Francoli Gourmet

Excellent service and food. They are so welcoming here and the ambience is relaxed and casual yet elegant. The tiramisu is the absolute best I have ever had. So light and delicate… wish I had a piece right now with my morning coffee!
I first visited Francoli’s when they were in Fashion Island. I saw they closed and I was so disappointed. Then one day driving around in circles at the Orange Circle I saw the sign that they were Coming Soon. I don’t visit often enough but I have to say I have never had nothing but superior food and service here.
Brush up on your Italian. Buonasera

Francolis is the best Italian place in the area. Cool atmosphere in a great area of old towne. Food is prepared fresh and is delicious. Everything on the menu is great. Definitely recomend the lasagna and the seafood dishes. They have great salads freshly prepared as well as pasta dishes that you can mix and match with sauces to your liking. Staff is always friendly. Can get busy since it does not have a ton of seating inside. Definitely worth the wait.

My guy and I had eaten here on an Orange Circle walking tour and were impressed. When my girlfriend and I went to the Bower museum I was excited when I realized we were close enough to go here for lunch.
The aged balsamico de modena vinegar they serve with a variety of breads was so sweet and delicious, we practically lapped it off the plate.
I had lasagne and my friend had the gnocchi with
Bolognese and both were rich and wonderful. Yes, it was pricey’ lunch but so worth it!!!

Already have been here a few times. Amazing food and service. I highly recommend going here, much better than most Italian places. And I love my Italian food.

I ate here on Saturday night 4÷30÷16 and was not at all impressed; especially waiting :30 minutes! I had the short rib ravioli and my wife had the chicken wrapped in pancetta. Neither of the entrees were to our liking nor would we care to dine again to try something new! I highly recommend choosing another restaurant in downtown Orange!

Came here with my boyfriend for a date. A little bummed that they don’t take reservations. We had walked by so many times and the place is always packed! We finally decided to wait for a table and were not disappointed. We both enjoyed the cheese plate and loved all of the choices on the menu. We ended up sitting outside, which was a little loud but a nice calming atmosphere. The inside seems a little too small and squished together. Overall, the food makes this restaurant worth it.

I have passed this restaurant many times, but finally decided to give it a try today. The restaurant is not very big, feels cozy. The
staff was very nice. We had the lasagna and the Cioppino. The lasagna was the best I ever had, tasty and just enough cheese and meat.
The Cioppino was okay, the sauce was good but nothing special. The food portion was a bit small too.

This place is great-​ambience, food and drinks. I enjoyed my Merlot lemon martinis, the gold beet salad was good and their black squid ink pasta with seafood was on par. I would definitely recommend this place.

I am with my family now. We had good time with good food and environment. Nice people around. Great quality of food compare with price. My daughter choose gnocchi. I dont like that but she love it. Wired. I recommend to everyone near in town.

Francoli’s. What a bright, shining light in a very dull dinner world. We have been here on several occasions and have never once been disappointed.
As «Circle connoisseurs» we have always LOVED this wonderful, little Italian restaurant.
The owner, who is usually present, is extremely accommodating. He’s friendly and helpful, and very welcoming. Our usual server, Paco, is nothing short of wonderful. He is always excited to see us and knows our wine and food go-​tos of Cabernet and Calamari. (Which is amazing, by the way. Not fried and disgusting, but fresh and in a spicy tomato sauce that is perfect for dipping their delicious, fresh bread in.)
No matter what we choose, every entreé has been delicious and we have never been disappointed. The food is clean– the chicken is free range, with no added hormones or antibiotics– the seafood is fresh caught, not farm raised, which for us, is very important. The food is tasty and always makes us feel like we are dining like royalty.
Bottom line– make Francoli’s a date night out and sit and enjoy the soft music and the delicious wine and food. Enjoy the circle and enjoy your company. This place is the BEST place for a special (or any) date. Very quaint, very friendly, and very delicious.

This place never fails to impress. I have been here 3 times and the food and service are always spot on. We were not sure if were would need a table for a wheel chair and they were not sure the table that they had immediately open would work but they shifted a few things and made it happen and as it turned out they didn’t need to but they were so gracious about it.
We tend to take our time in ordering dinner and draw it out plus we were discussing my sisters engagement party and a few wedding items so that took a bit longer. But our server was so nice and came over to let us know that there was only one more cut of the sea bass special available as we had shown an interest in it earlier in the meal.
My dad had the linguine and clams, my sister had the ziti with Italian sausage (new to the menu) and I had the sea bass, everything was divine. Mine was the best though. I do have a knack for ordering. We sat outside and enjoyed the people watching in the Orange Circle.

The food here is good, but nothing special as far as Italian food goes. The ambiance was really nice for date night and we sat outside for dinner since it was nice out. The food is a bit pricey but still delicious. I ordered the fettuccini with chicken and broccoli and my fiancé ordered penne with smoked salmon. They were both good but not as great as I had hoped it would be since it looked like there were a ton of people the first time I passed by the restaurant. The service was good as well. Overall, my experience was just okay.

Warm atmosphere, good service and wine, enjoyable music and sadly, extremely average food at higher prices. Pleasant inside, yet just disappointing overall.
When we walked inside, the place was buzzing, and we didn’t have to wait long for a table. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves and most were casually dressed. Some men were even wearing (gasp) ballcaps to give you an idea of the casual nature of the place, which is of course not a bad thing, depending on your personal preference here.
The bartender told us that he was indeed Italian, and his monthly picks for red and white wines were both excellent. I am usually picky when it comes to the whites in Socal as unless you’re a chardonnay fan (I am not) I am often disappointed. Not this time and both red and white were equally as enjoyable.
Laura, the singer, began her tunes, and she was pretty good and just what one would have expected for live music in Orange.
We ordered a basic green salad, the clam pasta dish, cheese tortellini and the much-​hyped tiramisu. All were fine and of good quality; nothing was wrong with any of them. The only problem is that they were neither gourmet nor «better than average» in any way.
Perhaps I have been spoiled by the Italian communities in Yvr and NY, but I was still expecting more from the circle, considering its other hits (Bruxie, Gabbis, Portola, Linx and Haven). While it was certainly an enjoyable locals’ place, I have had far better authentic Italian at places just as welcoming with much lower prices. This joined the disappointing and bizarrely overrated circle misses (Felix and Rutabegorz).
I would say the décor, service, music and servers are what saves the place, but unfortunately, I learned that there was probably a reason they had to leave FI. I would like to say that I would give it another chance, but there are just too many other Italian (or other better places in general) at a similar price for me to want to return.

My hubby took me here for our date night. The customer services are great. Honestly i have to say i have been to many Italian restaurants and this one is just ok for me. It’s kinda of pricey for the kind of food that we’re getting. I expect for the price that we’re paying for the food would be amazing.
We ordered the tomatoes, basil with mozzarella it was ok. I feel like it lack so seasoning. My husband didn’t like his lasagna at all. I had the fettuccine al pollo. It was not bad.

This place is Delizioso! They really have mastered the art of combining excellent service with equally as great food! Everyone that we came in contact with was super friendly and knowledgeable.
This isn’t your run of the mill franchise Italian restaurant so everything is made fresh. Translation, it takes time to prepare your meal so be patient. For some odd reason, it took way longer than normal for ours. Thankfully, the food was worth the wait.
I ordered the salmon off the chef’s special menu (keep in mind that changes). Oh my yumm was it good! Fresh organic salmon over a bed of sautéed spinach and mashed potatoes with a saffron and white wine sauce that crates a symphony of flavors so good, your tastebuds will be asking for an encore!

WHAT I LOVED:
Romantic, dark, candlelit ambiance
Great location (right on the Circle)
Full menu at bar
Service
Big menu
Live music
Freshness (esp. mozzarella)
WHAT I LIKED:
The bread basket variety
The bruschetta (though it needed balsamic or vinegar)
WHAT I DISLIKED:
My vodka cranberry wasn’t bright red (but was maybe watery).
The panna cotta raspberry glaze was overpowering.
The lasagna was fine, but I wouldn’t get it again.
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT YOU:
You keep me warm at night.
Never wanna let you go, know you make me feel alright.

Came on a Wednesday night and it was pretty busy but got a spot at the bar pretty quickly. My husband and I are people that like to sit at the bar when we go to a restaurant and I honestly think this is the best seat in the house! They have a beautiful bar. Loved the candles and how dimly lit it was. Really added to the ambiance.
Ordered a half bottle of red wine and it was pretty good. I liked that they served it in a large wine glass. The complementary bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar were delicious.
Started with an appetizer of crostini with mozzarella, tomato, and basil. Delicious. Would have been a little better with a balsamic glaze but we just dipped it in our olive oil with balsamic vinegar. Next time we go I will ask if they can add the balsamic glaze.
For our entrees I ordered the lemon chicken and my husband got the lasagna. I was expecting the chicken to be on the bone but kinda glad it wasn’t. Veggies and mashed potatoes were yummy. My husbands lasagna was in a vodka sauce with ricotta… Delicious!
We usually never order dessert but at this point the experience was so lovely I wanted to end it on a nice note. We got the panna cotta and it was yummy.
The last thing to add was that the live music was a nice touch. He played some good tunes and it wasn’t loud at all. In fact, as busy as it was the noise level never really got that loud.
All in all it was a wonderful, romantic experience. I would highly recommend for a special night out with a loved one.

I really liked this place. We ordered the caprese salad and it came out so pretty. The only thing about our meal we didn’t like we’re those flavorless tomatoes.
We ordered the 2 specials of the day: halibut and risotto with seafood. Both were excellent.
Took dessert home (pana cotta). It was delicious.
I’ll definitely be back.

I have nothing but great things to say about this Italian restaurant… The restaurant itself was sooo cute. I loved the décor. It is sooo welcoming…
The food was amazing… I got the pasta with shrimp with zaffron sauce… The sauce was creamy and flavorful. The pasta was cooked perfectly and it was delicious.
The service here was Outstanding as well. This was among a few restaurant that offer you balsamic vinegar and Olive Oil together… Some restaurant are stingy about these things…
I really enjoyed my dining experience. The prices were reasonable too… You will enjoy eating here… Just give it a try!

You know this place is truthfully Italian when you ask for Calamari and they tell you they only have the kind in tomato sauce and they don’t fry it.
Came here on a Friday night around 7 — was a party! Good thing didn’t have to wait too long — the hostess was super nice! We got to ordering right away —
— Calamari Appetizer
— Squid Ink Pasta — Light Lemon Sauce with Shrimp and Scallops
— Fettucine with Basil & Pesto
— Tiramisu — Amazing!~!
We liked all of them!
Coming back to try the Saffron Penne Pasta and enjoy more of the TIRAMISU!