Frank and Pauly’s

Oily, cold food. Very disappointing.

What a horrible place, I was very disappointed in this restaurant. From the moment you walk in you are excited because it’s really a nice looking place. It feels like it’s going to be a good Italian restaurant but looks can be deceiving. The food was some of the worst in the city. I don’t believe anything was fresh, it was all canned and processed. I had some kind of chicken and artichoke pasta and my girlfriend had a garlic chicken pasta. The chicken in both pastas looked like dog food, they were perfectly squared and all the veggies were from a can. To top it off they were a little pricey considering all they did was open a few cans and warm it in the microwave. The service was okay, nothing great. We were the only table in the place so it’s not like they had a lot going on. I would not suggest this to anyone, in fact I wouldn’t even send someone I dislike there. I don’t get sick after eating here but we didn’t eat that much of the food before we had it boxed up but I can’t honestly say my girlfriend and I felt a little strange after eating there. We didn’t take any chances and instead of giving the leftovers to the dogs like we normally do we decided to throw them away. Stay safe and don’t eat here until they fix this place. I’d love to hear if anyone had a good experience here, I’ve only been there once and I like to support local businesses but I can’t bring myself to give them another chance.

Stopped in for lunch, the place was empty. That didn’t bother me too much, but the food took FOREVER to come out and when it did it was ver below average. My 7 year old has made better meatball subs with frozen meatballs and store bought bread. Overall very disappointed. And I really thought a meatball sub was a safe choice.

This place is currently at the top of my list of the worst service and slowest kitchens I have every ate at. Two hours and one giant argument later with my wife and we were taking are food to go. This is the reason why you don’t have two hour meals with you spouse, come on guys get it together and fix this place. I have three business and couldn’t even think to run them this bad and stay in business.

Being a fan of Gordon Ramsey’s show «Kitchen Nightmares», I can’t help but try to think what Gordon would say if he came to a particular restaurant. And I’m sad to say, this place would definitely elicit a good ol «Bloody Hell» or a «F*** Me!!» out of the expletive prone chef’s mouth!
The main issue with Frank and Pauly’s is that there is a massive disconnect. There is a disconnect between the Building (Old world/​old fashiioned and trying to be luxurious), the service (lackadaisical/​mediocre), the food (Meh… I could microwave frozen dinners just as good) and the prices (Holy Mackarel! $ 14 for that ravioli! And $ 5 for a side salad consisting of a weeny bit of lettuce and blue cheese?!)
Man, Gordon would go to town on this place!
Frank and Pauly’s really wants to be the place you go for a nice upscale date. A luxurious evening out in town. Maybe even a place you take your business clients to impress them! It’s a historic landmark of the US and beautifully kept! So why do they serve you a menu which feels like it’s aimed at kids? And why does everything about the restaurant (not the building, mind you) feel so cheap? The menu feels plasticky, the food is bought out in oversize plates from the 80s and the lighting makes the place look dull and drab.
The food could have been a saving grace, however, it just simply isn’t. It’s not bad… just not good either.
We had a Shrimp appetizer (was ok. couldn’t really complain about anything except the price — $ 12 for what seemed to be 6 previously frozen shrimp) followed by a Cheese ravioli in a marinara and a Penne vodka.
I could forgive the obviously microwaved frozen ravioli or a boxed penne if the sauces had been amazing. But the marinara tasted like Hunts tomato Purée with some garlic, parsley, onions and salt, while the Vodka simply added some cream, vodka and peppers to that.
All in all, not a place I would go back to!

Could be the worst food and service I’ve ever had…
Went here for lunch with the CEO of our company (who works remote from CT but, was in town for her monthly visit). the atmosphere and building is so cute that I really wanted to like it here. The services was sooo slooowww. we waited for ever for everything (waiter to come over, water/​drinks to come out, food to come out, check to come)…We were there for 2 hrs at lunch (and I think I saw one other table). The food wasn’t horrible but it wasn’t anything amazing to write home about. Next visit, Sat. night (to have appetizers and relax at the bar) because my future mother in law booked this place for our rehersal dinner (I was worried but it was her decision, she was paying, so I though maybe we just had a waiter on a bad day). So we are there on Sat. night… and again maybe 5 tables in the place. They didn’t have certain (common) beers, wines and vodka. Our food was cold and it took forever. The bartender was super nice (but unfortunatley the food was not good this time).
My future mother in law had already booked the place (we were there that night really to look at the room)…so now I’m super worried but, she is kind of ignoring the bad food and bad expieriance and we are going with it.
Rehersal dinner night — Oh my god… worst private party service ever, I think it was 15 – 20 between courses. Salad… waiting, waiting, waiting… Red Pasta…, waiting, waiting, waiting,…Chicken Parm, waiting, waiting, waiting… White Pasta, waiting, waiting, waiting… something else (can’t even remember now). By this time half the party was out on the back pation (which by the way is so adorable and so cute but the bar wasn’t set up and noone working out there (but the older man owner was out there feeling up some young chick, nice OMG).
I wouldn’t be suprised if this place closes down soon. I would love to buy it but I think it’s too far gone now, not sure anyone could come back from how terrable this place is.
what a bummer too cause it’s close to where I live. Oh well there are 20 other Italian joints in Mentor and surronding areas.

One of the worst meals of my life. Half the wine list was not available but we did get plenty of time to drink wine as it took over an hour from the time we ordered to get served. We were a party of 7 and the food came out 2 plates at a time. The first 2 served were done eating before the last person in our party was served. We spoke to the owner and he told us we did not understand what he was dealing with and that he had lost control of the kitchen. DO NOT eat here food that did come out was over cooked and the pasta was cold and portions were very small. Major disappointment.

By far the worst food and service! Don’t waste your money! Took 2 bites and the server never even asked if I liked it? I am in the business and never complain but it was so bad I needed to take the time to write this.

Never again ! My wife and I used to go down town every Christmas shop at Tower City then dinner at Frank & Paule’s. Given 15 years of history we were very excited to have this restaurant in our home town. But we couldn’t have been more disappointed the temperature in the restaurant was 87 degrees the entire time. It took 30 minutes to get our drinks. 45 to get bread. The calamari was over cooked and tough the chicken parm was tough as cardboard the service was so slow we were there 3.5 hours sweating to death. The entire staff was confused and slow they had no idea what they were doing, The food was average to below average italian swill served slow and over priced. We will never go back here. We wanted for it to be good so bad but it was horrible. I have no idea what they are thinking my wife and kids spent the last hour in the car waiting for one spoonful of store bought gelato. Go to ZApatellis or Davatinos and you will save $ 50 and get a much better meal in ¹⁄₃ the time Frank & Paulie’s is a horrible disaster!!!

Over the past few weeks, my wife I talked about trying Frank & Pauley’s and had high hopes. Unfortunately, as soon we walked in, we were turned off. The employees looked very confused and not inviting. This isn’t a huge deal for me but it set the tone for our visit. Next we detected a strong odor. It was a heavy, musty smell that as we waited to be greeted, we decided it could not be ignored. That coupled with the high humidity convinced us it would not be a comfortable setting for the evening. We decided to leave, which is a shame because I still don’t know what their food tastes like.
Maybe we’ll get carryout sometime.

Great food! The location is good and the ambiance is not what u would expect from a mentor avenue establishment. The owner was top notch and very friendly — glad to see business’s that care about heir customers. Not a good place to take kids though, leave this place for night out with your significant other! Highly recommend

We tried this restaurant on a Saturday night and we were seated right away. The menu is pretty traditional and the dessert menu is uninspired. The by-​the-​glass wine list was short, but reasonably priced– although it looks like there is wine galore for the more adventurous. The crusty, white bread came out with a hot center and cold end piece. Our waitress was okay, but not polished or genuinely friendly. What makes this restaurant worth mentioning was one of the specials– grouper with potatoes and a veggie medley. The meal arrived with a thick slice of fresh, grilled pineapple and delicious sauce. There was a generous portion fo grouper that was perfectly cooked. It almost tasted like lobster. While some chefs drown the meal in sauce, the sauce was served in a small, side container perfect for dipping the fish, lightly-​crispy potato slices, and broccoli. The broccoli was a little overcooked, but at least the vegetables were all fresh– green beans, red peppers, and more. My husband’s chicken marsala was served in a deep bowl which kept the food hot throughout the meal. While my entrée got an A, the chicken marsala was a B– at best. My coffee arrived lukewarm, but the waitress agreed to warm it up in the microwave for me. When it returned, the saucer was gone. We settled on the chocolate chip cookies for dessert. Good, but not home-​baked amazing as we’d hoped. My advice is to give it a try if you’re willing to take a chance of the special of the day.

The Italian beef sandwich was dry and tasteless. The waitress barely came by, waited forever. I won’t go back. Beautiful building, though.

Glad to see Frank and Pauly’s back! Food was great, atmosphere good and our waitress (Amanda) was superb. It’s was refreshing to be treated well and have a great meal at the same time. I highly recommend Frank and Pauly’s.

Considering how many reviews this restaurant has on another review site, I’m surprised to be the first Unilocaler to review the new Frank and Pauly’s.
Located in a historic house on Mentor Avenue, Frank and Pauly’s sits where many failed restaurants have previously existed. I’m generally a fan of historic anything, but the interior seemed kind of generic to me. Very old school/​traditional Italian/​I could be in Maggiano’s or any other Italian themed restaurant. That condescending comment doesn’t apply to the cool little wine bar/​lounge located near the hostess stand. That part of the restaurant is genius. But more on that later.
We sat down to enjoy a nice dinner before seeing a friend perform in the aforementioned lounge. Our server was a bit new and inattentive. He seemed a bit overwhelmed so we were patient with him. We ordered a bottle of wine and were nearly halfway through before any sort of food came to the table. Including the free bread. I ordered a vegetable pasta dish and my boyfriend got a clam and linguine pasta. We both agreed that our meals were good, hearty Italian dishes, but nothing out of the ordinary. It was also a little bothersome that the entrees didn’t come with any sort of side (except free bread). For the location and price point, it might have been nice to have a side salad or a cup of soup come along with the meal, but… it is what it is.
Back to the lounge. On weekends, there is entertainment in the lounge area, and even though you can only order wine or a cheese plate in there, if you’re so inclined, you can walk across the main hallway to the bar area to get yourself a cocktail. Inside the lounge there are multiple little rooms full of wine bottles, comfy couches, and amazing ambiance. I kind of wish I’d just been able to take some bread and a bottle of wine in there and skipped my whole dinner. At one point, people were dancing and there was a very lively crowd. But if you want to talk with your friends, like I did, it was easy to sneak back further into the connected rooms to be able to talk and hear the live music.
So overall, Frank and Pauly’s is a solid Italian restaurant with classic, stick to your ribs, comfort fare. Worth checking out if you’re in the area (and especially if you want to avoid the Mentor chains) and especially worth checking out if you’re looking for a place to relax and hang out with a bottle of wine.