Frank’s Diner

I was in the Northgate area around lunchtime and noticed Frank’s, so I dropped in. I passed on the spaghetti and meatballs special of the day because it was my first time, and diner specials sometimes aren’t so special (I’m now sorry I missed that opportunity). I had a cup of Frank’s Chili (not Cincinnati Style, although they have that, too), which was very meaty and tomatoey, and I was able to stand my spoon up in it, because it was so thick. I also had a cheeseburger, which wasn’t fantastic, but was very good. I asked about the specials, and learned that they vary widely, and that it would be Chicken and Dumplings on Thursday, so I came back on Thursday and enjoyed that special. A nice portion of lots of shredded chicken with lots of chewy dumplings, fresh green beans sprinkled with garlic salt (nice touch! and a dinner roll. Now I call every Tuesday morning to find out what the week’s specials are. They are closed on Monday, and that is when she does the baking. That first visit, I took home Caramel Apple Crumb Cake and Summertime Lemon Cake. Both were really good. I just wish I lived closer, so I could go to Frank’s more often.

Just went to Franks diner for the first time. The inside was not very appealing. Several booths had huge rips in them, some fixed with duct tape. Our server had an oversized baggy faded (almost looked dirty) Tshirt on which was not very professional looking. The cheese sticks were OKAY. Too much breading. I ordered the cheeseburger and fries. Cheeseburger was delicious! Fries were bland/​no seasoning or salt. My partner ordered the chili cheese coney with fries. The coney was okay, bun wasn’t warm and she said it tasted like something she could have made at home. She didn’t like the fries either. When I was paying to leave, I saw the food prep texting on her phone with both gloves on. She then took one of the gloves off (after texting), and kept the other glove on as she proceeded to work. Yuck!!! We were not impressed (except for the burger) and will prob not got back again. My rating is: it was just okay, but texting while you’re handling food made it «less than okay». I would not recommend it, although someone else might. They seemed to have some other locals there.

I moved to the Finneytown area in Aug. 2013, and started looking for a local diner. I happened on Frank’s, and I was highly impressed from the start. in the past 5 months, I have probably eaten there 50 to 60 times. I rate their prices, servings, and quality as tops.
I compare Frank’s to other independent diners, like the Bluebird in Norwood, or Stephens or J&J on the Westside. I rank Frank’s above them on overall quality. they serve breakfast all day, which is mandatory for a true diner. all their food is great in quantity, well-​prepared, and very reasonable in price.
their service is fast, and the staff are uniformly friendly and welcoming. the desserts are homemade, and interesting in flavors.
overall, you can’t go wrong at Frank’s!