly recommend try every. single. one. Their desserts are also excellent. I love all types of ice-​cream and their gelato definitely satisfies my sweet tooth.
The service is hit or miss. I’ve found my favorite servers and I ask to sit in their section. Otherwise, the food comes out slow and I feel that I have to stalk my waiter.

Been a fan of Francesca’s for such a long time. BUT, and here comes the but, and here it comes. THIS is a restaurant that went from fabulous to nothing. A long time ago there was a General manager by the name of Joe, Joey once you got to know him. The food was excellent, the staff magnificent. Since he was promoted, transferred, from then till now, that place has gone down like the Titanic. I’m so disappointed, because it was one of our favorite places. Now I do what I can to avoid it. For what they charge they should be ashamed. It put such a bad taste in my mouth, I haven’t even tried the other locations.

Excellent service. Delicious food. I’d recommend calling ahead with a reservation. We came on a Wed night and there was an hour and a half wait.

Always wonderful. The food, the ambiance, the décor, we just love this place. The menu constantly changes adding to the reason we love Francesca’s Fortunato.
We celebrated the anniversary of our engagement here and it was awesome. I had a variation on fruite del mare with a spicy pomodoro sauce that was fantastic. My wife had a salmon entrée that was excellent and she is not a big fish eater. Dessert was an apple rhubarb pastry puff with vanilla gelato that we shared (enough for two).

It was our first time last Thursday. For a weekday, it was somewhat busy. We had a 8pm reservation and we got there 15 mins early. We were sat right away.
We got two items from the special menu, and both were delicious. And to top it off, we weren’t sure of what dessert to get, so our server Ruben surprised us with three different ones to try .
The atmosphere of this is place is relaxing but it seems in busy days It can get loud.
This has nothing to do with the restaurant, nor the food or service, but people eating here might look at you differently if your a minority. All I can say is that enjoy yourself and the food ! :-)

This is an example of an excellent restaurant that has changed for the worse over the years. We were regular diners here and never had any complaints until about two years ago when they obviously started enforcing a «time» limit on diners. It is not unusual to be seated, get bread, order dinner, be eating a salad or appetizer and have your dinner arrive in less than ten minutes. Consistently we have been rushed to the point that we have only stayed 40 minutes tops. We never even have the opportunity to order a second drink or finish our appetizer or salad before the entrée arrives. And it is obvious this is happening regularly because the waiter disappears after dinner is served, and the servers hang out taking used dishes like vultures.
Let me not forget National Pasta day when we were given awful treatment because we ordered the small plates of pasta specials. The waiter said several times it wouldn’t be enough for us to eat, but in reality the small plates were just fine. Oh did the waiter have an attitude toward us. Obviously because he felt he wouldn’t get much of a tip from us. We defiantly were out of the restaurant in 30 minutes and I thought… why did they advertise this special when they we were made to feel like we were a waste of a table for the waiter?
I won’t return to this restaurant again. There are too many choices of fine Italian dining available that do not rush their patrons as they do now at this restaurant. And I do not speak for just myself. My son and his wife have had the same experience and will no longer frequent this restaurant. They have lost the personal touch and ambiance they once had.
Try the barbque restaurant/​sports bar for ambiance that is located next door! More fun, relaxed and no rushing here. Of course it is not Italian dining, but the experience is as important as the food and Francesca Fortunato has lost the «experience» along the way. They obviously are in to table turnover at the expense of providing a relaxed dining experience.

All the food was amazing. The only problem was the person ordering. With limited menu choices and no red meat option. I was hoping to get ravioli or spaghetti. But these choices had ingredients I didn’t normally eat with pasta.
Ended up with a pizza. Pizza was good. Ordered the neopolian with olive oil.
I’ve never ordered a pizza out before. I won’t be coming back. Just not my type of restaurant.
Not 5 star due to crowded seating arrangement. Very loud. Be aware. And for some reason very popular. Make sure you get reservations. And limited meat selection.

Do not see the big draw here. The restaurant itself is very nice. The food is overpriced for the size of potions and when you add the fact it is ala carte makes it not worth the price for value. I do not mind paying higher prices if the quantity and quality support that. This place does not. Having said that and having dined here a number of times, not by choice, the food is decent. Seems lots of women like to go here which is nice if that is your main reason for coming here but not for. There are many better choices in the area but this place is ok if you have to come here.

I attended a baby shower here over the weekend. I was incredibly impressed by the level of care and service – as well as the food – and will make this my new go-​to spot for any future events I plan.
To start, the customer service was extraordinary. As soon as we arrived (35 minutes early) we were greeted and our coats were checked. The space was already set up and our server brought beverages right away, even though the party wasn’t officially started. The food we were served was a salad, some kind of alfredo penne and chicken with this wonderful sauce and eggplant, zucchini and squash. All of it was family style, but it was still served piping hot. I was surprised as I’ve started to equate parties to sub-​par food, but that wasn’t the case at all. We were also given some kind of dessert that was a pastry with homemade gelato. The dessert was the highlight of the party, of course.
The space was comfy and 6 tables fit with still enough room to walk around. There was also plenty of room for the mountain of gifts that my friend received.
I can’t recommend Francesca’s enough for a private party. You’ll have a nice time and your guests will too, which isn’t always the case at these types of events.

Francesca’s is easily the best restaurant in the area. Service is great and I’ve never heard of someone not liking their food.
My personal favorite is the calamari appetizer, the tagliatelle alfredo or the vodka rigatoni for an entrée, and the chocolate lava cake if you want dessert. The servings of pasta are very large, so you always get to box up a meal for lunch the next day!

Francesca’s really annoyed me the other weekend. I made reservations for my mom and I. When I walked in and mentioned it to the hostess she said nothing to me. Nothing. We stood there waiting for 15 minutes. She even sat a walk in! Then I lost it. She said we would be sat in 5 minutes. So we finally sit down 15 minutes after our reservation time and after a walk-​in was sat ahead of us. Not off to a good start.
We then sat and sat at our table waiting for service. She slowly came over to us and was clearly in no hurry to get us anything. We ordered the tomato and blue cheese salad and calamari. This is always what we start with. The calamari was awful. I have no idea what the issue was. I’ve never honestly had calamari this terrible. I blame myself on the salad. The ingredients were blah. Perhaps they should consider changing up the menu to focus on fresh ingredients.
We were so grossed out we decided to just split an entrée. We went with the spinach ravioli. It was OK. I was still starving after that so we split the pistachio gelato filled crème puffs as well. I was shocked that those were dry and just OK too.
I have no idea what is going on with Francesca’s. This used to be my favorite place to go. There has been a serious slip in the quality recently. I’m not sure if they don’t care because it’s packed every weekend? I won’t be back for dinner until I feel things have improved.

We went to Francesca’s last night for a late birthday celebration. It’s a more high-​end place than the other Italian restaurant in Frankfort, La Dolce Vita, and their menu is a little more innovative.
The food was excellent (skate wing in a tangy cream sauce with tomatoes and capers with sautéed spinach on the side for me; 4-​ounce beef medallions so tender you could cut them with a fork, along with new potatoes with a sour cream sauce for the hubby) and the wine (XYZin Old Vine Zinfandel) was a great recommendation from our server.
So why only a three-​star review? Mostly for the service. They effed-​up twice — once when my husband received only one beef medallion when the specials menu clearly said two, and again at the end of the meal when our waitress brought us the wrong bill. They rectified both mistakes cheerfully and with apologies, but you still don’t expect to see slip-​ups like that in a high-​end place, even on a busy Friday night. We’re usually big tippers, but the experience was enough for us to just leave the standard 15%.
Francesca’s Fortunato is still worth a visit, but they need to be more conscientious about their customer service.

We were going on a work lunch and a coworker suggested Francesca’s. I do not live out by Frankfort so I had no clue of this place.
Well I was happy we came here but a little mad I couldn’t try out the wine menu and had to return to work. Someone recommended a pizza so I ordered one with sausage and mushroom.
Before the entrée’s came out, we got bread and oil on the table. Most my coworkers had salads and soups.
I was just waiting for my pizza. Wow, was it great! The thin cracker like crust was much like I’d expect at an authentic Italian place.
My coworkers all loved their pasta. The best part about this place is that even if I recommend a dish, their menu changes often so you might not be able to order it. It’s great because the restaurant can focus on a handful of good dishes at a time and rotate their meals.
Since lunch was on my employer, we all ordered a delicious dessert. I really wanted the tiramasu but they have a lava cake that called my name. The service isn’t super fast here, so sit back and enjoy your meal!
I would definitely return here and bring some friends.