Lona’s Restaurant & Pub

Slim Pickings for Dinner. This is a Freezer to Table Restaurant. Obviously No Chef in This Kitchen. Ice Tea and Coke served in Plastic cups and coffee Served in Styrofoam. Side Salad was Cold and Crisp, But the Asparagus was ‘Ho Ho Hooo… Green Giant.’ Pumpkin Cheesecake fit the Season, but I Would Not Return even for That. Meal was Not Horrible, but Way Over Priced for the Almost «Fast Food.»
COG’s must be about 12%.

Thank goodness for Lona’s!!! We rode the Allegany River Trail on Labor Day. After 30 miles of riding we came into Franklin anticipating a good meal. We found Lona’s … The food was excellent… I had the scrumptious Black and Blue Salad, my husband had the soup and salad special. Pricing was reasonable with a broad range of choices for every budget. As we looked around town, we realized we were doubly blessed as the only other places to eat that were opened was Sheetz and McDonalds…

While searching for wings and a beer we found this fine food establishment embellishing the menu Americana. I would have tried several meals given time. I also had one of the best caramel sugar cinnamon rims for a beer that I will never forget. Straight to the heart through my stomach. I hope we meet again lona’s.

The hostesses were grumpy and unpleasant so the visit started out bad. I ordered the salmon and it came with a huge amount of BBQ sauce on it instead of the «ribbon of raspberry sauce» described on the menu. The baked potato was mealy and didn’t seem baked to me. It took forever to get the check. Not going back.

Love this place and I’m not just saying that because I worked there! The food is phenomenal! My personal favorites are the Spicy Shrimp Marinara (with penne pasta), the Chicken Parmesan sandwich, the Monte Carlo (a special), and the Prime Rib which is only served on Friday and Saturday. I love how the menu had a lot of variety from classics to local favorites and from simple meals to exquisite meals. Basically whatever you have a taste for the menu most likely has it. The setting of the place is very versatile. You can sit either outside, on the patio or inside. Basically however you feel, weather permitting! And it’s great for events because there is a back room that they use for special occasions. Make sure you eat here!

SETTING
A very quiet, and casual sit-​down place. Something about this place just creates a warm and homey feel. Comfort food in a comfortable atmosphere.
FOOD
Has to be my favorite restaurant in the Franklin and Oil City area when I was there for a few days. Lona is the girl-​next-​door you meet during a week-​long summer camp. Your time together is simply amazing. She just gets you and you feel at ease around her. You weren’t looking for her during your stay, but just happened to cross paths with her. Destiny. When you finally pack up and leave, you can only think about her the entire way home…
Chicken Pot Pie. It is to die for! Limited quantities available, so to me, it seems like they make this daily. The crust was a perfect golden brown with the right amount of crunch and softness. The filling inside creamy but not too viscous, containing green peas, carrots, and pieces of chicken. Good quality and good size. I slept very well that night.
SERVICE
The waitress was so sweet! The Chicken Pot Pie comes with a salad, which I was not aware of. When I ordered a cup of soup, she let me know salad comes with the pie, but she could substitute the soup for the included salad. Not technically allowed, but she saw how much I wanted the French Onion soup. After a long day, I was so happy she could do that for me! Experienced a medium wait for food. For a restaurant that seems to make everything their own, I certainly am okay with waiting a little bit. Waitress came back several times to check up on us and keep waters filled.
IMPRESSIONS
Super affordable and delicious comfort food. Can’t beat it. Not sure if, and when, I will ever be back in the area, but if I am here only for one night, I will visit again. Goodbyes are always hard. Lona, remember that one time in summer camp???

We had my mothers 90 th birthday party with 35 guests and Lona and her family did a wonderful job. All the food was served hot, was plentiful, and very good. Not one complaint from anyone. We returned to her restaurant several weeks later and she recognized my mother and greater her like a friend, mother was so impressed. The food is very good

My daughter and I had lunch there a couple of weeks ago. I was such a nice day we decided to have lunch outside.
Great food and great service.

Today a coworker and I had lunch here. He had been telling me about this place, saying he had eaten several meals here and that the food and service were excellent. He did not lie!
It was a nice day so we ate outside. We were immediately given attention regarding our drink orders and our food orders. The waitstaff were friendly and engaging, yet still professional.
Our food arrived fairly quickly, and was delicious! I had a Reuben and he had a burger. Both were very very good! The fries were crisp and flavorful. Even my ice tea was excellent: I think it was actually brewed, you know, from teabags instead of instant.
Throughout our meal service continues to be excellent, and the price of our lunches were extremely reasonable.
Taking a quick look at their bar, they seemed to have an excellent selection of beers and wines. This restaurant is a jewel!

Good food, and a nice atmosphere. We sat outside, and a live band was playing. Had the fish, and the chicken pie. Both were good. A nice local restaurant alternative to the chains. Worth stopping for.

This was a great restaurant in a small town in the middle of nowhere. Pork lion was excellent.

Open restaurant dinning area, food well prepared. Decent wine, beer selection. Best of all the manager walked around meeting & greeting customers by name, making sure you are satisfied with everything. Great location on the corner live music on Fridays during summer weather.

Great find in an area with little selection. If you are in the area, stop in.

My wife and I visit the Franklin area twice a year to visit her side of the family. We like to try restaurants wherever we travel, and Lona’s is our current favorite in Franklin. We’ve been twice now over the last year and have been pleased both times. The food is very good, as are the prices and service.
This week we went and ordered the Reuben and cheesesteak sandwiches, one with sweet potato fries and the other with onion rings. Both were very good, filling, and under $ 10. Our son loved the too!

A nice restaurant with a decent selection of food and great selection of beer and wine. The staff was very courteous, helpful and nice. I highly recommend this Franklin eatery!
The only small issue is being served wine and other alcoholic beverages in cheap plastic cups. I do understand that was due to the Apple Festival but it is still unacceptable.

I am a resident of Franklin, and have seen this site go through several name/​owner changes, Lona’s is by far the best incarnation. They have an awesome side patio in the heart of downtown Franklin. The outside dining tends to be a little close to traffic but does provide regular live music. There is also a covered deck area for those rainy days.
Food is very good, and moderatly priced, the angus burgers are arguably the best in town if not Venango County. Service is attentive and prompt except for the P/​T hostess who does not put «seating guests» as her priority. We waited for more than 10 mins to sit in the empty resturant while she flitted around putting out glasses and silverware.

Thumbs up for a terrific restaurant on the main drag in Franklin. Great service, spacious and comfortable interior, and very nice food.

We tried Lona’s when we drove up to Franklin for the annual Franklin on Ice festival and I was very impressed! The staff was very friendly, the place itself was small but nicely decorated, and the food was amazing!
I ordered the angus burger with swiss cheese, and it was the best burger I have ever had in a restaurant in my life. Seasoning was perfect, and it was medium just like I had asked for. My fiancé got the Philly Cheesesteak with chicken and it was perfectly seasoned and very tasty. The biggest delight was the chicken pot pie that his mother ordered… they advise that you check to make sure they have them before ordering due to their popularity and when hers hit the table we understood why. The pie was huge! A full sized chicken pie, with wonderful flakey crust, and just the right amount of gravy inside. It was amazing!
All in all, I was very impressed with Lona’s and I cannot wait to go back there again.