A Menu Made from Scratch: The Heart of Francesco’s

At Francesco’s Italian Restaurant, the menu was a love letter to traditional Italian-American cooking—handcrafted with care, made from scratch, and full of hearty favorites that kept locals coming back week after week for nearly 50 years.

From the moment you walked in, the aroma of freshly baked garlic bread, simmering tomato sauce, and bubbling cheese welcomed you like an old friend. Every meal started with Francesco’s famous garlic bread—crisp on the outside, soft on the inside, brushed with butter and herbs, and made in-house daily. It was a point of pride, just like the handmade pasta and hand-rolled pizza dough that formed the backbone of the menu.

Francesco’s offered something for every taste. The pizza was legendary—available in all the classic combinations plus unique house specialties like the Francesco’s Combination, loaded with meats, cheeses, and perfectly balanced toppings and all made to order. Vegetarian pizzas, personal-sized combos, and pizza-salad plates rounded out the options.

For lovers of traditional Italian fare, the menu was a dream: rich, cheesy lasagna layered with fresh pasta sheets and meat sauce; creamy fettuccine Alfredo; tender manicotti; and veal and chicken dishes like parmesan, Oscar, and scaloppini—all served piping hot and prepared to order.

Appetizers were a treat in themselves: breaded zucchini, mushrooms, and ravioli offered the perfect crispy start, while the Salad Magnifico and house-made pasta salad gave lighter options that were still packed with flavor. The Caesar salads—especially the shrimp and chicken varieties—were perennial favorites.

For lunch, guests could choose from hearty sandwiches like the Italian sausage, meatball, or beef and Swiss pastrami, all served warm and satisfying. And on Fridays and Saturdays, fresh fish specials brought even more variety to an already abundant menu.

We can’t forget the famous desserts t made by the beautiful Hostess Bonnie Jean!

Everything was available for takeout, but many preferred to dine in, soaking up the friendly service and warm atmosphere that only a place like Francesco’s could provide.

What made Francesco’s truly special wasn’t just the food—it was the devotion behind it. Every sauce, crust, bread, and dish was prepared fresh, with pride, by people who cared deeply about their craft and their customers. It was food made the old-fashioned way—with time, love, and tradition.

-Sheri Kimball Biesinger

This is my son enjoying the delicious garlic bread and fresh pasta

The beloved owner and chef Frank