Franco

So sad to discover this great French fare a few days before its permanent closing. Service by Kathy was very personable and courteous. Tom, the owner swung by our table just to introduce himself and thank us for dining there. My steak frites was perfect and the cassoulet my wife ordered was as legit as the ones I grew up with.
My cocktail was with Gin and orange was delicious. The Tarte Tatin to cap it all off was consistent with the rest of the dinner: It took me back to my native Normandy.
Thanks for the experience. Sorry we didn’t find out about Franco earlier.

I went there with friends on new year’s eve expecting decent meals based on its reviews. I ordered duck belly which had a very strong and awkward taste… the seafood stew I ordered was decent but not worth the money ($ 24?). I saw an apricot flavor sparkling wine and told our waiter that I wanted something more sour and less strong and he came back with the same drink… other ppl in my group ordered steak, mussels and halibut and they liked their dishes.
The biggest disappointment of the night was actually the desert. We shared a petite fours. Everything is dry and very sweet and tastes like it’s been sitting in the fridge for too long.
Overall, I wanted to give the restaurant a good review given the good ambient and service. But the food is disappointing and way too pricy for what it’s worth ($ 108 for two ppl).

Food: 3.5
Service: 4.5
Ambiance: 4
Food:
The small plates were great. Although we were disappointed to learn that the duo of tartare was taken off the menu for the winter, the smoked sweetbreads and lamb belly performed exceptionally as substitutes. Additionally, the smoked petite octopus was surprisingly tender and refreshing. The french onion soup, however, was underwhelming: it lacked complexity in flavor (i.e., it was nearly tasteless).
The lamb shank was fantastic: the meat was melt-​in-​your-​mouth tender and the flavors complemented the lamb exceptionally. The table also enjoyed the trout (the sweet potato was a good accompaniment) and a solid seafood stew (not too heavy, not too light). The cassoulet, unfortunately, was poorly-​executed. All the right ingredients were there, but based on our experience of eating cassoulet in France, Franco’s version lacks sufficient broth and the beans were slightly undercooked.
The crème brûlée was expectedly made; the custard was cold with the appropriate consistency, and the caramelized sugar toping was piping hot and just the right thickness to break through with a spoon.
Service:
The service was very good. Our waiter was refreshingly honest and helpful, steering us away from less exceptional items on the menu (although he missed the Cassoulet) and towards the all-​stars. He also dealt masterfully with some rather inane questions regarding the interior decoration.
Ambiance:
The room is pleasant and lit appropriately for either a dinner with friends, family, or maybe even a romantic dinner with another. Keep in mind though that the open spacing and relatively modern style mean that it is not very cozy.

A friend recommended this place for us to take our parents for their Christmas dinner. Wow, was this place ever so amazing. The food is authentic French food and very rich and vibrant. They were offering a special for snapper that everyone ordered and absolutely loved it. The server told us their seafood is fresh everyday. The fresh oysters were from Canada (west coast) and Rhode Island and were great. I had the roasted chicken and it was so moist and tasty. This is a wonderful place to bring on a special occasion or date night.

Franco is a reliably high quality bistro style restaurant. I had cassoulet and it was amazing. The combination of beans, duck, and sausage had me reminiscing of authentic french bistro’s in Paris. The service was very good but I did have to find our waiter to order a second glass of wine once dinner had arrived.

Fois Gras on puff pastry with nuts, fig and a wine reduction. Very nice. Had the local rainbow trout on bed of greens with veggies and sprinkling of local crayfish, the trout was delicate and extremely fresh. Location is nice with lots of bars and restaurants of different genres. Service was superb. Strong recommendation.

I really enjoyed this place, the beet salad was absolutely gorgeous and simple and healthy. The portions are enormous here, so I definitely don’t find the food to be overpriced. Unfortunately, due to health concerns I wasn’t able to sample the wine or dessert but I believe the steak would have gone excellently with a glass of red wine. The menu seems to be very well-​crafted and the kitchen is very accommodating about substitutions. Franco should be known for their pomme frites and equally excellent dipping sauces. The waitress was very attentive and always refilled our water and even checked our coats. I’d love to come back and impress someone at Franco!

This was our first time here and it was all around a great date night! The décor is warm and welcoming, I love all of the wood behind the bar. We were greeted immediately and the bartender was pleasant. Only thing is it seemed like he was not familiar with the cocktails on the list at all, usually not a good sign. However, our drinks were made after about 10 minutes of him figuring it out. We then sat down and our server, I believe his name was Brandon, was fantastic! They have one of the best cheese and charcuterie boards I’ve seen and super tasty – lots of spreads, pickled vegetables and tons of options for bread/​crackers. My date and I split the mussels entrée and the steak and frites. Both were amazing! The broth with the mussels was super tasty and the steak was prepared perfectly! Though we didn’t need dessert, the boyfriend had to have the petit fours – again, amazing! So flavorful and a great variety! We did bring our own bottle of wine, as my knowledge of French wines is not great, but their corkage fee is only $ 15, which surprised me! Overall super great night and I can’t wait to go back!

Oh you fancy, Franco.
I took my girlfriend here for her weekday birthday dinner. She recently discovered she loves French food so after a bit of research I thought Franco would be a perfect place to indulge. It was pretty empty but that’s what I expect for a Tuesday night and a relatively pricey restaurant.
The location is super unassuming. It’s right next to the Soulard’s Farmers market in a warehouse-​esque looking building. It’s one of the places where you could dress up or dress down and visit. It feels like an upscale café with white tablecloth.
For our meal i went with the Steak (almost got the lamb), Tuna+Steak Tartare, and my girlfriend got a seafood soup entrée (can’t remember the name). The Tartare wasn’t my favorite. I’ve had other kinds I’ve liked more but may have not been french enough for this one. The tuna was unique but the steak had raw quail yolk in it and I didn’t care for it. The steak was one of the best I’ve ever had from a restaurant. It’s seriously unforgettable. I’m salivating as write this review at 10:00 AM. It was cooked perfectly and came with lemon seared brussels sprouts, fries w/​homemade mayonnaise and ketchup, and bone marrow. The soup was creamy, savory, and decadent.
I highly recommend checking Franco out if you’re looking for a nice dinner. And yes, they do have good cocktails. I miss that steak already…

Dinner last night was quite good. The highlight of the meal was, of all things, the beet-​rutabaga-​chevre terrine salad. If I had eaten nothing else I would have left very happy. I enjoyed the skate special. Not my favorite fish, but the preparation was very good and having something different was fun. The atmosphere at Franco is always nice. My server, Melinda, could not have been better. Looking forward already to returning.

Salty. That sums up everything we had tonight. Service was good. It looked like someone was training in the kitchen and was referring to notes while cooking. Just an unlucky dining night I guess, but probably not trying again anytime soon.

Mussels with fries, Trout, DuoTartare: everything was very good and the servers were very friendly. Exceptional good was the hummus! Give it a try if you’re into an appetizer. And the place is very well decorated: an old warehouse with a modern touch. You can’t go wrong here.

Really liked this restaurant. Good mix of french bistro. We had the duo of tartare and escargot for apps. We loved them. I had the filet and spouse had the luc du mers. Both were solid choices. We will definitely return.
BTW the place was empty on a week night dinner… scary

Phenomenal! Great food, great bar, great service. Wouldn’t go anywhere else. I always bring in out of town guests here to show off St. Louis.
Alex was awesome and so professional. Thanks for the great service!

The French have Arrived in Soulard.
Franco’s is beautiful and lovely to look at. The women hated the chairs, the men were like it’s ok. The service was very French like in that it was slow and not very friendly. Not rude, but definitely not inviting. The eye roll and lip fuel when I asked for salt and pepper was typical of the service. The prices were very high. The ladies commented, «that’s an $ 11 glass of wine, pathetic.»
I had the seafood stew. Sounded great but was under seasoned and the calamari, octopus, shrimp were so tough and chewy. Waaayyy overlooked. The clams were perfect. I was surprised by the hard sausage in the bottom of a seafood dish. It was unexpected, but very flavorful. The spoon was far too small to get a soup like bite. The lamb belly appetizer was exceptionally chewy as well. I expected it to shine and was disappointed.
The ladies loved the lamb shank. Although, one felt it needed more salt. My wife loved the mushroom soup. I saw another table sharing it around. I guess it was very good.
Report card. Ambiance 7, physical beauty 8. Service (skill 4, not well trained. Speed 3, friendliness 5). Like I said, Frenchesq. Food 3. We decided we never needed to return.

We were in the area and looking for a last minute reservation. We walked into Franco and were surprised to find it almost totally empty. We took a seat at a booth near the bar– it’s a really nicely decorated space. Since the temperatures were sub zero inside and we were all shivering, we ordered some pommes frites which were delivered promptly– delicious and hot. I had the trout served with shrimp risotto. Not interesting at all. My mom had the Caesar salad (tasty) and mushroom soup (also fine). My brother enjoyed his fish served atop a corn something or other, and my dad’s lamb shank was great. Altogether I wasn’t particularly impressed by the food or the service. The atmosphere would have been nice had there been a few more people in there. Seems like the restaurant but be struggling if it’s like that on a Saturday. Nice, but I probably won’t make the trip back.

Came here tonight for my first time on date night and really enjoyed it! Our server was friendly, accommodating and knowledgable. We split the tartar plate as an app and the filet and pork dish for dinner. All was great! We’ll definitely be back!

My fiancé and I came in on last Saturday. It was not our first time dining in here but I’ve never gotten to write a review. It is our go to place for French food.
For appetizer, we shared a pan seared foie gras. We were hoping they would have the foie gras mousse. (Note: Talked to the owner after the meal, foie gras mousse will be back in the menu in the near future. Yeah!!!)
For entrees:
I had the Loup de mer — it was a whole deboned fish stuffed with seafood. It may look scary for people not used to eating a whole fish with head and tail but growing up in an Asian family — we always serve fish and chicken in whole.
My fiancé had the grilled fillet with pomme frites and roasted bone marrow. It came with a side of arugula salad. And he is usually not a big fan of arugula but he loved the way they prepared the arugula salad here. What a nice surprise. His steak was cooked perfectly as medium rare to medium — the way he exactly asked for. He also ordered a French onion soup.
For desserts:
We shared a milk chocolate pistachio pot de crème — it was rich and creamy. Very satisfying!!!
Service was good. Drinks were good.
We had a great evening dining with them.
Highlight of the night — we got to talk to the owner briefly about having a wedding reception at the banquet hall adjacent to the restaurant.

Went to Franco last week for dinner. I made a reservation with special seating request and was accommodated promptly. The service was 5 stars all around. I think they execute fancy without the pretentiousness very well. Like u get really good food, great upscale treatment all in a cool and laid back atmosphere! Dining area had an open floor plan but u still get some privacy due to the spacing between tables. I can appreciate that.
Our food was exquisite. No complaints at all. We had the lamb confit, escargot, the grilled trout and the seafood gumbo (may not be the exact name on the menu). They serve escargots still in the shell and I love it!!! I didn’t try any dessert but from what my lurking eye observed on other tables, they looked amazing! The complimentary bread and butter was awesome as well. Appetizer+entrée+drink will run you at least a smooth $ 50/​person.
My only critique is that they could use some AC in that joint, or at least some ceiling fans. Humidity and heat in STL during the summer are no joke, we all know this. It’d be nice to find a way to cool the place down a bit. But overall I loved the place. I’d recommend and go back again any chance I get.

Great upscale restaurant with fantastic atmosphere. Food is top notch and the service is amazing. We did order few different drinks but none were that special. A great place to go for a fancy date night. You must have the Escargot, Bourride and Crème brûlée. If you want to impress someone or a date night, this is the place to go.

Excellent dinner this past sat night– modern yet warm space, not stuffy which is a plus!
Bread/​butter: true French style baguette it was crusty outside and warm/​chewy on the outside. We definitely asked for more!
Escargot: delish! Never had it prepared in a creamy onion sauce but it was wonderful. I’ve also always had it with the black shells and these came out with pretty white shells.
Oxtail poutine: really large portion for $ 10! Cheese curds were melty and hot with a generous serving of oxtail all over. I’d get this everytime I go!
Grilled octopus salad– since we were sharing, they split it into two nicely plated dishes. However it is mostly just a heap of quinoa with one cold baby octopus on top. I would have preferred it warm.
Ribeye with fries and brussel sprouts: ribeye was on the thinner side compared to steakhouses, I didn’t think it was done in a French preparation. Brussel sprouts were good and fries were overkill since we got the poutine– should have subbed for mash potatoes instead!
Also had a lovely bottle of French Bordeaux. Overall I will return! Good portions and reasonable prices. NOMZ!

This restaurant was just OK; we would actual give this place 2.5 stars. We loved the ambiance of the restaurant… we felt very cozy there and enjoyed the overall look. We started with the pork belly small plate. This was very tasty but the meat was cold. We weren’t sure if it was supposed to be cold but it would have been delicious if the meat was warmer.
Next my husband ordered a Caesar salad while I ordered the French onion soup both of these dishes were just average nothing to rave about.
For entrees I had the rib eye and my husband had the lamb shank. The lamb shank was delicious… tender, moist and full of flavor. The rib eye on the other hand was not. It was one of the toughest steaks I’ve ever had in my life. I ordered it medium but I think it was cooked way too fast. The accompanying Brussels Sprouts were hard and lacked flavor. The best thing about my entrée was the Pomme Frites… I paid $ 30 for French Fries.

While planning our St. Louis trip, my girlfriend decided we should come here as my birthday dinner. She had said it was an upscale restaurant with glowing reviews, and should liken this place to another upscale restaurant in the Little Rock area that we thoroughly enjoyed, so I was very excited.
We walk into the establishment to see a very loud bar crowd in very casual attire, and a restaurant area behind the bar with very little frills to it aside from wine bottles being on display. Ambiance was already a miss for me. We then are greeted by our server and have our drink orders taken. We look over the menu and decide to get Brie Beignets as an appetizer and I got the Ribeye as a meal; it came with vegetables and fries. Typically I don’t see fries as an «upscale» food, but I like them enough, so I’m alright with this development.
After waiting for an extended period of time, our meals come out right before our appetizer, which was rather frustrating. We tried the Brie Beignets, and the taste of Brie was absent. We had just paid good money for fried dough; we were not pleased. I then also discovered that they served me fries but had no ketchup. Our drinks had also been empty for some time. It took forever to get our servers attention; so long that I was moments away from speaking to a manager. After all, we were paying $ 30 a dish, and expect good service at this price point. However, he came through at the last moment, so situation averted.
To their credit, the Ribeye was very good. It was a very juicy and flavorful steak, and they were not shy on the portion. The steak itself was a 4 or 5 star.
Afterwards, we order our desserts. I order the caramel ice cream, and the lady ordered crème brulee. Both desserts were exceptionally underwhelming. It was at this point that I discovered that my girlfriend had informed them that it was my birthday in advance and confirmed this information with the manager an hour before, but no mention of «happy birthday» was made during the meal. I will admit that this lack of hospitality just added to the aggravation towards this restaurant.
I am definitely surprised that people are referring to this place as an upscale establishment. While the menu’s price point reflects that of an upscale establishment, the ambiance, service, and general quality of food (sides, appetizers, and desserts are important) did not reflect that of an upscale establishment. I’m sure the city of St. Louis has great fine-​dining establishments, but this certainly was not it.