Frankie’s Piccolo Bistro

Do not order delivery from here. Order all wrong and both wife and I had tummy issues after this dinner. Pizza all wrong and over cooked and ravioli. Have never been in restaurant.

Best chicken parm in the area, great fast services and lots of specials! Great first visit. Will recommend to all friends in the area.

What a great experience. Came here for my friends birthday on a Sunday evening and it was superb. Everything from the caprese salad, to the bread, pizza, chicken riggies (spicy but done correctly) and finally the tiramisu. A great representation of modern Italian with old world flavors in a community with a strong Italian heritage. The facilities were clean, the staff was friendly and knowledgable. The atmosphere is spot on of what a piccolo bistro should be. Small intimate with the ability to accommodate larger parties and retain that same feel. Great spot, definitely going back. Enjoy!!!

Very good. The restaurant itself is piccolo indeed, but the service and the food quality are spot on. We started with the Arancinis (Italian rice balls), followed by the anti-​pasti. My Tuscan Ravioli and my husband’s three meats Bolognese were succulent. Both dishes were well executed. Keep in mind that the portions are «normal» in size. For dessert we had the Italian love cake. The only way I can describe this delicious dessert is, the Italian version of a tres leches cake with a raspberry twist.

We drove to Syracuse for a professional presentation (from Brooklyn) and found ourselves at Frankie’s and had a really terrific meal! Everything was scrumptious — the fried calamari, the bread, the pasta, and a really lovely salad. The owner Bobbie was welcoming and fun to talk to. His son is a chef and takes it seriously as all the dishes are prepared with a lot of care and special touches. It’s a small place, cozy, and also has a nice bar scene in the evenings. We were only in Syracuse for two nights and were hoping to return on our second night but plans had been made for us. So now we are left to remember a truly delicious meal with hopes of returning. In a college town where eateries cater more to student tastes, this is a real gem.

A very creative chef. My fillet mignon with flash fried spinach was excellent. The spinach was complementary to the quality beef. The fingerling potatoes with truffle oil were exceptional. The anti-​pasta salad was nicely presented with two different tasty sausage strips along with the usual olives, tomatoes and pleasant dressing… I’m forgetting something…
Be sure to accept the bread… not fantastic but satisfying… and also consider dessert offerings. My wife and I shared a lovely chocolate mousey? pie slice homemade by the chef’s father… very top-​notch.
I’m laughing at my writing style… But this restaurant is 5 stars!

Had dinner here with a friend last month, December 2015. I have been meaning to try this Italian restaurant out for sometime now especially since I have been to almost all the others in town. We came on a weekday night and were seated fairly promptly without reservations. The waiter was attentive and came with our drink orders fairly quickly and some complimentary garlic bread (which was nothing special and rather plain). We then proceeded to order their Calamari (do not get this — rubbery — not very good at all), Chicken Riggies, and some of their Ribeye. The latter two were alright but once again but not something that would draw me here again or for that matter the prices (definitely one of the most expensive restaurants in Syracuse). The food is average but because of the price, I give it a 2.5−2.75 star review.

Being from Montréal my expectations of the food are very high and Frankies exceeded past most italian restaurants in Montréal! Their specials are the way to go, true and authentic culinary talent for sure! Nice music, not an overwhelming restaurant with a ton of staff, very exclusive. Their banquet room is great too. Little italy gem. P. s– try the homemade desserts! Especially the ricotta cake!

We came because one of our favorite Syracuse chefs is here now. Wanted to see what he had going on at this kitchen… Not disappointed!
Very quaint North side Italian place, pictures of Frankie, Dino on the wall lol!
The food was amazing! As soon as we heard the specials we knew what we were having but I can say I know what else to try next time based on the plates I saw going by. They also feature gourmet pizza that looked awesome.
Reasonable wine list, cool place, great food! Check it out

Delicious place to eat. Had the greens, steak and coconut cream pie… all very good. Wait staff was nice. If in Syracuse I would recommend having dinner there.

I just had the best shrimp scampi and key lime pie I have ever had in my life! This is my second time here and they don’t disappoint. The service is wonderful and welcoming and the food is fresh, seasoned well and just plain olé great!!! Please try it out for yourself.

Had dinner with my dad here. We had a very simple meal, no lavish appetizers — just two entrees and some great father & son time. The restaurant is simple, yet elegant and has a European feel. The patio is very basic and faces out on Salina Street. We opted to eat inside in the (sorta dark) restaurant.
I simply had the Eggplant Parmiaganna while my dad enjoyed the Veal Francaise. My eggplant parmiagana with the bed of linguini was delightful. The eggplant was perfectly breaded and the tomato sauce was perfect and slightly sweet. The pasta was cooked well — not over cooked, the noodles were nice and firm. We were served a side of toasted bread (which kept coming!), which was appreciated.
I would have appreciated slightly more detail-​oriented service. Water was not always refilled in a timely fashion. I asked for no ice the first glass of water I received and was subsequently bussed (by a different server) and had ice filled. I didn’t say anything, but it would have been nice for the servers to notice that I preferred no ice in my water. Minor gripe, though.
The specials sounded delicious! They had a filet mignon with a lobster sauce over it on the menu which I would have loved to try next time. The rack of lamb also sounded absolutely delightful. Nice place — enjoyed it and would recommend it for a casual meal.

We got the bruschetta, filet mignon and lamb — all were excellent. Great service, good music and cozy atmosphere. I would definitely be a regular if I lived locally.

Enjoyed dinner at Frankie’s with friends on a Friday night. Make reservations for sure, it gets busy fast and with good reason. The food is outstanding and service is on point. Everything was great. Extensive special list was well rounded and an entire menu on its own. Wine list is average, but not overly priced. I’ll be back!
Random thoughts…
Calamari was perfection
Shrimp was awesome
Nothing overly sauced which is always my pet peeve.
Waiter was a young Mosley.
Deserts were the only weak spot
Acoustics are unusual, but just whisper.
The end.

There a lot better places to eat in Syracuse
Based on the Unilocal reviews and some local advice — we tried Frankie’s. We made reservations on-​line and showed up at the appointed time. We were greeted by the very friendly owner (we think) and escorted upstairs (read banished to the wilderness). The room up there is sparse (read not really what you want for a night out with your other half after a long week). And the chairs are literally (and I mean this in the original sense of the word — i.e., the opposite of figuratively) — metal folding chairs. While those may be great for the average church bazaar or bingo night, they are not meant for fine or even mid-​range dinning.
Adding to the lack of atmosphere was a large table of women’s soccer players. We expected our meal to be uncomfortable (chairs) with lots of noise. But the soccer team left shortly after we arrived (I don’t think we scared them off) and we switched out one of the chairs. And settled into our meal —
The by-​the-​glass wine selection is very limited. Only two Italian wines, one of which was ordinary. The one I had was good but pricey. The appetizers we had were so-​so. The calamari fritti were chewy and doughy not at all they way I like them. And the gnocchi had a strange texture but very nice and light. The greens they were served over were best part of the meal. We ordered two of the specials that night — the lamb shanks and beef filet. Both were fine — but nothing extraordinary.
The service was wonderful — despite being in the banished zone — things arrive hot and in a timely fashion. The waitstaff was engaging and when things slowed down, engaged us in conversation.
All in all, it was fine but nothing special. However, the price of $ 125 — 2 app’s and entrées, four drinks and one dessert, a glass of Grappa, and a nice tip — does not match the quality. For that kind of dough — there are outstanding places in Syracuse. It’s unlikely we will be back.

The best veal chop I’ve ever had in my life! Owner was a gem, hostess has the rare combination of being not only pleasant but extremely professional. Drinks were fairly priced and poured well, and the waitstaff was well educated on the menu and responsive. Can’t wait to return!

Unbelievably friendly staff and awesome food. The father is in front greeting customers and the son is in back cooking. It’s the perfect place to take your wife or girlfriend.
You’ll feel like family within minutes.
I had chicken parmigian (I know, boring and everybody makes it), but this was *perfect*. This isn’t the same thing «everybody» makes. This was what it’s supposed to be.
When the weather is warm, they open the doors out on the to the street and you can watch the sunset.
I wish I lived there.

Terrific restaurant in Little Italy area of Syracuse. I’ve been here 3 times in the past month, and have never ordered anything off of their traditional menu; their specials are always amazing! Great wine selection, friendly staff, amazing food.

A wonderful experience.
It takes a lot for me to give 5 stars, even at some of the top restaurants in NYC (where I live) but everything about Frankie’s truly deserves it! The food was delicious, the atmosphere was cozy and the service was impeccable. If I could give the service 6 stars I would!
I will most definitely be returning.

Ate there a couple nights ago. The service was amazing, the server was knowledgeable and friendly! Although I didn’t drink, a couple people at the table did. I thought the wines were overpriced. I got diavolo calamari, it was not spicy at all and the calamari was soggy. I ordered the eggplant entrée, I was told it had «tons» of cheese on it, which it did not. It was not good, not horrible mind you, it just tasted frozen dinnerish. My friend got a filet, he said it was uninspired but ok. For the value I think it’s a little over priced but the atmosphere and service was great