Francois Frankie

Francois Frankie, an upscale French-themed restaurant located in Chicago, proved to be a delightful pre-show dinner spot during our recent visit. Despite the restaurant operating at full capacity, the staff managed to accommodate us near their uniquely charming revolving bar after a brief wait, with sincere apologies from what seemed to be a manager for our patience. The ambiance at Francois Frankie is a beautiful blend of elegance and humor. The dramatic decor and lighting set the stage for the culinary experience to come, evoking the sophistication associated with French cuisine without being overly pretentious. It's a balance that Francois Frankie executes with grace and a dash of whimsy. Our waitress was friendly and efficient, recommending a cocktail and promptly taking our orders. We informed her that we were dining prior to a show, and thus had a somewhat tight schedule. Despite our concerns about the timing due to the crowded restaurant, our orders arrived surprisingly quickly and were nothing short of delicious. The French onion soup came highly recommended and did not disappoint. Hearty and flavorful, it was a standout dish that hit all the right notes. I also tried the Croque-inspired eggroll appetizer, an interesting concept that fell a bit short compared to the soup but was still quite enjoyable. My companion's simple salad, enhanced with added salmon, demonstrated that even the more straightforward dishes at Francois Frankie are prepared with care and skill. The salmon was impeccably cooked and well-seared, a testament to the kitchen's attention to detail. The pricing at Francois Frankie aligns well with the quality of the offerings and is comparable to other dining establishments in the area. For a night out in Chicago, especially if you're planning a visit to a nearby theater, Francois Frankie offers an excellent dining experience. Its combination of chic ambiance, attentive service, and flavorful cuisine make it a worthy stop on any downtown itinerary.

We stopped in at 8pm after a movie, so I was a little nervous about feeling rushed since they close at 9. Fortunately, this was not the case. The wait staff was still super attentive and friendly. This restaurant definitely caters towards pre-show light dinners and before/after show drinks.The rotating carousel bar is the star of the show, but was not turned on while we were here. The cocktails were pretty standard — there was not anything special to really justify their $16-18 price tag, but they definitely were boozy and not watered down. I thought the food was pretty good too, definitely an 8/10. The menu selection is fairly limited, though. This was not a problem on our first visit, but I’m not sure I would return to try something else since there are not many options. All in all, this was a good dining experience and I would recommend stopping in if you are seeing a show around the restaurant.

Had a phenomenal waitress, very kind staff and the food was amazing. The cocktails were very well made. The filet mignon was delicious, steak frittes was excellent and the lobster was great. Grab the oysters for sure. The calamari was great but a touch light on the actual squid. Francois Frankie I suggest you change your hours to midnight and see if business picks up on the weekends.

I recently dined at Francois Frankie in Chicago and had an exceptional experience. Our waitress was phenomenal, the staff was very kind, and the food was amazing. I savored the delicious Hampton Water and Bordeaux, while the filet mignon and lobster tail left me thoroughly impressed. Don't miss out on the oysters and calamari – both were great choices. The desserts were a delightful way to end a fantastic meal!

The service was underwhelming. I had an 8pm reservation on a Friday and was told I needed to hurry up and order my food because the kitchen closes at 8:30p. I rushed through the menu so I can order in time, however it took forever for my dinner to arrive. When it did, the appetizer/soup was brought out at the same time as my entree, so of course by the time I was done with the soup my entree was cold. The whole experience just felt rushed and unpleasant (especially for an 8pm reservation on a Friday night). In addition, I didn’t even get a dessert menu afterwards. The steak and sweet potatoes weren’t anything to write home about. The chicken and potatoes were pretty good, and so was the Brussels sprout.

Lackluster food, and lazy service, make this a place to eat at before a show, but not as a destination for dinner. We came during the week and there were four tables in the dining room, including us. We ordered our first round of appetizers; 1) French Onion soup: Don't get it, NO flavor and it was $10 a cup 2) Fried Calamari: I think there was maybe 4 calamari in there, the rest was filler 3) Steak tartar, this was the star of the apps and we would order again. The problem was each of them came out within 2 minutes of each other, and the server never coursed them out so everything was sitting in front of us which is annoying. Also after the first round our empty plates and drinks sat for 15 minutes before we could order anything else. For drinks the Frankie Fashioned is good, but that was a highlight. Our entree was the escargot and unfortunately this was another miss, not much flavor and extremely small. As mentioned above, we wanted to like this place, if you're coming before a show it's fine, but not as a destination to eat at for dinner.

Francois Frankie is one of those restaurants that might not be receiving the attention they deserve. Go there before they get a star and become expensive and difficult to get a reservation at! Because I think they are moving in that direction. The food was very nicely curated and was both delicious and well presented. I think they have a talented chef and their staff knows what they’re doing. They have a variety of nice cocktails and the bar is essentially a carousel that is rotating very slowly in the middle! I had a fantastic experience overall and will be going back for sure. 5/5 stars!