Francesca’s Forno

Unfortunately this branch seems to have closed! Perhaps not surprising given the crappy reviews since mine. At this point, I’m not inclined to visit the other branches.

I went one day to have lunch and the place was so dead, I was excited. Probably a bad thing because the waiter working took almost 20min to take my order and then never approached my table once the food arrived. I made a complaint and management had me come back to redeem themselves. Well I’m glad they did. My friend and I went to town (we got a meal voucher). I’ve never had duck, but I would gladly return here for their duck. It was juicy, not too fatty and full of flavor. I had steak and it was just as good as the duck, but you can’t get good duck breast everywhere. For dessert we put the vanilla bean glazed donut with tahini (i think that’s what it was) ice cream and it was delicious.

Good but not overly memorable. Was taken here by a family member and had a good meal but… Not all the dishes were good. One had to be sent back and replaced. The replacement was just okay. So, spotty food. If you have one bad experience here, go back once more and try again. You might be surprised. Twice and you don’t like it, give up!

Celebrated my Mom’s birthday here. They accommodated 20 of us in a long table. Had a great time with the family. The staff and the manager was really great. I tried almost all their pizza, my favorite would be the spicy pepperoni.

Called regarding a special order and Nicholas and Brandon (the two managers) were beyond rude. The entire conversation was finger pointing and them not taking responsibility to make things right. I don’t care who’s fault something is (and if you are the manager, it is ultimately your’s) — but be professional and take responsibility for your employees and make things right.

Great atmosphere. Love that they open the window fronts when the weather is nice. My son and I had a Ramps pizza, it was very good. Service was also attentive. Nice place to pop in when in the Wicker Park neighborhood.

What happened? Francesca’s used to be my favorite local brunch spot. It never had a long wait and consistently served great food and provided a wonderful atmosphere. Is there a new owner? How can a place go from the tops to the bottom so quickly.
The menu has been different the past 3 times I’ve been here. It’s like as soon as I find a favorite new menu item, it’s gone. And not just that, the quality of food and the service has gone down significantly. I was so disappointed in my omelet my last visit. The chef cooked the sausage, tomatoes and cheese together, then poured it into what can best be described as an egg taco — not fluffy, but more rubbery in texture. The cheese was melted (browning) to the sausage but not at all to the egg! It was heartbreaking for a cheese lover like me who was expecting melty goodness of a traditional omelette.
The entire atmosphere has also changed– with the installment of hightop shared tables. Forno, one of the best parts of your location are the giant windows overlooking 6 corners. Why on earth would you block that view with GIANT shared tables? I do not understand this decision at all. They take up a ton of space, block the windows and do people really enjoy sharing a table? I mean, really? What happened to the cute, cozy and intimate feel you once had!
Now, all of this being said, my boyfriend loved his breakfast hash. He’s cool with anything meat and potatoes. I remain unimpressed and nostalgic for what once was my favorite place to brunch.

Came here for a drink after having dinner elsewhere. I like the outside area. We all just ordered beers and hung out. It wasn’t too busy/​loud or too quiet. Good place if you want to have some drinks and chat with friends.

Nice place, with good atmosphere. Was here tonight for a glass of wine and a cocktail.
The choice for wine is very good, they have 3 pages of red wine on the menu, it’s great. There are also a few cocktails and spirits.
As far as I could see, the meal menu looked good, but I can’t tell more about it.
Also, the staff is very friendly, I usually appreciate that a lot.

Francesca’s Forno USED to have seating, food and service similar to the other Francesca restaurants… i.e. Great! Coupled with its fantastic ‘people-​watching’ location, it was a wonderful place for a lazy mid-​week lunch, early dinner before a show, or late-​nite refuge from the Milwaukee/​Damen/​North Avenue crowds.
Now the menu consists of poorly-​prepared fast food (doughy pizzas, greasy hamburgers, and gooey donuts for dessert?). Seating is at wobbly high-​top «communal» tables. And service is uncoordinated or lacking. It still has a decent beer and drink list. So imbibe, enjoy seeing and being seen… and move on.

Consistently good food, friendly staff, casual ambience, perfect for a group, alone or a couple.

No Taqueria gin. Really?
Not great food. Place was half empty at 7pm on a Saturday night What does that say?

I’m an atmosphere gal. Give me a little sunshine, fizzy cocktails on a Saturday brunch and an open air restaurant and I’m onboard!
Food is good atmosphere is nice. Perfect place for brunch with girlfriends and fun shopping around the corner.
Cheers!

Was walking around the neighborhood a few weeks ago. Huz and I were searching for the perfect afternoon cocktail. We stopped in front of Forno and reluctantly looked at each other. Forno? After our last experience there? But something felt right about it this time, and we entered.
I’m glad we did. The bartender was great (as were the cocktails) and we were enjoying ourselves so much that we had some friends meet us there for a pizza. Can’t truly vouch for the food since the aforementioned cocktails were pretty boozy, but everything about our time there hit the spot.
Forno, truce?

Nothing makes you feel more welcome than your waiter coming to your table for the first time — after several minutes of waiting — and the first thing he says is, «do you guys know what you want? Or should I just f*** off?»
Really???
One star for the bus boy and host who were welcoming and friendly. The food was good. Sadly, because of our rude, pretentious, server we will not be returning.
–someone saw my post on Unilocal and commented 30 minutes later saying that they had just left the restaurant and the same experience.

I don’t know what Stacey D down there is talking about. We were just in here on the exact same date and our service was tremendous (Thanks Ben!) Our waiter told us straight off that they used to be entirely Italian and are transitioning to New American (Sad for those of you downvoting a place for changing its menu… try something new for heavens sake!) Food was excellent, and we’ll definately be returning.
PS: The Amish chicken course is worth the wait.

Is officially the Italian eatery with an identity crisis… The music switches from the beach boys to MIA. I could living in this area for two years and didn’t even think to go to this place until two weeks ago. While the food and the donuts are perfectly delectable the ambience is extremely #dad. Props for the four different types of vodka selection for the bloody mary, but I must admit $ 10 for a mimosa is a bit steep.

Fantastic staff and amazing seasonal
Menu. Had the mushroom soup and the proschuito di Parma pizza. Still affiliated with Francesca’s but has a flair of it’s own. Definitely recommend

Very good food and upbeat atmosphere. Really good place to start an evening.
Flatbreads and pastas are all good choices.
Bonus: They have a glazed and infused serving out the back of the restaurant.
June 2015 Update: service has been weak the last couple visits and they changed their menu (not as good any more). Club Lucky is probably a better bet these days

Service is great and fast. Came on a Friday afternoon and it was not busy which was nice. My friend and I both had pizza. I had la diavola and It was really good. It was crispy all over even in the middle where some pizzas tend to get soggy. My friend had the funghi which was basically mushrooms and white sauce instead of the usual red. It was very good as well. The fries were a bit on the salty side but that’s not a deal breaker.
There is a Dazed and Infused counter near the back of the restaurant which is a huge plus. The chocolate donut is soooo delicious and not overly sweet. In all it was a god meal.

I typically have loved this restaurant especially for brunch. However I hadn’t been for a few months and went back this weekend and instantly noticed a change. All of the changes screamed cost cutting. All of a sudden none of the dishes came with potatoes. You had to buy them separately for $ 6!!! In addition we asked for a side of ranch dressing and they charged us $ 3 when in the past it was free. I got the Arancini Benedict and they replaced the prosciutto with ham instead which took away the flavor. In addition the Arancini was bland. We also got a Bloody Mary which is typically our favorite in the city and it was watered down and you no longer got a beer chaser. I can see right through what they are trying to do and I will not be played. I’ll take my hard earned money elsewhere

3.5 Stars
Many of the establishments for some reason were closed along this street and Francesca’s was open and booming with business. I like that although there wasn’t outdoor seating their windows were huge and open up to make it feel like you are outdoors. We chose to sit at the communal dining table near the window and it’s a pretty neat view.
Our sever was great, but the kitchen was a little slow. We ordered a side of fries as an appetizer, but it ended up coming out with our meal. I had the Quattro stagioni pizza which came with prosciutto, artichoke, mushroom, olive oil, and egg. Although I’m a meat eater it wasn’t missed. I loved the crispy crust and adding a hint of parmesan I asked for on the side it was pretty good. My friend ordered one of the pastas (sorry don’t remember which one), but it came with pork and she said it was just okay. I would like to come back and try more of their pizza selections and the sandwiches.

Yum yum and more yum!!!
If you ever want well-​seasoned Italian food at a reasonable price — this is the place! All the pasta dishes are pretty large and seasonally prepared. The pappardelle and cavatelli are my favorites! End the dinner with a Limoncello shot and you won’t be disappointed.
Not only is the wine selection generous, but they have a lot of craft beers on hand too. Perfect for the Wicker Park neighborhood, can’t wait to come back here!