The Franklin

The Franklin is a cute little place tucked away in the Marigny neighborhood of New Orleans. From the outside things are very unassuming, but once inside you cannot help but notice the art and talk to interesting people. I was so delighted with the place that I went to eat there two nights on my ten night visit! The first night that I was there, friends kept trickling in and I got to try a wide variety of food. We started with some sort of blue crab with a fresh herb dipping sauce. I don’t even like crab, and I could not stop eating this crunchy delicious appetizer. I had a little bit of hanger steak, some sort of pasta, and some other seafood dishes. It’s ok that I have left off the details here, because the menu is fresh and changes regularly. I can honestly say, I did not have a bite of anything that I did not enjoy! The chocolate cake was rich and chocolatey. When I returned my highlights included Hamachi crudo and beef tartar. Both dishes had great texture and intricate details, unlike anything I have had before. I cannot even describe what style of food is served here because it is a mix of influences from all over the world. The Latin world and New Orleans definitely have the strongest presence in the food that I sampled, but the flavors are much more complicated than this. My watermelon beet salad was so fresh and yummy, I did not even crave a dessert my second visit!

What a fantastic restaurant off the beaten path– the service was 5 stars, drinks amazing, the make some killed mock tails which is always nice and the food was awesome– plus they even have happy hour until 7– get the carnitas, and crab — we did lots of small plates instead of a full entrée and boy did we make the rout decision!

Found this gem about 8 months ago. I’ve waited to write this review until after I’ve gone a few times. I’m happy to say that the place is a true winner. Great vibe and ambience. The drinks are inventive (although they could use a few more high end Bourbons, IMHO). The staff is exceptionally friendly and attentive. And the food menu is eclectic and wonderful. Everything exceed expectations.

My last night in N’orluns and I can tell you, this place did not disappoint. The flavours were amazing, the service was laid back, and the vibe was great (loved the music playlist too). I dined at the bar on my own and people were cordial and friendly. Would recommend to anyone — particularly those keen for a break from the heavy, intense classic-​NOLA dishes. This had just the perfect balance of New Orleans flavour with the lightness and spontaneity of a fresh, contemporary cuisine. Am sorry I can’t take the place back home with me to Sydney!
NB: Try and grab a bunch of the appetizers! There is so much good stuff on there, I wish I had a stomach that could try it all!

From my best food, very friendly, not touristic, if you are looking for a place where the people of New Orleans eat and good drink, it’s the restaurant you should go too !!

Everything was amazing. Well designed and lit. The service was frindly but not over the top. Wine selection, beef crudo, and the unexpected verbal desert menu would probobly be may favorite things about them so far. We will definitely be back and recommend to friends.

Killer! Such a cool place! Great ambiance, great service and great food! Can’t say a bad word about The Franklin. Recommend to anyone — it will not disappoint.

Three of us had dinner at The Franklin last night. Our overall experience was good but not great. First of all the place has a great vibe. If I lived in NOLA it would definitely be one of our go to places to sit at the bar, have a bunch of drinks and few apps.
But as a diner it was just ok. The place was really dark. I mean really really dark. Not sure why cause it’s a pretty cool space. We ordered four dishes to share as starters… Tuna Tartare was delish, and the Arugula & Heart of Palm salad was well composed and tasty. The Grilled Baby Octopus had potential with the grilled lemon, harissa potatoes and beet gastrique but all of that didn’t matter as the octopus was criminally overcooked. Similarly, the Crab Croquettes (special) could have been outstanding but they fell short of the mark as there wasn’t enough basil/​lime sauce to give them the help they needed to shine.
As mains we had the Succotash was really good, albeit a bit bland, the Fideo with Seafood which was more like Angel Hair pasta than a true toasted Fideo and the Braised Pork Shank & Grilled Shrimp. I really wanted to love the dish. I love anything pork and with grilled gulf shrimp it should have been a home run. But again, the dish just missed the mark. It was tasty yes, but there was nothing to pull the components together. And the gnocchi weren’t enough to soak up all of the great pork jus left sadly floating behind as the other elements were consumed. Perhaps grits would have been the foundation needed to build a sensational dish.
So we left with a yeah it was ok feeling. Next time we sit at the bar, sipping cocktails in cool space.

My older sister (with husband and kids) lived down the street for a hot minute, and I had come with her to have beverages in the past, but had never eaten here. The music is a bit on the loud side, and the lights are a bit on the dim side. Parking can be bad because it is all street parking in an area that is mainly residential and has several other bars nearby.
Side note: my first visit here, on the way out I know I hit some shrubbery with my loose clothing and noticed one of those horrible stinging caterpillars, but that is an issue with New Orleans, not the restaurant. Just check yourself for anything hanging on!
The drinks are nice and strong, and I have been wanting to come back and try the food. After disinterest rising from my friends, I came alone, and was welcomed with open arms shortly after they opened for the evening, and sat at the bar. I did not get too many odd looks for reading my book, which is nice, and I am so glad no one took that as an invitation to come talk to me. The steak was awesome, cooked medium well, and was a nice flavor. The asparagus was just crisp enough and cooked to perfection. Those fries! Shoestring fries, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, just perfect.
The restrooms are neat and clean. Everything was timed perfectly, and I am so glad that I came. Now if I could only drag people here with me next time, I would be happy.

Our third night in New Orleans we decided to try the local neighborhood where we were staying: Bywater/​Marigny. Perhaps the standard was set a little high with our two previous NOLA dining experiences. Here is my take on The Franklin: This place has a lot of upside. The restaurant has a very cool and intimate vibe. I understand it, its a neighborhood hang out spot. We arrived a little early and were four of but a few diners. Within the hour, the room was packed. Points added for an adventurous menu, but you’ve got to execute the basics, every time… The hamachi Crudo and hearts of palm salad we selected were fantastic. The roasted chicken was over cooked. I would like to note, that I still ate every last morsel. I like this restaurant. If I lived locally, I’d visit it often. Accentuate the local New Orleans sensibilities and steer away from the enticing outside distractions. Points also for selecting locally sourced ingredients.
I hope your restaurant does well.
Our server seemed to be having a bad night, she was disinterested and rolled her eyes at our order. Not what we’ve experienced given New Orleans charming people.

Very nice restaurant in the Marigny area. Good place to have a local date night and not have to drive. Raw and fried clams are A+ in size and taste. The octopus salad was good but the octopus was slightly over cooked. I really enjoyed the quail and my guest had he scallops which she enjoyed. They were very attentive to our allergies and where willing to make substitutions

wow it’s been a while since I’ve reviewed — and things have changed a lot. time for an update.
there’s a new chef, and the cuisine has been elevated. the lobster bisque i had recently was incredible. i also had a shrimp and pork shank dish that was delicious. four large, head on shrimp over a large portion of slow cooked, tender pork and browned gnocchi. so yummy!
everything is thoughtful, and I’ve never had a dish I didn’t like. the sweetbreads with crawfish are amazing, and a good introduction to sweetbreads if you haven’t eaten them before.
I also like the ambiance (see my last review for more there).
my one quibble is the oyster pricing. they aren’t particularly large… they seem to be the same gulf oysters served everywhere else, they’re just expensive. and I maintain they should never have gotten rid of chargrilled and they don’t need the fried. they’re above that dish! but these are my minor complaints from eating here probably too much.

The place has the best atmosphere! Drinks are phenomenal & food is delicious! I had the duck appetizer & the red fish for dinner. Everything to order can be shared which is really nice. I love this place & will be back :)

I returned to the Franklin with my sister a couple of weeks ago. My sister had dined there in November and she was so in love with the octopus that she wanted to go back.
We made a reservation for an early dinner and showed up to the place empty. We were the first customers of the night. I started out with a satsuma caipirinha, which I wished was a little bit sweeter. I guess I could’ve asked for some simple syrup or something, but I didn’t speak up, so no stars have been deducted for that.
We ordered tuna tartare, grilled baby octopus, duck confit pappardelle, and braised pork shank & grilled shrimp. The tuna tartare was my absolute favorite item from this meal. They got the Korean flavors down to perfection on this dish. And we’re Korean. The combination of the Asian pear, the kimchi juice, and the seaweed (I expected small pieces of nori, but it wasn’t nori! It was miyeok-​julgi, green seaweed stems) was PERFECT for the tuna. The octopus was good, but even my sister said that it wasn’t as good as the first time, so either she was having one of those the-​second-​time-​is-​never-​as-​impressive moments or the octopus really was better during her first visit. The pappardelle was good, but there was not a single crispy piece of duck, and when I hear duck confit I want the crispiness, so that was a bit disappointing. Lastly, the shrimp was delicious. It doesn’t look like a lot of food at first, but we struggled to finish the last bits of the braised pork.
Service was okay, but considering how slow it was when we first arrived, we thought that our server could have checked in on us a bit earlier to take our order. She also wasn’t the friendliest, but maybe it was just the Marigny/​Bywater vibe?

Had our 10^th anniversary dinner here and really enjoyed it. The food was really delicious, my only complaint was that the service seemed kind of scattered and a little on the slow side.
The room is quiet, warm and inviting. But it’s REALLY dark. I couldn’t read the menu without my phone’s flashlight. That’s kind of silly.
We had several amazing appetizers including beef carpaccio with a deep fried poached egg. Which is every bit as delicious as you can imagine. Fresh oysters that were really clean and delicious. And OMG. duck config pappardelle. The pasta was fresh and homemade and the duck confit was fantastic. All super winners.
We both had steak frites. Which was quite lovely. The meat was cooked just right and the sear on the outside was great. With a peppercorn sauce. Traditional and very nicely done. I prefer skinnier fries, personally, but these were good.
All in all an excellent meal.

We randomly stopped in here on a Saturday night and we were seated in the bar, since we hadn’t made reservations– no problem at all.
For starters, the restaurant is really dark, I mean so dark I could barely see the menu. After looking it over, and consulting the waitress about her recommendations, we decided to start with the octopus appetizer. This dish is grilled octopus and potatoes served with an interesting reduction of beets and lemon. The dish was okay, but the potatoes were a little overwhelming and there were more potatoes than octopus. All in all, the octopus itself was enjoyable.
Next I had the hangar steak, cooked medium rare and served with pomme frites. This dish was delicious and the steak was perfectly cooked, juicy and flavorful. The pomme frites were tasty as well and they came with a side of aioli for dipping. It was all so good.
For the most part, I liked my meal here. I think next time i will actually make reservations so I don’t have to sit in the bar area.

This is a pleasant surprise off the beaten path. Recommended by my nephew, when I googled the Franklin it looked like it was a local place. When we übered in, looked like we would not be walking back. But when we went inside all that changed. The restaurant was cool, quaint and very clean (if you measure cleanliness by the bathrooms as we do, this is a 10).
Once inside, the attentive waitstaff was efficient and quick. Drink orders great. The wine list is a bit narrow but good quality wines even if I (a novice) had not heard of them. But happy with our choice.
The food was awesome. Limited menu was perfect, something for everyone, well prepared, seasoned well and just the right amount.
It’s a local place away from the Quarter proper that seems to cater to the locals. Glad we found it and will come back next time in NoLa.

So I was meeting friends here, and when I finally figured out which building they were talking about (in the dark), then I couldn’t figure out which door was the entrance… turns out there are two. So confusing.
Once I found myself inside, I enjoyed the clean but clubby atmosphere. I enjoyed my time at the bar and will have to put this sot on my list of places to try for dinner when I’m in this part of town.
Since I was early, I was at the bar by myself for a bit and was made welcome which is a plus in any establishment.

This is a hip little space with an excellent bar and bartenders. They do a wonderfully creative Mexican brunch on the weekends with fun Latin vibe tunes playing to get you in the mood to eat their flavorful dishes. I highly recommend the fresh juices the colors of each just makes you feel healthy as you consume them. They are pricey for the small portion but so fresh an interesting. The staff here could not be nicer too. Very conversational and welcoming. The dinner many features a lot of fresh seafood but their vegetarian entrée is a welcome addition to the menu and done very well. Defiantly a spot to check out!

Totally cool atmosphere… made me think I was in NYC.
We started with the escargot éclair with bleu cheese mouse… that was it… I could have stopped her and been satisfied. Instead I had a great mixed green salad with squash and hazelnuts and the on to Coq au Vin with lardons and onion rings. it was quite decadent but finished with the flour less chocolate upside down cake with coconut… I was so stuffed had to roll out! Great meal!