Frannie & The Fox — Restaurant in Charleston

I’m not going to sugarcoat it—the start of our experience at Frannie & the Fox was a complete disaster. But stick with me, because what followed was nothing short of magic, and by the end, we were walking away with full stomachs, happy hearts, and plans to return as soon as possible.

We had read glowing reviews about the food, and since we were in Charleston with our dog during a heat advisory, we were thrilled to hear that they allowed dogs on the patio. The only catch? We were told it’d be an hour wait; probably can seat us earlier. Fine, we thought—no big deal. In the meantime, we grabbed a bottle of wine and sat on the patio, sipping away while we waited. But what we didn’t anticipate was being left out in the sweltering heat for an hour and 20 minutes while five tables were seated before us.

Now, we had given our phone number to the hostesses, and they confirmed our reservation details. So, imagine our frustration when, after checking our phones endlessly with no notifications, I went to the hostess stand to check on our table. They admitted they’d completely forgotten about us. Thanks for the honesty, but really? It’s hot, we’re hungry, and our patience was evaporating faster than the wine in our glasses.

Finally, they sat us immediately, and Adele came over with the most sincere apology. We weren’t interested in more alcohol (we were dying for water at that point), and she kindly brought us a bowl for the dog and promised to take care of us. And let me tell you, she more than delivered.

Now, the food. Oh, the food. It was absolutely worth the wait. We kicked things off with whipped bone marrow—holy moly—I had to ask if it was butter because it was so rich and fluffy, with flavors that practically danced on the palate. It was a highlight, no question. The lamb skewer? Just wow. This wasn’t minced or ground meat, but true, tender lamb with a beautiful caponata that made me want to lick the plate clean. If you go, order that skewer. You’ll thank me later.

Adele’s thoughtful substitution for our missing second lamb skewer—lamb carpaccio—was another revelation. We had never had carpaccio before, but it was delicate, tender, and not at all gamey, topped with chimichurri and greens that elevated it to something truly memorable. It’s a must-try, for sure.

And then, my husband’s pizza. I honestly thought he might propose to the pizza, that’s how much he loved it. The hot honey added just the right amount of sweetness to balance the savory, and it was so good, he’s still talking about it days later.

But what really set Frannie & the Fox over the top wasn’t just the food—it was Adele’s service. She was the calming force in a moment of frustration, taking care of us with grace and kindness. We truly appreciated her presence, and it was thanks to her that we left feeling taken care of, rather than just annoyed.

In the end, the food, the service, and the whole experience turned what could have been a disaster into a memorable meal. Will we be back? 1000000%. Thank you, Adele, for making it...

Where do I even begin? My recent visit to Frankie and the Fox left me utterly appalled and enraged. From the moment my party and I stepped foot into the establishment, it was clear that this restaurant had mastered the art of incompetence and customer disappointment. I wouldn't wish this experience upon my worst enemy.

First and foremost, let's address the elephant in the room—the abhorrent mismanagement of our reservation. We had meticulously planned our evening, looking forward to an enjoyable meal at this highly touted eatery. However, upon arrival, we were greeted with puzzled expressions from the staff, as if our presence was a complete surprise to them. It turns out our reservation was conveniently “cancelled” and, to add insult to injury, they hadn't bothered to inform us about it. Bravo, Frannie and the Fox, for your astonishing level of disregard for your patrons.

The next chapter of this culinary catastrophe unfolded as we desperately tried to communicate with the disinterested hostess. Rather than offering a sincere apology or any form of remediation, he appeared completely disengaged and shrugged off our concerns as if they were insignificant. He stated “the person that would have cancelled your reservation is currently out of town.” It was as if he was secretly trained in the art of dismissing frustrated customers with practiced indifference.

After wasting what felt like an eternity pleading our case, we were finally granted an outside table—only to find out we were NOT EVEN ABLE TO ORDER in the area we were seated at.

To make matters worse, the staff remained seemingly invisible. The manager apparently informed all servers we were not able to eat until our “new” reservation at 9:30. Oh. And by the way, the kitchen closes at 10pm. This was astonishing and quite literally changed the trajectory of my night.

This level of disregard for basic service standards is truly remarkable and a testament to the restaurant's commitment to sheer ineptitude. In conclusion, my visit to Grannie and the Fox was an unmitigated disaster from start to finish. They managed to cancel our reservation without informing us, seat us in a corner we couldn’t order at, and display an alarming level of apathy towards our concerns. If you value your time, money, and sanity, I implore you to steer clear of this restaurant. It's an experience I wouldn't wish upon my worst enemy, and I have no intention of ever subjecting myself to such...

Was kind of disappointed in this place. We saw a lot of great reviews but unfortunatly I don't feel like we had a great experience. We sat in the "den" which is a lovely space. The bartenders that served us were kind.

My 3 star review comes from the food. The menu is very standard. We had a Margherita pizza and meatballs. The pizza was fine but the crust was undercooked, a bit chewy and soft despite there being some pockets that had a nice char. I dont typically send things back and it didnt taste bad so we continued on. The meatballs, at first, came raw. When we mentioned this to the server, while looking at obviously raw meat, he said that "it might be the seasonings they use". Which makes no sense. Seasonings don't turn meat raw. It felt like a weak attempt to gaslight us into thinking the meatballs were fine when they clearly weren't. Some people might be fine eating raw ground beef, but this also had raw pork in it. We then waited 15 minutes for new meatballs, while every table around us got them. When they finally did come, they were just.... not good. The flavor of the meatballs itself was nonexistent. The sauce and ricotta did not help. The foccacia (and honestly everything else) was cold, with no crisp or flavor. After we got the dish replaced, our server said " i hope it was cooked to your liking"...which is an odd comment to make. Most people expect their food to be cooked, kind of the point of going out to eat. It just put a bad taste in our parties mouth, this comment plus the original about it just being seasoning made it feel like we were the problem for sending them back. No manager or anyone even came over and apologized for serving us raw pork. Overall the meal was disappointing. We decided to go somewhere else for dessert.

This place is really cute. My friend said her cocktail was fine but nothing to write home about. The cuteness of the restaurant far exceeded the food, and that is all too common and disappointing now a days. The hostess stand was lovely. I'd give them a 10/10 for being accomodating and helpful .

I would not recommend this place for anything more than a quick drink by the fireplace before...