Dine In
Serves Beer
Serves Dinner
Serves Wine
Takeout
Talk about a disappointment. The location is convenient to several notable attractions, the closest being St. Paul’s Cathedral. Because of that, I’m sure this place will always stand, but if you want better food and a more relaxing stop, try elsewhere. The interior DOES look nice. Industrial with warm accents - the wood wall facing the pizza oven is trendy and nice. The pizza oven itself is adorned with shards of material that make it stand out (along with being white and huge!). The atmosphere is ruined with music so loud we had to all the server to repeat herself a couple of times. (This was during lunch, so I can’t imagine how they pump up the volume come dinner time!) The food was at best average. The #4 (ricotta with ham and assorted mushrooms plus mozzarella, of course) was totally bland. The tomato sauce hastily thrown on top was absolutely needed in more places than just the middle. It was lacking acidity or any depth of flavor. Very one note - and not a good one. The #7 was much better, though the cook was stingy with the cheese and half-hazard with the toppings, at least it had multiple flavors that seemed to go together nicely. That’s one star. The other is for the pepper-infused olive-oil, without which we couldn’t have choked down the first bland pizza mentioned. NEITHER PIZZA WAS CUT FOR US. We at first thought, “Maybe that’s just how they do things here?” Then we noticed the absent-minded waitress cutting pizzas for other customers. We didn’t think it was an intentional jab toward us since we had only ordered our pizza and beer and didn’t see her again until she delivered the uncut pizza. (And not again until we flagged her down for the ticket - when the restaurant was practically empty and we had been waiting for 10 minutes.) Speaking of service, she was pretty terrible. We figure she’s able to get by with that kind of attitude because an “optional” 10% service charge is AUTOMATICALLY added to the bill without choice or question. She didn’t cut the pizza, didn’t clear used glasses or plates, and didn’t mention why she threw down a printed receipt after we ordered. (Well before our meal and the payment receipt.) She set it down without looking at us, and then she walked away. We picked it up, confused, then realized it was a “scan this QR code to join our rewards program.” Would it be so difficult to explain why you printed a receipt and left it? (Last pic of review.) It was an unfortunate trip, topped off with the “optional” service charge that the server absolutely didn’t earn, and left us feeling that we needed to leave a review that was honest and still fresh in our minds.
a month ago
Excellent service and attention. The crew booked 11 of us in, in a matter of minutes. The pizzas were terrific and service was quick, the beers and wine were also perfect to match the food with. Tables were spacious and comfortable. Prices were excellent.
a month ago
Decent food, won't rate it very good or say that I liked it. The atmosphere is fine, you can see the chef making the pizza. I visited them in the evening around 6:45 and found that service was quite slow.
5 months ago
Friendly welcome. Very relaxed and pleasant ambiance. Service was a little slow, but it was no problem. Our pizzas arrived, attractively presented. My Truffle Pizza was delicious, the truffle base incredible, but the pizza was, unfortunately, slightly dry with a burnt crust. My organic lemonade was so refreshing. The restaurant was immaculate. They kindly gave us an NHS discount which was most welcome. The prices were very competitive. It was, generally, a positive experience at Franco Manca. I would be happy to return....
6 months ago
Hidden bonus unlocked: if you visit often, you may get a heart shaped pizza! Tried #7 and #9, both great as always, have been loving franco manca for years!
3 weeks ago