Fancy Frank's Somerset West — Restaurant in Somerset West

So I've been here a few times and it's a mixed bag depending on the shift that is working. If you want a consistently good experience, ask for Rodney, man is a gem and you will guaranteed get excellent service.

I really don't recommend this place when it is busy because the service drops and the quality of food drops. To get more to the point about my visits. Each visit will gain or lose a restaurant stars. Current rating is 2 stars down from 4.

14 Feb 2024 - 2 stars I ordered the three steps to heaven burger. So this is a bacon, avo and feta burger. One expects a certain level of salt on your food but you expect the salt from the bacon and feta, not the burger patty. The first order that comes out has a burger patty so salted that it is completely inedible, I speak to the manager who arranges a replacement burger. The second burger comes out and they have put the feta sauce to one side, I tentatively try a side of the burger patty and it is better. I then out in my feta sauce and begin eating. By the time I am a third of the way into my burger, I can once again taste nothing but salt. I again taste each component individually, it's the burger patty that is so salted that when I take a chip and dip that heavily into the bowl that the feta sauce came in, I could use that to cleanse my pallet as that is less salty than my burger patty. Additionally, in the kitchen's rush to get me my burger, they did not let the burger patty rest, so upon biting into the burger, all the juice from the patty soaks into the bun, making the bin a soggy bottom experience. I have never been so disappointed in food my entire life. Additionally, the waiter had tables all across the restaurant due to terrible management of the restaurant floor. So the poor guy through no fault of his own spent the night running from one end of the restaurant to the other, never really having time to check on his patrons or offer good service. Manager's attitude towards the problems is neither here nor there and although he tries to solve the issue, he leaves you feeling that he really couldn't care and just wants the night to end. Overall the night's experience left me salty and bitter but still less salty than that...

I've been coming to this restaurant for a long time, and if I had written this review in 2023, it would’ve easily been a 5-star rating. However, after my last three visits, it’s clear things have gone downhill. The floors were littered with sugar packets, napkins, and trash, and the tables were sticky. I ordered a margarita, but for the price, it was disappointing—only 3/4 full. The nachos were good, but when I ordered calamari with zucchini fries, the waiter told me I’d have to pay extra, even though the menu said ‘any side of your choice.’ He didn’t even bother to inform me it was included.

To make matters worse, the dish that arrived was hake, not calamari, and my husband had to eat his meal while mine came 15 minutes later, which ruined the whole experience of dining together. When the calamari finally arrived, it was a mess—clearly rushed, with lemons stuffed between the pieces and a pool of oil all around. It was far from appetizing.

The loud kwaito and R&B music only added to an already frustrating evening. We even overheard another couple leave, complaining that they hadn’t been served and the service was terrible. Our waiter, William showed no remorse for his mistakes, and though the manager, Jeff attempted to reach out by phone, he was nowhere to be found on the floor.

With rising prices and declining service, this place has lost its charm. What was once a vibrant, value-for-money spot is now poorly managed, with bad hygiene and subpar service. Unfortunately, I won’t be coming back...

My first time visiting Fancy Frank’s. The atmosphere and food was good. I was also able to get a table without a reservation.

Note, there is no drinks menu available and the service was quite bad, I am not sure if we were unlucky with the waiter we had. Our draught beers took about 15 min, the waiter said there was something wrong with the pipes. We immediately then ordered food once drinks arrived.

I don’t think the kitchen took very long with the food, however we could see our waiter constantly hanging around tables with seemingly friends of his. We later saw another waiter with our order walking around the restaurant trying to find out who’s order it is, our waiter eventually saw this and then brought our food. After our meal we ordered milkshakes and again waited a while and eventually asked another waiter about this and he said that he spotted it at the counter, he then brought it over for us, our waiter still missing.

The food is definitely not cheap, at R150 for a burger with medium size patty and small fries it is not a draw card for customers, so they should really work on giving good service.

We spent close to 2 hours at the restaurant for just food and drinks just because of how slow service was with the waiter. Also no one at the door when we arrived to assist as you have to wait to be seated.

Expensive food with not very good service, would not recommend! There are enough good restaurants in the area, and even opposite at...