Franca's Italian Specialties Ltd

The best Italian restaurant in Calgary by a mile! The food was fresh, delicious and fairly priced. The service staff were fun, welcoming and helpful. Make sure you have your reservations, it's a small restaurant and it fills up fast.

Beyond fantastic great quality food fantastic personable service. Gluten free also available. Great appetizers as well. Pizza is a steal.

Wow! What an amazing family owned business. We originally tried their pizza at their location in Oakridge and found out about their restaurant! Food was delicious: bruschetta is one of the best I’ve had, pasta was fresh, the veal and cod were amazing and the steak was so flavourful! The desserts were top notch, especially the limoncello tiramisu. To top it all off, the service was impeccable. We truly felt at home and even gave hugs to Franca because they felt like family after our experience. We’ll be making this our family dinner spot in the future!

Incredible food, incredible service!
We chose Franca's for our work team's lunch catering, and despite the many last minute changes from our end, the staff were so kind, easy to work with and very accommodating.
The Caesar salad, the veil lasagna and the assorted desserts were to die for!
We look forward to ordering again, thank you!

Not only is this the best pizza, ever the staff and customer service is incredible. Above and beyond, worth the wait!

Found this hidden gem in an industrial area and came here to celebrate a birthday on a Friday night. Our host, Alexandro (hope I got your name right) was fabulous. He gave us good recommendations of drinks and food and tells us a bit about the family-run restaurant.

We ordered the Gnocchi Rose, the Linguini Scampi, and the Bistecca to share. All the food was amazing. We love the Rose sauce so much we wish there were bread to wipe the plate. For dessert, we ordered the two tiramisu (regular and Limoncello) and the Nutella cake. Love the Limoncello tiramisu.so refreshing. The mocachinno and earl grey latte were a nice touch to finish a delicious meal. We also got a Limoncello specialty drink on the house for birthday (Thank you.)

Definitely will come back again to support this family run business. What a wonderful experience!

All around delicious meal! The antipastos were amazing, including their focaccia, which I’d be happy eating on its own. At the end of our meal, they brought us limoncello on the house. An unexpected yet much appreciated gesture. I can’t wait until the next time.

We chose to treat ourselves to Franca's Valentines special on Saturday, sort of a Valentine's 2.0. The had a prepared a special four course menu which was great - no decisions to make, no stress - just enjoy. The starter was a risotto ball stuffed with mozzarella covered in a tomato basil parmigiana cheese sauce- wonderful. The meal became more flavourful with each dish, The second dish was a lobster stuffed ravioli in a lobster cream sauce- so delicious!
The main (my favourite) was a seared beef tenderloin in a wine sauce served with potatoes and carrots. The presentation was beautiful, the beef melted in my mouth.
The 4th course was a beautiful chocolate sponge cake with chocolate and caramel- Decadent, but not too sweet.
We took pictures so you can see the beautiful presentation and care with which each dish was prepared.
The staff was very attentive and friendly. Seating was arranged that you didn't feel rushed and we had lots of personal space.
5 STARS because it was that special.

Wonderful experience at Franca’s. Always get wonderful service, delicious food. And the family that own this amazing restaurant make you feel so warm and special. Love this family and enjoy coming back every time. Highly recommend! 10/10?

One of the best Italian spots in Calgary! Great food, great atmosphere and amazing service.

The atmosphere is warm an bright, the service was spectacular the waitress was pleasant and professional, Food was delicious! Accommodating to my gluten allergy

Birthday dinner for 7, excellent service, warm friendly hello from their family and everyone had an excellent perfectly prepared meal. So many great dishes. Highly recommend

Amazing Food and the most hospitable staff. Everything on the menu was delicious. True authentic Italian cuisine. Definitely will be going back.

Some of the best Italian food west of Italy. Rib eye, delicious, Pasta, and Pizza, all top shelf. Don’t forget to add the Jumbo prawn.

Thank you to this beautiful owners family restaurant for their hospitality and love towards customer experience.

100/100

Just absolutely fantastic food, but the service and atmosphere topped even that. A lovely family, a super experience Grazie.

Currently here… haven’t even made it past the appetizers and I already know the quality this place delivers. 10/10 would recommend. Quality, best service, and above all… delicious.

A sleeper in an industrial area
- but one of the best high-end Italian restaurants in Calgary.

Fantastic meal and equally fantastic service. My wife and I stopped by for lunch and Alessandro helped us select a some items from the menu. We had grandma's hand made truffle gnocchi which was delectable! The service and quality was second to none and enhanced by the cozy atmosphere. Will definitely be going back to try more of the menu.

I am so impressed by this restaurant! Family run with excellence, passion and care. I am certainly going to refer all my friends and Colleagues!
The food was amazing! Presentation and taste!

1000/10 I love this restaurant. Best food in Calgary, came here with my family and was treated like a VIP. I would highly recommend the spaghetti, or their delicious peach desert. It truly is a delightful restaurant with amazing staff, that truly make you feel at home.

I took my family for dinner, and not only was the food amazing but the staff and overall experience was delightful. I would highly recommend the spaghetti, or if dining with a larger group of people I would order the meat plate with pasta’s of your choice.

Awesome service, food and atmosphere! Will definitely come back and try more things on the menu!

The full meal of appetizer, wine, entree, dessert and liquer was the best meal I have ever enjoyed. The servers were friendly and excellent. I highly recommend Franca's.

Absolutely amazing food, and wonderful owner and staff! Wonderful dining experience, like a slice of Italy in Calgary. Everything looks so good that it's hard to choose, definitely recommend rose gnocchi and their lemoncello tiramisu is to die for

The single best meal I have ever had period. This place is a must. The lamb is so tender you’ll die I promise you won’t be disappointed.

It's been a couple weeks since I've been back home after visiting Alberta and I'm craving the Alba pizza from Franca's. The limoncello tiramisu was a perfect dessert afterwards, with a shot of limoncello to end the meal (a family recipe!). Franca and her family were incredibly hospitable and made the experience even better. The perfect dining experience!

We had a reservation elsewhere but they decided the day before they can't accommodate us anymore. So we went to Francas for my birthday lunch. It's such a nice family run business. Three generations are making sure you get an awesome, authentic experience. We had the best Pizza on Canadian soil. When I closed my eyes it felt like I was in Naples. It was so good we still talk about it. Needless to say I'm glad that other place cancelled on us. Thank you Francas and the rest of her family!

I had the pleasure of having a fabulous dinner at Francas one week ago.
The great food and friendly atmosphere created by this family was delightful.i enjoyed every bite and a great conversation with Franca!

Thank you for a very nice evening.

John Ashleigh

Our son recommended Francas to us, so we went for a fantastic lunch to celebrate our anniversary. The service was absolutely great, the food was more than just great! I’m not a red meat person much but ordered the ribeye. Done to perfection! The portion sizes were generous, and Franca’s Teramisou special was to die for! We recommend this quaint, beautiful restaurant to try! You HAVE to go!

Why am I not here every week? !
What an absolute pleasure to experience the food and hospitality at Franca's. Grazie tanti to our Hosts and all the staff. Thanks Alasendro for the service. "Just take my money and feed me". Continued Success!

This isn't just a good restaurant, it's a true Italian family operation with amazingly tasty and authentic dishes. The entire family is there to make you feel welcome, and to spoil you with exquisite food. Go for a meal.and leave with a happy stomach and some new friends! We'll be back!

Absolutely love this pizza it's my favourite. Everything I have ordered with Franca's has been exceptional and will continue to support them. Highly recommend their food, especially the Alba pizza!

You can’t get a more delicious or authentic Italian meal anywhere else. You feel like you are a special guest dining in their home; The service is next to none. Everything on the menu is fantastic. Be sure to top off the meal with one of their signature desserts, the peaches are my personal favorite.

The staff was super friendly. The food was delicious, the pasta and gnocchi cooked perfectly. I would definitely come back here.

Franca if I could give you ten stars I would. Thank you for a wonderful anniversary dinner. Your attention to detail on the table setting drew many comments. It was done so artistically. Mario, our guests raved about the steak (done to perfection), the eggplant parmigiana and the scampi.all were superb. It was truly a night to remember and we are most grateful.

The food was delicious! Great pizza and pasta specials. We really enjoyed the lamb chops and tiramisu as well. Our server Ramona was on her first day but did a wonderful job! Overall a very satisfying experience.

Thank you Franca and Mario for making our wedding dinner fabulous the roasted chicken with mushroom and truffle oil sauce was a massive hit everyone (that didn't have allergies) enjoyed it. The lasagna and fusilli pasta was the best I've ever had in a long while just like Nonna use to make it! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts (and stomachs) it was perfect.
For anyone reading this review Franca's Italian restaurant off Edmonton Trail is a must for lunch, dinner and catering. I very much look forward to stopping by for a meal this week to have some delicious hand made Gnocchi and eggplant parmigiana my favorite!

We enjoyed dinner here on Valentine's Day. It was a beautiful meal (set menu), served impeccably. Franca and her family make you feel so welcome!

This is hands down the best Italian eatery in the city. The owners are so welcoming and amazing service.

The environment is very nice. The food it fantastic and the staff treat you like family. They are always trying to be better and that is a sign of good character. Will go back again and again.

At Franca’s you are treated like family. They promote themselves as casual dining however nothing casual about their amazing food. Always fresh ingredients used and cooked just right. Ask the chef about off the menu food and he will have it ready for your next visit and it will taste fabulous. What a service.

For an evening this surprising little restaurant transported us to Italy. From the drinks, to the food, to Franca our host, the experience was nothing less than sublime.

This wad the third time we've been to Franca's. The food is inspiring. The cozy dining room is pleasant and intimate. Franca herself is the friendliest restaurateur I've ever met. She does special events there and she showed us pictures of the food and set up. Wow! If you have an event for around 50 people, Franca's would not disappoint.

Corporate lunch / Christmas party. Excellent food again this year. The roasted chicken was probably the best I have ever eaten. Pasta was awesome again. The atmosphere is warm and comfortable and the staff and owner are great. Need to take my wife here sometime soon. Thanks

This was one of the best meals I have had in a very long time. The gnocci was so light and fluffy it was like biting into a cloud. Franca is so friendly and personalble, even though tjis was my first time at thecrestaurant I felt like I was seeing and old friend. This is my new favorite!

My husband and I ventured out of our quadrant of the city to find a fresh and authentic Italian experience. We came across Franca’s and it was so fresh and delicious! We even met the owner and she was so warm and friendly, a truly amazing experience. We will be back again for sure! I don’t normally eat until my stomach was so full, but, I couldn’t stop, the food was so good. It was worth the drive. I highly recommend it!

A little gem in the NW part of Calgary. Great menu with that Italian family feel. Owners are very welcoming.