Francos

We came here for an impromptu date night and it was lovely! a very homely family-run feel with very rustic italian inspired decor. the food was rich and delicious and came in large portions. the staff were also brilliant and very polite.

My first visit meeting with friends before attending an event. the premises themselves are beautiful with lots of history. we were early birds so as the evening progressed and the restaurant filled the warm friendly atmosphere became more apparent. the menu was good and varied with happy hour options clearly marked. the staff were approachable and obviously very busy during our visit. there was a choice of tables both upstairs and downstairs, although all required access via at least one set of stairs. toilet facilities were upstairs too, the ladies had one cubicle so plan well. even the gents had a queue. queuing was quite awkward too, at the top of the stairs with staff needing to pass with food from the kitchen. in such an old building this cannot be avoided, it's just important to be aware. we weren't able to find room for a dessert, having had such wonderful filling main meals. we opted for a traditional limoncello instead.

A unique italian restaurant that’s both impressive in some ways but lacklustre in others… my partner and i entered at around 2:15pm on a saturday and despite the place being busy we were able to get a table (i would recommend booking a table just in case) the place is cosy to say the least, there’s not much space between the tables and it could leave you feeling a little claustrophobic. the decor is rustic but definitely italian inspired, i actually really enjoyed the decor, it felt unique and a new experience for this area which was nice. for food, my partner opted for the spaghetti bolognese from the lunch menu while i went for the quattro stagioni pizza (i swapped the peppers for mushrooms) and we got a bowl of chips to share. for drinks, i went for the irn bru while my partner chose coca cola. our drinks arrived in a surprisingly small half pint glass, surprising as there was no indication of drink size on the menu and they cost £2.30 each… the food arrived pretty quickly and we tucked in, my pizza was absolutely amazing, full of flavour and very generous with the toppings (except pepperoni, i would’ve appreciated a few more slices). my partner had parmesan added to her spaghetti bolognese but unfortunately didn’t enjoy it, she said it tasted like watery tomatoes - i gave it a try and have to agree unfortunately. the chips were also disappointing, for £4.50 i expected something better than frozen theme park chips. after we had finished, we asked for the bill and it took rather a long time to firstly get the bill and secondly get someone to bring the card machine over, there’s a big sign saying “please do not come to the till to pay” but i feel this would’ve made things a lot quicker. overall, if you’re looking for a quality pizza in a unique environment then this is really hard to beat - as for pasta, the spaghetti bolognese needs some work.

I absolutely love this restaurant. the food and service is always brilliant. set in one of the most historic buildings of carlisle. every element of the menu is worth a try, the pizza and pasta menu are unreal but, for me, the steak is the best, cooked perfectly. 👌🏼