Thanks for Franks

I’ve been to Franks twice now, and both times I walked out considerably lighter in the pocket book, but lugging a giganto-​sandwich which I’m sure added some unneeded weight to my person. Not necessarily the best trade-​off.
Both times, I’ve ordered an innocuous-​sounding hot sammie from the menu, waited for a good 15 minutes, and been given some big ol’ heavy, saucy, cheesy, deliciously gloopy sandwich in exchange for my 8 or 9GBP. It is a good thing they cut them in half before serving because it makes them easier to cut into quarters before consuming– ¼ for now, ¼ for later, and the rest to be taken home and given to my always-​starving husband for dinner. The sandwiches are quite delicious, but I can’t get too excited about paying 9 quid for a half sammie no matter how great they are.
Linzi is right, that the lady who runs the cash register acts like she’s doing you a massive favour by taking your hard-​earned cash off of you (and don’t even THINK about asking her where the nearest cash point is… they don’t take cards, so get your cash before you go!) So the atmosphere can be a bit weird, but if you go in expecting that, you should be fine.
So, long story short, if you’ve got a surplus of money and are not on a diet, this is the place for you. Unfortunately, neither of these things are true for me very often, so I’ll probably keep my distance.

Franks used to be my lunchtime staple when I started working in the area. I’d go every day, get my grilled cheese and sit with my book. The service is always a bit erratic, you either order with the cooks who aren’t always paying attention (cos they are cooking!) or the owner lady who acts like she is doing you a favour and not the other way around. I’ve often seen her chastise patrons for one of them sitting while the other one orders for both and other unforgivable transgressions.
This time I went, ordered my grilled cheese for takeout and waited… and waited. I stood there for about 20 minutes in front of the counter while they rushed dishes out to other customers and watched me wait. During the whole time I stood there, they didn’t tell me to sit or apologise for the delay. When I got the grilled cheese it was dripping in grease and oil and totally inedible. They did offer a meek ‘sorry for the wait’ but that was too little, too late for my lunch hour. Frankly Franks, your customer service lets you down and this time I won’t be back.

A nice media café (with proper short-​order griddle) for breakfast and lunch, serving breakfasts, sandwiches and hot dishes. I’ve had great breakfasts, let down once with a mediocre philly cheesesteak sanwich.

A great place for a tasty fresh sandwich, pasta or healthy salad. In fact, I’d say if you are coming here for lunch and fancy a healthier alternative to a sandwich, definitely check out their salads.
If you’re a total sweet-​tooth however, this place does a great little cake or muffin. There are also burgers and other hot food as well or perhaps you just want a coffee? This place really has it all — worth a lunch time shot for sure!

Don’t be shy at this American style diner, step right up and let them know how they can please your taste buds! At Franks you’ll find a classic 60’s atmosphere. As the motto on the menu says, here you’ll have «no more dull lunches»! The thing I like most is that this snazzy diner serves up an elaborate breakfast, lunch and dinner starting at £1.95. Yes! It’s hard to believe, but true.
I come here for a sandwich or tortilla wrap and walk out happy! If I want a bit more flair, I go for the goats cheese sandwich or the char-​grilled teriyaki salmon, all for under £6! This is one of the very best places to enjoy an all day breakfast.

Thanks Frank, for another lovely breakfast! I love this café, which is styled like an American diner and their menu like a comic. Their breakfasts are delicious and come with fries rather than fried toast, but I’m warning you, The Full Monty will ruin you if you have a meeting to go to! Not to fear, there are also ‘Corporate breakfasts’ too: freshly baked croissants and piping hot coffee and juice.
The sandwiches at lunchtime are equally ambitious and the bread choices are every bit as extensive as you’d expect from an American diner, and the fillings are anything but ordinary, I mean prawn avocado and Russian dressing? And yes, it was delicious according to my friend.

Wow! Who knew this place was so popular? I discovered it out of hungry desperation one day after too-​many hours on Carnaby Street and an active desire to avoid ending up at Pret a Manger. Even though it was past lunchtime this place was PACKED. But it looked so fresh and inviting, I decided to take the crowd as a good sign.
Goodness me, being in this tiny luncheonette is a lot like being in a jammed busy sandwich shop in New York… three sorta gruff people behind the counter shouting «who’s next?» and «whadaya want?»
I «wanted» the chickpea salad… (actually, it’s more like that’s just what happened to be on the tip of my tongue when I felt obligated to yell out an order — there were a gazillion things on the menu… and also a bean salad behind the glass that looked mouthwatering). The salad was nice… an abundance of chickpeas (which is exactly what I like) and it was fresh and well-​seasoned — not-​too-​oily… definitely my kind of lunch…
However, I probably won’t be coming back… maybe it’s good if you’re a regular with an office nearby and are in a hurry… but I rarely like places that are *so* crowded — or where the ordering process and dealing with the staff is so, well, *intense*…

Scrumptious! This place gets packed at lunchtime, and it’s no surprise its really top notch. I recommend the goat cheese F.O.B (Frank’s Outstandingly Brilliant) hot sandwich. It has a magical combination, the goat cheese with roasted veggies, which really make an explosion of flavor in your palate, with the soft neutral taste of the fresh ciabatta roll. They also have a selection of fresh salads to choose from, always fresh and tasty.

Frank’s is one of those cafes that is much loved by those who have worked in the area for a long time and who know and love Frank. It’s almost like a badge of honour in the office if you know a member of staff and they remember you. Martin, a colleague of mine is a regular there and goes for a chicken roll with pesto on a daily basis. As a result, he knows Lucy, who gives him a discount and a sweet treat in the form of a brownie or cake. I know Ian, who is such a lovely guy, however I do not go regularly enough to warrant a discount, and Adam knows Ian so well, that Ian once gave him a large jar of Skippy peanut butter (which used to be really hard to find in London) and Adam’s wife made Ian peanut butter cookies in return.
Frank, the main man himself, is there in the mid-​morning and lunch time, however I am not a fan as he once gave me a slice of un-​toasted bread with marmite, which tasted pretty disgusting. I used to grab breakfast there every day for a while, but they’ve put up the price of toast and its convenience for me, is no longer worth the price as for two slices of toast, you could buy a loaf of bread for that price.

Thanks for Franks is almost 3 stars because it is an unpretentious spot with a diner-​like menu that belies its size, a pleasant staff and reasonable prices — all good things. Unfortunately, the food just isn’t that great.
They do a nice jacket potato (with lots of toppings options), but so do I.

Great choice of food in this little café tucked away off Regent Street.
I had an excellent chorizo and mushroom quiche. The honey roast salmon also looked very good. Less good is the selection of drinks: fruit juices only bottled, nothing fresh.
I noticed too late a sign for their ‘Big Fat Greek Sandwich’, so I’ll be returning to give that a try!

I stumbled apon this lovely little café one Friday morning, when I was in desperate need of a good breakfast, seeing the Time Out seal of approval on the windoow I went inside and tucked into a hearty breakfast and a mug of tea for £4.60. It’s located in the heart of Carnaby Street and the staff are very pleasant! I’ll be back for sure!

This is paradox. It is both a greasy spoon and an americana diner. the staff are both incredibly rude when taking your cash, and then incredibly friendly when managing your expectations on food arrival at your plate.
So they do things like normal full english, panckaes with maple syrup, home-​made moussaka. Etc. ot one for business but probably OK for lunchtime at work