Mia Francesca Trattoria

Great dinner! Beautiful establishment. Wonderful service. The food was Sooo delicious. The appetizer risotto was amazing. The calamari was a bit chewy. The lobster ravioli with butterflies shrimp in a cream sauce was unbelievable.
Recommend dining here!

I had high hopes for this place and thought the menu looked really good. The atmosphere and service in the restaurant are top notch for sure. I just find the food to be mediocre at best and kinda underwhelming.
I started off with the fried calamari which was a gigantic portion, but the calamari was just okay. The marinara sauce that came with was pretty standard and the calamari itself was over cooked, some of it was very tasty, but just too chewy for my taste.
For my entrée I went with the Linguine al Sugo di Gamberi, and this was my major disappointment of the night. The scallops were cooked perfectly but nothing else was. The noodles were barely even cooked, they were no where near al dente. On top of that the sauce was almost non-​existent. The sauce did have decent flavor, there was just hardly any of it. So basically I ended up eating a bunch of semi-​cooked noodles with some seafood tossed in. My dining partner had Spada Mia Notte, which I tried a bite of. Neither of us was very impressed and though it was very small for the price, lacking in flavor, and had hardly any sauce, basically just like the Linguine al Sugo di Gamberi, sans the enormous undercooked portion of noodles.
I was not at all impressed or even satisfied by the food here, the service is the only saving grace. There are so many great Italian restaurants in the area and I can’t think of a reason to come back here. I’d equate it to basic unsatisfactory chain Italian food, so if I were you I’d go to some of the other local Italian spots in the area and your dining experience will be much more satisfying.

Not really Italian food. The place has a snobby vibe to it and isn’t good at all. Wait staff was rude and there was a bug in my drink. If your looking for good Italian food go to Vic’s at city market. Avoid this place.

I’ve eaten here three times. The food, ambiance and service were great twice. Last night, the food was not good. The menu was lacking creativity, and missing key staples of Italian cuisine– like any form of lasagna or bolognese for example. My food (veal) was OK, but not spectacular. My husband’s food (chicken) and my brother’s food (pork) both made them sick. My guess is that maybe the meats were being kept at the wrong temp or something bad dripped on them, but they were both very sick. Any restaurant can have a bad night, and I may go back sometime, but I was very disappointed.

Service was VERY slow. We waited at least 15 minutes before someone took our drink order. One of our party grabbed two people to ask where our waiter was, but he still took forever to show up. And we had someone come by to take drink orders, then we were waited on by a different person for food orders.
I had chicken parmigiana which they put under a different name, but same thing. When it came out with a side of pasta there was no marinara sauce on the pasta, just maybe a very light olive oil dressing.
Not sure if I will go back to this place very soon. I’m on the fence.

My boyfriend and I came here for weekend brunch. He got a delicious macchiato and we split an eggs benedict with a side of bacon. The eggs were perfectly done. Our server was great too. I’ll have to come back again for dinner where we can try their actual italian fare but so far so good.

I came here for brunch from Cary for the build your own bloody Mary bar. It turns out they haven’t had that in over a year but it’s still on the website. Nevertheless we stayed and ordered the egg panini and the arancini benedict. I’m giving it four stars for the excellent waitresses demeanor and great food quality and deducting one for things on the plate being cold and having to ask for beverage refills. There were certainly moments where the food evoked an ethereal feeling so we will be returning.

I ordered a steak which is the most expensive dish on the menu. I wanted it to be medium. What I end up having is a fully cooked and somewhat burnt steak with absolutely no pink in the center AT ALL! It is an absolutely terrible experience. The chef didn’t even have the courage to take the bad dish back and make a new one! Shame! Very bad beef meat as well. Coarse texture like $ 5 Walmart beef chuck!!! The sauce are total BS as well! Absolutely not worth your money if you care about food quality!

I want to give Mia Francesca 3.5 and love the space. The restaurant is in North Hills and is connected to the distinguished Renaissance hotel. The restaurant has a nice patio area where you can dine outside and then the dining hall itself is quite a grand space. The floors are dark and heavy wood and the tables match perfectly. The bar area is to your left as you enter and then you can see the open kitchen in the back of the open hall. There is also a great seating area upstairs for larger groups (maybe 20 – 25 people) and there was ample space. There are Italian touches everywhere and even the entry to the restrooms is lined with a collage of Italian newspapers and scenes from Tuscany and the Italian nonna looking back at you.
I was able to make a reservation on opentable and if you are lucky, you can even get the 1000 point reservation on certain nights. We started with the house wine and the Montepulciano at $ 7 a glass was great and I like when restaurants offer the house options and then the nicer glasses and bottles as well. Our server was very friendly and took great care of us. I had the pollo parmesan (chicken parmesan) and it was a huge portion of two chicken breasts with a side of noodles. The noodles were the only deterrent because they were bland and needed salt and flavor. The chicken parmesan was good and then I had a bite of someone’s pizza and it was decent. The dessert was the best part and highly recommend the Profiteroles with pistachio ice cream.
The food could just be a little more flavorful and for this reason I want to give Mia Francesca’s a 3.5 just because it is not quite up to par with the Italian food I have had in the area. The space, though, is fantastic and great for a family dinner, team dinner or just have a glass of wine.

After a long Saturday morning run, I really needed some carbs in my life. Our dinner companion suggested Mia Francesca’s, as he’d been before for a work function. He was spot on.
The décor is beautiful — everything grand from the light fixtures and windows to the high open ceilings. Even so, our tables were a bit close, a couple of times our conversations bleeding together in a «I’m sorry I couldn’t help but eavesdrop, if you’re ordering that…» moment. Not bad since our neighbors were really polite about it, but a little awkward if you’d wanted more privacy.
We ordered the calamari, and were shocked at the size of the appetizer — piled in a bowl, it could have served as an entrée. Even as three of us split it, we could barely finish it and still suffice room for our main courses. The Bolognese sauce is rich, like a traditional Italian «gravy.»
Our server was attentive and quick, and the pistachio profiteroles were excellent for dessert. I’d go again because enough on the menu intrigued me, and just talking about those profiteroles is making my stomach growl… and I’m not even a dessert person.

UPDATE: so after our meal with the terrible service we get home and look at the cc statement and they overcharged us (rather ADDED) an additional $ 10 which I am sure went right in our servers pocket! Thank goodness we have a copy of the receipt. This is theft and highly illegal. BBB and manager will be contacted in the morning! Be sure to check your receipts if you do choose to go here!

Always a hit! Carpaccio, caprese salad, prosciutto & asparagus and the cheese board are my faves!

tasty Italian dinner. came here with bae and i was pleasantly happy with the service, dinner, and dessert. i had pasta with chicken and some cream sauce and it was tasty. the pasta itself was perfectly al dente. then i had affogato for dessert and yum, their ice cream was rich and creamy and paired perfectly with the strong espresso shot.
prices were decent, not over the top, good for the ambiance.
will definitely be back.

Average food at a high price with below-​average service.
My girlfriend and I ate here at about 7pm on a Sunday night — it was pretty dead. The wait staff was below-​average and not super inviting. We waited about 10 minutes for our waitress to take our drink order, while there were at least 3 waiters/​waitresses on staff and only about 7 or 8 tables filled. Waitress was ok but her average service seemed forced and not genuine.
Food was ok but average at best. We got calamari — was slightly under-​cooked, and pene pesto genovese & pollo piccata were fine but not compelling. The good thing was the portions are huge and we had leftovers, but prices align to serving size. 2 meals and an appetizer cam to about $ 65 w/​tax, just not worth it. We’ve eaten at about 15 restaurants in North Hills and I’d say without a doubt Mia Francesca was the most disappointing, especially because I LOVE Italian cuisine.
I’d recommend Piola (right across the street) as a cheaper, more delicious alternative with much better service and atmosphere.

Guess it’s about time I updated this review, considering we have been here several times since the last one and had pleasant experiences each time. Been here for brunch, for family gatherings, and just the two of us. Most recent was this Sunday for dinner, which also happened to be Mother’s Day and they were packed! Which is the exact opposite of the other experiences we have had most recently, where we were almost the only ones in the place.
Food continues to be top-​notch! Bread is delicious served with a dry herb olive oil. Meat-​lovers who like pasta should definitely get the Bolognese. Dad’s had it for lunch and we shared it for dinner, along with an awesome (and much lighter) Scallop dish. The scallops were perfectly cooked and served with white beans, spinach and artichokes with a flavorful buttery sauce. YUM. The bolognese has meat that has been braised and there’s a hint of an herb that we were guessing to be thyme.
The one thing that is surprisingly missing in all of these (for an Italian place) is garlic! I guess that is a plus for some folks. Not complaining though, as it was all delicately delicious.
Same with the pistachio gelato that Husband got for dessert. Wow! Chock full of pistachios and not too sweet… very good!
As for service, we’ve had very nice service every time. Usually we get the same gal, but this time we got a guy. And despite the craziness of the «holiday», he did just great.

Went for a friends birthday party and didn’t feel very Pasta Italiano that night so I ordered the Salmon Caponata and it was so good! The portion didn’t look huge but after I had the veggies, eggplant, capers, cooked with the fennel, olive oil, balsamic and tomato underneath the grilled perfection of the salmon, I was full! Loved the atmosphere the waitress was very attentive to our group and the low lighting with the big tables make you feel like you are at medieval feast! Thanks for the great evening. I’ll be back!

My friend & I went here to have some food after work. The moment we walked in we were greeted by the girls upfront & where asked if we had a reservation (we didn’t but we were seated pretty quickly) .
Our server was a nice lady but I can’t remember her name): We had a lot of people come to our table so I was a little confused, I guess I am used to having just one person do everything but great teamwork!
We had bread/​Cesar Salad before our food arrived. Once It did everything looked amazing but there was so much tomato sauce… I am not a fan of tomato sauce lol I expected more cheesiness. That’s just my preference not the restaurant’s fault.
I would say it felt a bit weird being there because I felt there was no diversity in the clientele & some of the customers that came in seems to have that «stuck-​up» attitude. I wish it had a more welcoming feeling but of course that might just be how I am looking at things.
Anyone should give it a try though.

Mia Francesca’s was a delicious option for my Italian craving last night! The restaurant is conveniently located at the North Hills Shopping Mall. You can park in the underground parking and directly access the restaurant through the Renaissance Hotel.
To begin with, I loved the interior decorations. The brick wall, with candle-​like chandeliers reminded me of a scene from the Pirates of The Caribbean. And who doesn’t love that?! I also love the large lamps that hang down over the dining area.
Our waitress was very friendly and attentive to our needs, which was great because I was a little skeptical of the service after reading some of the Unilocal reviews. Our food came out really fast and our appetizer was by far our favorite! I highly recommend the mussels plate as an appetizer, they were super good. As my main dish, I ordered the grouper fish. This $ 27 dish was pretty good, though I wouldn’t have it again, not for that value. There were so many green olives that they made the flavor too salty, and took away from that of the fish.
I would likely eat there again and try a pasta dish next time. And… I would likely order the mussels again!

Our server was attentive, friendly and knowledgable about the menu. The calamari was good, Caesar salad was crisp and the dressing wasn’t too strong. For an entrée I got the ravioli and although I thought it was delicious there is a very distinct and strong flavor with the prosciutto and veal combination. The cabbage that was mixed with the cream sauce was my favorite part! I also splurged and got the Crème brûlée. What I call the perfect dessert. There was nothing spectacular about it but it was exactly what a Crème brûlée should be.
I would go back; the portions were large, variety on the menu and it’s close to home :)

So this was my first visit to @MiaFrancescaNH and if it was not for the server, I would say it was a not so great experience.
When I walked in at 2:20 PM I noticed a gentleman at the host station. He looked at me as to say, what are you doing here, in that awkward manner, but didn’t say anything. I asked, are you open, to which he replied they were. I said that I was there for lunch, so he asked how many, and I said it was just me. Then he walked me to my table and said that my server Ashley would be with me in a moment. (I was honestly the only customer in the restaurant.)
When the server Ashely came, she was very polite with a nice outgoing personality. I told her that I had never been there before and asked her what did she recommend. She was able to thoroughly describe items from the menu as if she was the chef preparing them. I was impressed with her knowledge of the menu, and her ability to describe them.
I ended up having the Spaghetti alla Bolognese for $ 12. It was served in a bowl, and I received bread and olive oil with various herbs and seasonings mixed in it. The spaghetti was a decent size portion with nice size chunks of meat in it. It had a nice creamy texture and a light flavor to it. It could have been a bit more robust in my opinion, but it was still good. With the size of the lunch serving, I would say that the dinner serving would be huge and overkill for my appetite.
The have a nice facility with two private dining areas. One downstairs with doors that could be closed off, and a second one upstairs that overlooked the main dining area. Just be careful not to fall up or down the stairs.
When you go, you have to ask for Ashley as your server. She treated me like I was the only customer in the restaurant. (I was actually.) And she will be able to answer any question that you have about the menu, and five you her honest recommendation, and not try to sell you something that you don’t want. I really liked that. Just hope that the host is nice and greets you properly. Because the host greeting sets the mood for the entire dining experience.
#347