If you’re a member of the Eat the Burbs Facebook group and saw the #dessertporn that I recently posted then you’re aware that I popped into Franco’s Cucina in Streamwood and 
picked up some ridiculously good cannoli, honestly the best damn cannoli I’ve ever had. Now I don’t consider myself to be an expert on Italian desserts, but I’ve had a few in my day that I’m reminded of by my waistline, the classic cannoli is my favorite, perfectly filled with cream that includes both chocolate chips and citron, velvety ricotta and the perfect amount of sweetness. Franco’s cannoli was all that, and they fresh piped each one before handing it over to me, no stale or soggy cannoli shells, just perfection. Seriously, I could go on for a few more paragraphs talking about the friggin’ cannoli but before any of you begin to think that I’m some kind of sugar maniac, I’ll move on.
Beyond the heavenly cannoli we also had some food, damn good food really! My favorite was the meat filled arancini with a side of marinara that I literally could have eaten for a week straight without getting tired of it. My hubs had the pepper and egg sandwich, it was HUGE, they put the thing on a whole circular focaccia, enough for 2 meals, he said it was great, took his word on it because I really never came up for air from the bowl of marinara, yes I had bread and pasta too, some excellent linguine vesuvio with chicken, the tomatoes were super fresh and the olive oil that they used was delicious too. I had to tell the owner John, second generation owner by the way, the business was passed on to him by his parents, that the marinara was like a meal for me, like a soup, a soup I could eat daily, for like ever. He told me that it was his moms’ recipe and that when the sauce is being made the entire deli and restaurant smell delicious, so of course I had to ask on what days they make sauce so that I can drop by again and get a whiff along with taking home a vat of the stuff.
Now with me obsessing about the cannoli and the marinara, you’d think that those were the stars of the show, then I tasted the cheesesticks……my goodness, the cheesesticks were awesome! Crispy, flaky, delicious pastries filled with different sweet cheese fillings. My favorite was the classic Cherry, but all of them were delicious. The Nutella flavor,although seasonal, was a big hit. I’ve never had an Italian dessert cheesestick before but now that I have I’ll be visiting Franco’s often for more.
Visiting Franco’s felt a lot like hanging out at a family members home, I mean aside from the cash register and display cases, that is. There was a constant stream of regular customers, people that openly raved about all the pastries that I must try as I ogled the display cases. One customer ran down a list of all of her favorite items, both savory and sweet and even made some recommendations for things that I should try, items that she has been buying from Franco’s since 1995. There is no surprise that Franco’s has been open for 20 years, with the service and quality that we experienced I’m sure that Franco’s will be a part of the community for many more generations to come.
Franco’s Cucina
Address: 1550 Bourbon Pkwy
Streamwood, IL 60107
Phone:(630) 372-6990
*my meal was provided in order to facilitate this post. All opinions expressed herein are my own
