Here's the updated review: --- **** Had a great dinner at Franco's Italian Bistro in Catonsville! We ordered the shrimp and crab dish along with Mama's Ravioli with vodka sauce -- both were delicious, cooked well, and full of flavor. The vodka sauce on the ravioli was awesome! We also enjoyed the unlimited lemonade. Ended the meal on a high note with the strawberry cake, which was the perfect sweet finish. Our server Addiy was fantastic -- attentive, friendly, and made the whole experience even better. Will definitely be back! --- read more

We came across this delightful experience by chance and to our surprise Franco's was perfecto! We walked in and sat down within 5 mins on a Friday night and the staff was so friendly. We ordered the meatball appetizer and WOW that's a big meatball and so delish !!Franco's sauce was light yet flavorful and complimented the tasty meatball with bread for sopping !! Our Bolognese was delish and enjoy to share with my husband. Everyone cleaned their plates! Thank you for the friendly atmosphere and flavorful food to enjoy with our family !!! read more

Omg the chicken Parmesan was Smacking Delicious!!! Made by the owner and highly recommended by the waitress. Did not disappoint!

The food was exceptional, and great customer service. Our sever was Anna,and she was very knowledgeable, courteous and professional. We had a really good and relaxed time here @ Franco's; So if you're in the area for some good ol' homade Italian food.. Come on down to Franco's Italian Bistro !!!!!! read more

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Very good service, friendly staff. Noisy, though. I ordered shrimp on top of my pasta. The shrimp was way overcooked and it wasn't deveined. I wouldn't order shrimp here. My companion wasn't that happy with his dish either. read more

1/2 Meatball & 1/2 Classic Pepperoni Pizza Thin crust that was soft on the inside with a perfect crunch to the outside. I Cynivised by getting two types in one pie and by putting Old Bay on the pepperoni half. The cheese had a good squeak too, excellent cheese to trust ratio out of toppings to square footage was great as well excellent pepperoni. The meatball half had excellent flavor. The fresh basil and the creamy ricotta with the meatballs, was a well blend of flavors, a nice subtle garlic presence in the meatballs brought it all together. #ThisFeedsMySoulStatusConferred #CynBites Excellent pies! You can't go wrong with a brick oven pie. read more

Franco's Italian Bistro - Meatball Pizza & classic pepperoni pizza - Italian Near Me - Catonsville, Maryland

Excellent food no complaints at all. I tried many menu options have not been disappointed yet

I had chosen this place to take my out-of-town friends for a Sunday dinner. Around 6 PM, the restaurant was crowded, and the server said it would take about 30-40 minutes. Although it's been more than an hour, I didn't get a call, so I went in to check in. The server said they tried to call, but they must have written the wrong number. That's fine because we were exploring Catonsville in the meantime, and people can make mistakes. I had ordered the margherita pizza and it was great! However, my friend had ordered a pasta dish with a substitution for angel hair, but the server forgot to put in the substitution, so we got an extra bowl of angel hair. This restaurant can get loud from the TV/bar area, so I would not suggest it if you are looking for a romantic/quiet space to eat. This restaurant had a quick turnover of customers, which likely contributed to the noise level. Although the service wasn't the best that day, I would try this place again for the delicious food that they had. read more

Franco's Italian Bistro - Margherita Pizza - Italian Near Me - Catonsville, Maryland

This is a great neighborhood Italian place. We've gone here several times and always have a good meal. The staff is friendly and the food is good and the service is fast. My favorite thing is the pizza. The brick oven makes the whole place smell amazing. It's a small spot and they don't take reservations so go early. Otherwise wait at the bar with a drink. read more

Franco's Italian Bistro - Meatball Pizza - Italian Near Me - Catonsville, Maryland

We loved watching (and eating) Franco's hand-tossed pizza! Their margherita pizza had a bright fresh flavor with tomatoes and fresh basil, fresh mozzarella and shavings of peccorino romano. Their pasta e fagioli soup was flavorful with some thinly shaved prosciutto in it, and those cute little ear-shaped orecchiette pastas. The tender wild mushroom ravioli was rich with mushrooms snd marsala wine. The gnocchi was pillowy soft and tasty in a tomatoey cream sauce. There was a special on their overstuffed rich traditional meatball sub and hot crispy fries, which was so filling i only ate half and had the rest the next day :-) This is a lively small family-owned neighborhood favorite with ample metered street parking. Nice staff, nice patrons, and even a hello from the owner :-) read more

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The pizza is very good and so is the service. We also tried the Italian wedding soup, meatball sub and the sausage with peppers and thought we were bland. We will stick to the pizza next time read more

Franco's Italian Bistro is a great local restaurant in Catonsville, Maryland. We have lived in Catonsville for about ten years now but we just discovered Franco's. I wish that we had visited sooner! Catonsville and the surrounding area just has so many restaurants to choose from. Franco's Italian Bistro is a gem. Franco's has a Monday Meatball and Manhattan Special that is both inexpensive by 2025 standards and out of this world delicious. The food is outstanding. The service is fast and friendly. The owner is working right alongside his employees. The ambiance is casual dining with a local flavor. Street parking but it is easy to park in Catonsville. Clean bathrooms. I can't recommend this place highly enough. We will be back. read more

Franco's Italian Bistro - Franco's Italian Bistro Monday Meatball Sub Special located in Catonsville, Maryland. - Italian Near Me - Catonsville, Maryland

Had a nice little dinner here! I was really craving chicken parm -I thought the size of the chicken was on the small side but actually was so stuffed by the end of my meal- cones with pretty generous serving of linguine and tomato sauce although it seemed slight bland to be. The chicken was fried to perfection with lot of good flavor-we got a side salad as app and that also was generous portion! Hubby got linguine with clam sauce and it was chock full of clams and he really enjoyed it! We also got pepperoni pizza and it was really good -they have real pizza oven and make fresh! Service was attentive, restaurant is on small side -going up restroom is a little tight in the corner but had a great neighborhood cozy Italian restaurant vibe-am planning to go back! read more

If you're looking for a great Italian restaurant diamond in the rough, then Franco's is for you! I had a great experience there; it's a great neighborhood Italian place. Clean, inviting, great wait staff, and the pizza cooks make the pizza right in front of you next to the bar. I had their calamari fritti, and it was good. I'd have it again, but with room temperature marinara sauce. But the real kicker was the pizza. I had their shrimp fra diavolo pizza, and it didn't disappoint at all. I even asked for some olive oil to dip my pizza crusts into. Combine that with some fresh oregano, and the pie went the way of the Roman Empire; it was HISTORY. I treated myself to their 7-layer chocolate cake (as suggested by a bartender and a pizza chef), and it was so good it too went the way of Julius Caesar. This is a great diamond in the rough! read more

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I ordered the Bookie salad to go and when I got home I had to wash the shrimp in the salad. They were filled with black in the back vein...poop!!!! Not a little...practically all of them filled. Who ever made the salad should have seen this...not me. Talk about turning your stomach!!!! read more

Very rude staff. The only one who was nice was the host who gives you a menu but can't help you order nor get a drink. The guy Josh who was supposed to be the server at the bar didn't/wouldn't even look at you to greet you. There was an older black gentleman that had already ordered it appeared but wanted to ask a question. Troy avoided looking at him, looked very agitated then gave him a non verbal nod to whatever he asked and sped off. He walked by me again and never spoke and so did another young lady. They watched me pack up my belongings, push my chair on and leave. Which means they didn't want me there lol. Well they are off the spot for me. I went next door to Beaumont and service was great. read more

The 1/2 ceaser salad Is $12 and is tiny. What a rip off . Food is good but no reason this tiny salad should be $12 read more

Franco's Italian Bistro - 1/2 ceaser salad that is $12 - Italian Near Me - Catonsville, Maryland

Food and service were top tier. The atmosphere was cozy and welcoming. Prices were fair and portions were heavy!

Outstanding true Italian foods! From homemade meatballs stuffed into a hollowed out bread to brick oven pizza. My wife loves the fresh arugula salad too! Granddaughter had a huge jumbo lump crab cake t a more than reasonable price! We were fortunate to walk in and be seated almost immediately. They were slammed. And the aroma and food from all the tables made choosing so difficult we'll be going back again and again! Not next door but close enough when a well deserved meal is in order! Don't pass this one by. read more

I really didn't expect to find such a small restaurant. Maybe a 30 seats and another 8 at the counter Small brick pizza oven looks like gas fired. Ordered the Antonio Bookie, Pappardelle Bolognese, Jersey boy, sausage with peppers pizza The salad was alright nothing to rave about. The bolognese was watery lacking body and flavor. The jersey boy was too salty and the roll was soggy and stale at the same time. The sauce pizza was ok, small and not worth the money. read more

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Their salads are out of this world...I got the huge salad with shrimp and feta cheese only thing and I mentioned this to them..need more chunks of feta cheese..but otherwise food was excellent and staff was most accommodating... Visit here you will not be spared anything....yumm read more

Came here for dinner one night and it had an okay experience. Food: Grilled Calamari ($15): 1/5 - the calamari was extremely chewy, stringy, and bland. There was no flavor whatsoever, despite being marinated in olive oil and pesto. I had to ask for lemon wedges because it lacked acidity and flavor. It is hard to imagine that this dish is considered one of their most popular. Orecchiette Sausage ($19): 3/5 - the fennel sausage was the best part of this dish. I did appreciate the generous amount of shaved parmesan on top, but again the pasta was bland and the sauce has no flavor to it. Buccatini Crab Sauce ($26): 3/5 - they added a generous amount of lump crab meat to the dish, but if you notice in the picture, the crab sauce and the pasta are separate. So yet again, no flavor to the pasta itself. We also got a bottle of prosecco for $30, which was a reasonable price. My overall experience was that I was not happy with the food. I thought the pasta and calamari lacked flavor... read more

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Have to update this to 5 stars! Franco's has been a consistent go-to for years now, and they never disappoint!! The portions are huge, the food is amazing, and the crab is LUMP. In a time when crab prices skyrocketed, and most places understandably cut back and/or greatly increased prices, Franco's did neither! One of our go-to orders is the shrimp and crab pomodoro. The dish is amazing, and if you add a touch of old bay, it's perfection. The MD crab soup is some of the best I've had. And their brick oven pizzas are outstanding. The crab pie and shrimp fra diavolo in particular. read more

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A real go to place in Catonsville. I have only tried the pizza and the crushes but they are consistently good. The raspberry crush is amazing. The service is warm and friendly as is the restaurant. I love sitting at the bar. read more

Franco's Italian Bistro - The crush flight! - Italian Near Me - Catonsville, Maryland

Placed my first grubhub order here. I was in the mood for pasta and came across this place. Delivery was prompt. Food was warm/hot. 4 stars because it did not come with any utensils. Antonio Bookie Lunch: Seems like a salami/cheese salad. SOOO GOOD! I got the half size. Everything was flavorful and I'm pretty much full on this alone. Came with a zesty ceasar salad like dressing. Can someone send me the recipe please? I highly recommend!! Oh yea, this also came with SHRIMP! I was unaware that was included by an FYI Chicken Parm Lunch: I tasted this slightly. Came warm. Lunch size is a decent size. I would give this a 2.5/5. Chicken was kind of dry. read more

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I wanted spaghetti and meatballs and Whole Foods were out of their refrigerated prepared option. So, I ordered them from here. The meatballs were buried under the sauce with the pasta so I could not get a look at them before the first bite. The taste was off. I had ate some pasta before that. I immediately spit it out then rinsed the sauce off the old discolored meatballs!! Within two hours I was sick as a dog! That was the only thing I ate yesterday! read more

We often go to Francos, great pasta and pizzas, and more Its a small place, but we've never had a problem - but we often do get the last table, but soon enough, another opens for the "next patron" The food is good, the service always good, sometimes better than that Its a real nice local spot read more

Hubby and I eat here a lot. We love the pizza's. There margaritas are the best, fresh squeezed lime I'm vegan and it can be very hard to find food and, they accommodate me. read more

This place is the best!!! I focund out about this place through the daily pizza specials. Each day, a different pizza is on sale for 12 or so dollars. This is a review of my second time going, but know the 12 dollar pizza drew me in! I got the pepperoni pizza. FANTASTIC! First experience was great but as someone that doesn't write reviews, a review at the time seemed unimportant; I loved it and that's all that matters! However, I came back today after leaving the area as a nice pick me up, for the same pizza deal that drew me in. I got the pepperoni to go but this time ate in-house a pizza that caught my eye that last time I was here: the prosciutto and arugula pizza. My favorite pizza so far! Jason is also incredible and very kind and attentive. Love Francos! read more

Franco's Italian Bistro - Prosciutto e Arugula Pizza - Italian Near Me - Catonsville, Maryland

Franco's makes the best pizza in the Catonsville area. My favorite is the pesto pizza and I usually add pepperoni. The crust is crispy and there's just the right amount of pesto. I have also tried a few of their pasta dishes and they didn't disappoint. The staff is always friendly and provides great customer service. read more

Franco's Italian Bistro - the outside of a restaurant - Italian Near Me - Catonsville, Maryland

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We had a very enjoyable meal at Franco's last nite. The server Gretchen was charming and the dood was very good. A real neighborhood spot with solid execution. The grilled romaine Caesar was great . The Margherita pizza was outstanding. Neapolitan style with slightly charred and chewy crust topped with quality ingredients. If we lived in the area it would become a go to local spot! read more

Franco's Italian Bistro - Margherita pizza - Italian Near Me - Catonsville, Maryland

Found this place on Yelp and glad I did. When we arrived, it was already busy and there were only 2 available tables. The bar was full and the place smelled like amazing food. Gretchen finally got around to us and was super friendly and pleasant. We ordered garlic bread with mozzarella as an appetizer, angel hair with bolognese sauce, and gnocchi. The garlic bread was delicious! Garlicky, buttery, salty and crunchy. I forgot to take a picture cause when it arrived, we wolfed it down. The angel hair was perfectly portioned and the meat sauce was nice and chunky. The gnocchi too was delicious but the portion didn't seem right because there was way too much sauce and not enough pasta. Nice crowd, friendly service and good food read more

Franco's Italian Bistro - Angel hair bolognese - Italian Near Me - Catonsville, Maryland

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The pizza was good fresh in a brick oven small little modern bar feel. Just to put it into perspective we went on the 4th of July and it's right on the main stretch of the parade! But service was great fast and friendly!!! Highly recommend!!! We will be back!!! Also had small kids the staff help accommodate this! read more

Franco's Italian Bistro - Cheese pizza - Italian Near Me - Catonsville, Maryland

While we eat here on a semi-regular basis, I think this place is pretty good, I wouldn't say "excellent". I recently went there on Meatball Monday and it was just ok, the presentation was good, but the taste of the meatballs was bland. I was a bit disapointed. While my mate had eggplant parm, it was quite good. Service: The Hostess was like "oh, you want a table?" (not great), however, the young server was decent. I really like their vegtable pizza and pasta is generally good, they could stand a little improvement on their menu. More vegetarian options would be nice, a little more taste in their food would definantly help. So, no "dont go here" comments from me, just like to see the flavors improved somewhat... read more

Very pleasantly surprised by this whole in the wall. The food was delicious and fresh. The chefs were accommodating, evening changing, adding, and removing items from the dishes to ensure a delectable experience. They have plexiglass between certain tables, and at the time I went, there weren't many patrons, so social distancing was practiced! I would certainly recommend it. read more

Franco's Italian Bistro - Grilled Calamari Fritti - Italian Near Me - Catonsville, Maryland

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This was my first time trying Franco's pizza and I was excited but it really was not good! I ordered take out and was told it would be ready in 30 minutes, I came much before 30 minutes after I called and the pizza was already made, sitting on what appeared to be the counter, under no heat lamp, so when I did pick it up it was cold , not to mention burnt! read more

Franco's Italian Bistro - Pizza Margherita Pizza - Italian Near Me - Catonsville, Maryland

Franco's is a really nice Italian bistro, offering a good amount of menu items at decent prices. The restaurant has a good atmosphere and was well kept, the pizza oven was really cool. The entrees we ordered were fresh and tasty. There were a few issues we had however despite the good food we did receive. First, the service here was sub par, the waiter hardly stopped by the table and our dinner experience was long and lasted over 2 hours. Some of the staff seemed to just be hanging out around the bar most of the time, even with a full dining room. We did not get many refills on our drinks and we did not receive bread until we asked for it, an hour into our meal. Additionally the bread we received tasted stale which was so disappointing given that olive oil for the bread was good. We will come back again for the good food, hopefully the service will be better read more

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There's not enough space to tell you how great Franco's is. The pasta is fresh and they have half size servings, which are perfect. Their salads are fresh and the portions are great. They also have a great bar area in the service is extremely friendly. read more

Good pizza, flavorful with a nice crust. Decent beer selection, nice service. Parking can be hard to find

I picked up the pizza kits during social distancing. $9 cheese and $11 for pepperoni. Easy to make at home, they give you plenty of sauce, cheese and pepperoni (I didn't use all the roni's) for toppings. ln addition, the pepperoni's curl up in the oven. I could have stretched them out a little bigger but overall, pleased with dinner! I hope they continue to sell the kits! **I added the basil topping** read more

Franco's Italian Bistro - two pizzas on pans - Italian Near Me - Catonsville, Maryland