Frannie and the Fox is a wood-fired Italian restaurant inside Charleston's Emeline Hotel. The kitchen runs a wood-burning oven to produce thin-crust pizzas, fresh house pastas, and shareable seasonal plates sourced from local South Carolina farms and fisheries. Breakfast, brunch, and dinner are served daily, with a craft cocktail bar and The Den, an intimate martini and caviar hideaway.
Signature items
The four most common menu questions, answered at a glance.
Whipped ricotta, house-ground beef and pork. Cited in nearly every guest review.
Wood-fired thin crust with guanciale, egg, Pecorino, and cracked black pepper.
House rigatoni with slow-braised lamb ragu — the menu's standout pasta.
House tiramisu with espresso-soaked ladyfingers and mascarpone.
Ranked by consistency of guest mentions in reviews and editorial coverage. These are the dishes most guests cite as reasons to return.
Frannie and the Fox runs a hyper-seasonal kitchen, changes menus quarterly, and runs regular weekly programming. Confirm current offerings with the restaurant.
The kitchen changes its menu more than four times a year to reflect the best of local farms and fisheries. Expect different starters and mains each visit.
Classic Frannie pizzas, meatballs, small bites, and a full bar. Typically 3-7 PM on Sundays; confirm current schedule with the restaurant.
An intimate speakeasy-style martini bar with champagne, caviar, and a curated selection of Frannie favorites.
Daily happy hour with discounted cocktails and small bites. Typically 5-7 PM; confirm current timing and specials with the restaurant.
All menu categories with item counts.
Opened in October 2023, The Den is a speakeasy-style hideaway inside Frannie and the Fox. It specializes in craft martinis, champagne, and caviar pairings, along with a curated selection of menu favorites from the main kitchen. The space is designed for a more private, cocktail-forward experience separate from the main dining room and courtyard.
The Den is ideal for a date night or a pre-dinner drinks ritual before moving into the main dining room. Reservations for The Den may be separate from the main dining room; confirm with the hotel at the time of booking.
These are the dishes most consistently mentioned by guests and food writers as the reasons to visit — and return.
House-ground beef and pork meatballs served with whipped ricotta. The single most-mentioned dish across guest reviews. A benchmark for the kitchen's wood-fire technique.
Local oysters from South Carolina fisheries, finished over the wood fire with watercress butter, guanciale, and pecorino. The restaurant's most distinctive Italian-Southern fusion plate.
A thin-crust wood-fired pizza with a carbonara-style topping: guanciale, egg, Pecorino Romano, and cracked black pepper. Consistently the restaurant's most-ordered pizza.
House rigatoni with a slow-braised lamb ragu. The restaurant's flagship pasta — rich, earthy, and the most often singled out in editorial reviews of the restaurant.
Lightly fried fritters with a thin, crispy crust and a delicate crab filling. Highlights the kitchen's commitment to local South Carolina seafood sourcing.
House tiramisu with espresso-soaked ladyfingers and mascarpone cream. Praised across nearly every review as the right note on which to end an Italian-inspired dinner.
The wood-fired Italian format at Frannie and the Fox supports a strong vegetarian-friendly menu built around pizza, fresh pasta, and seasonal vegetables. The Margherita, Zucchini, Taleggio, and Squash & Kale pizzas are all vegetarian as served. The Cacio e Pepe Risotto and Spaghettoni Cacio e Pepe are vegetarian pasta options. The brunch menu offers multiple vegetarian plates.
The restaurant also emphasizes local seafood from South Carolina fisheries; the fish offering rotates with seasonal availability. Because the menu changes frequently, always confirm specific dietary requirements when booking a reservation.
Cross-contact is possible in a shared kitchen. Notify the team of allergies at the time of reservation.
Frannie and the Fox opened inside the Emeline Hotel at 181 Church Street in Charleston's Ansonborough neighborhood. The concept was built around a wood-burning oven and the idea that Italian techniques and Southern coastal ingredients belong together. The executive chef's passion for Italian foodways drives a menu that is hyper-seasonal by design, changing more than four times a year to reflect what local farms and fisheries have available.
The restaurant operates across multiple spaces: the main dining room, a large outdoor courtyard, a greenhouse-style dining area, and The Den, an intimate speakeasy bar added in October 2023 for martinis, champagne, and caviar. Foxy Hour happy hour runs daily, and Pizza Sundays bring a more casual format to weekend afternoons.
Frannie and the Fox holds a 4.4-star rating on TripAdvisor (177+ reviews) and has been recognized by Charleston Magazine and other local publications as one of the city's most notable hotel dining destinations.
Frannie and the Fox is located inside the Emeline Hotel at 181 Church Street, Charleston, SC 29401, in the Ansonborough neighborhood near City Market. The hotel offers valet parking, and street parking is available nearby.
Reservations are strongly recommended, especially on Friday and Saturday evenings. Book via Resy or the Emeline Hotel website. Walk-ins are welcome based on availability.
Contact: (843) 577-2644
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Quick answers to the most common questions about the menu, location, reservations, and dining experience at Frannie and the Fox.
Frannie and the Fox is located at 181 Church Street, Charleston, SC 29401, inside the Emeline Hotel in the Ansonborough neighborhood, close to City Market. The restaurant offers indoor dining, a large courtyard, and a greenhouse-style dining area. Reservations are recommended and can be made through Resy or the hotel website.
Frannie and the Fox is an Italian-inspired wood-fired restaurant that combines Southern coastal ingredients with Italian techniques. The menu focuses on wood-fired thin-crust pizzas, fresh house-made pastas, shareable small plates, and hyper-seasonal dishes sourced from local South Carolina farms and fisheries. The kitchen changes its offerings more than four times per year to reflect what's best from local purveyors.
Guests and critics consistently highlight a handful of standout dishes: the Beef & Pork Meatballs with whipped ricotta, the Carbonara Pizza, the Rigatoni with Lamb Ragu, the Wood-Fired Oysters with watercress butter and guanciale, and the Crab Fritters. For dessert, the Tiramisu is a recurring favorite in guest reviews.
Yes. Frannie and the Fox serves breakfast daily starting at 7:00 AM on weekdays and 8:00 AM on weekends. Weekend brunch (Saturday and Sunday) runs from approximately 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Brunch highlights include the Roman Bread with Smoked Tomato Hollandaise, Heirloom Tomato Toast, and seasonal salads alongside morning cocktails.
Foxy Hour is the restaurant's happy hour, typically running from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM. It features discounted cocktails and small bites. The exact programming rotates; confirm current Foxy Hour details with the restaurant or on their Instagram account @frannieandthefox.
The Den is an intimate bar space inside Frannie and the Fox that opened in October 2023. It is designed as a speakeasy-style hideaway specializing in craft martinis, champagne, and caviar pairings, along with a curated selection of Frannie menu favorites. The Den is best suited for a more private, cocktail-forward experience separate from the main dining room.
Yes. The menu has a strong vegetarian presence built around wood-fired vegetables, fresh pastas, and Italian-inspired cheese and bread dishes. Standout vegetarian options include the Margherita Pizza, Zucchini Pizza, Taleggio Pizza, Cacio e Pepe Risotto, Spaghettoni Cacio e Pepe, Caprese, and Heirloom Tomato Toast. The kitchen is hyper-seasonal, so availability may shift. Confirm dietary needs when reserving.
Reservations at Frannie and the Fox can be made through Resy or by contacting the Emeline Hotel directly at (843) 577-2644. The official website is hotelemeline.com/frannie-and-the-fox. Walk-ins are accommodated based on availability, but reservations are strongly recommended, especially on Friday and Saturday evenings.
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