Franco's Italian Caffe — Restaurant in Scottsdale

Hand's Down The Best Italian Dinner We Have Had To Date. I was there a few weeks ago with my family of four on the recommendation of our cabana attendant at the Phoenician. When we walked it is was immediately clear this place only offers legit scratch-made Italian.

Appetizers, main courses and deserts had all of us awe of the food. I had the Gnocchi with pink meat sauce (Gnocchi Bolognaise?), which was excellent. We tried the lasagna as a group and again, awesome. All other meals for the table were exceptional. They brought us a desert plate, which included their "Merenghata". WOW! We ended up ordering 2 more pieces...the best desert out there.

Our server was on top of things and personable. I'm not certain, but I'm pretty sure Franco himself visited our table. He spoke Italian better than English, thanked us for visiting and welcomed us with his family recipe desert. It felt like our business was important to him, which is rare these days.

Interestingly, we sat right next the review from that night from the coffee and desert only people. They were at the table for about 30-minuits at 7:30pm on a Saturday. We thought their visit was odd given all other tables had hunkered in for the duration of the evening with most matching our 2-hour stay. I did not see or hear anyone be rude to the couple, but would agree...this is not a coffee shop. It is the best Italian place in Scottsdale...maybe even the US!

P.S. Thank you Phoenician cabana attendant for helping us get a reservation on...

A really delicious Italian dinner. As many other reviewers have mentioned it is very authentic and the service is fantastic. Our waiter Anthony did a fabulous job and was extremely attentive. They also have a very large menu and they had at least half a dozen specials, which I always love and usually order. Parking can be quite tricky so the best option will be valet for $11. Inside is small, although it is very cozy and can easily host multiple large groups as we saw two different tables with at least a dozen people at both tables. The only issue we had was our entrées came out extremely slowly, about 45 minutes after our entrées came out, so there must’ve been a back up in the kitchen. However, the food was delicious when it finally came out.

I chose the Arugula and Beet Salad to start, and it was very good. I wish there would have been more beets and more goat cheese, but the flavors were very nice. I wouldn’t really recommend it though, because there were only a few beets at the bottom of the salad. For my entrée I chose one of the specials for the evening: the Osso Bucco. It was honestly very good and a very large sized portion. I left the restaurant feeling very full and happy.

Overall a great and casual Italian dinner in the heart of Scottsdale. I would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a delicious Italian meal and especially if you’re looking for a place that is more casual than some of the other options close by. I plan to be back next time I am...

I have been Franco Fazzouli's guest for the past nearly thirty years since he had his first location at Hayden and Mountain View. That and this current location are his best restaurants, and all of the five star criteria apply, except his wine list. He has never been an oenolhile, food is his thing, and for Franco, wine must only be serviceable.That said, it is my impression that he has given his longtime, very long time employee, David, his barkeeper, some autonomy to flesh out a better than serviceable wine list that does compliment his fine, authentic, Florentine fare. His portions are very generous, and it's been awhile since I've been able to finish an entree. The veal chop is a CHOP, done perfectly. The penne with shrimp and radiccio has been my son's favorite go to dish some he was....three, maybe. He's now 28 and still rarely finishes it the same night. He does not drink, and now earns his dinner as our designated driver. The Caesar salad is not over dressed and is big enough for my wife and I, but it's just right for my body builder son and daughter, but that said, the entrees are rarely finished the same night. That is part of the reason that they are both very trim. Restraint. And we all usually skip dessert now, but when we get one, whoever picks, always seems to hit it right on, or maybe it has nothing too do with the choice, but rather the preparation. We've had them all at one time or another, and some that sadly are no...