Don Franco

Don Franco is a cozy Italian trattoria (italialainen trattoria) and pizzeria located on Tuomiokirkonkatu in the heart of Tampere’s city centre, serving authentic Neapolitan-style pizza (Napolilaistyylinen pizza / Neapolitan pizza) and classic Italian favourites (italialaiset klassikot) for both lunch (lounas) and dinner (päivällinen). The restaurant prides itself on using fresh ingredients (tuoreet ainesosat) and traditional Italian flavours (aidot italialaiset maut) in every dish. Start your meal with generous antipasti della casa (house antipasti) featuring a selection of cured meats (leikkeleet), Italian cheeses (italialaiset juustot), olives (oliivit), artichokes (artisokat), marinated onions (marinoitu punasipuli), semi-dried cherry tomatoes (puolikuivatut kirsikkatomaatit) and walnuts (saksanpähkinät), served with freshly baked garlic bread (tuore valkosipulileipä). Classic vegetable starters include Insalata Genovese (Genovese salad / Genovalainen salaatti) with greens (salaatit), mozzarella (mozzarella), pesto (pesto), olives (oliivit) and pine nuts (pinjansiemenet).

At the core of Don Franco’s menu are its handcrafted pizzas (pizzat) and Italian dishes (italialaiset ruoat). Traditional pizzas come with Margherita (Margherita) toppings of rich tomato sauce (tomaattikastike), creamy mozzarella (mozzarella juusto) and fresh basil (basilika). Specialty pizzas feature savoury ingredients such as spicy salami (mausteinen salami), gorgonzola (gorgonzola), shrimps (katkaravut), tuna (tonnikala) or pancetta (pancetta), all baked in the classic stone oven (kiviuuni). Don Franco also offers a range of crisp salads (salaattivalikoima) such as Prosciutto Salad (Parma ham salad / Parmankinkkusalaatti), Salmon Salad (Lohisalaatti) with cold-smoked salmon (kylmäsavulohi) and Goat Cheese Salad (Vuohenjuustosalaatti) with pan-fried goat cheese (paistettu vuohenjuusto). Desserts (jälkiruoat) include italian gelato (italialainen gelato), creamy nutella pudding (nutella-vanukas), fresh sorbetto (sorbetti) and classic tiramisu (tiramisu) layered with mascarpone (mascarpone). With its warm atmosphere (kotoisa ilmapiiri) and true Italian flavours (aitoa italialaista makua), Don Franco is a favourite stop for pizza (pizza) lovers and lovers of Mediterranean cuisine (Välimeren keittiö) in Tampere.