Francoforte Spaghetti Bar

Two words! Delicious pasta! Came here with my best friend for dinner and chats one night. Food was really good, but were so busy they actually forgot our order. The waitress was kind enough to offer us free dessert or drinks since we had to wait over an hour for food. However, neither of us felt like this had been communicated to the other staff when we paid for our dinner. The waitress said nothing when we did pay for our food as well. We didn’t bother to raise anything about it because we were happy to pay for our delicious meal. We ordered the kale pesto which was nice and zingy and the squid in vino (loved how the squid was cooked well and that we weren’t given rubbery tyre like squid haha). Will come again but hopefully they won’t forget our order this time!

A tucked away italian delight. It may be a small restaurant but with a difference to your regular traditional dishes. Busy for a Sunday evening. Enjoying a kangaroo bolognese with my son. Its Byo… but could of enjoyed a nice red.

This tucked away, cosy Italian is a real delight within Northbridge. Just off William Street, hidden down a small laneway near Is Donburi, the restaurant offers seating in the laneway or within the cosier looking restaurant.
The menu options are kept simple which I like. We started with some olive oil and bread and my favourite — green sicilian olives. The restaurant is BYO and they provide small water glasses to drink your wine out of in true Italian style. Love it!
My eyes were waay bigger than my stomach on this visit and I decided to order a large (sizes are small or large for each dish). The small would have left me just satisfied I’m sure. I opted for the Kale Pesto pasta served with cacciatore sausage. It was hearty and delicious. My friends dishes were all confirmed to be just as tasty.
Recommended if you’re looking for casual, cheap and very tasty eats in Northbridge.

Not sure how I will survive being away for 6 months without getting my fix from this place. Since discovering it not that long ago, it’s become an addiction needing at minimum and weekly fix.
Not only are the pasta and sauce combinations amazingly moorish and inexpensive, but this place is also BYO, making for a great meal out. The piggy ear pasta is my all time favourite. Right amount of salty goodness and delicious pasta. Also try a salad for a nice little side dish if ordering a smaller pasta serve.
Only downside is the back alley toilet, can be some unsavoury characters lingering by the door at times.

This little hole in the wall was a pleasant surprise. The menu is fairly small and it isnt licensed but byo wine in water glasses. Different concept but the food was delicious. I can understand why there are often lines of people, but given the size of the menu and the lack of alcohol id imagine the crowds move in and out fast.

I went here on a week night for dinner. It’s byo but they don’t have wine glasses. They have both indoor seating and outdoor seating (with heaters). It’s a small café sized restaurant. Their menu consists of a few appetizers and salads and spaghetti as mains.
We had their antipasti, the eggplant sugo spaghetti (16 dollars for entrée size) and the carbonara. The food was average but good value. They also had a kangaroo with pork spaghetti option for those who like weird combinations of meat in their food.
We went here at around 6pm when it was mostly empty but by 8pm the entire place had filled up. Seems to be pretty popular.

Top 3 reasons to visit Francoforte.
1. It’s BYO. Nothing makes a meal taste better than a glass of wine that didn’t cost you a day’s wages.
2. Big portions for a reasonable price. You can choose from a piccolo or grande serving. Piccolo, at around $ 16 – 17, is the exact size you need for a light meal. The grande, at $ 20 – 24, is enough to satisfy the biggest appetite. Seriously, you’ll need to undo the button on your jeans.
3. It’s cute and casual. The atmosphere is relaxed enough for a quick mid-​week meal with friends, yet the small size means it also works for a intimate date.
Go and try the eggplant sugo tonight!

There are things that worked and didn’t work for me about their spaghetti bar, but in the end I have decided to review it based on the theme they were going for… Meaning I will overlook that whilst pleasant staff they are not offering a full service restaurant; you order at the counter, bring your own wine, and may need to get your own utensils.
If that does not both you, then you can prepare yourself for some well cooked, and most likely not you standard fare of spitting dishes, think mushroom and tuna, you won’t find heavy tomato based sauces here.
That gets them three and a half stars, what got them to four was the dessert, the tiramisu was a real ripper! Full flavour, moist but not soggy, and absolutely a surprise that was a great way to finish a meal.
Since they are BYO it even allowed us to whittle down the wine cabinet by a bottle which is very handy

I’ve been there a couple times already with my wife for a fast dinner and we love it. The pasta serve is really generous and the price is fair. The kale pesto is awesome.
It’s BYO which I find great.
They also have some entrees which are very good.
I would recommend it for a regular day dinner easly.

I really wanted to love this place. The idea is brilliant: do one dish, and do it well.
Unfortunately, we we’re let down in several ways. The first was the excessive wait for such a simple meal. We arrived around 7pm on a fairly busy Sunday night. After being seated and ordering at the counter, we waited close to 40 minutes for our spaghetti to come out. The salad arrived about 10 minutes before the spaghetti so we quickly demolished it.
My husband and daughter order the Porco Rosso, and both complained there weren’t enough meatballs. Later on in the evening, I was inside (ordering chilli and extra parmesan — $ 1 each!) and overheard them tell other patrons that they had run out of this dish. Explains why our serves were meagre.
I had one of the vegetarian options, kale pesto. While I was looking forward to a hearty dish filled with kale leaves and pesto, I was a bit disappointed to find it was pesto made with kale. The flavour was quite bland and very dry. I needed to ask for some vinegar to help moisten it as I was struggling to eat it. As mentioned above, I wanted some fresh chilli to help add flavour, and was a bit surprised at having to pay an extra $ 1 each for a small bowl of chilli and a few extra tablespoons of parmesan for my daughter. I guess you get accustomed to these being provided gratis at other establishments.
The toilets in the complex were deplorable. The sanitary bins were all overflowing, and neither my daughter nor I felt safe or clean using them. Perhaps cleaning doesn’t take place on a weekend, and Sunday is not the best time to use the facilities?
I’ll definitely give it another go, and update my review if I have a different experience!

Second time in a week and I’m giving them an extra star. Food came out much faster the second time around even though they were actually busier than my first visit.
The Squid in Vino was light and lovely. And the Kale Pesto spaghetti was delicious too! I’m not a huge fan of lemon in my food but it was subtle and I barely knew it was in there.
Also, as of last Friday, they now have EFTPOS so it’s no longer cash only!

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Food and presentation — 3.5÷5
Luckily, our pastas were cooked al dente the way we all like it and the sauces were also nice and authentic. Our favourite was the carbonara because it was proper carbonara (like the ones you get in Italy and not the creamy carbonara) and it was very tasty. Eventhough the eggplant and sausage pasta had the same sauce, we all preferred the eggplant version better and we weren’t quite sure about the squid pasta because it was a bit tasteless (we felt it needed some garlic, salt and chilli) and this brought the score down. I think this is the most authentic Italian pasta I’ve had in Perth!
Service — 3.5÷5
Word of advice: order and pay at the counter first or you’ll get hungry waiting around for someone to take your order. The one and only waitress who mans the counter and brings out the food was nice and friendly but didn’t provide much other service which we did not expect at a casual spaghetti bar. Nothing to complain about in terms of service but nothing to really rave about either. My only other complaint was the length of time we had to wait for our food especially since they were not full and most of the other patrons were already eating so were not waiting for their food.
We were lucky enough to have a chat to the owner’s mum as we were leaving and she is such a sweet lady. We commented on how nice the pasta was and asked if her son was also the chef and she said he’s not a chef, he just learnt from family recipes (such a mum response and so cute) so we told her that she must be a great cook. By the way, they are Italian which makes sense why the dishes are so authentic.
Atmosphere and décor — ⁴⁄₅
Very casual and trendy. I like the feel of the spaghetti bar including the communal table, the bar table at the window looking out onto the laneway and the unfinished walls.
Value for money — ⁴⁄₅
For under $ 20 per person it was well worth it for four small pasta dishes which weren’t actually too small and one would’ve been enough to fill me up. However I was a bit annoyed that I had to pay $ 1 for a tiny portion of parmesan and of chilli.
Will come back when I need a pasta fix and in Northbridge but hopefully they won’t take as long next time.
Taste Test Total Score ¹⁵⁄₂₀

I came here after hearing some good things on the grapevine.
I went to meet with a friend who wanted to catch up for my birthday. The place is quaint, so if you want to secure a spot I’d suggest making a booking. For those that have no idea how to find it, right opposite Superstar Waffles. Knowing this will save you a trek trying to find it by dowsing. My friend made sure to be fashionably late plus ten minutes — classic diva. We ordered 2 pastas, and I have to say they have a pretty nice range, and cater for both vegans and gluten haters.
First time round my squid pasta came out with no squid, a mistake which they apologised for and remediated by giving me HEAPS of squid when the plate came back out from the kitchen. I have to say, the pastas were very decent for their cost. I would definitely recommend Francoforte for those that are in northbridge and looking to satisfy their pasta cravings.

I expect pasta lovers to welcome Francoforte to the beloved 189 William St Arcade with open arms — it’s a warm place that features wallet friendly meals and a few homemade delights. Start the meal with the antipasto and end it with the tiramisu, you can thank me later!
The only downside is that they didn’t have eftpos when I first visited and they’ve increased their prices since, despite the fact that they don’t use fresh pasta. It’s such a shame because their sauces are clearly made with a lot of effort and thought; I can appreciate a good pasta sauce and I hope that in future, they can start rolling out house made pasta along with it!
They get my vote for the things that are homemade, including the olives (in fact, the entire antipasto plate) and THAT TIRAMISU. Glad to have another cheap and casual option open up in Northbridge.

This place wasn’t bad. Small and cute, the waitress was friendly and it’s really casual. They don’t have eftpos but there is an ATM 2 mins away.
I found that for a place specialising in pasta, they don’t use fresh pasta or make their own — it’s Barilla. That kinda put a dampner on my exictement for going here, but it was still a good experience.
I ordered the carbonara that everyone raved about and S got a tomato based one. I enjoyed the carbonara but I wouldn’t get it again. It wasn’t so mind blowing or different from a lot of others I’ve had before. It was good though, and the cured pigs cheek was great, though don’t expect to get heaps of it.
Really enjoyed the fork full of the fellas pasta though — it tasted as though the pasta sauce had been made from scratch and had a long slow cook, which made it sweet and delicously tomatoey! I enjoyed that more than I enjoyed mine!
The prices are fab, it’s super cheap for what you get, we had the small servings because the large serve looked way too big!
I’d go back again if friends wanted to go but wouldn’t rush back on my own. Decent but not as good as the hype suggested!

Had dinner last night and I was so busy eating I forgot to take any pictures to post.
Pasta come in 2 sizes, entrée and main, fab prices around $ 13/​$ 14 for entrée and $ 17/​$ 18 for main.
I had the Kale pasta and was worried it would be bland but it was bursting with flavour, we ordered a great selection of dishes and everyone thought theres was great.
Décor is cute, it is also byo, corkage is $ 4 a bottle and cash only.
I ate at Modo Mio recently… so disappointing… but this place… best pasta I have had in a while… def going back

Cute little place, but definitely more of a quick dinner before going out rather than somewhere you can settle in and make a night of it. The food was excellent value for money, and the small serving was just the perfect amount of pasta! Still plenty of room for their amazing $ 6 tiramisu.
Although there is just one waitress for the whole restaurant, she is very friendly and the service is fairly quick. The décor is lovely too, has a very half-​finished, hip kinda vibe to it but I really liked it.

Uh oh. We are just home from a bad experience at Francoforte. Having been keenly awaiting the opportunity to try this new little hole in the wall pasta place, I took my two house guests. We had surely worked up an appetite doing a lap around Kings Park immediately beforehand. We arrived around 720pm on a Wednesday night and I’d estimate the place was ¾ full. We found our own seats, as instructed, then placed our order. We chose three of the seven pasta dishes they offer. Aside from an antipasto plate, a salad, a tiramisu, they offer pasta and that’s it. Well, they are a pasta house after all. If they can’t get that right, they’re sunk.
30 minutes passes by and no sign of our meals, not even the cutlery. 5 mins later, we enquire politely with the sole waitress [she’s responsible for taking the orders, taking the money– cash only, making everything else bar the pasta, delivering the orders, clearing the tables and answering the phone. That’s too much for one person in a busy restaurant! ]. She says we’re «nearly next». What the???
50 mins after ordering, we get a fork and a serviette. I don’t know about you, but I’d like a spoon, too, please. Shouldn’t have to ask. Then comes the salad and it’s good. Really good. But is it because I’m ready to eat my own arm? Finally, the pasta arrives. My «made to order fresh fettucini carbonara» is gluggy lumpy over-​cooked tagiatelli. The other two spaghetti dishes are great. I ate mine because I was so damned hungry and it took so long, I couldn’t bear to return it. Also, this lass was really struggling and was putting in a valiant effort.
Portion size: perfect. Location: great. Salad: triffic. But the wait, the wrong pasta and, sin of all sins — overcooked pasta? Unforgivable.
I’ll begrudgingly return for an upcoming UYE and hope there’s marked improvement.
NB: other customers complained about the wait, too. One table had to get theirs to go as they were about to miss their Fringe show they thought they’d left ample time for. Step it up Francoforte.

Great quality pasta at a decent price.
I have been wanting to check out Fracoforte for a while. The smells wafting out of the restaurant when I’ve been walking past have been incredible, and calling to me to visit.
We headed in for an early dinner before a show at Black Swan State Theatre Co last week.
The menu is smallish, with 7 pastas to choose from (small or large), one salad (garden and delicious), an antipasto plate and a couple of desserts.
All but one at our table had the cured pig’s cheek carbonara, and boy were we glad we did! It was fantastic.
I’d definitely recommend only getting the small size pasta, the large is very large, even for someone with a large appetite like me.
The service was a bit slow, but apart from that it was a wonderful experience.

Finally Northbridge has a well priced Italian option!
Francoforte do one thing and they do it well.
PASTA!
The menu is small but has an option for every taste. The Pastas are simple and delicious. For $ 16 you can get yourself a large bowl of pasta with bread on the side.
The pasta is cooked perfectly and the sauce is fresh.
We had to wait a while for our meals but there was a massive booking for 30 in the restaurant so I think they were under the pump a little.
Hopefully air con will be installed soon, as it was a little hot in there as it got more and more crowded. The wait staff are all very friendly.
Will definitely be back to try more!
My tip — Try the Carbonara!