Restaurant Review - The Franklin Cafe

We finally have a "real" restaurant in Southie. This eagerly anticipated restaurant, The Franklin Cafe, comes on the heels of a previous "real" restaurant attempt, the ill-fated South. I should note that Southie does have other eating establishments. There are a lot pub type places to eat, fast food joints, as well as the restaurants in the waterfront area of Southie (which some prefer to call the Seaport District instead of Southie). The Franklin Cafe is located around the corner from the Broadway T stop.

Mike and I were looking forward to trying this place for quite some time. We were supposed to go to the opening, but it was pushed back a couple of times. We finally went on a whim after an exhausting day of running errands. We were among the first diners on that Saturday night and had to wait a little bit before putting in our order. Thankfully, our server brought a basket of bread and hummus for us to munch on while waiting.

Mike ordered mussels to start and I ordered the crisp green salad. Both were wonderful. I really like the dressing on my salad. It was a great balance of citrus and salt. For dinner, I had the steak and Mike had the Mahi Mahi special. We both thoroughly enjoyed our meals. I think that the selling point on the steak was the celery root tater tots. I love when chefs take a comfort food and put their own twist on it.

My only criticisms of the Franklin Cafe is that there is no dessert menu. Anyone who knows me, knows that I have a sweet tooth. I would have loved a tasty little sweet after my great meal. A suggestion would be that the Franklin Cafe team up and buy desserts from a local bakery for its lacking dessert menu. Granted, I have not as of yet consumed any pastries from Sweet Tooth Bakery, perhaps something could be worked out with this local business in the spirit of supporting the local shops. My final criticism, is that the restaurant has not updated its website to mention the new South Boston location.

It should be noted that the Franklin Cafe also has a great wine list and none are too expensive. It is so nice to have a great restaurant in the neighborhood. While I do contend that the Seaport District is indeed part of Southie, it doesn't feel like it and its restaurants are in the neighborhood. Next up, is trying the brunch. I have heard it is really good.