As it’s nearly the weekend and they’ve been good at school all week, we decided to go for a tea-time treat today at Frankie and Benny’s.
We’ve been meaning to go for a few weeks now, but what with the husband doing funny shifts at work, we’ve been waiting until he’s been free to come with us as well.
So today, we finally got round to it, and set off to the Frankie and Benny’s outlet in Crown Point, Leeds.
Set in the heart of the Crown Point shopping outlet which is just on the outskirts of the city centre, you can hardly miss the American/Italian restaurant with its distinctive green and red awning.
All hungry from a hard days work at school, we went in and got shown to a table straight away by a lovely, friendly waitress who brought an activity pack to keep the small ones occupied.
Always a winner if they know how to keep the little ones amused…
It didn’t take them long to decide what they wanted from the menus.
The 8 year old plumped for the hot dog and chips from the Junior menu, whilst the 4 year old decided on hamburger and chips from the kid’s one.
There was plenty of choice on both (even with all that choice, they both went for the chips! Can’t say I blame them though!)
The fussy 8 year old was most impressed with his hotdog and polished off the lot, and liked the fact that the “mustard, ketchup and onions are in separate pots, as I can put what bits I like on myself, and I don’t have to put the stinky mustard on!”
4 year old declared his burger “yummy.”
As you can see, he was doing his best to clear the plate….
Although we got a dish from the kids menu and a dish from the junior one, the kids hamburger choice was a huge one and could easily have been from the Juniors’ – the burger was nearly as big as him! Not as if he was complaining, mind… 
As I’m supposed to be watching my weight, I was most impressed with the fact that there’s a Light option menu which details calories and shows you which is the healthiest option to have.
It didn’t stop me ordering from the normal Lunch menu, though. Oops.
I started off with the bruschetta, and had a penne pasta and meatballs dish which was absolutely gorgeous – the meatballs were delicious and really meaty tasting.
I couldn’t be tempted by a dessert, though, with not being a ‘pudding’ fan, even though they all looked lovely.
The husband, as a vegetarian, went for tomato and basil soup with doughballs to start with, and the Mediterranean Vegetable Burger as a main.
Those dough balls floating in the soup looked lovely and I almost wished I’d got them myself!
There was one testing moment, though when he ordered cheesy chips as a side dish.
“Would you like fries or cheesy chips?” asked the waitress.
So on getting the cheesy chips, he was disappointed to see it covered in bacon bits being a vegetarian!
Maybe the servers could clarify a bit more when offering them that they have bacon on, because if you don’t go that often, like us, you’re not automatically aware that it’s on – even if it does actually say so on the menu. Doh.
The staff were lovely about it when we asked to change it for some chips without the bacon on though, so no harm done.
They couldn’t have been friendlier, the waitress serving us was great and brilliant with the kids too.
In the name of research, and me wimping out of the dessert menu, husband took it upon himself to test the sweets on offer. (Any excuse)
So he opted for this:
Chocolate brownies. Yum.
Grandma was with us too, and was most impressed with her soup, chicken pasta and ice cream sundae.
The 50′s/60′s themed music made for a great atmosphere, with tunes from Roy Orbison (Pretty Woman), Elvis, and others playing.
“Ooh, it takes me back…” said Grandma.
So, if you’re looking for good food and music or for a special meal out, Frankie and Benny’s suits all ages and tastes.
Make sure you go when the special lunch time deals are on (Mon-Fri 11am until 5pm) and it’s even better value – when it’s £8.25 for 2 courses, or £9.25 for 3 courses, you can’t go wrong!
Frankie and Benny’s kindly sent us a voucher to put towards the cost of the meal for this review. All views described are honest, true opinions of me, the husband, Grandma and the munchkins.
Sounds like a winner for a family meal