Service is great, but the pasta is awful. Every single pasta dish is basic, which isn't a problem. However, because "simpler," dishes require more skill and fresher ingredients to highlight the flavors, this place fails. We ordered spaghetti, rigatoni, gnocchi, tagliatelle, and a ton of other things (we had a large party of people). All of the pastas are way way over cooked. They've never heard of al dente or something. Tomato sauce is also about two notches too sour--which means they're either not importing tomatoes from Italy, or they're using fresh (but out of season) tomatoes. Appetizers are fantastic tho. The mussels were great, garlic bread is solid, but it's... meh. The place is super loud. You'll need to shout to hear the person sitting next to you. Do it for wine, appetizers, and amazing staff. It's definitely not authentic Italian. read more

The most delicious Italian food. I went to Frank on a Friday night around 7 pm and waited less than five minutes to be seated at the table we wanted. The service and food was great. I had the spaghetti limone and friends of mine ordered uncle tony's gnocchi. In addition to the menu, Frank also offers daily specials, which all looked awesome. To drink, we had aperol spritzes--perfect for a hot summer day. Only drawback to this restaurant is that it's cash only, but there are plenty of ATMs around. read more

See all

this place is so good! since going to frankie's i've been wanting to come here. loved the spaghetti! the olive oil and bread is very good as well! friendly staff. very old school italian decor. bathroom is clean but tiny as fuck lol. read more

See all

Went here as a spur of the moment lunch date and was not disappointed. We were seated immediately, and brought waters before even asking. Our waiter Stefano was amazing. So nice and very attentive. Food was so delicious. Rosemary Roasted Chicken was perfectly seasoned. Crispy skin with a juicy center. And laid on top of a delicious mound of super creamy mashed potatoes and gravy. The Spaghetti and Meatballs was just as good. Perfectly seasoned and the right about of cheese on top. They took a very simple dish and made it even more amazing. Definitely will be going again and definitely would recommend. read more

Frank - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

Rigatoni al Ragu and a glass white beer was a perfect start to a perfect night out with friends. The pasta was al dente and the beer was cold. I've already stopped by here a few times and usually sit at the bar with my food and drinks and always enjoy people watching, or chatting up a storm with a friend or two sitting next to me, over fresh bread and olives always served as you wait for your Italian goodness. I've never been a huge fan of Italian restaurants, but this place is special. Food is always good and service, quick. One caveat is that they're almost always packed, especially on weekends, but hey... could you blame them? Cash only. read more

Frank - View from the bar - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

These bad reviews are funny. "Cash only what a pain". I guess some people just don't get it? The ragu is still the best thing on the menu and this place is still very good! read more

Frank is a very popular pasta place in East Village. Seems to always be busy. However, the pasta, though not bad at all, is also not good enough for the waits and its popularity. It's also cash only. read more

We had food delivered. We ordered 2 salmon , 2 bruschetta and some pastas. For 2 ordered of bruschetta we got 2 pieces of bread total, some chopped tomatoes and arugula. The salmon came with no sides. Just arugula. My friend ordered her salmon cooked crispy. They made mine the same way. Way too over cooked for me. Would not order from here again. They sent a little bag of bread pieces which were slightly burnt. Yuk read more

Food is mediocre while the prices are insane. They are cash only, which doesn't make sense for their prices. Nobody is carrying $200 cash in their wallets. On top of that the host is not welcoming at all. There are plenty of Italian option near by with better food, service, and price read more

Cash only - just a heads up. Great, delicious food. Seats are way too crowded but everything else great

The restaurant only accepts cash. The bill had an extra $95.00 charge added to check. The waiter did not look surprised or embarrassed when I asked him about the charge. He simply adjusted the check and handed it back to me. Beware!! read more

I came across Frank one day through social media and decided I needed to try it, and I was SO glad I did! Imagine walking into your grandma's kitchen- from the decor, to the aromas, and the amazing food! You get what tastes and feels like a home cooked Italian meal in no time. Their Lasagna special on Thursdays... (tastes like my mom's lasagna). Their Branzino...drool worthy! . Another awesome pro - they let you pick a bottle of wine and drink as much as you want! A glass, one a half, two, three?! It doesn't matter. Drink as much as you want and only be charged for the amount you drink. Overall, would recommend Frank ! read more

This place its tight but cozy, I came here on a sunday with a date and we sat outside and got a nice bottle of chianti while we wait for the dinner, the service was super friendly but the food wasnt that tasty, they only serve lasagna on thursdays and they were out of ravioli (the chicken was kind of dry and the penne pasta with meatballs was just ok) we couldnt get desserte because we were not that satisfy with the food, altough Im just curious about trying the lasagna if I decide to come back here to give them another chance ;) read more

Frank - Seating at the bar - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

We had our Christmas dinner with a crew of 17 friends and two toddlers. It was my first time there and I was quite surprised that they were able to fit us in. It is definitely not kid friendly but we made it work with our two toddlers although diaper change was a challenge. The place is tiny but warm and cozy. It's cash only so be prepared. The bathroom is super small. Our waitress was amazing! She handled our obnoxious party like a professional and we were not easy. She timed the food perfectly and there were no mistakes. Drinks were flying :) We started with arugula salad, steamed calamari, mozzarella di bufala, meatballs. All were delicious! I had branzino special. It came with red sauce and was delicious. We probably tired every entree on that menu. Everything was tasty. We had an amazing time but this place is better for smaller groups. read more

Frank - Branzino special - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

Really good food and service. Prices are fair. Cash only so be prepared. Overall a great neighborhood place. Will return.

Two words : "Skirt Steak". I came here for dinner with a friend last month and we ordered up a storm. We ordered the Pappardelle with Veal Ragu first, which we should have probably ordered towards the end because it is a "hardy" dish, Definitely good enough to fill up one person to their seams. We followed it up with the Orecchiette with broccoli rabe and sausage, pretty good, my friend loved it. The Broccoli was very fresh and the sausage had a nice kick to it. Last for the pasta dishes was the Tagliatelle al funghi - This took the W when compared to all the pastas we ordered. It was really a great creamy flavor, mushrooms were not overbearing, and the tagliatelle was cooked perfectly "al dente". However, now that we're done talking about the pastas... The Skirt Steak is the reason why I have gone back 2 times in the last 2 months. It's the perfect dish to go sit at the bar grab solo. Quality tender meat with some sort of balsamic marinade with a side of greens. I see myself stoping by often when I'm craving a quick delicious steak. The atmosphere is very "live", there is curb side seating if the weather permits, lots of people walking by and stopping by to grab a glass of wine. The watermelon salad on a hot day is the perfect treat as well. So in conclusion, have a reservation, don't over order because the pastas are all filling, and don't forget to order the skirt steak - even if it comes home with you in a doggy bag! read more

Frank - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

I loved this placed. My wife found it on a post in Instagram. The picture looked amazing. Do we came to try it. Black linguini w/ calamari. Best pasta I ever had. And, please do yourself the favor. Try the mozzarella read more

Cute, charming little Italian restaurant that been here for decades. Cash only but worth the inconvenience. I'm not normally a Gnocchi fan but this one had me reconsidering that statement. Certainly worth a stop if you in the area. read more

Everything was ok until they almost started kicking us out trying take our plates while we was still eating out, they literally came up to us 3 time in one minute asking "if they can take the plates away". I was not very happy and the waitress giving attitude like she is on period. She was talking too much instead of listening. Food was good, but service and communication is horrible... Tables and menu look old, design like in kindergarten. Worst part, they take only cash. Even in the small villages of China, homeless people accept cashless donations. na this restaurant that in the middle of East Village. Not coming back. read more

One of my favorite Italian spots in NYC. I try and eat here every trip. My favorite dish is the Papparadelle with Veal ragu and the gnocchi. The wine list is great with some real gems. It's lost its 'trendy' edge from the early days and I'm sure some would consider it touristy because of its location. I do not. It's a perfect little neighborhood spot and the food is consistently excellent. read more

This place really didn't live up to the hype for me. The pros: friendly service, and a good wine list. Plus they had a pay-for-what-you-drink policy on the wine. AKA you can open a bottle, and if you drink half, you only pay for half. Neat! Pasta was pretty forgettable. Not actively bad, but my mom makes it better, and she's not even Italian, or a chef, or equipped with any other sort of meaningful advantage when it comes to making pasta. I ate here less than a week ago and don't remember what I ordered. Basically, it was something with a tomato-based sauce, but my dining mates also got pastas with a tomato-based sauce, and the sauces in all of them tasted... about the same. So now I can't remember. And you gotta be kidding me with the cash-only. Maybe for a dive bar or dollar pizza or hole-in-the-wall Chinese food, but for a nice sit-down restaurant in a trendy neighborhood? read more

Pretty good! Very expensive for an Italian place. Said all the reservations were booked but when we were there no one was there besides us.... read more

Hands down my favorite authentic Italian in the city. I've had almost everything on the menu and have never once been disappointed. Personal favorites and must tries include the spaghetti lemone, pasta with pease, and the steak tagliata. There is always a great vibe here too - especially at night with fun music, staff, and decor. read more

See all

Get off work early. Meet up with someone you love. Take a car to the lower east side. Have a Manhattan, or several, somewhere cozy. Mosey over to Frank, early. Get a stool at the bar. Order a nice red from the hot as &*(#@(%U@a235234785@#()%Y bartender. Share a huge fucking meatball. Slap someone's mama. Go home happy. read more

Frank - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

Came in to Frank yesterday as the owner just returned from italy with the elusive white truffle!!!! We had plans in the city in the afternoon and decided to head in a little early for brunch. The brunch menu is quite extensive - all kinds of eggs, salads, french toast & the likes. He also offers pastas on the brunch menu as well. but alas, we were here for the truffles. The specials offered were truffles over baked eggs, or tagliatelle or risotto. We went for the eggs. By themselves the eggs were excellent. Baked eggs over a bechemel sauce, but the addition of those aromatic, divine truffles made them amazing!!!! Service was excellent. The dining area we were at is "cozy" and boisterous! But we loved it! Keeping this one on the list to try for dinner, we are looking forward to going back!!! If you do go - keep in mind, its cash only! read more

Frank - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

See all

One of the better pasta spots I have found in the city, really glad that I stumbled onto it. It's not a fancy spot, very casual and full of people on a regular basis because of its popularity. It can be a little louder, especially when full, and the tables are not huge. Pasta is excellent, I highly recommend the Limoncello pasta. There are daily specials, and the one time I had the seafood black pasta (I think it was Sunday) was also so good. The staple Ragu is good for meat-lovers, which has a rigatoni. My husband also requested a Chicken parm (not on the menu) and they made it really well for him as well. I also recommend the garlic bread and the tiramisu for dessert. It seems a little pricier, but totally worth it. Just be wary of peak hours, during the weekends and the busiest times the wait can be 40min+. Also the service I think may also vary, I've had a excellent server one time and another time a less-attentive one. Just depends on your luck I guess! read more

What is the big fuss about this place? I was not impressed. Good: 1. Cool vibe 2. Friendly staff Bad: 1. Over priced appetizer - $23 for a buffalo mozzarella. 2. No prices on the board for the specials 3. Cash only 4. Bland food read more

**CASH ONLY** Not a criticism, just know before you go. This place has a lot of good and it's been around a while. I like a lot of things about this place like the service, wine list and pasta. People love their chicken and meatloaf - I've never had either. Unfortunately or maybe fortunately, I'm too drawn to the pasta. I know I should eat less carbs. But their macaroni is great. Don't murder it in grated cheese - it's "grate" on its own. I'm a cornball... Outdoor seating and two entrances and either avenue. Don't get lost! Given its location, menu and atmosphere, you shouldn't get sticker shock. Frank's is definitely on the pricier side for what it is, but it's tasty nonetheless. read more

I was here last nite with a few friends and I found the place to be just decent. The portions of the entrees were very generous. I got the roasted rosemary chicken (just ok) with mashed potatoes (as plain as they could be) and roasted tomato (just 1 small piece). It was a huge dish, though. I know you can't make chicken taste like heaven, but this was nothing special. Then I had their tiramisu, which was a generous scoop (delicious). Their bread was as dry as it could be at 10p. I guess not their fault. While we were waiting for the others to come, my good friend and I shared their acclaimed burrata (just 1) with a couple of glasses of iced tea. It was truly delicious, but the whole bill for just these 2 items came to $28 (without tip). After paying for that and sitting down with the rest to order our entrees (separate check), I gave a look to the menu and there was no mention of the price of the burrata. On their website, also, they don't have the price listed. Ok, maybe it's a special (which I doubt bc most people come here to taste it, so it has to be on their menu every night), but why not putting the price out openly so that people know that they are charging more than the price of an entree for that appetizer? Smelled like a scam to me. Still now I don't know how much I paid for that thing, and I can only blame myself for not double checking the check. I just wanted to pay b4 my pal did, and rushed through it. But $28 for the burrata and 2 glasses of iced tea was unacceptable. read more

Excellent Italian food. Most memorable was the burrata appetizer. Creamy, flavorful burrata served on juicy ripe tomato slices. Our other appetizer, the asparagus with parmesan, was good but not great. The parmesan was all crispy and good at the edges (like the cheese that oozes out of a grilled cheese sandwich), but the rest of the dish fell flat - a mass of chewy cheese on top of tasteless asparagus. The entrees were both very good: spinach ricotta ravioli with red sauce, and eggplant parmesan. Overall, very good food, but didn't knock our socks off (except for that burrata... yummmm). read more

Apparently Frank is a LES establishment, & you have to try their brunch! Well, I was disappointed. Their's a prix fixe menu for brunch.... that comes with ONLY your entree. Nothing else. No coffee or tea. Also, everything is a different price, so it may as well be a la carte. I ordered a Bloody Mary & tea (thinking the tea came with brunch) & when I told the waiter I only wanted to do the one drink brunch special, he said I may as well get unlimited since I got a tea. (Thanks for the economics lesson bro) Wait, did I just get duped into booze brunch? Don't get me wrong, I love Booze Brunch, but I was recovering from a cold and didn't think endless vodka would help. On the other hand, there is no rhythm or rhyme to the length of their booze brunch. Not your standard two hour session, more like an hour. Food was average, so don't kill yourself trying to get in here if their is a crowd.... read more

Nice people, nice environment but had to move spots because the music was very loud and did not fit the vibe. Would not come here again. I got the rigatoni and meat sauce, it was just under cooked pasta with really bad low quality meatballs, had a very very upset stomach afterwards. read more

I feel like the reviews of these place while mixed are overwhelmingly positive. This restaurant is owned by the same company that runs little Frankie's and super for reference. The vibe: cozy grandmas kitchen chic. The space is small but in a disruptive uncomfortable manner. The service: very helpful and friendly staff. The food: great. I am very unwilling to pay for pasta as I typically feel like I can do an adequate job of making it myself. We ordered the spaghetti limone and another pasta dish with mushrooms and sage. Both were worth the price. Delicious heaping plates of warm carby goodness bursting with flavor. I know I am backtracking but we also had the arugula, prosciutto and burrata appetizer as well as the bruschetta. The arugula dish was amazing. Best burrata I've ever had. The bruschetta was underwhelming-- tomato's lacked in flavor. The price: it's not cheap but I think for the overall experience you get totally worth it. This spot has a lot of frequenters for a reason. I recommend going on the later side, 8:30 PM and after for dinner. Things quite down and you can really enjoy yourself. read more

Amazing menu, amazing atmosphere. Make sure To make a reservation always packed, very small place. Thursday they have fresh burrata and homemade lasagna. The best night to go would be Thursday. read more

I've been here a few times with friends and on a quick/casual date with my boyfriend. It's a good spot if you want to stay local in the East Village. This is a sister restaurant to Supper, so the menu is similar. It's good Italian food, with a medium price tag, and a casual vibe. The restaurant is small, so be prepared to sit close to one another/other tables. I'd recommend this place mainly for dinner with friends (you can book large groups and choose to do family style if that's something you are into). It's cash only!. RESTAURANT OVERVIEW: -Small, rustic Italian vibe -Outdoor seating in the warmer months -Dim-lit atmosphere -Tables are close to one another APPS: -Mozzarella Di Bufala: Amazing mozzarella reminiscent of mozzarella straight from Italy. Very fresh and tasty with the basil and tomato slices. This is a good portion for about 4-5 people. -Bruschetta: Portion is 1 large toast with tomatoes on top - you can cut this in half to split with another person, or just have 1 for yourself depending on your mood. DINNER: -Uncle Tony's Gnocchi: This was great! Good portion size too. Very saucy (which I like) and cheesy. I would order this again. SERVICE: -Very good, no complaints. read more

Frank - Gnocchi - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

Black kale caesar salad is five stars. I LOVE kale salads! The black ink spaghetti was also delicious but on the average to above average side. Great, friendly service. The restaurant is a bit small, cozy, and dark. Overall a 3.5. read more

I feel as though I'm being generous giving Frank four stars. I love the food here, but the service and ambiance is the problem. Our waitress was less than average. She didn't keep up with our drinks and didn't offer us dessert. Our food came out rushed and I felt the space we were sitting in was really cramped. The food itself is always really good. I wish they took a little more time to work in their presentation. I have been here a few times and have had mostly good experiences. This time, I don't think I will be back for some time. read more

I used to visit Frank pretty regularly when I lived in NYC, and found myself needing a weekend dinner spot in the East Village where the wait wasn't 2 hours without a reservation. Stopped in with friends while in town a few weeks ago and it is still solid! So, like I said, it's definitely busy and bustling, but you can usually get in within a reasonable time frame without a reservation, or book one same day if needed. The decor is very cozy and homey and I love that they play hip hop! It's a small, loud space but somehow has a fairly large capacity for seating people, along with outdoor seating out front. I also love the bar seating in the back where you can watch the chefs at work! Food-wise, the pasta and appetizer specials are the way to go - they tend to be more unique than the core menu. That said, the rigatoni al ragu from the menu (with the option to add ricotta, yasss) is hearty and satisfying. I wouldn't say this is the best Italian food in NYC but it's tasty, comforting and satisfying, and portions are large (without being excessive or gut-busting). They make a good cocktail at the bar and the wine selection offers a good variety with some reasonably priced options. I also love the desserts here! My favorite is the affogato. I know it's a fairly standard dessert but for whatever reason, they do a great job with this here. The portion is enormous and good to share. Cash only, but there is an ATM nearby where you can go if you find yourself cashless when the bill comes. Prices are decent for the quality of the food and experience as well. read more

I really liked Frank. It's comfort Italian food in a comfortable setting. Warm with bricks, a huge mirror, and dim lighting. The scene is casual but still fancy and special, and the service is nice. It's cash only. Try the burrata and even the simplest pasta dish is excellent. Deserts are good, too. Feels like real New York, not pretentious, but down to earth. read more

RIGATONI AL RAGU! Get it. Savour it. Order another. This pasta is the best of the best, I was not disappointed. Perfectly al dente, sauce not too salty but full of flavour, and the meatballs and suasage perfectly seasoned. Mind blown. If you do come here (please do) your tastebuds will thank me. Fyi - the salad in the photo was a necessity to stop me from eating more pasta. read more

Frank - Rigatoni al ragu (best pasta I have eaten), along with the vegetable salad. Highly recommend the rigatoni. - Italian Near Me - New York, New York