FRANKIE’S ON MAIN — Restaurant in Natchez

Prepare yourself for a dining (or just drinking) experience you're unlikely to encounter anywhere within a few hundred miles.

Yes, at least a dimension of it is the exquisitely restored historic (1800s) bank with soaring columns, exquisite authentic period pieces ("too nice for a restaurant") combining for the museum vibe if your favorite museum is also warm and intimate.

And yes, another dimension is the carefully and imaginatively attired staff, helpful and attentive, yet not in your movie.

So you'd be excused if you concluded the passion and creativity devoted to the environment would be exhausted prior to the center of the dining experience - but you'd be wrong.

We attended opening night, the time during which - by necessity - the kinks are ironed out and necessary tweaks and adjustments made. Simply put, it's as if Frankies on Main had been in operation for years - even for generations. The typical opening night missteps, glitches, miscalculations were nonexistent.

The culinary experience did not disappoint but rather perfectly blended with the "we never want to leave" environment. We were advised the menu was limited relative to what will eventually be offered, but the care devoted to all-too-often mundane items like the sliders all but held up a neon sign "A Chef Who Knows What He (or She) Is Doing." "Sliders elevated to an art form" sounds hyperbolic, but you won't think I'm crazy after your first bite.

As exciting as the "are we still in Southwest Mississippi?" menu promises to be, we won't be surprised if Frankies becomes the elegant cocktail spot north of New Orleans. The atmosphere is elegant and posh without being stuffy and the bartenders - like the chef - know what they are doing.

Natchez has been blessed with many new welcome additions to its historically - oriented attractions. You can't escape the feeling Frankies on Main will be a must-go for years, if not...

OMG. Frankie's was absolutely amazing!! Originally we had reservations somewhere else, but we ended up leaving and finding Frankie's. Thank the Lord!

I'll start with the food. My husband and I ordered a variety of food and spirits. I had a blueberry martini, and a blueberry margarita; my husband had an old fashioned. All three were excellent and served to us by the owner himself. For dinner, we had Bao buns with pork belly 😋 and also the ones with brisket. Both were amazing; but the pork belly was to die for!!! My husband had the smash burger which he raved about. And the garlic rosemary fries with aioli were spectacular. BUT the absolute BEST thing on the menu was the pimento cheese dip with crackers. If you go GET IT!!! So so. AMAZING!!!

I'll end with the aesthetics. The old bank turned into a restaurant was pure genius. It offers such a unique dining experience. Almost like a combination of Gringotts meets Alice in Wonderland. The restrooms were extremely clean and beautiful. This is no run of the mill restroom. It's beautifully decorated and offered mints and plackers for your teeth.

All the staff was extremely nice & friendly and I would highly recommend a visit for both...

We enjoyed a dinner on recent Friday night when in town for a family memorial service. Frankies was recommended by our host as well as a friend who had visited.

We had Joshua as our server and he was a professional waiter - having been in fine dining in Houston previously. Frankie also came by and visited briefly.

Our meal was the redfish on half shell, duck and andouille gumbo (daily special), baguette, and shrimp and grits. We had an excellent old fashioned from the bar. Dessert was the lemon ice box pie.

All of our food was well prepared, seasoned, and presented. It was all very tasty.

The atmosphere is funky as it is in one of the old bank buildings in downtown. But it is really well done and very comfortable. We sat at a nice table for two right behind the teller windows and near the wood fired grill - which was comfortable on a cool drizzly night.

Highly recommend a nice meal...