This restaurant is always full, so make a reservation if you want to get a table. We've been coming here for quite some time and it's consistently good. You'd think that would be a very positive endorsement, but the trouble is that it used to be consistently great. We don't live in Syracuse, so we only frequent this restaurant a couple of times a year. We may have just picked off nights the past two or three times we've been there, but the food lacked the punch in the face flavor that we'd become accustomed to whenever we dined here. If you've never been here before, you'll likely walk away very satisfied, but they set the bar so high for us that the last few visits have been a bit disappointing. If you visit, you'll find a nice atmosphere and the service is very good. The servers sample every special that's on the menu, so that when they give recommendations they know what they're talking about. Hoping that the next time wows me like it used to.

Bam! Make sure you have a reservation, or you'll be eating at the bar like we had to (Aww, shucks). If there are daily specials in any category get them. They will not disappoint. The prices reflect the quality of ingredients and care in preparation, so be ready to part with some coin, for some awesome authentic food. And the penalty for eating at the bar was the engaging, yet not overbearing bar staff, who were as excellent as the fare.

Francesca's is one of my favorite Italian restaurants in the area! My husband and I stopped by here during a short weekend trip to Syracuse. It gets super busy here, especially on weekend nights. Even with a reservation, we waited around 15-20 mins for a table. For our meal, we got to try: - Complimentary bread with tomato sauce: Warm and yummy, a perfect starter - Fried calamari: Huge portion. I liked how it wasn't so bready, and the marinara dipping sauce was good - Wagyu beef ravioli: Sooo good. Very creamy and flavorful. I actually think it tastes better the next day after heating up. - Bolognese: Delicious! They do not skimp out on the meat - Butter cake: AMAZING! I was so full by the end of our dinner, but I had to get dessert. This cake is ooey gooey and just heavenly. Definitely not a light dessert. I love how they bring out the dessert tray. Our server was also friendly and moved fast. If you're looking to bring someone out on a date, bring them here. It's very romantic and cozy inside. I wish they played more jazz or slower music!

Cute restaurant in Syracuse. Highly suggest making a reservation because wait times can go quite long, due to how busy it can get. Walking into the restaurant it was much more spacious than I had thought it was. We were greeted by the hostess quickly, but had a reservation ahead of time, which allowed us to be seated promptly. It was quite loud in the restaurant, but not unbearable. The waitress was very quick to approach my wife and I, which was great. After ordering, we quickly received our drinks and bread, which was amazing. I ordered the calamari, bolognese, and butter cake, all of which were very good. Calamari was great, but nothing stood out to me that set it apart from other calamari that I've had. Do not be tricked by the picture, the portion of the bolognese was massive. I love how the sauce was full of meat, which made it all the more worth it. If you stop by, you definitely have to grab the butter cake, so delicious, probably my favorite thing here.

We made reservations for the dining room at 4:15 (they open at 4PM). We made the reservations 3 days out for a Saturday dinner and had to go with this time slot because any time later did not have dining room availability. We were promptly seated and our waitress Samantha (who was great) took our drink orders. I liked that there are several bottles on the menu from Italy that are DOC and DOCG. For starters, we ordered the fried calamari and fried goat cheese. The calamari was cooked perfectly, but it lacked flavor. The sauce it came with was good. Overall, it was decent and I'd get it again. The fried goat cheese was great. The sauce it came with had a spicy kick to it that I really enjoyed. I was torn between egg plant rollantini, gnocchi, and ravioli, so I asked Samantha what she recommends, and she flat out told me they're all good, but there isn't a lot going on with them. They are what they are and that's it, which is okay if that's what you want, but based on our conversation, she knew I wanted something really satisfying. Side note, their eggplant rollantini is cooked with the skin still on the egg plant. Anyway, I ordered the Gemelli Angeloro, at Samantha's recommendation and substituted the grilled chicken for a chicken cutlet. The dish is made up of twin pasta, utica greens, prosciutto, extra-virgin garlic olive oil, toasted breadcrumbs, romano cheese, splash of tomato ragu, and of course the fried chicken cutlet that I asked for. It was great and I thought the portion size was perfect. My husband had the Chicken MVP. It's a chicken parm with vodka sauce and a pesto drizzle and rigatoni in their vodka sauce. The sauce was a little too loose for my liking, but it had good taste and it was uniquely their own vodka sauce. Overall, a great dish and we can see why it's so popular. Finally, for desserts we had their famous butter cake, which comes with their homemade icecream and we had the chocolate mousse cake. The butter cake is out of bounds outrageous. It lived up to the hype and honestly, but didn't make me feel absolutely destroyed after eating, which is surprising because it must be about 3500 calories (it was a special occasion, don't judge). The chocolate mousse cake was decadent. I know that word gets thrown around a lot when describing chocolatey deserts, but this thing, it was rich. Like Warren Buffet rich. If you love chocolate, don't hesitate to get this, but make sure you try the butter cake that someone orders at your table. We also had cappuccinos, which I thought were great because she was heavy on the espresso and lighter on the foam. I had a great time. The dining room, while crowded, still managed to feel somewhat intimate. By the way, the outside patio is beautiful. The next time we come back we have already decided to get some of the specials because they all sounded great. And we will definitely request Samantha be our waitress.

Had reservations for 2 at 7:00pm on a Monday. The bar was crowded and a few other parties were waiting to be seated. We gave the host our name and they said they'd text me when our table was ready. Sure, we were about 5 minutes early I understand. We didn't get seated til 7:15 though and when we were there were multiple tables for 2 available in the dining room- enough that our hostess let us choose which we liked best. Not sure why there was a 20 minute wait then. Our server asked for our drink orders promptly though so that was good. I just had tea and my partner ordered a mock tail which we were told was "bartender's choice"- c'est la vie. My partner enjoyed it though, I will warn you that it was 9 dollars for a drink with no booze in it though so a little steep by my estimation. For dinner I ordered the surf and turf special and my partner eggplant rollatini. We also ordered bang bang calamari to start. My parter loved the complimentary bread and sauce. The calamari was crispy and tender but I'd go for just normal next time, which is simply a matter of my own taste. Entrees came with a salad to start and they were small but perfectly palatable. Nothing crazy- lettuce, red onion, cucumber, and tomato. Our entrees were both very good. My steak was cooked rare as per my order and the lobster tail was cooked absolutely perfectly. I was very pleased with the lobster. My entree also came with what appeared to be a brick of fried macaroni and cheese which was sinfully good. My partner enjoyed her meal but was unable to finish. Damage came to 140 plus tip which was about what I expected. Server was not overly friendly, waited 20 minutes to be seated with a reservation, they didn't box the leftovers for us (when you're paying near 70 dollars for an entree the waitstaff should be boxing your food), the music was loud and didn't fit the ambience (why am I listening to CCR at an upscale Italian restaurant?), and this was coincidental but I happened to be seated in a position that had a view of the kitchen and all I could focus on was a large fly strip hanging from the ceiling which didn't particularly help my appetite. Food was very good. Everything else was pretty lackluster. That's why it's 4 not 5. I'll be back. Hopefully things on the periphery improve.

My first time at Francesca's was a wonderful experience for my birthday. There was a wait and they blocked off walk ins so make sure to make a reservation. I don't like how there is a cancellation fee of $30 if you don't make your reservation though. The price of everything is also on the higher end and dress nicer as well. When you first walk into the restaurant you are greeted by a packed bar with retro flooring and a wooden ceiling. It's gorgeous with a variety of different little "rooms" you can sit in. However, there isn't much room to wait for your table and it was brutally hot out. The food was a mixture of amazing and okay. Bread was delicious and served with tomato oil. Both of our meals got italian wedding which was delicious. However, the calamari was a bit lackluster in flavor. I got the Chicken Francese which didn't have much flavor at all even with a lemon squeezed. My boyfriend got Cioppino and loved it. Next time I think I will stick with a pasta dish.

Not so secret to locals, but if you're in Syracuse for a business meeting and need a place to host, hit this place up: I was in this town for work and I took my local rep here per his suggestion. This was a great dining experience. Did the Calabrian ribs over polenta. Super tender. Great take on ribs. Wasn't like American BBQ, but very Calabrian as I would imagine. Tender, pull apart. Nice sauce. Over a great polenta. You don't live polenta, you've never had it down well like this. Main dish was filet gorgonzola. What can go wrong with a dish like this? The filet was nice and rare. Two filets both cooked to my liking nice and rare. The pasta was as good as you can make it. Extra lil bit of veg and panko in the dish. My friend who is a regular always gets the bolognese and that dish is consistent. We sat at the bar and phenomenal service. Drinks tended too, food rec's. Outside garden was poppin. Artwork on the walls and overall decor very Modern Syracuse. This city will be a food scene soon, a destination for foodies; whether that's good or bad- Come eat at Francesca's. I endorse this place If you're a local or a traveler try it. Very walkable and Uberable/Lyftable proximity Eat here!

Definitely a hidden gem! My favorite Italian restaurant in the Syracuse area. Coming from a real Italian, this place passes the test! The ambience is very cozy, with Italian and modern decor. A lot of fresh dishes made from scratch. Food is excellent. I love how they bring a dessert tray out so you can visually see all the different options. I would recommend the homemade gnocchi in pink vodka sauce every time. The butter cake is to DIE FOR

**DURING COOLER MONTHS ESPECIALLY - MAKE RESERVATION** Stopped here while in town for a convention. We usually do Italian on Saturday night, so this was one that Cuppies had found and relayed for consideration. I made a reservation for 8pm, and we headed there after the convention was over at 7. Street parking is available other than their small lot nestled in between the buildings. We found spots about two blocks down and walked up. Even with reservations you're going to wait a while for a table to open up - we were early and the bar area was slammed. The bar area is sand which between two dining rooms - and a back patio area as well. It's very loud being so busy - so expect to talk louder than usual. At about 8:15 we were sat in the back dining area and ordered some drinks and appetizers. I ordered a Four Roses old fashioned which was TURNED UP - I didn't look at the price but I got my money's worth without question. They also provided table focaccia bread and dipping sauce. We ordered several appetizers (heard ya): Goat cheese fritter: exactly how it sounds - pretty good - large chunk of cheese with crostini for dipping. I had one and decided that was good for me (4/5) Stuffed cherry peppers: Cuppies pick - I didn't have but the rest of the buds reported that they were good and had a decent kick to them (4/5) Meatballs: stuffed with cheese these came out pretty lukewarm in terms of temp. Of course the one I had didn't really have much of any cheese inside it. (3/5) Burrata: Large burrata lump on top of halved tomatoes with basil and balsamic; served with crostini. Very very very fresh and was probably one of my favorite burrata I've eaten (5/5). For my entree - I ordered the chicken parmesan which is my main go-to when it comes to Italian places. served on riggies (rigatoni) - it came with a LARGE piece of chicken. The sauce was a little odd to me - or possibly the cheese that gave it a sweet hint on some bites? But overall good. For dessert there were several options - and all desserts are made ***IN-HOUSE*** by a pastry chef. I went with the chocolate mouse pie - which was so incredibly good: creamy, rich and a large slice. Wow. Finished it off with a large cup of coffee and paid the bill. I wish I would have paid attention to our waitress' name - very nice and attentive: hair braided back and with a thick upstate-NY accent. She was great. Overall this place was solid. Would recommend while in the SYR NY AREA.