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    Frankie's

    3.2 (57 reviews)
    Open 11:00 am - 8:00 pm

    Order Frankie's Takeout or Delivery

    Frankie's Photos

    FRANKIE'S ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Outdoor seating
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Frankie's

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    Dan R.

    "He came from nothing he tried 'em all Ya' gotta live low before you see them fall They said he was broke and never coming back But Frankie's gonna be alright" (Dropkick Murphys) The origin story of Frankie's is fantastic. During the Great Depression, two brothers pooled family money, bought an empty lot in Waterbury, convinced a lumber yard to give them lumber on credit, built a restaurant, then persuaded a meat purveyor and local bakery to create extra-long hot dogs and rolls. Business boomed and they opened a second location in 1941. Today, they have six locations across Connecticut. We visited their Plainville location yesterday and had a very enjoyable lunch. Our first order of business was deciding what we'd order, because their menu is quite deep. The menu is broken down into groupings, things like Specialties (chicken, chili, etc.), Hot Dogs, Sandwiches (Burgers, BLT, Grilled Cheese), Seafood (fried fish, shrimp, clams, scallops, grilled fish and a lobster roll), Salads, Sides (fries, rings, fried veggies, and more), and six kids meals. Fried food dominates, and I laughed when I saw a sign at the front of the store that proclaimed in no uncertain terms "It Ain't Food If It Ain't Fried". My wife ordered a regular hot dog, I ordered a scallop roll, and we split an order of Waffle Fries. We were pleasantly surprised that our cashier voluntarily gave us a 10% Senior Citizen discount, (a perk of my graying hair I suppose). A fountain drink and tax brought our discounted cost to a super reasonable $26.17. Frankies has a condiment bar where you can add as much sauerkraut, ketchup, chopped onions, and three kinds of relish as your little heart desires. I loved the scallop roll- a big mound of breaded and fried bay scallops piled on a toasted and buttered hot dog roll. I asked for cocktail sauce with it and a small, prepackaged container was on my tray when our number was called. The scallop roll was excellent. So were the waffle fries, a pretty big portion of golden-brown crunchy fries -easily enough to share. I doctored mine up with some of the condiment bar ketchup and onions and loved it. I didn't mooch any of the hot dog, but my wife gave it a glowing report. What a cool place. If you love old school comfort food served without a hint of pretension, Frankies is for you.

    You tell me what it is ??
    Peter A.

    Walked in for Order of Whole Belly fried clams , they were not cooked Right or crisp the batter fell off the fries Were terrible to ! Fire the cook

    Plain dog. Dog with mustard and onions. Chili dog with onions. Steak fries.
    Brian B.

    My wife and I stopped here for lunch in-between errands. It was not busy and we were able to order as soon as we walked in. We ordered two regular (Original) dogs and one chili. We also ordered two orders of their steak fries. The hot dogs are long and thin. They stick out from the buns. I guess that is supposed to be their signature look. They did taste good. I added yellow mustard and onions to my plain dog and onions to my chili dog. The chili on the dog, while not bad tasting, was reminiscent of something out of a can. The steak fries were good. I had mine with some ketchup on them. My wife had her fries plain also. Once we got home we both ended up drinking a lot of water. Apparently, the dogs had a lot of salt in them. We didn't detect it while we were eating them, it was well hidden. Bottom line - there are better hot dogs out there.

    The front of the restaurant
    Tricia T.

    Working in the area and needed somewhere nearby to grab lunch and this restaurant came up on my Google search. The menu was interesting and had options that seems delicious and affordable. Not much parking is available in the designated parking lot but there is street parking. Inside is wonderfully decorated with pictures and quotes on the wall and a very quiet and cozy atmosphere. Thought it would be busier for lunch but there were no lines and the cashier was ready to take our order. My coworkers and I ordered the fried shrimp plate, the fried clams, Cesar salad, and some fish and chips. To our surprise for such a small restaurant the food was extremely good. Even though my fried shrimp was a little over-fried and crispy, my roll was a little over toasted it was still good. The fries were extra hot like they just came out of the oil. If you are ever in the area and need somewhere affordable with less traffic this is the place for you.

    NY style dog
    Kevin D.

    Frankie's is one of those places that you go to for a dog and fried foods at decent prices. You don't go here for fancy or unique bites. You get basic food made well for not so much. If given the option of a fast food chain or Frankie's, I would do Frankie's. It's not special food, but good food done cheap. Just like this review. It's short n sweet.

    Cream dog

    Amazing place very clean wiener statue with condiments :)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hotdog hotdog!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Pig sty
    Alice F.

    Ok I tried frankies again Absolutely disgusting. Sweaty hands on the food. No masks on staff. Dirty counters. Filth everywhere. Place should be shut down

    I've always come to Frankies when I'm craving a chilli dog ! however when I ordered the onion rings they were very soggy and not crispy. I was very displeased given food costs so much now a days ! I will not be ordering these again.

    Daryl P.

    Having been a fan of Frankie's growing up in Bristol I was a little sad to see it move to Southington. The location a little hard to get to and hard to park at is an upgrade to the pot holes and RT 6 of Bristol. They have a larger restaurant forgoing the small order window for a open counter that can sometimes make it hard to have conversations or order since you can hear everything in their raised space. There is much more ample seating with a separate section for larger crowds. I also spotted an outdoor area that will open up in the summer time with a take out window. No more drive thru. I've always been a fan of their clam strip with fries Cole slaw and garlic bread. Didn't get the whole thing but got an order of clam strips. I'll have to see how the full order is but the strips sadly arent the same as before. Being very flaky you arent getting a nice balance of the fried and the clam. Small thing but having it for years makes me feel some kind of way. You'll always have a fan in me. Just don't forget your roots coming into the modern world with iPads and everything, the feel of a local business knowing their patrons have always pulled me back

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    26 days ago

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    2 years ago

    Just had lunch at Frankie's. Had the pulled pork sandwich, some steak fries, and a shake. It was excellent. Definitely going back.

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    5 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Prompt, respectful service. Amazing chili cheese dogs/ fried sides. Hands down best around

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Great clam strips! All around great service and environment. Great place to bring the family for a quick delicious bite

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    8 years ago

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    3 years ago

    What is the best place I ever been for hotdogs and hamburgers my daughter loved it. Thank you.

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    3 years ago

    One of the best food places I've ever had. The staff is so amazing and kind. I recommend the hot dogs! 100/10 wish I could eat it everyday

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    Hungry Bull Burger - Mac and cheese

    Hungry Bull Burger

    4.8(149 reviews)
    2.0 mi
    $$

    After reading the great reviews about this place my wife and I had to try it for our "Hot Dog…read moreTuesday" lunch. I don't give out 5 stars easily. This little unassuming place deserves every one of them! As soon as we walked in we were greeted by a very friendly man at the counter who seated us and brought menus. He turned out to be very helpful finding out this was our first time here. The store was well lit and clean. The tables were well spaced and not crowded in. My wife stuck to our tradition and ordered the RT 10 Dog with the spicy relish on the side. (Which was great for me) I couldn't resist The Hungry Bull burger. We'll just have to come back again for me to try their hotdogs. The 10' hot dog is a Martin Rosol's so the foundation of this hot dog is super strong. The sauerkraut was tasty and full flavored and just the right amount of mustard. My wife tried the spicy relish, that our server cheerfully supplied on the side, and it was a little too hot for her liking. Bonus for me. I got to put it on my burger. My burger came out stacked on a sturdy Brioche Roll with American cheese, onion straws and some very tasty horseradish crema. My burger was juicy and full of flavor. The onion straws brought the right amount of crunch. Halfway through I began to add in the spicy relish. Amazing. We got fries and onion rings and shared. The fries were big, crisp on the outside and creamy on the inside. Just the way I like them. The onion rings were amazing. I like when you bite into an onion ring and the whole onion doesn't come sliding out. These were perfect. Very good crunch and flavor. We have already decided that we will be back. I can't wait to try the hot dogs and the chicken sandwiches that were also calling my name.

    Do not judge a book by its cover! It's easy to pass this place, tucked next to a package store, but…read moremake sure you double back and go in. What an excellent lunch we had. I had a meatball sub, and my goodness, it was the best I've had in years; a perfect balance of sauce so that the meatballs didn't get overwhelmed. My husband had a chili dog and was gobsmacked at how they managed to elevate a seemingly straightforward dish. They used toasted bread, and the chili was the perfect amount. My son got one of their burgers and absolutely devoured it. Finally, their fries and onion rings are some of the best I've had in a while. I'm bummed that we are only in CT to visit family once a year, because this would definitely be added to our regular treat rotation.

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    Frankie's - hotdog - Updated May 2026

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