Reviewed: Dinner at Lil’ Frankie’s

Restaurant: Lil’ Frankie’s
Cuisine: Italian
Location: 19 1st Avenue - NY, NY 10003

Ok, so I know that I've got Lil' Frankie's on my "Nay List for NYC," which means that something about dining there is flawed, but I gotta admit that I had a damn good experience there this past Saturday night.

My sweet friend Emily planned a girl's holiday dinner at Lil' Frankie's for Saturday, December 15th at 8:45 p.m. I arrived five minutes shy of the reservation and found that I was the first of my party to check-in with the hostess. I made my way to the bar, grabbed a drink and admired the scene. The restaurant was adorably charming and old fashioned with tin roofs, dimly lit gothic chandeliers, over-sized mirrors and an overall shabby chic design. Lil' Frankie's was fully packed with patrons, however it wasn't fully packed with staff. For about five minutes prior to ordering my drink, there wasn't a bar tender in sight.

Finally, the girls arrived and though we had a reservation, we had to wait about twenty-minutes for our table. We ended up being seated in a corner booth-like table that overlooked First Avenue. I couldn't help but fall in love with the mismatched dinner plates and overall warmth and intimacy of the restaurant; especially when the snowflakes began flurrying outside of our window.

To start, we ordered a couple of bottles of wine, Lil' Frankie's salad and a Margherita pizza made with a whole wheat crust. Each of us ordered our own entrees, which were an assortment of pastas, the halibut special and the roasted chicken special. Everyone was very happy with their dinner and even happier with the overall price tag of our holiday meal.

I highly recommend Lil' Frankie's for a laid back, casual or festive and affordable meal. The atmosphere, pizza and people watching can't be beat!

…

Until we eat again,

Lindsay, The Lunch Belle