I have to say that a restaurant like Frank's can have some charm based on its history, but everything from the curb appeal to the presentation is lacking, here. This all-food, no ambiance place needs a major makeover.
3rd Friday might have contributed to the craziness, but there was no hostess, and a wall of people was forming. Â We eventually seated ourselves at a recently vacated and cleaned table. They were slightly understaffed.
Some things were just unfresh, sloppy, inadequate, unclean. The beer ad was filthy, the pepper shaker wasn't even close to full (aka empty), and you could just see a lot of grime on the menus. Stained and water damaged. Once more, when we got the Parmesan cheese, it had about an eighth inch left and it was taken away for another guest. This probably means they don't clean or stock their condiments every day.
The mood was tense there. Guests were hungry and were waiting for awhile to be served and staff was (literally) running around to keep their heads above water. Our waitress was awesome, despite. There was a busser I noticed who stood there with no mission other than bussing. He shouldn't have stood there, looking unproductive. I mean, come on man. If you're going to be unilateral in your responsibilities, you might as well hide in the back!
Now the food was incredible, but the bread basket was... cheap. Â The red plastic basket came with a bevvy of butter and saltines and packaged bread pretzel sticks, and it was topped with (I'm not kidding) two pieces of sliced white bread in a sandwich bag. We never touched it.
The entrees were a different experience though. I had a pepperoni cheese pizza and some garlic cheese bread. The wife had some chicken Parmesan (that came with a salad that was "good, even though it had no tomatoes", some spaghetti that was "not great, but good" and a baked potato that she never opened the foil for because it was not inviting and she was pretty much full by then) that was burnt, but she liked it enough to bring the leftovers home.
Word to the wise, coupon or not, pay up front when you're ready with the receipt. I know if I come back, it will be for the pizza and it will be to-go. There is no atmosphere, here.
The pizza is delicious, but I have never encountered such terrible service. Â If you are in the mood for their pizza, order carry out. I have been to Frank's 3 times:
The first time I went with three other people. Â We waited at least an hour for our pizza, maybe more, and our waitress was not attentive. Â But the time passed quickly because it was a good night out.
The second time I went on Father's Day with my dad and two siblings. Â After waiting an hour and seeing other people get their pizzas, we tried to flag down our waitress, but she kept running past us without even glancing our way (our drinks were empty and had been for a while). Â Finally we got her to come over and she said our pizza was almost up. Â We waited another 30 minutes (during which time I asked twice for more tea, finally getting some). Â When I saw the manager standing by the kitchen I went up and explained the situation. Â She checked on our pizza (the excuse was that it had been dropped) and told us that our meal (which we received in another 30 minutes) was on the house. Â I was pleased with her reaction but it wasn't worth the 2 hour wait.
The third time I went was on a weeknight, and I was with one other person. Â We sat ourselves (as per the sign) and waited for the waitress to come over. Â She did not. Â Instead, two waitresses chatted at the front and a third bussed a table. Â Twice I made eye contact and my guest attempted to wave them over. Â After 15 minutes we stood, embarrassed, planning to leave. Â At this time all three waitresses noticed us and one asked if we wanted something to drink. Â We declined and left.
I have been a waitress for 6 years; I've worked at coney islands, bowling alleys, nightclubs, bars, poker rooms and a country club. Â I am very, very forgiving of servers who seem to be having a bad day or have more tables than they can handle or who are not being helped by management or other staff. Â But I've reached the conclusion that Frank's either has no vetting process for their hiring, or that the servers are all related to or friends with the owner and simply do not care to do a good job. Â It really is a pity.
The bathroom here is pristine. A flower arrangement, beautiful art, pedestal sink and rock-like wall paper make for a relaxing break from your table. The rest of the restaurant was dive-like. The antipasto salad was good, but weird with the salami and cheese around the bottom of the plate. We also did not receive any serving utensil with our large salad. In fact, we didnt receive a serving utensil with our pizza either. It was kind of a pain to pull a large slice of hot pizza onto a plate successfully without the help from a spatula WHEN the pizza arrived. The pizza took an eternity to come to our table. I also noticed a few other tables getting antsy. The service was pretty good and the pizza was tasty (when it arrived). If I'm back in the neighborhood, I may or may not be back.
Review Source:I called in my order at 8pm, was told 30 minutes, and the box was just coming out of the back when I arrived at 8:30pm on a weeknight. Â It's been forever, at least 20 years, since I last ate Frank's, and it tastes exactly the same as I remember - I'm sure one of the reasons they've been in business for over 40 years is because there are a lot of loyal repeat customers.
We went with a large Special, which was fully loaded with meats and veggies. Â Not the biggest large I've ever seen, but two pieces was enough to fill me up. Â Leftovers reheated well enough (but I'm never a fan of leftover pizza).
Dinner only. Â CASH only.
Just a friendly tip for vegetarians. ALL of their tomato sauce (including plain) is cooked with meat. They "strain" the meat out of the sauce after cooking (or leave it in, depending on the sauce). This makes vegetarian options scarce here.
The pizza sauce is vegetarian, so I guess there's that. Overall, I'm not enthused about this downriver staple. I don't think they've changed much since opening in 68. Well, the Big Lots outdoor chair cushions our booth was outfitted with (inside) looked sort of new. And classy!
The food my husband had was bland. My first few bites were bland, you know, before I started pulling chunks of meat out of the "meatless" sauce on my cheese lasagna. I sent it back to the kitchen after they explained to me that some of the meat probably just slipped through the strainer. A few minutes later the waitress said that actually the kitchen had made a mistake and put the meat sauce on it. Either way, I didn't want it.
I would have given them 3 stars, actually, but when the waitress came to drop off the bill she explained that they took the lasagna off the bill, but would have to charge for my salad. Umm, do you mean you're going to charge me for the iceberg lettuce and vinegar that came with the meal you f-ed up and I couldn't eat? Take your two dollars. I will never be back.
Those outside of Detroit may not know that the area is full of rich ethnic enclaves. Â These ethnic pockets have produced some of the very best food of cultures from around the world, from Greek to Polish to Mexican to Arab to Hungarian to Italian. Â It's that Italian heritage that has spawned some fantastic Italian eateries and thus some of the best classic Italian hand-tossed pizzas you could ever eat in Metro Detroit.
Frank's Restaurant has been around for over 40 years and I am guessing that their menu hasn't changed much, nor have their prices for that matter. Â This place is still stupid cheap. Â Don't get me wrong, this isn't upscale dining but they know their audience and they serve it well. It's not uncommon to have to wait for a table on a weekday evening. The secret was let out a long time ago and has now been handed down to the next generation.
We stepped in on a weekday night and were lucky enough to snag the last table in the place. Â Looking at the menu we found a ridiculously priced large pizza for under $10 bucks. Â That works well for us since they don't take credit cards....cash only.
So the pizza arrives a few minutes later. Â Let's see, where should I begin? Â It's perfection. Â A hand-tossed crust using a very high quality flour (likely Italian 00 type), it works its magic by allowing it to be crispy where it need to be but yet chewy in others. Â Essentially what you would get if you cooked a wood-fired pizza in a gas deck oven at a lower temp, it's about as good as a hand-tossed pizza crust can get. Â Frank's top shelf cheese remains a throwback to the days when the back of the house would shred the mozz by hand, it melts beautifully and provides tremendous stretch and tastes just as good at room temp (if not better) than when it first arrives at the table. It's smooth and creamy with a little saltiness to it. Â Frank's earns high marks for the way it simply lets the sauce do its thing by keeping it super simple. Â Just fresh tomatoes, no overbearing spices trying to hide a sub-par product.
However the true highlight for Frank's is their choice of pepperoni. Â Simply put, these are the finest tasting pepperoni's we have ever had, period. Â There are natural casing cut straight from the link. Â During the baking process they curl up slightly and char around the edges. Â This provides an unbelievably tasty finish to the pizza. Â Meld it altogether and this is pizza perfection.
In recent years there has been talk of Frank's moving their operation to take advantage of the cheap real estate market in Detroit, but each of these discussions has been quelled by the tradition and history of this long time classic. Â We applaud them for keeping their menu clean, simple and true to their original concept. Â The bottom line is that Frank's Restaurant is a pizza institution for the blue collar driven South Detroit/Downriver community, and one of the best pizzas we have had anywhere to date
Is it me who has changed or is it Frank's?
I seriously used to think this was great old school, greasy pizza. I haven't been back in a couple years but did so this weekend to somewhat disastrous results.
Ok, so some things remain the same: surly service, interior decorating that time forgot, cash only and lots of grease on the pie. What has changed? Well, the great crust I remember was really a tasteless, overcooked mess this time. Was it always this way? It boggles the mind! My lady friend and I ordered a small with pepperoni, green pepper and onion with romano cheese on the side and a small antipasto salad. The salad wasn't bad, good crisp veggies, tangy olives and a nice light dressing but with iceburg lettuce, meh. The pizza was overcooked, greasy and just lacked any flavor or character. Not to mention we waited forever for everything, as our server was well past her prime, shall we say.
The one highlight to the meal was the people watching though, talk about watching human social carnage at it's most trashy! Mullet's galore!
Anyway, a lot of people downriver will tell you this is the best pie ever, don't listen to them. Go over to Sportman's on Fort and be happy.
Well I will not be baseing my review solely on the "smokyness" of the place. Ad a matter of fact I rarely see anyone smoking in here. And probably never will again.
Anyway, I realize when entering this place everything is going to come slow. I mean everyone who works here is old. Not that it's something to hold against them.
The pizza is good. I can't say nothing bad about it. I'm not a picky eater, and when it comes to pizza they really have to screw it up for me not to like it.
I have had nothing other than pizza at franks and I am not planning on changing that.
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