Franco in St. Louis - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

Restaurant is permanently closed. Their website is still up?

One of the very few French places in town (surprisingly), it would still be at the top of the heap even if there were numerous competitors.

Wonderful restaurant!! One of our faves!! Had the seared scallops and elegant fries app with wine... Scallops were perfect and best fries ever! Loved the wine and the great service.. We will be back for a meal next time!!

Wonderful experience and great conversation with Tom. Keep up the good work and the fabulous kitchen. The best coffee in St. Louis.

Great food, but slow service. My girlfriend and I went out for a weekend dinner here and took advantage of a Groupon deal. We had ordered their ribeye and mussels - the ribeye came out a perfect medium rare with a great sear and the mussels in a wonderful and flavorful sauce. We were going to order dessert, but we were too stuffed! The waiter was also very helpful with explaining the menu, but I wish he had shortened the intervals of checking in on us, so we didn't have to wait so long to order and to clear the check.

We had dinner at Franco for the first time and loved it. We will certainly be back. The Loup de mer was perfection. Everyone at our table was very impressed with the quality of the food.

most exclusive bistro I love the atmosphere

Overall, they are too expensive for marginal food. The place was busy and the service was very good, but it is not worth a return visit. We ordered the cheese plate and received three small pieces of cheese with a few grapes and nuts around the meager presentation. My rib eye steak was old, borderline rancid and overcooked for medium rare, but the French fries were outstanding. Two dining companions had the rainbow trout, which they said was not fresh and they would not recommend. The seafood stew was good, as was the sorbet. The opera cake was tough and chewy, while the crème brulée was good.

If you love real French food, the salty, fatty, rich food of the terroir, this is the best place in St Louis, one of the best in America. They really have the spirit of the cuisine down, miles away from anything stuffy or pretentious. Background: I have been living, working and traveling in France for the better part of 20 years, and I love the good stuff: rustic bread, runny cheese, wine from some guy's backyard. Many French restaurants in America are OK, a nice placeholder until you get back to the real thing. Steak frites, soupe à l'oignon, moules, all good stuff, even if it's not really being prepared in a legit way. This is another level entirely. I knew from the second my pâté de campagne showed up. Many restaurants try to do pâté in some form of greasy or porky - but this managed to hit the level - light, balanced, and fresh to the point of sublime. I knew I was in for a treat. The Gougères vegetables really showed off the kitchen's stated goal of adding local ingredients and creativity to the classic dishes. Local root vegetables with cheese puff pastry, roasted to perfection in a maple glaze (more Vermont than Burgundy) that was ultra yummy. Then the main dishes arrived. My wife's cassoulet was 20/20 (as French schoolkids would say), everything the classic dish is supposed to be. My experience was even better, as I refused to order, instead telling the chef that I had lived in France - make something classic and delicious, no brains or guts. And he sent over a boeuf bourgignon that wasn't even on the menu, the best I have ever had, drenched in a sauce that I would like to be used as my embalming fluid. These guys are good. Not everything was entirely perfect - the vanilla crême brûlée was far more eggy and solid than necessary - but I frankly couldn't be bothered to notice. The entirety of the meal was so good, I had to forgive something. We are in Missouri after all. Whether you like French cooking or not, eat here. It's good.

Franco is my favorite restaurant in St. Louis in the same way that Yadier Molina is my favorite cardinal. They're absolutely fantastic at what they do best, and they're consistently solid at most everything else. They're so good, in fact, that any flaw you might want to point out ends up being just as endearing as Molina's (lack of) speed. Seriously, the food and drinks are consistently good and often fantastic, and the menu offers choices for both the adventurous eater and the comfort foodie (Is that a word? It should be.) The atmosphere is great, Tom and team are friendly, and it's an incredibly comfortable place to sit down and enjoy a fine meal. A lot of other restaurants get praises for great food and good Chefs--and I like those places and the food and drinks there, but when it comes down to making a reservation, Franco is the place I love to go.