Frankie and Bennys

“Happy Birthday to me,
On a sunny May Sunday,
We were a little hungry,
Went to Frankie and Benny(s)”!!!

Doesn’t quite scan, I know, but you get the idea!!

Yesterday was my 38th birthday and, as we only had the youngest of our brood at home over lunch, we felt safe enough venturing out for a celebratory lunch and opted for Frankie & Benny’s in Tamworth. Neither my better half nor I had been before, although I have been to the restaurant in Dudley, so we both sallied forth eager to find out more!!!

A bit of history
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Frankie & Benny’s is a national chain of New York Italian restaurants based, probably fairly loosely now, on a family restaurant set up by Frankie Giuliani’s “Momma and Poppa” in Brooklyn in 1925, a year after the family arrived in the USA from Sicily. Frankie met Benny in High School and the pair took the business on in 1953 when Frankie’s father retired. They grew the business based on traditional Italian and popular American dishes, and it has now become a very successful and identifiable chain.

Whilst the chain is a large one, with standard menus and décor, I have found that the whole package does not seem too “processed”, with some flexibility in the menus, and not a boxed up children’s meal or novelty plastic gift in sight. Instead, you get individually plated and wholesome food prepared to your liking.

The Menu
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Be prepared, the menu is HUGE!! Not just in terms of the number of dishes available, but physically, as it runs to 3 pages of a menu “book” with each page nearly A3 size. It is truly overwhelming when you first read it, but is very clearly divided in to dish “types” to make your choices easier.

Top left are the appetizers, which consist of fairly standard fare at these types of restaurants – soup, loaded potato skins, barbecue wings, chicken strips and the like, together with “sharing” platters for a loving couple! All of the appetizers are priced at around £4 and are served on smaller plates, so not too filling but very satisfying

Fairly uniquely, the menu offers a “taster” platter, with a selection of samples of some of their main dishes. I asked our waiter and, whilst they prefer the appetizers and mains to be ordered together (to help the kitchen), which means that the benefit of sampling before choosing is lost somewhat, they can have a small delay in the ordering process at quieter times, allowing you to sample the tasters and then place your main course order. Clever, eh!!

The rest of the interior of the menu is made up of the main courses, which tend to be priced at around £8, except for the larger pizzas (£11) and some of the larger steaks (£11) and is very easily divided into meal types to help with the selection. The menu selection is full of traditional Italian and American dishes, so is based around beef, pasta and pizza, “like Momma used to make”! Well, not my Momma, obviously, as she is an electrician’s wife from Wolverhampton, but you get the picture! You have a choice of:

Pizzas (10” and 15”)

All are served on a thin crust base but with a wide range of toppings, such as Americano chicken, mozzarella, mushrooms, tomato, ham and egg, crispy bacon…..the list goes on. Each pizza is themed, with set toppings, but the family next to us ordered one with a few changes to the toppings and the staff were happy to accommodate.

Pasta

A range of pasta dishes are available, including spaghetti bolognese, meatballs on spaghetti, penne alfredo and carbonara. These are served in generous portions and are piping hot when served. Also available are a range of al forno (from the oven) dishes, such as lasagne. Again, the family next to us ordered this and it was a large portion with a marvellously rich, meaty smell!!

Sandwiches

The sandwich range moves more into the American style than Italian, with grilled chicken, burgers and steak sandwiches, served on ciabatta or burger buns, available. More on these later, as this is where we ordered from, but each of the sandwiches are served with a generous portion of fries and salad.

Finally on the menu are the House Specialities. These include slightly more elaborate dishes, but still priced at around £9, such as Little Italy Mussels, Alaskan Beer Battered Cod, Barbecue Chicken Ribs and Pepperoni and Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken.

On the negative side, but probably to be expected on an Italian/American menu, there is little on the “lighter bites” side, it’s all fairly heavy stuff, and the vegetarian selection is fairly limited, consisting of Vegetable Risotto and nut cutlets. A few fish dishes are also available.

Children are welcome in all Frankie & Benny restaurants, and a separate Children’s Menu is available. This is split into 2 parts, offering a “Children’s Menu” at £3.95, which offers smaller portions of Spaghetti Bolognese, Margherita Pizza, Sausage and Mash and the like, including a small ice cream dessert and unlimited soft drinks, and a “Junior’s Menu” at £6.25, which also offers meals such as Spaghetti Carbonara, Meatballs and Fish and Chips, and is for older children. This option also offers unlimited soft drinks and a choice of desserts, so children are well catered for and happy!!

The drinks menu is also fairly extensive, with bottled and draught lagers, Guinness and wine available. The bottled lagers are around £3 each, and I was drinking Peroni (hey, it’s Italian!!!), which was served cold and fresh. The wine is priced between £4 and £8 per bottle and offers red, white and rose wines. A range of speciality cocktails are also available, again at around £3 each. Many soft drinks and bottled waters are also available, at between £1.50 and £2 each.

Our Experience
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On pulling up at the Frankie & Benny’s in Tamworth we were greeted by a virtually empty car park, prompting initial queries as to whether it was open. But we then saw the large sign outside that stated the opening hours: 10am to 11pm, seven days a week. As an aside, they also do a breakfast menu which is based around bacon, muffins, steak and eggs, so I may give this a try!!!

As we entered the restaurant we realized why it had been so easy to park – the restaurant was less than half full!! At 1pm on a Sunday!! This was obviously great for us, not only because there was no overwhelmingly noisy atmosphere, but it also meant that the whole experience was unflustered and unhurried. I’m guessing that the menu flexibility and eagerness of the staff to be very attentive was a direct reflection of the fact that there were no more than 50 diners, but it meant that we felt very well cared for and “special”!

On entering the restaurant we were greeted by a very friendly member of staff who very clearly requested and confirmed our seating requirements and escorted us to our table. The room was set out with “booth” style seating around the outside and free standing tables in the centre. During our stay a couple of larger parties came in, and the staff were very eager, discreet and attentive in rearranging the tables to accommodate them.

The Interior
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The restaurant was extremely clean and “clutter” free. Again, the fact that many tables were empty helped this as these were neatly and tidily presented, but a few branded balloons were the only decorations in a very well lit room. The walls were decorated with a plethora of black and white photographs, designed to look like pictures from the family album, to give it a homely, intimate feel. I’m sure that these same prints are hung at every Frankie & Benny’s, so I’m sure that Uncle Marco, resplendent in his robe and boxing belt, watches over diners across the country, not just me on my birthday!

The atmosphere was a very pleasant relaxed one with the main room at a very comfortable temperature. The music being played out was 50’s and 60’s American popular music, so plenty of Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra, interspersed with the occasional blues or swing track. The music was very much in the background, so was not interfering with general conversation levels at all. My experience of the Dudley restaurant was actually quite different as the music was far too loud. In fact, the only time the music was noticeable was when the entire restaurant laughed at it as our 6 year incorrectly belted out “Under the Bonsai” instead of “Boardwalk” during one of the tracks!!

The toilets were very clearly signposted in one corner of the restaurant and offered full disabled facilities. From my experience solely of the gents(!), the toilets were very clean, fresh and well stocked with toilet roll and soaps. One of the two hand driers did not work, but this was no real inconvenience!!!

The Staff
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In my experience, particularly at busy times, staff in this type of restaurant can be a little rushed, flustered and inattentive, disinterestedly churning out the mantra of the menu. This was certainly not the case here. For a quiet period the restaurant was very well staffed with half a dozen people who were only too happy to discuss the menu, ensure that everything was OK and help out as much as possible. One member of staff seemed to be on permanent “condiment duty”, ensuring that customers were catered for quickly and fully.

Granted, as I’ve said, the restaurant was only half full, so the staff were not exactly stretched, but dining is all about your own experience and the staff here were attentive, courteous and efficient, giving our 6 year old plenty of time, particularly when he started singing!!

The Food
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Finally, a section about our food!!!

Once we had settled at our table, and had been handed the huge menus to peruse, only a couple of minutes passed before a waiter asked us for our drinks order. These were brought to our table only a few minutes later and we were asked if we were ready to order. We weren’t, so the waiter very courteously left us and returned 5 minutes or so later.

I ordered the “Manhandle”, sorry, “Manhattan” burger and my better half the grilled chicken sandwich. I say “Manhandle” because when it came it was enormous!! Both of these were around £8 and came with a generous portion of thin cut fries, salad and spicy onion rings. The burger consisted of 2 patties, cheese, tomato, crispy bacon and lettuce. It was hot, juicy and very succulent and had a very strong “beefy” flavour. Obviously flame grilled from the taste, it was gorgeous!!! The chicken sandwich was also served hot, with a salad filler and sauce. Rarely do these sandwiches smell of fresh chicken, but this did and was also very succulent and tasty. The fries were crispy and hot and where almost too numerous to finish!!

We also ordered the barbecue ribs from the Junior’s menu, which came on a large plate (not a box in sight!!) with the same generous portion of fries and corn on the cob. Our youngest is only 6, and felt like a real “big boy” with his proper plate, cutlery and large portion of food! The barbecue sauce on the ribs was very strong and tasty and the ribs themselves very juicy. He wolfed it down!!

Only once (which is plenty!) were we asked “is everything OK?” by a member of staff, but they revisited us regularly to ensure that we were OK for drinks.

Overall, our main courses were extremely well presented, excellently prepared and cooked and got a big “thumbs up” all round.

On a separate, smaller, menu is the list of desserts and I have to say…….wow!!! I am quite a sweet tooth and ALWAYS leave room for dessert, but the choice was causing me some concern as I just couldn’t decide!!! Together with the standard ice cream sundaes and chocolate puddings were a range of “specials” that we HAD to try! Even my better half had one, which is unusual as she’s not a “foody” at all and can’t justify spending a lot of time eating. She opted for the Cinnamon Crunch Waffle, a strongly flavoured cinnamon waffle with plenty of toffee sauce and two scoops of rich, smooth vanilla ice cream. She loved it!!

I went for the “East Coast Sundae” which consists of toffee ice cream, marshmallows, Maltesers, chocolate honeycomb pieces, chocolate and toffee sauce and instant guilt!! I swear I could feel my arteries hardening as I ate it, but it was my birthday!!!!! Both of these desserts were around £3 each.

My son had an ice cream dessert, with a choice of vanilla, strawberry or chocolate ice cream, with chocolate buttons and sauce. He also had plenty of waffle and marshmallow, too, for good measure!!!

Once we had finished our desserts, and the carnage taken away, we were given 5 minutes or so to chat before the bill was brought to our table. Cash and all major cards are accepted, card payments being made by Chip and Pin recognition at the table using handheld devices, so no chance of your card disappearing off to be cloned!!!

Recommendation
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Based on our experience of Frankie & Benny’s in Tamworth I would thoroughly recommend a visit if you are looking for a friendly, relaxed and filling dining experience. The menu is very varied and inexpensive, the food excellently prepared and presented and the staff very courteous and attentive. As I’ve said often in this review, no doubt our experience was very good because the restaurant was quiet and the staff unflustered, but dining is all about personal experience, and this was superb!!!

All together now………….”Happy Birthday to you…………….”

Thanks for reading.

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www.frankieandbennys.com