Restaurant review: Frenchie in Boston’s South End

Frenchie opened for business in late January earlier this year in the space formerly occupied by Kitchen in the South End. Frenchie is described as a Parisian wine bar and restaurant. For those familiar with the Boston dining scene, it is worth noting that the restaurant is owned and run by Loic Le Garrec from Petit Robert Bistro as well as newcomer, Sandrine Rossi.

Frenchie oozes cute and cozy from the moment you walk through their street side patio and down their steps to their partially subterranean dining room and finally into their sun room in the back. The clean look of the placeand expanded bar make the tiny space feel more spacious, and the number of French staff who work there make for a great first impression. I can’t help but appreciate when the staff working at a restaurant are from the same country as the cuisine.

Escargot Toast $11 || Fried Brussels Sprouts $9

Much of Frenchie’s menu is dedicated to reasonably priced wines. At the recommendation of our waiter, Thomas, we shared a bottle of 2015 Châteauneuf-du-Pape for $49. Frenchie’s dinner menu includes nearly 20 small plates that are divided as “Hot” or “Cold” and range in price from $8-$18 as well as four main plates: Fish, Chicken, Duck and Steak.

Boneless Half Chicken with gnocchi, succotash, asparagus, peas and fava beans $25

Sergio opted for the Boneless Half Chicken that is served with ricotta gnocchi, spring succotash, asparagus, peas and fave beans.  I didn’t try the chicken but I did try the gnocchi and was not impressed. They were tougher and heavier than what Sergio makes at home. By contrast, my order, Duck Magret served on parsley root puree, mandarin glazed carrots and buckwheat was delicious and a plate I would quickly reorder.

Duck Margret with parsley root puree, glazed carrots and buckwheat $27

Frenchie is a welcome addition to the neighborhood; the space is cozy and cute; the service was excellent; and my dinner was very good.There remains some room for improvement and creativity with the menu – in particular, I would like to see more main course options.

If you’ve not tried Frenchie, make a reservation and enjoy the South End’s newest restaurant for brunch, lunch or dinner – Bienvenue Frenchie.

BosGuy Rating: 3 out of 5 stars, Good.

Frenchie Boston
560 Tremont Street  ||  (857) 233-5941
frenchieboston.com