Tasting Pizza And More At Franny’s New Location

We recently tried the new incarnation of Franny’s, which opened at 348 Flatbush Avenue in April, and, as expected, it’s a larger space — now with more than 100 seats, up from 32, including a separate room downstairs that can be reserved for private events — while the menu remains more or less the same.

With their cookbook coming out June 4, meaning you can try to make their dishes at home (minus, for most of us, the wood-burning oven), is the new space worth checking out?

On a weeknight shortly after 6pm, there was no wait for a table for two. While we ate, the space filled up a bit with friends and small families, but by the time we left, they still seemed to have little to no wait time for smaller groups. The service was friendly, knowledgable, and ample — it sometimes felt like there were more people working than dining.

The casual atmosphere includes a staff dressed in the restaurant’s t-shirts (which the dessert menu lists as available for purchase), chairs that appear to be repurposed from an elementary school classroom, and a bustling, slightly noisy dining room.

They now have two wood-burning ovens instead of one, which allows them to focus more on the pizza, and the constantly-changing menu features about a dozen different pies a night, ranging in price from about $9-18. You can still order pies to go, but no delivery yet, though that might change. For dining in, they’ve also got a range of appetizers, and a few pastas that can be served family-style or just as a single meal.

The two of us shared a pizza with with tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil (which our server noted enthusiastically was only recently added to the pie, now that basil was more available — though we would have liked to have had a few more leaves of the stuff) for $16 and the orecchiette with prosciutto cotto, asparagus, and parmigiano reggiano for $18, and it was just the right amount of food for two hungry adults.

The pizza is definitely the tasty pie you’ll remember from the former location. The crust has a good bite to it, with great charred bits and a touch of smokiness from the brick oven, and just the right amount of sweetness and saltiness from the sauce and the cheeses. I wish we didn’t have to cut (mangle, almost) the pie ourselves with the provided steak knife, and for $16, it’s certainly pricier than some comprable pies in Brooklyn (Paulie Gee’s in Greenpoint has a similar pie for $13, at Roberta’s in Bushwick it’s $12).

Similarly, the pasta was cooked and seasoned very well, but you might be able to find something similar even within Park Slope for a little less.

Overall, it’s a nice spot for a date, a special occasion (especially if you can find 11 friends to join you in the downstairs room), to take relatives who are visiting from out of town, or even for an easygoing meal before heading to an event at Barclay’s. But if you’re just looking to pick up a delicious pie that’s been cooked in a wood-burning oven, you can probably find an equally great one for less elsewhere.

As for the former location at 295 Flatbush Ave, construction is still in progress to create Marco’s, a Southern Italian restaurant from the same owners.

Franny’s is open Monday-Thursday, 5:30-11pm; Friday, 12-3pm & 5:30-11:30pm; Saturday, 12-11:30pm; and Sunday, 12-11pm. Reservations are only available for parties of 8-10 people, and can be made by calling 718-230-0221.