Franco On Melrose

In LA for the weekend and stumbled across this gem through Unilocal and Open Table.
This was more than an unexpected find, it was a Wow!
First of all, our server Jaime was a delight. He became our best friend. Entertaining, informative and made a phenomenal meal even better.
We started off with the Polpette and the Polipo, which were just harbingers of great things to come. The Aragosta was even better if that was possible followed by the Lasagna Invernale which was worth the wait. The Flourless Chocolate desert just topped of a meal that left us wanting more. My friend and I agreed that if we lived locally, we would be back once a week which probably would either be injurious to our waistlines or cause us to hit the gym even harder.
Can not wait to come back. It was that good!

We ordered $ 450 worth of catered food from here. We specifically asked twice did they have plates and forks to give us and they indicate yes. However, when they arrive they do not provide us either.
How were we suppose to eat without utensils? We were in a rental and had no silverware.
We call them and they indicate there is nothing they can do for us. At 10pm at night we had to go out and find a place for utensils. We will not be ordering from here again nor recommending them to anyone we know.

five stars for beautiful ambiance and amazing food!
Food: I ordered lasagna (with meat sauce) and it was the best I’ve tried so far! All my friends enjoyed their dish and it was very filling.
Drink: $ 15 per bottle corkage fee
Parking: $ 6 valet in front or street parking (if you get lucky)
We went on a wednesday and it was pretty empty, which was nice and quiet.
Def recommend and will be going back!

Thank you guys ! We had an amazing New Year’s Eve dinner !!!
I got the best risotto I’ve ever tried !!! Risotto nero!
The atmosphere is amazing ! Recommending

After seeing the great reviews on Unilocal and seeing that it’s BYOB with no corkage fee I was sold. My friend and I went to dinner here last night and it was beyond disappointing.
We first pull up at 8:30 and paid $ 7 for valet.
We arrive and were promptly seated. We order our meal and I take out the wine I brought from home so that we can have it opened. The waiter says it will be $ 15. I told him that I read on Unilocal that it was BYOB no corkage. He says Unilocal is wrong.
CORKAGE FEE IS $ 15!!! UPDATE!!!
Onto the meal.
Orecchiette $ 16 — Wild Mushroom, Fresh Winter Peas, Cherry Tomato, Parmesan Cheese. Out of the two dishes this was way better. It was decent but the pasta wasn’t cooked correctly. It was hard and all sticking together. Like it was cooked in advance and it was sitting out and they just mixed in the sauce after.
Pestana $ 22 — Linguine, Clams, Mussels, Shrimp, Calamari, Cherry Tomato, Light Spicy Tomato Sauce — This had decent flavor but the same as before… the pasta tasted like it had been cooked in advance and was sitting out. sigh.
Tiramisu $ 9 — Lady Fingers, Espresso, Liquor, Mascarpone Cheese. The tiramisu was amazing. Great job!
Overall the experience was very underwhelming. I will not be back.

Went there Friday night, dinner for 2. The staff were super friendly and helpful. The guy at the front of the house helped us pick a great glass of wine. The meatball appetizer was fantastic but their octopus was meh (had better). ordered 2 linguini dishes. Their Aragosta came highly recommended… Well, the flavor of the two dishes were spot on, but their linguine was awful. The texture was way off and the taste of the linguine was foreign (not in a good way). I would have preferred a simple box of Barilla vs their own pasta. I have not tried their spaghetti but if they don’t change their linguine, we probably won’t be coming back anytime soon.
Oh and it looks like the two 5 star reviews that happened in 12÷2÷2015 are probably fake.

Food was great I love real deal Italian food ! Employees were excellent, made sure not thing was missing. Definitely coming back next time we visit from San Jose Ca

This is such a special place.
It looks non-​descript from the outside but is such a beautiful restaurant inside with high ceilings, fresh flowers and great lighting.
Our server was charismatic and sweet, and the food arrived swiftly. Simply delicious — can’t fault it! On our way out, all the chefs in the kitchen stopped to say goodbye. A really happy experience — in the words of Arnie: «I’ll be back!»

Umm… I had a little bit of a dilemma between choosing 3 or 4 stars.
It’s a weird entrance when you come in, because you’re not exactly sure if you walked into the right door. You enter through the kitchen, which is cool I guess. When you walk into the dining room, the décor is extremely nice. There are drapes, lights, candles, foliage, everything that you can think of to make a restaurant look instagram worthy… it had it.
However, the food was just oook. I don’t know. My hopes were as high as the prices but I was slowly let down for each dish. We shared, half and half, the ravioli and lobster pasta. The ravioli ookay. I don’t really know what else to say about the flavor otherwise. The lobster pasta was also okay. I was hoping for more out of that one. I think it’s one of the most expensive items on the menu, but the pasta was so hard and the lobster did not taste fresh. The meat in the lobster was mushy but the loose lobster bits in the pasta were really hard and dry.
The service was also okay. It was a pretty empty night, but it was difficult to catch the servers’ attentions. Maybe it’s the way that the restaurant is laid out, that they seemed to be always facing the other way or bustling in and out of the kitchen without looking up. and the music was loud enough that they were just out of earshot.
Not a bad place, beautiful décor, but still needs some improvement.

I went there about a month ago for my friend’s birthday dinner. The ambiance was wonderful and the service was definitely 5 stars worthy. Our waiter (s) were amazing — from being attentive to our waters, checking in on how our food was, to even making sure it was warm enough to adjust the thermostat.
I got a green pasta (don’t recall the name though, sorry!) which was pretty good, but wasn’t quite picture pretty. The calamari was pretty good, which I managed to snap a decent photo of.
Parking was a little tricky for us (non-​LA native drivers), which is why I dinged this establishment a star. Valet is literally right in front of the restaurant, but we didnt catch it the first time around because other cars were already waiting and blocking the sign. There’s also meter parking across the street if you want to save a few bucks, but make sure you keep a good eye on the time!

Beautiful restaurant with lights draped over the ceiling. It’s a cute little place for a date or get together. I came with a party of 20 which took up the back half of the restaurant! Whooops but hey we made prior reservations. The servers were friendly and very accommodating. Parking is $ 7 valet only, right in front of the restaurant.
Food was just A-​OK (my friends agree too). Wish I tried my friends’ pasta but I ordered too much for myself.
Orrecciette — a fresh and organic taste which I enjoyed.
Calamari — crispy and not chewy, YAY!
Butternut Squash Raviolo — not a fan. It tastes like Cinnabon but in ravioli form lol
Steak — Friend said he’s had better!
Other pasta — Friends say nothing too special.

Cute setup of the dining area in this place but it falls short in many aspects. I was excited to eat here because of the décor and their homemade pasta. The restaurant was not busy by any means but it felt like our waiter was rushing us the whole time.
Polpette– very tasty and moist
Zucchine Blossom — Breaded Zucchini with cheese inside. It was ok. Nothing special.
Calamari Fritti — The pieces of calamari were a little hard and chewy. Not recommended.
Pestana — Dish is similar to many other Italian seafood pasta plates. The only difference in this homemade pasta and regular pasta was that it was soft. The dish smelled a little fishy to me.
All in all it was an uneventful meal. Good thing I brought my own bottle of wine to make it a happy ending to the night.
TIP: Corkage fee $ 15.

The food is great but the service is a little slow.
I came here for my birthday with a party of 5 and it was not busy at all.
I ordered calamari, beef carpaccio, and bruschetta. They were all delicious and great for sharing. After we ate the appetizers, we were waiting for at least another 20 minutes for our main entrees.
The server came over and asked us if we were ready for our entrees? I mean isn’t that your job to know? I’m sure that’s when he put the order in because it took another 15 minutes for the food to come out.
My «Franco’s mom» pasta was really good! I also tried my friends butternut squash pasta and that one was amazing. After we were all finished it was impossible to find out server for our check.
When he did give us out check, we never saw him again to get our check…
We were about to leave and then they finally gave me my birthday dessert which I’m sure they forgot.
Come here for food and not birthday celebrations!

Really beautiful restaurant with string lights above. Great place for a date. :) Servers are very friendly, though I did have some trouble flagging them down to order and for water. However, they try their best and even keep you updated with your meal status. Parking is a pain to find… all the surrounding streets are permit-​only street parking. Valet is $ 7, and their lot across the street is $ 8.
Appetizers are $ 9, pastas range from $ 15 – 30, and dessert was $ 9.
I tried the Italian salami appetizer, as well as the meatball appetizer. Both were good, but probably not worth the $ 9. I wouldn’t order them again.
I really liked the sauce on the Lobster Agostano (?). It comes with pasta, half a lobster, and shrimp. The lobster and shrimp were too dry, hard, and lacked flavor. Also, the pasta was lacking sauce.
The Franco’s Mom is their popular one, apparently. Although their dish was a rather boring fusili in sausage/​tomato sauce, it was at least a good dish. The sauce was sweet and plentiful.
The tiramisu was good too. I liked how they made it with lady fingers (I think that’s the traditional way. I could be wrong), instead of as a cake. :) Also, the one thing that I love in tiramisus is the taste of the alcohol. and this one certainly delivers.
Also as a word of warning, if you like your pastas to be softer (which my boyfriend does), you may want to head elsewhere. He was complaining about how all his pasta was hard. They cook all their dishes al dente, so naturally it’s a bit firmer. But if you enjoy pasta al dente, which I do, you should have no problem. :)

If you can ignore the claustrophobic restrooms, this place is excellent for Italian food. Not only that, you can bring in your own wine bottle! There was a corkage fee of $ 15, which is not bad considering the quality of food that they serve here.
We first started off with two appetizers. One was the pear salad which consisted of grilled anjou pears, arugula, endives, caramelized walnuts, goat cheese, and balsamic vinaigrette. The second appetizer was called the Polipo which consisted of seared octopus, fingerling potato, and lemon parsley. I really enjoyed both of our appetizers, especially the seared octopus which had a great charred flavor to it. The salad was not too heavy, with just the right amount of vinaigrette.
Then, we ordered our main entrees. First, it was the 14 oz bone-​in rib eye, with roasted fingerling, brussel sprouts, and florets. We ordered it medium rare. It was tender, juicy, and delicious! A must have if you are craving some meat!
Second, we ordered the risotto nero which consisted of carnaroli rice, black squid ink sauce, calamari, and rock shrimps. Honestly, I didn’t taste the rock shrimps, but definitely the calamari was there and was pretty good. Finally, we had for our last main entrée, the Aragosta, which consisted of some homemade linguine, lobster, and shrimp. I loved the freshly made homemade pasta along with the succulent lobster tail.
Overall, this is a great place to impress a date. The restaurant itself is small, yet quite intimate.

This place is pretty cool. The atmosphere is pretty romantic/​cozy and the dinning area is super nice and clean. It is BYOB so thats a plus and gave them even more brownie points. Came here with a party of four and all of us were very pleased with the food and service. Although nothing in particular stood out, there was nothing really bad either. Our waiter was kinda and very friendly.
We ordered–
Fried Calamari: Excellent. Crispy and not oily. Calamari wasn’t overcooked and their dipping sauce was good.
Tagliere, Chef Selection of Imported Cured Meats, Olives, Nduja spread, Grilled Bread: Nothing special but good. I liked the cured meat selection. Pretty good for the price.
Fusilli «Franco’s Mom,» Served with Pork Sausage– Beef Meat Ragu, Dried Ricotta, Parmiggiano: Average pasta with meat sauce. Don’t see the hype but it wasn’t bad.
Black Squid Ink Uni Pasta: Not the best Uni pasta I’ve had but it was solid.
Overall, great service and good food. If you are into BYOB (who doesn’t like BYOB?), check this place out.

The food here is simply a-​ma-​zing!
My partner and I shared Franco’s salad, which tasted so fresh and flavorful on so many levels. Kale, arugula, fennel, orange slices, caramelized pecans. so delicious, and a good sized portion to share.
I followed the Unilocal recommendations of the butternut squash ravioli, and everyone was right! Sweet, creamy, heavenly packages of goodness. My partner switched out the fusilli and ordered spaghetti bolognese. It was meaty, rich, tasty and to die for.
The service was impeccable. And the owners Franco and Jaime are so sweet and welcoming. This place is a must if you love delicious Italian food that not only fills your belly but also warms your heart.
We’ll definitely be back again. It’s a perfect place for a romantic date and for celebrating the love and spirit of life!

No negative words could describe my disappointment.
No negative words could describe my disappointment.
No negative words could describe my disappointment.
No negative words could describe my disappointment.

I came here with my family and OMG did we have a wonderful time here. Not only was the food fantastically delicious, but the service and staff far exceeded our expectations.
We were warmly greeted and immediately offered drinks and hot bread. We decided on the Zucchine Blossoms, Polenta Funghi, and the Calamari Fritti as appetizers. For our entrees we ordered the Ravioli Zucca, the Orecchiette, and the Aragosta pasta. The pastas were beyond amazing! Possibly the best ravioli I’ve ever had. The butternut squash paired with a sweet creamy sauce. Mmmmm so so good. And the pesto on the Orecchiette, perfect! This pasta dish is more on the savory side which was perfect for me and my sister since we were sharing this and the sweet ravioli dish.
And even though we were super full after our entrees, we decided to be embarassingly full by ordering dessert. We got the Flourless Chocolate Cake and the Panna Cotta. The chocolate cake was heavenly. Rich, decadent, and oozing with chocolatey goodness. Very good. And the Panna Cotta … I will forever dream about this Panna Cotta. It was the perfect dessert. I seriously enjoyed every spoonful.
Overall me and my family had an amazing time at Franco’s. The food here was beyond tasty, but what made the experience really over the top, was the service we receieved from all of the wonderful staff here. I highly recommend coming here.

More like 3.5 stars but I’ll round up to be nice. My husband and I came here for Valentine’s Day dinner. We made reservations for 7:30 but didn’t get seated until around 7:45 because they were so busy. The ambience inside was very Valentine’s Day festive with big draping red curtains, white string lights and chandeliers. All the red made it a little too cheesy in my opinion but it was cute that they made the effort to decorate. They even gave me a single red rose at the end of dinner. Haha so sweet!
On Unilocal,many reviews stated that the corkage fee was only $ 5 but when we went, it was $ 15. I liked how they kept our wine bottle chilled for us and they were good about refilling our glasses. We shared the following for dinner:
— Burrata Caprese: a light appetizer to start with. Instead of the usual buffalo mozzarella that is traditional for caprese, they replaced it with burrata which is much softer and creamier. It wasn’t amazing but it was pretty good and I would recommend it if you want something light.
— Linguine Alle Vongole: this pasta had a very light sauce with an olive oil base and garlic which I liked but it may be too bland for some. The clams were delicious! What I didn’t like was the texture of the linguine. It was too soft and I wished it was more al dente.
— Ravioli Zucca: this was the winner of the night. The butternut squash ravioli was amazing! One of the best I’ve had. Yummm loved this! The texture and flavor were on point! I would recommend this one!
— Tiramisu: very moist but it didn’t wow me. Presentation and flavor could have been better.
Parking: street or valet ($ 6)

Nice place,
The food is pretty good,
I’m a big fan of Italian kitchen, and this place is a real Italian restaurant.
Not bad at all but a bit expensive.
Try It

We LOVE this place! My boyfriend and I go when we have the chance. We tried different dishes but my favorite is the risotto al porcini. Outstanding!!!
The service is great, always really attentive and nice. The atmosphere and decoration are so beautiful.
Can’t wait to come back !