Francoli Gourmet — Restaurant in Orange

My (male) partner and I met a (male) friend there for dinner, and it was like traveling back in time. You know, like before women could have credit cards without their husbands’ approval. Fun! I ordered the carpaccio di bue; another carpaccio was available in the specials menu, but I wanted to go with the di bue. I’d been craving it. The owner reminded me that it’s served raw (which it says on the menu, but I know folks don’t always read, so okay). He then said that the alternative carpaccio on the specials menu was more “professional,” and that maybe I’d appreciate it once I got older. I let this one go; it made me uncomfortable, but I know a lot of men think it’s a compliment to treat a woman as though she’s younger than she actually is. I figured he meant well.

Once our friend showed up, he ordered a second bottle of wine for the table. The owner came to our table with three glasses. I am not making this up; he poured a glass each for the two men at the table, poured some for himself in the third glass, and walked away. We had to wait for another waiter to come by to ask for a glass for the only woman at the table. We were all uncomfortable at that point. The food was okay, but if I want living history, I can...

Francoli Gourmet delivers solid Italian flavors, though it’s not the best Italian spot I’ve experienced in Orange County. We tried the Cioppino, Calamari, and Spaghetti Carbonara, among other dishes. The Calamari and Carbonara were definite highlights, while the other dishes were enjoyable but not particularly memorable. The Tiramisu was excellent and one of the better ones I’ve had in a while.

The complimentary bread basket, however, was a bit disappointing. The bread was quite stale and difficult to chew, which made me wonder how long it had been sitting out.

The service could use some improvement. It took a few minutes to receive a menu after being seated, and only after I flagged someone down. While the staff wasn’t overly unfriendly, there was little acknowledgment of the delay. It also took some time for our order to be taken, and one item was accidentally missed.

While Francoli Gourmet may not top the list of Italian restaurants in OC, it’s still worth a visit for the standout dishes like the Calamari and Tiramisu. Just be aware of the service quirks and set your expectations...

I had an unpleasant experience at this restaurant. Not only was the wait incredibly long, but once it was my party's turn, we waited for another 90 minutes for our plates to be served. To make matters worse, the waiter continuously corrected our every word to the point that it was condescending and annoying. Another important detail that stood out, was that initially, when I asked for a minute to decide on a plate, the waiter did not leave the table. Instead, he asked me what I was ordering in a pressing manner. I can get past the waiting aspect. I can go to Urth Caffe for coffee or walk around to pass the time. However, I do expect good service once there. Good service means an attentive/helpful/polite waiter and a reasonable wait time for food to be served (30-40 minutes max)--90 minutes is plain unacceptable. Long story short, we did not feel taken care of: literally, my whole party was like wow we should have gone to Olive...