Franciscos Restaurant

User Rating: 1 out of 5 stars

I live in Marina and would love to be able to recommend this restaurant to those who ask me where a good place to eat in this city is. I would send them to Jack in the Box or McDonalds before recommending this eatery!

I must be a brute for punishment as I have been coerced into returning to this restaurant 4 times since its opening with hopes, every time, that it has improved. I've always been disappointed and, each time, have vowed never to return again. After my last visit I will assuredly never return to this Beanery!

At best, the food could only be described on a scale ranging from mediocre to Lousy! Their Fish & Chips are the worst I've ever had! Just up the street is a KFC/Long John Silvers that puts out Fish and Chips that put Francisco's to shame at less than half the price.

I've tried menu items from low to high priced and have had the same experience. On my last visit I ordered the Key Lime pie that was, without a doubt, a frozen one. In and off itself it was not bad, however what was put on top and called whipped cream could only be described as tasteless GOUP!! When I ask the waiter what in God it was, he told me that it was fresh whipped cream and was House Made daily (a real joker that one). I replied that if it was, someone must have spilled the Manteca (cooking Lard) into it. Had they used Cool Whip it would have been more acceptable.

It's proprietor opened another restaurant in nearby Monterey that only lasted a few months. Apparently the folks in Monterey have more discerning pallets and would not accept such mediocre quality fare.

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User Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

To Jake's review: I'm new to the Monterey area, from the east coast. I've spent years exploring favorite restaurants in NY and CT, as well as many euopean and south american countries. Like Jake, I also stumbled upon "Francisco's". The only comment Jake made that I found true in my multiple visit to this restaurant is how tasty the salsa was. I even bought some to take home! I have also enjoyed pasta, seafood, beef and mexican food there and have found every visit to be a delight and every dish delicious. The creme broule is to die for! I find the wall art enchanting (by a local artist), the atmosphere cozy and friendly (you can show up in a dress clothes or beach wear), and the food of very high quality. Franciso greets every guest personally, and the service is very courteous and professional. I have never found the restaurant empty, even on weeknights (which is surprising in the current economy). Perhaps Jake visited a different Francisco's in an alternate parallel universe. Because Im a little fussy and can find fault with just about anything and have eaten in restaurants all over the world, and I have never experienced or heard of anyone else I know who frequents this restaurant experiencing anything close to what Jake describes. Try it and meet Francisco, and Im certain you'll return! (PS: 4 stars from me is a compliment, Im hard to please! "Tavern On The Green" might get 5, maybe....)

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User Rating: 1 out of 5 stars

Wanting some decent seafood and not interested in going into Monterey, I decided to try my luck at a self-proclaimed hidden gem of Marina California, Francisco’s.

Upon entering Francisco’s, I was immediately confronted by a courteous, slightly overbearing individual who seemed a little shocked and very pleased by my arrival.

I ordered the seafood trio with cheese ravioli and a cup of clam chowder. The first thing that was brought to the table was chips and salsa... uhh what? Is this a Mexican place? Or Italian? Or Seafood? As I ponder this, I look at the Ketchup bottle on the table that is sitting next to the salt and peppershaker and sugar packets... Ketchup? Wait is this a fast food place? I look back at the menu to see what I ordered... Cup of Clam Chowder - $8.50. Seafood Trio over Ravioli - $18. Definitely not fast food... As I gnaw on very bland corn chips and surprisingly great tasting salsa, I was surprised by the arrival of garlic Parmesan toast to accompany my chips and salsa. I stare and the garlic toast and think it might taste ok with my clam chowder, I take a few more bites of corn chips and wonder why I'm confusing my palette with Mexican food as I really just wanted a good cup of Chowder.

After about 20 minutes of confusion and chip-nibbling my Seafood Trio arrived. I decided not to make a fuss about the Chowder never showing up as soon as I saw and smelled the seafood trio. It was quite pungent. The Seafood Trio was supposed to contain Prawns, Scallops, and Salmon over cheese raviolis. I would assume this would be in a cream based sauce, however the "sauce" looked like broth. It tasted like warm dishwater and various seafood juices. I honestly thought the cheese in the ravioli had spoiled and I rinsed my mouth and cautiously took another bite of the cheese ravioli by itself. I decided that the cheese was not spoiled, what I tasted was the “seafood broth” that had soaked into the raviolis. Let me tell you, cheese ravioli should not be cooked in "seafood broth" the resulting taste is quite disgusting. Also, the "Prawns" were actually cocktail shrimp, the salmon chunks were very bland, and I was unable to locate any bay scallops because of how small they were, the scallop presence was only evident by the unpleasant odor of the dish.

The restaurant was empty when I arrived and with the exception of one elderly couple, it was empty when I left. The time of arrival was 7:00pm on a Sunday evening.

Francisco himself apologized for the Clam Chowder oversight, and was very courteous. Of course, he also did not charge me for the missing dish.

The brutal truth is even if I had only paid $5 for the meal I received I would still be disappointed, it truly was the worst seafood pasta I have ever had. I am actually thankful that I didn't have the clam chowder, because after tasting the seafood trio, I can only assume that the clam chowder would have only added to my disappointment.

I literally felt sick to my stomach after eating the small amount of the $18 dish that I had purchased.

Although Francisco himself was nice, the food was pretty terrible.

I think the problem is the restaurant doesn't have an identity. If they stuck to one theme, maybe it would be good, and I strongly emphasize maybe.

I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone.

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