Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Franklins Bistro

    4.0 (45 reviews)
    ModerateAmerican
    Open • 11:00 am - 9:00 pm

    Franklins Bistro Photos

    FRANKLINS BISTRO ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for kids
    Outdoor seating

    You might also consider

    More like Franklins Bistro

    Recommended Reviews - Franklins Bistro

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Dining area birthday celebration
    Anne Z.

    Best carrot cake ever! Service was great too; comfy seating to enjoy time with friends

    a plate of food and a fork
    Amanda T.

    We have attempted to try this place out 3 other times. They are closed on Mondays and the other two attempts had signs on the door saying they had power issues so were closed. Should have trusted my gut on this one. When we arrived I stood in front of the cashier and sign that said to wait to be seated for over 10 minutes while the women at the register visited. Finally I waved at them to ask them if I could be seated. The main woman rolled her eyes and told me to give my name and take a seat they will get with me soon. We sat over 30 minutes watching other groups walk in and have them get seated right away before us. There are no reservations taken at this restaurant so I was getting frustrated seeing this. When my family was finally seated my arms stuck to the table as it was super sticky and not cleaned well. My daughter and I both ordered the steak tips. We both ordered medium rare and all were brought to us well done. All our potatoes were super dry. We didn't complain as we never saw our waitress again until we had to flag her down to get our ticket. My husband ordered the NY strip medium rare and it was medium well. If you want a good steak or service this is probably not the best place in town to get that. Very disappointed.

    Salmon topped with Asian Slaw
    Andrew D.

    Came into Franklins on 2 PM on a Thursday, was afraid they might be closed so I checked with my yelp app to see if they were open. They were and I was better for it. I started with avocado egg rolls that came with a great soy reduction- really hit the spot and came out quickly. Next I ordered the Asian Salmon plate which came with soup, side and a baguette. The chili was excelled but the sautéed veggies were a bit too greasy for my liking. The salmon was crisp and flaky just the way I like it. Will definitely be stopping back here when on the road through Norfolk again!

    Katie Melt, Grilled Chicken Cheese Bacon Lettuce Tomato Onion and Side of Fry's.

    See all

    3 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    2 months ago

    Terrible entree, spicy shrimp fettuccine. No taste it looked a mess on the plate. I will definitely not recommend this restaurant.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1
    Photo of Tricia S.
    71
    29
    24

    8 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Rob Y.
    26
    37
    0

    11 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Anne Z.
    1
    45
    19

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Great mom and pop eatery. Every small community has a hidden diamond, this is Norfolk's diamond

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    13 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    13 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Jon D.
    30
    10
    2

    12 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    12 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    13 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Kate L.
    0
    12
    10

    6 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Great burgers. Nice bar area- spacious and friendly. Really solid people. Low prices. Sweet potato fries are a winner.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Very bad customer service, two hours until we got out of the restaurant and messed up our order

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    I always order the philly with sweet potato fries!!! I absolutely love them best philly in town hands down

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Pretty extensive menu, good service, good food. Decent bar selection. The Mac and cheese was awesome

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Kenzie P.
    141
    13
    1

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Tommy M.
    97
    220
    181

    14 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    12 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    13 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    13 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of David S.
    21
    45
    57

    11 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    14 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    14 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    13 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    12 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - Franklins Bistro

    Review Highlights - Franklins Bistro

    “I started with avocado egg rolls that came with a great soy reduction- really hit the spot and came out quickly.”

    Mentioned in 6 reviews

    Read more highlights

    You might also consider

    Verify this business for free

    Get access to customer & competitor insights.

    Verify this business

    The Granary

    The Granary

    2.8(35 reviews)
    1.5 mi
    •$$

    I was excited to visit the granary today while I was in Norfolk. As a kid, I used to come and eat…read morehere with my grandma. It's been many years since I've been back, and I was so sad to see that they really haven't kept the restaurant up very well. While traveling on business, I thought I would grab some lunch and work on a project. A hostess offered to seat me, but became quickly confused about exactly where to put me and we ended up walking to several areas of the restaurant that had empty tables before she was able to get some assistance and find the right booth for me to sit in. Unfortunately, they do not have Wi-Fi so I wasn't able to stay. I would have ordered their classic "French Cheesy" sandwich which sells for only $4.50 (it is sold a la carte, as all of the sandwiches are). Much of the menu is fried, although they do offer a salad. I choose to keep my nice memories of the granary as a fun, family-friendly place to eat. I was really sad to see that it had aged so much. I hope that it's current owners, or anyone who takes it over in the future will opt to redo the interior & give it the love that it needs. It's meant to feel warm and homey. This has definitely been a treasured restaurant in Norfolk for many years and it deserves to be taken care of.

    I'm getting tired of going there and getting under done burgers and today ordered the joggers…read moreplate got sour cottage cheese and management did nothing told two people about it and they did nothing may stop going if this continues

    Photos
    The Granary
    The Granary
    The Granary

    See all

    Big Red - Fish and Coleslaw

    Big Red

    2.8(39 reviews)
    1.9 mi
    •$$

    What a great visit to Big Red's while we stopped over in Norfolk! Very lively sports bar with…read morepersonal televisions in each booth! We weren't there for sports, we were there for lunch; however, we definitely took notice that it would indeed be the place to go for sports. A group of five of us, seated at a table and the only reason I'm docking a star is because we were seated just a few feet away from the Keno ball machine and it was quite unpleasant when it was running, which was during most of our visit. Excellent burgers, pork tenderloin sandwich, hand breaded chicken strips, fries & tater tots! Not a morsel left on anyone's plate! Our service was wonderful and attentive, we were checked in several times and beverages refilled often. We will definitely be back when we return to Norfolk!

    We went to have dinner and a few beers. Our waiter was exceptional. However the restaurant…read moreoperations leave the ability do waitstaff to do their job very limited. It really painted a poor picture of the bar. First, when you walk in there appears to be a wide variety of beers and a well stocked bar. However, the bar doesn't provide a printed beer menu nor does it have a QR code one can scan to see the selection. No waitstaff member should be expected to remember the selection of beers, especially since there were some smaller breweries, in theory, represented. I travel a lot, here and abroad and this was the first time I'd ever experienced something this poor. Our guests decided to have martinis after the meal. What should've been a standard order (Grey Goose dirty martinis) was near impossible to get. Our poor waiter had to twice return to our table to tell us the bar didn't have Grey Goose nor did it have vermouth. These are not rare or exceptional things used one in a while in a bar. Grey Goose is a standard upsell from well vodka; and to not have vermouth tells me inventory management is shoddy. We also found out that there were a large number of managers on shift. My experience has been that when a restaurant manager sees or knows one of their waitstaff is struggling due to the restaurant's shortcomings; that manager comes to the table and apologizes. Our poor waiter was constantly stuck as the bearer of bad news and it really was a very poor look for what could be a much better bar experience based upon the interior. Tragically this is one of the few places open on Sunday in Norfolk so you're captive to this bar or fast food when visiting here. We won't be back. This model of business doesn't deserve nor earn success. It negated any promise of value the food may have provided.

    Photos
    Big Red - Boneless Chicken Wings & Celery

    Boneless Chicken Wings & Celery

    Big Red - Jalapeño Wrap & Waffle Fries ($10.99)

    Jalapeño Wrap & Waffle Fries ($10.99)

    Big Red - 12oz Chopped Steak with Mashed Potatoes & Hash Browns ($12.99)

    See all

    12oz Chopped Steak with Mashed Potatoes & Hash Browns ($12.99)

    Franklins Bistro - tradamerican - Updated September 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...