Overview:Franks A Lot is a restaurant
that opened up in Juffair near Al-Jazeera supermarket a few months ago. It
serves mostly Mexican food as well as a variety of tex-mex dishes. For further
information, feel free to call them on +97317811970. Does Franks A Lot beat
Senior Paco's, one of Bahrain's most popular casual Mexican restaurants? Read
on to find out.
Service:
A delectable meal could potentially be down-graded to a merely
good one as a consequence of sub-par service. Thankfully, this is a trap that
Franks A Lot successfully dodges, and remarkably so. Our waiter was quick to
welcome us and guide us to a suitable table upon our arrival, and he did so
with a smile. Our menus were ready right away, and he was very attentive and
returned to our table as soon as he noticed that we were prepared to order. The
food was brought to us after a minimal wait, perhaps in the neighborhood of 10
minutes. The waiter was also sure to check back with us, mid-meal, to ensure
that we were satisfied with the food and his service. A nice touch was serving
complimentary nachos with dipping sauce once we arrived.
5/5
Presentation:
The presentation of our food varied from dish to dish. The
appetizer we ordered, Jalapeno Cheese Sticks, was presented satisfactorily but
did not appear to be particularly alluring. The tacos shared a similar
appearance. The accompanying toppings, however, did not. It was quite apparent
from the off-green color of the guacamole, for instance, that it was prepared a
significant while back and was lazily scooped onto the taco dish. Luckily, this
was somewhat balanced out with the other two dishes: the hot dog and the BLT
sandwich. The hotdog’s smell
wafted towards our table as the waiter was preparing to serve it to us,
creating an almost torturous anticipation of the scrumptiousness that was sure
to come. Similarly, the BLT sandwich pleased our nostrils before our taste
buds, a technique that never fails to further stimulate a hungry man’s
appetite. Visually, both these sandwiches were superior to the jalapeno and
taco dishes. The BLT sandwich was served with a few sides, including a salad
and some fries. It was clear that the contents of the dish were carefully
arranged in a manner so as to avoid a cramped appearance, which paid off. The
dish in which the hotdog was served was rectangular, and fit the hot dog
snugly, making it seem as if it were begging for you to claim it your stomach’s
hostage.
3/5
Atmosphere:
Upon entering Franks A Lot, it is apparent that a considerable
amount of effort was put into the décor in order to create a fittingly Mexican
mood. Various Mexican items such as sombreros and maracas were hung up on the
walls and served as effective visual distractions until your food arrived, not
to mention adding an appropriate feel to the restaurant. Needless to say, one
would expect some Mexican music when dining at a Mexican restaurant; Franks A
Lot was lacking in this category. As stereotypically cliché as it may sound,
having songs like La Cucaracha playing in the background really would add to
the experience of eating at Franks A Lot. Despite this, the music played was
mostly covers of classic American songs, which is still somewhat appropriate
considering the restaurant’s tex-mex nature. The restaurant was hardly
spacious, and an expansion would be beneficial to the almost cramped,
single-roomed restaurant. Worthy of mentioning is that we noted an odd scent
when entering the restaurant, but nothing too off-putting.
3/5
Food:
Pretty darn good. That’s pretty much all you need to know about
what Franks A Lot offers in the food department. In fact, I’d dare to go as far
as to say that it’s probably the best casual Mexican restaurant in Bahrain that
we know of. Senior Paco’s has officially been usurped. I personally felt that
the hot dog was the best of the dishes we had, while my colleague insisted that
the tacos took the prize. Either way, we were both left with our tongues
begging for more. The fries were crisp and weren’t excessively oily too. We
requested that the hot dog was to be served with toppings separately, which
ended up being a shrewd choice. The mustard, diced pickles, ketchup, and
sauerkraut complimented the fries and pretty much anything else you had the
audacity to dip into them. Our friend gave his BLT sandwich a solid 7/10, which
is still respectable. I can confidently say that Franks A Lot probably offers
the best moderately priced Mexican meal you can find in Bahrain. The downfall
of the food was that some of the ingredients were clearly not fresh and dragged
down what could’ve been an excellent meal. I also almost choked on a seed in my
orange juice, something you’d hardly expect to encounter in a restaurant of a
higher caliber.
4.5/5
Pricing:
There isn’t much to say about Franks A Lot’s pricing other than
that it is very reasonable. A meal for three, including appetizers came up to a
fair total of 12 BD, averaging 4 BD per person. This means that not only does
Franks A Lot offer some of the best Mexican food on the island; it also does it
while going easy on your wallet. It’s a great choice for if you’d prefer to
avoid dishing out on a pricier restaurant that might not even be as good.
5/5
Overall: 20.5/25
Reviewed by Yazeed Al Dugaither
We look forward to your feedback. Please let me know if you think
I was too generous or perhaps too harsh in any of the categories, and feel free
to inquire about any detail you felt was lacking.
