Franklin’s

My wife and I are thrilled to have this new watering hole in downtown WB. We travel to many different cities throughout the country and Canada for work and play and always felt the NEPA area needed a spot like this.
The owners have done a great job with the retro-​industrial deco. And during warmer weather, who doesn’t enjoy the fact you can open up the overhead door and sit outside.
The food menu is simple, but more than adequate. But I’m not going there for dinner. Whether it’s pre/​post Kirby Center or after a movie downtown, this is the spot for a good beer. And they have a very good selection. I’m puzzled by prior reviewers comment that the beer selection is poor. I suggest she get her eyes checked and come back and take another look at the chalkboard. Local craft brews, imports, and nations craft brews dominate the choices. And they are constantly changing.
And as for the drink selection, my wife will tell you they make one of the best Margaritas in the area. While we haven’t gone down the entire drinks list to taste them all, if the few we’ve had are any indication I would hesitate to try any of them. Hey, at least we tried the drinks before giving an opinion (see visually impaired reviewer).
Oh, the staff. This were they shine. Best service! Besides what you’d expect from good bartenders and servers, they go over what you’d expect.
Now my only issue is that smoking is allowed. But, with the high ceilings, ventilation, and ability to open the overhead door, I’ve never taken home the smell of smoke in the time I’ve been there.
If you haven’t been there yet, like a very good selection of beer, give it a try.

I just stopped in for a beer while waiting for takeout from Thai Thai. The place is minimalistic when it comes to décor, but overall not bad. I like the «vintage industrial» vibe. Service was friendly and price for a beer was acceptable. They have quite a few beers on draught, but not really anything exceptional. Sort of a mishmash of beers. In January, they still had at least one fall beer on tap.
The biggest downside to this place for me is that it allows smoking, and it smelled like it.
I haven’t tried the food. The menu looked like standard bar offerings. I wouldn’t eat here though when there are good non-​smoking places nearby with better beer selections.

Love this place. The décor is excellent. A large beer selection. Always being updated for seasonal beer. Corner bar feel with a bit of class. Stopped by a couple times for lunch meetings too.

Food is awful!!! I had a flat bread — gross for 10.99. They put some type of hot sauce on top — yuck. I can’t eat spicy food so I wasted my $$$. My husband got a cheese steak but no cheese and that spicy sauce was in that too. Total waste — will not go back!!!

Solid selection of local and craft beers on draft and in bottles. We went for lunch on a Sunday during football season, and were able to watch games on multiple screens in a setting that wasn’t too loud or overwhelming.
I enjoyed the tortellini and spinach soup and the caprese flatbread. The soup was light and flavorful. The flatbread was fresh and light, with a great balsamic glaze. My boyfriend got the Davey Burger — a burger baked inside of a soft, chewy dough. This was a tasty twist on a regular burger, and certainly worth checking out.

Excellent place to hang out, great list of beers (very cold) the food is quality and yummy. Matt the manager is a quality and service focused. We will be back!

I was excited to check out Franklin’s when I walked by one night after attending a concert nearby. It’s always cool to see bars with outdoor seating built in to their establishment because they are few and far between around NEPA.
When my boyfriend and I walked in around 2 weeks ago, it was obnoxiously loud. I had to shout and stand on my tip toes to talk into his ear. It wasn’t even that the bar was full of people trying to talk loudly over the music. It was as if the bar was trying to drown out the sounds of everything else happening… with Journey. I thought you don’t play Journey until the end of the night when everyone in the bar is wasted on Miller Lite and Yager Bombs and having sing-​alongs? It was 8 PM on a Friday. OK.
So we’re standing in front of the giant chalk board, and I felt a wave of disappointment flood me. The beer selection was a joke. Typical domestic beers that I can pick up at a Convenient. There was absolutely nothing special about their offerings. The «cocktail» selection was even worse. All the martinis and cocktails were sugar-​y drinks that are often made to be so sweet, that upon your first sip it beings to rot your teeth out. You know the kind. Appletini’s, Spritetini’s, cotton candy-​chocolate-​swedish fish-marshmallow-tini’s. Because I guess we don’t like the taste of alcohol around here!
We didn’t even bother buying drinks. They get one star for aesthetics. This is just another bar trying to carbon copy other «gastropubs» that are cropping up in the area. No thought put into beverage selection other than «this is what sells around here.»

Absolutely loving this bar and the ambiance. It’s so refreshing to have the open door and still be at a bar. Love the decorations and the beer selection. I was there when the rice boys performed and they were so good! Highly recommend to bring them back!

One of the best bars around the area! Both times I’ve been there the food was delicious! Very friendly crowd, Matt (I think that’s his name) is definitely a great bartender! Sometimes it can become very noisy, but so far it’s the best place I was able to find in WB. Live music is really good! Keep up the great job, guys! The only think I was not fully happy about was their kitchen closing at 10pm, but I believe it might have been for spring only and it might be different now.

A really good bar that is a good change of pace from rodanos. Cool drinks and a nice open air atmosphere. If you complain about cigarette smoke maybe you shouldn’t go out to any bars at all because it’s perfectly legal and socially acceptable to smoke in a bar. (I don’t smoke at all)

Cigarette smoking doesn’t belong in establishments that serve meals. It’s a disgusting habit that affects more people than the individual. I will not be coming back until they remove the smoking from this FOOD establishment.

Located next to Rodano’s, and under the same management, Franklin’s is the newest bar to open in downtown Wilkes-​Barre. I personally find that Rodano’s gets a bit too extreme during the evenings hours and Franklin’s is a great alternative to rowdy college students and annoying club music. Note to DJs: bad music doesn’t magically turn into good music just because you play it a higher volume.
The bartenders at Franklin’s were very nice and well versed in the field of mixology. It’s always difficult ordering a drink at a new bar because you’re never quite sure of the bartender’s skill level — should I waste money on an expensive cocktail and hope the bartender’s experience stretches beyond merely popping push-​tabs on cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon? I appreciated the fact that there was a large blackboard on the wall that listed the available specialty drinks and cocktails — thus ensuring I would be able to enjoy a quality mixed drink.
The bar is very simplistic when it comes to décor; there isn’t a jukebox but there is a dartboard and a Ms. Pac-​Man machine. There is limited outside seating that faces Public Square and it would be a great spot to eat or drink on a summer night. Franklin’s does serve food but I didn’t get a chance to try the menu — maybe next time. I assume they are sharing a kitchen with Rodano’s.
I should also take a minute to compliment the design and cleanliness of the men’s room: I have been in quite some disgusting bar restrooms but the water closets at Franklin’s were very clean and well-​maintained. I appreciate a nice restroom and it is a telling sign of management’s overall commitment to the quality and presentation of their establishment.