Franschhoek needed this.
A village with such affluent airs about it and a smorgasbord of fine dining picks needed something to cut through the delicate sophistication and price tags.
Welcome to Franks Corner Bar and Grill.
Along small-town Franschhoek’s charming main street sits the bar and grill that’s easy to drop in at.
For all the restaurant’s chic wallpapered & glossy rich green tiled rebirth at the hands of architect Suzanne Schekman and interior designer Francois du Plessis, it is:
- visibly laid-back
- pleasantly priced
- and allows customers to immerse themselves momentarily in that friendly neighbourhood vibe that travellers always go looking for.
It is also a pretty neat example of the diner being ostensibly reimagined for a younger market too, truth be told! The aesthetics are familiar, and they’re open later than most eateries. However, the menu levels up on expectation.
Formerly of several restaurant names and helmed by a storied list of owners, menus & chefs, its 2024 facelift is all-encompassing and a straightforward delight.
No Tasting Menu. No Elaborate Wine Listicles. No Tableside Theatrics.
Dishing up a simple take on modern American cuisine (dubbed ‘New-Style American‘) with South African sensibilities inescapably bound to the ingredients, the trio of chef Reuben Riffel, and co-owners Alex McCormack & Frank Rodriguez are off to a great start.
“The menu has also been carefully created to pair neatly with craft beer. Although there is a compact wine list focused on Franschhoek estates, the heart of the drinks offering is the selection of The Franschhoek Beer Company brews on tap at the bar.”
Quote courtesy of Franks Corner Bar and Grill. (2024).
Sitting on the oversized leather banquettes, I enjoyed biting into some of the small-plate Starters like a Corn Dog classic made of Cornmeal-battered frankfurter and matched with mustard mayo pickled cucumber, and homemade ketchup.
That was just the start of it, as this menu calls to America’s varied food regionality with menu picks like baba ghanoush and tuna tataki too!
The kitchen’s imported Pira charcoal oven does a tremendous job of broiling what will be then finished on a flame grill and will be sure to satisfy once sliced & savoured by customers. Bar & Grill choices for example, also include seafood like:
- Squid with spring onion, hot sauce & aioli
- Sole Meunière served with Liebenberg’s signature pomme purée
- As well as crowd-pleasing Mains like unadorned 500g T-Bone steak or BBQ-basted 300g Sirloin
- Not to mention the “Nashville” allegedly hot chicken prepared through deboning, carefully brining, marinating and then char-grilling. It didn’t have much of the expected heat which “hot” suggests, though it did have spice thanks to the garlic, paprika and cayenne pepper.
The shining gem of my personal dining experience was the unmistakably scrumptious and lightly creamy Seafood Pasta comprised of pappardelle and prawns, mussels, and squid, with a sauce of pernod lemon cream, garlic, basil, and chilli.
Frankly: Outstanding dish from Franks Corner!
Come day or night, it’s clear this eatery won’t be bereft of visitors.
The wooden floors and bespoke pendant lights in the diner & grill bode well for Franks Corner Bar and Grill by night, in particular – sure to create a warm and relaxed ambience fitting for the storybook Franschhoek setting!
With a taproom swirling chilled Seltzers, soft drinks, oenophile-placating regional wines, and Craft Beer (by, in part, The Franschhoek Beer Company), they will also see more & more stop-ins as their terrace seating invites Franschhoek locals and visitors to grab a cold one like the Liberty American Pale Ale, and maybe nibble on Franks Corner Bar and Grill simple and tasty menu – a great alternative to the other polarized neighbourhood eateries.
VERDICT?
Locals are pleased enough to have already established themselves as regulars, so Franks Corner Bar and Grill is prime for travellers to come through for a taste of village life and beloved American favourites.
Generous portions and prime cuts of premium grain-fed beef mean this place can’t really go too wrong with the majority of its menu. Their prices will also really be the high selling point for drawing in those post-work crowds, neighbours, and the people-watching solo sipper just soaking up the village joie de vivre.
Perhaps it won’t be a dining destination which foodies would mission hundreds of kilometres for. However, if you are in the village, it definitely will make the shortlist of where to dine between your Franschhoek adventures.
By My Recommendation: FRANKS CORNER BAR & GRILL
42 Huguenot Street, Franschhoek, Western Cape, South Africa | Book via www.franks-corner.com
