Frankie's Italian Restaurant in Oklahoma City: Classic Red-Sauce Cooking in Midtown
Frankie's Italian Restaurant is a family-owned Southern Italian spot in Oklahoma City's Midtown neighborhood that serves handmade pasta, chicken and veal dishes, and traditional sauces prepared from recipes refined over decades. It occupies a modest dining room that seats around 75 people and operates as a sit-down establishment focused on dinner service rather than casual takeout.
What Frankie's actually is
The restaurant specializes in Italian-American cooking centered on red sauce, fresh pasta, and proteins finished with classical preparations. The kitchen makes fettuccine, lasagna, and ravioli in-house. Entrees lean toward veal and chicken piccata, marsala, and parmigiana, alongside meat-forward pasta dishes like spaghetti bolognese and seafood offerings such as shrimp scampi. The wine list emphasizes Italian regions, with selections from Sicily and Piedmont alongside accessible California labels. The space reflects its long tenure: wood paneling, framed photographs, and a bar counter anchored by a well-stocked liquor selection. Service is attentive but unhurried, calibrated to lingering dinners rather than turnover.
Menu and pricing
Entrees run $16 to $28, with pasta dishes at the lower end and veal or chicken specialties in the $20 to $26 range. Seafood pastas and shrimp entrees cost $22 to $28. Appetizers (bruschetta, calamari, mozzarella sticks) fall between $7 and $12. A house salad arrives with most dinners. Wine by the glass ranges from $6 to $10; bottles start around $28 and reach $60 for premium Italian imports. Confirm current pricing and daily specials by calling directly, as menu prices shift seasonally.
How Frankie's compares to other Oklahoma City Italian options
Frankie's occupies a different niche than Stefano's Ristorante, a more upscale Midtown establishment emphasizing northern Italian cuisine and fine dining presentation at entree prices of $28 to $45. It also differs from Osteria, a casual Bricktown pizzeria focused on Neapolitan pies and quick dining. Frankie's sits between: more refined than neighborhood trattorias but less formal than Stefano's, with a menu that favors generosity and familiarity over technique-forward plating. Choose Frankie's for mid-range Italian-American comfort; choose Stefano's for special occasions; choose Osteria for pizza and speed.
Who it suits and who it does not
Frankie's works well for diners seeking straightforward red-sauce Italian cooking without pretension, older patrons familiar with the restaurant's long history, and groups seeking a relaxed dinner over two hours. Families with young children are welcome but the wine-and-lingering atmosphere skews adult. Those hunting for contemporary Italian, wood-fired pizza, or vegetarian-forward menus will find better matches elsewhere. The modest decor appeals to some as authentic and to others as dated; expect no renovations toward a modern aesthetic.
What the first visit involves
Arrive with a reservation recommended on Friday or Saturday, though walk-ins are typically accommodated on slower weeknights. Expect to be seated within 10 minutes. A server will bring water and offer bread before presenting the menu. Order at a relaxed pace; the kitchen does not rush. Appetizers arrive in 10 to 15 minutes, entrees in 20 to 30 minutes. Portions are large; many diners cannot finish a full meal. Dessert options include spumoni ice cream, tiramisu, and panna cotta. The check arrives only when requested.
Hours, parking, and logistics
Frankie's operates Tuesday through Thursday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., closed Monday. Parking is available in a small lot adjacent to the building and on nearby Midtown streets; the lot rarely fills. The restaurant sits on a quiet block away from Midtown's busier restaurant corridor, making it less foot-traffic dependent than neighbors. Verify current hours before traveling, as holiday schedules occasionally shift.
Frankie's Italian Restaurant has held its place in Oklahoma City's Midtown restaurant landscape for over four decades by treating Italian-American cooking as a straightforward offering rather than a trend. For diners seeking that consistency, it remains reliable.
