As appealing as a bath with John Prescott (Frankie & Benny's)

Member Name: paulie1975

Product:	Frankie & Benny's
Date:	09/02/09 (177 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: The chance to learn in the toilets, good for kids parties

Disadvantages: The Food, service is variable, the prices are too much for reheated frozen food

I have to start this review by being honest, i've had to eat here because my partner is a Coeliac and they do sometimes allow her to swap bread for chips, although I don't think thats a reason to eat here as chips are universal. I've eaten in Frankie and Benny's about 20 times and feel qualified to give an opinion on it.

Decked out like an American-Italian 50's diner, you enter the premises and wait to be guided to a seat, or more generally in my experience to be told despite plenty of free seats that there is a 20 minute wait. The place always has some diners, generally families with kids and young lovers but is rarely full and the overwhelming atmosphere is that no matter how hard you try to converse the music is too loud and the kids party's are too boisterous, although thats no bad thing, its good that they are having fun but my point is its not the place for a rendez-vous, business meeting or anything that requires discussion.

So you've finally got a seat, how are the staff, well from experience they're a mixed bag, some are excellent, accomodating, friendly and efficient, my experience was tainted by an anglo-italian waiter last Christmas who must have spotted I had a massive cold and was sneezing and puffing heavily, I also passed my car keys to my partner, when he asked what we wanted to drink I ordered a tea and my partner a water, he then made a snide comment about British men and that real men would have a beer, I wanted to leave at that moment as it was a stupid comment that meant the only tip he would get was that he should think before he opened his mouth. He then refused to check with the kitchen if my partner could have chips instead of bread with her dish, despite our pleas that it had never been an issue before, anyway, rant over, the staff are a mixed bag.

The Drinks menu is reasonably extensive with a selection of beers, wines, spirits and soft drinks, its nothing special but its decent enough and can't be faulted.

The food menu is basically a mix of italian and american food, however it falls between the two and fails to be either, you can have chicken wings, potato skins, burger and chips or Pizza, Calzone or Pasta, I generally have a 'Sister Rosario's Lamb Shank', or peppered steak, neither are great, both are overcooked no matter how you order them and have the taste of reheated frozen food, there is no subtlety and no passion in the food, the pizza's are large but bland, with the base tasting cardboardy and the tomato base being manufactured not home made. Chips are clearly frozen fare, the chicken always seems small and rubbery, it does really appeal to the kids parties and must be a nice break for the parents but with main meals costing around £8-£15 it is far too expensive for what it is. There are deals at the moment with the recession such as Sunday Roasts for a tenner, but then what does a Sunday roast have to do with American Italian food? There is one of my issues it should concentrate on doing one thing well not two things badly.

The best thing about the place is that they have Italian Language learning tapes playing in the toilets, but for me if a toilet is the highlight of my trip its time to upgrade to the Harvester, Beefeater or something much classier like that!

Summary: Locanda Locatelli for fan's of Jeremy Kyle