Franklin Café

I eat here all the time because they’re one of the only places in the area that will feed you after midnight (full menu available until 1:30 a.m. every day including Sunday!)
Pros: See above. Food is generally very tasty; a little «foodie”/adventurous/expensive for me personally, but there’s always something that works, and Sunday-​Thursday the house burger is my go-​to. If you’re into liquor, that menu looks extensive. The staff is super friendly. The atmosphere is nice (although a bit dark for seeing menus!) with comfortable booths, and there are no T.V.s– huge plus!!!
Cons: Beer selection is a little bit sad. Would love to see more stouts and porters and especially some local craft brews on. Again, a little bit expensive for a bar ($ 15ish apps, $ 17ish small plates, $ 25ish entrees), but it’s Boston, and you don’t have a lot of options for late-​night!

A hidden neighborhood gem – best (secret) burger in the South End! Excellent beer selection – cold and clear, well-​maintained tap lines. I live in the neighborhood and try to come at least once a week.

Great food! I ordered the seafood clam chowder (honestly the best I’ve had), the Streak & Frites (it’s a hangar steak and it was delicious!), along with a side of spicy green beans (really good but a little more on the salty side). Definitely recommend if you are in the area! Only reason for giving it 4 stars was that the waiter seemed unhappy to serve us or maybe was just having a bad day. Overall good atmosphere.

Great south end, neighborhood joint. Food is great and the kitchen’s open late. Small space but decent bar scene with a lot of industry folks who appreciate places like this.

Thursday night went to Franklin Café in the south end. I hadn’t been here in years but the quality and ambience was as just as I remembered! The bartender was lovely, professional and patient. We snacked on the matchstick zucchini which happily was not fried and the Calamari which was grilled and sautéed… Scrumptious! My only personal downfall is that I was looking for a tasty Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand but the one choice they had was less than tasty. Overall my experience was delightful!

Nice, relaxing atmosphere. Small space with delicious food and great drinks. I’ve gotten something different every time I’ve gone and it has all been good. I’d say the only downside is I’ve waited long for food to come out of the kitchen here and there.

South end’s secret pub! Great drinks and decent comfort food. Grits, grits, grits!
Only annoying thing is that if you’re not eating, they don’t let you grab a table even if its 1am and no one is eating anymore.

Really great neighborhood atmosphere. The south end is so charming. The restaurant is super small and cozy with a great small bar. The food is in general really rich– home cooking!
Also has Great cocktails

What a great spot, one of the first I’ve been to since moving to Boston with this vibe and atmosphere. It is a slightly darker ambiance with great music, and excellent service.
The food is fantastic. The grilled calamari is one of the best items I’ve had in the city, and their take on pierogi is also excellent. The spicy green beans are really worth trying, and the ravioli are tremendous.
Will definitely be back, hard to imagine being disappointed by anything on the menu

Order drinks here only. I got beer and didn’t take a picture of it. I didn’t like the food here that much. The grilled corn was a bit mushy, the fries on the steak frites got soggy (the steak piece was ok), and the bf got the meatloaf with mashed. I will have to come back for the cocktails.

There’s a lot to love about the Franklin Café‘. Last night was our second visit for dinner, a few years apart, and it felt exactly the same — a very relaxed, chill vibe. It’s a small, dark, narrow pub with a row of booths lining the wall opposite the bar. The Smiths were playing on the sound system as we were told to sit anywhere we liked as it was an early Wednesday evening and most of the tables were open.
They’ve got a good selection of microbrews on draft, a small selection of wines by the glass, and what looked like some very reasonably-​priced bottles. But I’m on a craft cocktail kick and their menu was impressive, so I had the bracing Rose and Thorns, a mix of several sweetish wines, lemon bitters, but anchored by a very smoky and delectable mezcal. My wife enjoyed her Cucumber Collins, made with organic cucumber vodka.
We started out with the pork belly, glazed with hoisin sauce on a bed of sweet and sour bok choy and chestnut mushrooms. Delightful, but with only three inch and a half squares of pork to the order, it was a very meager portion.
There was a decent bread basket with some zippy home-​made hummus to bridge the gap between the first and second courses.
I had the sweet corn ravioli, al dente, home-​made, served in an amazing sherry sauce with pancetta that had me scraping every remnant of it from the plate. A beautifully-​executed dish, but with only four ravioli it had me longing for at least a few more.
My wife’s turkey meatloaf with fig gravy was elegant comfort food, and they graciously substituted some of their amazing grilled corn when she asked for it instead of the chived mashed potatoes.
Our friends enjoyed their seared cod and adobo rubbed pork tenderloin after a calamari starter, washed down with a few IPAs and glasses of chardonnay.
Service was friendly, knowledgeable, and attentive without being overbearing.
For the often-​pricey South End, the Franklin is pretty reasonable, all things considered, with nothing on the food menu over $ 20. It’s not cheap eats though, with a total tab that came out to about $ 50 per person. The quality of the drinks and particularly the food though, is so high and imaginative, that’s not outrageous, though I think the portion size on some of the dishes should be increased a bit.
All said, the Franklin Café‘ is a charming, unassuming slice of gastropub heaven well worth seeking out.

Love this cozy spot! My 2^nd time here, after midnight, great service, drinks, vibe and door! The burger is great but the pork tenderloin even better! It’s perfectly dark, parking is a little tough but doable. :)!

Went here around 7:30pm on a weekday night, was able to get a table immediately. Service was attentive and food was good. A nice find.

I’ve been to the Franklin a few times now. It’s sort of hidden. Dark windows, just a martini glass on a sign out front. During my most recent visit, we got dinner and drinks before heading out for the night. The menu has changed a little and is rather small, so there’s only a few items that appealed to me. What happened to my favorite chicken wings?! The options are rather unique, which is nice. We got the steak frites. The steak was cooked perfectly (and I would definitely recommend!), however it soaked the huge portion of fries that it was served on. A few friends joined us after about 30 minutes in and our waiter was very accommodating (he had to bring out more plates, another round of bread and hummus, new drink orders, etc). My friend didn’t like her drink and it was replaced with something else no questions asked. A lot of people just end up stomaching something they don’t like, so it was refreshing that they took care of her. Overall, it’s a great place for a drink or dinner. Sort of a hidden gem. Ask for more bread, it’s amazing.

Racist against Hispanic/​Latinos. Inconsiderate and said they would never serve Hispanic/​Latinos.

Had my first date here with my now husband. We have been many times since and this place is one of our faves. Laid back, but cool vibes, dark inside and a nice long bar. Great cocktails & knowledgeable bartenders– food is good but come for the drinks. Maybe split a steak frites w your date. Great spot in the South End.

Came here on a Sunday night around 8pm for drinks. We got a booth easily. Had the French laundry (Citadelle Gin, St Germain, Luxardo Maraschino, Lime, Grapefruit Bitters) and it was excellent. Definitely craft cocktail status. Can’t give it 5 stars after 1 visit and 1 drink but super looking forward to coming back for more drinks and food! Heard they serve a full menu until about 1:30am!

Don’t be scared by the small menu. Everything they make is amazing. We had the steak and the mushroom raviolis and bother were amazing. Soooooo good. The place was a bit too desk for us but if you sit by the windows it’s perfect. Enjoy!

Amazing steak frites and bacon Brussels sprouts are amazing.
Staff is wicked friendly! One of my fave places in the neighborhood!!!

Really love this cute dinner spot in South End. The spread that they provide with their bread is to die for. Seriously, make sure to eat their bread and use the spread!
I ordered the Pork Shoulder and man, the plate was huge. The pork was flavorful and tender for the most part; one piece was a bit more tough but the amount of food on my plate was overwhelming and I was one happy girl.
Boyfriend’s penne carbonara was delicious as well, and the brussel sprouts with bacon were on point! Dishes were fairly affordable and service was friendly.

For as long as I’ve been working in the restaurant industry I’ve been told I must to go to the Franklin. I wish I hadn’t waited so long! Our waitress was awesome. Fantastic service quality, great conversation and superb knowledge of the restaurant’s product. I wish I could remember her name so I could give her a shout-​out. It was funny that she knew a handful of other people in the industry that I also currently work/​formerly worked with. Anyways, she contributed to our already good night becoming a great one.
We had the wings and goat cheese crostini as appetizers. Both were fantastic! The wings were spicy but not so much that your mouth is on fire. The sweetness of the fig purée paired perfectly with the natural saltiness of the creamy goat cheese. For entrees, all four members of our party got the steak frites that everyone always raves about. It really is the best steak frites in Boston! Can it be compared to a $ 50 filet at other places? Of course not. Apples and oranges, people, apples and oranges. But the preparation of these steak frites for just $ 20 cannot be beat. I prefer my steak mid-​rare, and the steak came out textbook-​definition medium-​rare. The way that the Roquefort butter melts over the steak and mixes with the port Demi glacé that is served beneath the steak is nothing shy of pure excellence.
Another huge bonus was that wine menu is priced so low! To get a bottle of Marc Bredif Vouvray for just $ 25 and Patz & Hall Pinot Noir for under $ 50 is next to unheard of… Especially in the South End. When I asked our waitress if I could order a dessert for my friend that was celebrating her birthday, she politely informed me that they do not offer dessert and proceeded to send our table a round of birthday cake shots. In my opinion, liquid dessert is the best kind!
All-​in-​all, it was a perfect experience and cannot wait to return!

I came here for a first date, late night dinner and drinks. There was a «no pants» party going on but they happily seated us at a dark corner table. The kitchen is famously open late, so we ordered the grilled calamari, tuna tartare, and a bottle of red wine. It was all delicious and quick. Our waitress was a sweetheart, and when my date mentioned that he works at Franklin’s sister restaurant outside the city, she had the manager come over who was equally welcoming and friendly. They even brought us two top shelf whiskey shots on the house even though we weren’t part of the party! Couldn’t have asked for a more fun, chill late night atmosphere. I will definitely visit again soon!

More of a bar than a restaurant. Mashed potatoes were grainy. Bf liked their steak and frites. I like their kale and chicory salad.

I don’t venture into the South End often so my friend took me here as a way to introduce me to the area. I can’t say I was disappointed. The food was delicious enough for me to think about coming back again. We shared the wild mushroom ravioli and the slow roasted pork. I am particularly picky about the latter since my main meat staple has been pork for the last two years due to a medical condition. (I wish I was kidding. My Chinese herbalist/​acupuncturist put me on that diet.) At most places, the slow roasted pork is still too dry enough for me to know that it was not exactly slow roasted. At Franklin Café, they do it right. It almost melted in my mouth. This would not have happened elsewhere.
Service-​wise, it was good enough for us since all we wanted to do was eat and talk, and not have our conversation randomly interrupted. They approached us at the right times, brought us our check, and did the whole nine yards.

Went here with a friend to grab a bite to eat late on a Tuesday night. The bar was full so we grabbed a seat at one of the booths that was free.
They start off the meal with french bread with a hummus spread that is delicious – I think the two of us went through two baskets.
For my meal, I decided to go with the meatloaf. It came with chive mashed potatoes and was topped with a fig sauce. The fig sauce wasn’t my favorite combination with the meatloaf, but the mashed potatoes were perfect. All together, the dish was very tasty and a decent portion size.
Overall, this place has a great vibe and atmosphere and is very reasonably priced for the South End. The food is quality and the service is friendly. A great place to check out for dinner and/​or drinks.

A friend saw that the Franklin Café was open late, via a Google search, so we decided to try it at 11pm. Entering through heavy drapes was interesting. Be sure to veer towards the right, or you’ll run into people seated at the bar on the left.
I ordered the Beef & Tomato Sogu. It was a tasty pasta dish with ground meat. I only hit a few cold pieces, but mostly the food was hot. One of the other people in my party experienced a cold spot in the same dish, go figure. I liked how it was seasoned, but the portion could have been larger for the price being charged $ 17. Similar dishes at the Cheesecake Factory cost less and come with more, but they aren’t open this late. The bowl maybe could have been warmed, but that’s a minor detail.
The service was good and attentive. Though, there was almost an altercation with the waiter and a patron seated at a table next to me. The other waiter was quick to diffuse that situation. Who knows what the deal was, because Boston? Dinner and a show? Possibly both.
Looking to use the restroom? You may need to perform Cirque du Soleil level acrobatics to be able to fit inside the secondary WC, but once inside, it was clean. If you are even more than a little disabled, these bathrooms won’t be accessible. There are two restrooms, but neither door is marked, so choose one already.
Per typical big city, there’s no available parking outside to speak of, so Über over and save time trying to figure that out.
Late night options are hard to come by, so the Franklin Café is a good option for food and drinks. The bar was busy with many types of lifestyle choices represented. Enjoy!

Came here for dinner last night! Got there around 7 (on a weekday) and the tables /​booths were all taken but there was plenty of bar space. We got drinks — a Moscow mule and an ideal Manhattan — that were pretty good. They also have a rotating selection of cocktails, which seemed fun.
The food here was great! We got the goat cheese crostini to share — it came with candied walnuts and this fig purée which was delicious. I got the mushroom ravioli, which was pleasantly chewy and had a great balance between a cheese-​based sauce and the mushrooms. Much different from the standard mushroom ravioli! My friend got the Thai wings, and she really enjoyed that as well.
By 8pm, the tables were all full and the bar was pretty full — people were sitting on either side of us. Come early if you can!
They do have a vegetarian and gluten free menu — it just highlights what’s veg or gf on the normal menu (it’s not that there are more options). For vegetarians there’s a bunch of appetizers and 1 – 2 main dishes.

The best steak frites in Boston? Check.
A great location just off the beaten trail in south end? Check.
Fun, unstuffy atmosphere? Check.
Franklin Café is about as good as it gets for a pub in Boston, and it serves food late. The only drawback is that they don’t have dessert.
The layout is great, so you can actually have a conversation and the tables feel private.