Frank’s Karma Cafe

Great place, but Frank’s karma would gain by turning on their front window lights to assist potential customers finding the place.

I have eaten at Frank’s Karma for many years (but never as often as I would like). All of their sandwiches and desserts are amazing. During certain times of the year and on certain days, they have Marshall Field’s recipe for chicken pot pie. It is a delicious dish, but you need to come early or pre-​order, since they make small batches and popular menu items sell out quickly.
Andrew (up front) and Cliff (running the back of the house) are really nice people, and they take great pride in the meals they serve. I am also quite sure Andrew actually knows every person in Wauconda and knows all about them. Cliff is a true artisan when it comes to the food. I hoped to beat the odds and get a pot pie today, but the gastric gods had other plans. I ordered a pizza sandwich on focaccia (one of the daily specials). Look for the picture I posted of it, and imagine it tastes even better than it looks (and that is a handsome sammich!). I know I enjoy my meal when, during my last bite, I have the pang of disappointment that my food is now gone. I experienced that today, and it’s not the first time I have felt that way after lunch at Frank’s Karma Café.
Their location is small and intimate, only a handful of tables (which are nearly always occupied when I come). Dining on the patio in season.
I can wax poetic about the wonderful food, but instead I will say… go there. Try it for yourself. I have never had a disappointing meal!

I love Frank’s best sandwiches north of the city that I’ve tried. All the bread is made from scratch, as are their sauces, pies, cakes, soups, and they always have something tasty to wash it down with, homemade as well. Amazing Reubens, the sirracha focaccia is great too when its available. The place is tiny and gets packed for lunch, they also aren’t open past 4:00 or so.

While the meatloaf was good, that was it! Ughhhh, the yummy bread was charred, twenty minutes for two sandwiches, place is so disorganized with unnecessary stuff collecting dust and taking up the minimal indoor real estate in the dining room, there’s no room to sit for lunch and people have to get up from their non-​relaxing lunch to let another guest pass, and the final burn…
no refill on the ice tea, REALLY, last I checked tea bags are pretty cheap!
Takes a lot more than a good meatloaf for a good customer experience, don’t ya always say?!

Really great find. Saw the reviews on Unilocal and had to give it a try. Come early they believe in fresh foods which means if the special you want is a hot seller it may be out by if you come late. Small place, but the ordering moves pretty fast. The pies are a stellar choice for afterwards, I was hoping to try one of their bars as well, but they were sold out by the time we got there.

Excellent sandwiches and soup. Extremely well done recipes and execution. Reminds me of the saying «sometimes less well done is more». Not much room to sit.

Always forget about this place, but kinda forget about Wauconda too. Good grub

I ate here again today, along with my mother. We were really disappointed with the food this time. We both had one of the specials: I had the grilled chicken avocado mango salad and my mom had the Siracha Foccacia Club.
My salad was a plate full of dark green lettuce (romaine?) — and that was it as far as the salad part. No mixed greens, which would’ve been nice. The lettuce was topped on one side with a few chunks of thick cubed chicken. Definitely not grilled as the description says. This was like the middle of a thick, chewy chicken breast (gross). On the other side of the greens was a bunch of cubed mango pieces. That was the best part of this «salad». It was served on the side with some kind of dressing that I have no idea what it was. Had no flavor whatsoever. It was a little dish of oil with some herbs floating around in it. Franks — please, please at least learn the proper way to make a vinaigrette! This salad was NOT worth $ 11.
My mom’s sandwich was mostly thick focaccia. There was one thin slice of deli turkey meat, as far as the turkey portion of the sandwich went. We were surprised that it wasn’t «real» turkey. Anyone can put a piece of cheap, crappy deli meat on bread. And what was with the one measly slice? The only good thing about this sandwich was the bread and the aioli sauce.
One more negative: we got to Franks at 11:30. We wanted to beat the lunch crowd. They were already sold out of the egg salad (a special). So, word to the wise: if there’s a menu item on the daily special that you REALLY have your heart set on, pre-​order it over the phone or online.
The only positive: My mom got a blueberry pie and she had a piece after lunch and said it was delicious. She would know — she’s been an expert homemade pie maker for 50 years.

I was a little worried when I decided to stop to eat in Wauconda for lunch and now after eating here I wish this place was closer to where I live. They make their own bread for their sandwiches and they have a crazy amount of pies. The guy behind the counter is probably the nicest guy in the hospitality industry. If you find yourself in Wauconda go out of your way to check this place out.

Call it Karma, but after a rough weekend with family, found this welcoming and local shop on Main Street in lakeside Wauconda. Unimpressive and humble front entrance lead to an even more unassuming space filled with a scattering of tables and chairs. Orders are taken at the counter and food is then delivered table side.
I arrived at around 2:15 pm on a Tuesday and as I asked what was good, the guy said, «our daily specials» but then informed me many were sold out as he wiped the specials off the dry erase board. Bummer.
So I asked «what else is good.». He talked me into the Reuben, one of my go to sandwich orders. He assured me that the bread was homemade, the corned beef slow cooked insight, and the coleslaw made in house. Cool.
I could have added a mini homemade pie to my order, but I resisted despite the lovely strawberry rhubarb pie that was looking at me from the counter by the register.
Sandwich came quick. Good crust on the grilled bread. Good ratio of meat, sauerkraut, cheese, and bread. Only complaint was the sandwich was a bit too salty. Others here on Unilocal have remarked the same and I concur. I was glad I had the side of slaw as it’s sweetness and creaminess balanced off the salt. Perhaps they should serve the slaw alongside the Reuben all the time (it cost me an extra $ 1.50).
I was checked on a few times and appreciated the attention.
I would come back, for sure. But would get here earlier and before those specials were wiped off the board.
Update:
I broke down and bought a pie when I went to get a box for my left over.

Amazing gem in the heart of Wauconda. Fresh ingredients, creative menu and a great vibe from the minute you come in until the minute you leave. Kudos to Cliff and Andrew for maintaing such a great establishment. In a town with so little options for good eats, this place rises well above the rest.
Try the flank steak sandwich anytime they have it on special. The peanut sauce is to die for.

Excellent and tasty food. My favorite spot. Nice people and fast service. Nice atmosphere. Good karma.

Food here is home made and amazing, they have an awesome drink selection, try the limeade, it’s incredible. It’s a small quaint place and gets very busy during the weekend and can be hard to find a seat, but that is part of its charm.

The food is great and the place is quaint. It is definitley a place to stop in for lunch.

This place is a real gem! Been there twice now and we have been really pleased. My wife loves there soup and found out she can do a half sandwich with the soup. I have tried the chicken wrap Wednesday special and the on the menu club. Both filling and their bread is excellent. The real item that puts this place over the top is their pies. First time we took home an apple and a banana cream. The crust is outstanding. Today we brought home a tart cherry and same results.
Place is small with a limited seating area. Also today we were there by noon and 1 of the 2 soup choices was already gone and so was 1 of the specials.

Great place, small but great unique food. The staff and owner are very friendly and hospitable.

A MUST EAT PLACE! There is no reason to eat anywhere else in the world. Homemade goodness in every bite, whatever you choose.
They are people who really care what they are serving.
Thanks Andrew and Cliff!

This is my new favorite place! Great customer service and the people are soooo friendly! I love this place and the people that work there! The food that they serve is AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS! It’s always so fresh and it tastes like it was made with love! They buy everything locally which is so rare for restaurants to do and they bake all their own bread. Best bread I have ever had! Also their tea and pie is to die for!

What can I say besides «Delicious!» I guess I could be wordy and say a lot more, but trust me, delicious sums it up. I got the #27 today, hot roast beef and cheddar with giardiniera on a sub roll. My mouth loves me so much it swears it will never leave me.

DELICIOUS, BUT WHERE’S THE BEEF?
I want to get the one negative out of the way. WHERE’S THE BEEF in this sandwich? I guess I am more use to a deli sandwich where the corned beef is piled high and covering every possible inch of bread.
Now the good about Frank’s Karma Café.
This was my first time coming to Frank’s. It is literally a tiny little deli shop in between other stores. I actually passed by it once because I didn’t see it at first.
Tip #1: I then went around the block and parked in the free parking lot on the side street.
Once I stepped inside immediately I noticed how small this place is. It was but packed with people already eating their lunches.
Tip #2: They have only so many tables and chairs to seat 18 people inside as well as a couple of tables outside in front of the place.
I looked at the menu board and they have a large selection of sandwiches to choose from. I decided to go with the #3 which is a corned beef with horseradish on a dark rye.
Tip #3: They prefer that you order your sandwich by # rather than name. This makes sense since they have multiple sandwich’s with similar meet choices.
I received my sandwich and took it home. I have to say that the flavor was awesome. The beef was very tender and lean, the horseradish was fresh and tangy and the bread was so fresh that you would swear that they just made it today. It also came with a dill pickle on the side which was good for a pickle.
Overall I thought that the sandwich was very good. I guess if anything, it left me wanting more. I will go back again to try another sandwich. Just bring the beef.