Henry Miller
Google
We recently dined at Francesca’s on Chestnut. We started with a couple of orders of bruschetta, which were good. The salads were average. We ordered several entrees, sides, and a pizza off the specials menu. The lasagna Bolognese and Steak Diane special were both very good, and the salmon was okay. However, the pizza was disappointing and honestly hard to eat due to the flavor.
The atmosphere was okay. The tables in our section felt a little tight, and the noise level was louder than average, which made conversation a bit difficult at times.
One of the sides, sautéed spinach, arrived about 10 minutes after the rest of the food, which felt too late. Three of us had glasses of red wine that were good, but one of us ordered a second glass during the meal, and it didn’t arrive until after the table had already been cleared. At that point, it was no longer needed and was sent back.
Our server, Ben, seemed overwhelmed and was largely absent throughout the meal. While we understand restaurants can get busy, the overall service was lacking. At the end, we spoke with the manager and shared our concerns. He was gracious, offered us a dessert (which we declined), and removed the pizza, the late wine, and one appetizer from the bill. We appreciated the effort to make things right.
Unfortunately, despite the gesture, the experience just didn’t leave us wanting to return. It’s a shame, as we live nearby and had hoped this would become a go-to spot.