*Bloggers note that the prices have gone up since COVID one or two dollars since the blog was written.
Franconi’s Pizzeria is at the corner of Oak Avenue and the Boardwalk in Wildwood, NJ.
Sometimes there are just establishments that don’t fit into the traditional mold of this blog but when I find one that stands out it really makes it special. There is something about the boardwalk businesses at the Jersey shore that just different.
Their welcoming Chef greets you at the entrance.
Maybe it is just the sites and smells or just the combination with the sea air and the beautiful weather with the aroma of good food. This is how Franconi’s Pizzeria & Ristorante on the corner of Oak Avenue & the Boardwalk in Wildwood, NJ makes your mouth water.
Franconi’s Pizzeria & Ristorante at Oak Avenue and the Boardwalk going strong at night during the convention.
Franconi’s Pizzeria & Ristorante at Oak Avenue and the Boardwalk going strong at night during the convention.
The inside of Franconi’s at the beach early in the morning
The one thing I have to say about the staff at Franconi’s is that they are ambitious. They are always handing out menus and are outside on the Boardwalk encouraging you to come in and try their food. There are also large sandwich boards outside the restaurant with prices and menu items to lure you in.
Inside Franconi’s at the beach early in the morning before the other diners arrived that morning
The one thing I have to say about the staff at Franconi’s is that they are ambitious. They are always handing out menus and are outside on the Boardwalk encouraging you to come in and try their food. There are also large sandwich boards outside the restaurant with prices and menu items to lure you in.
The inside of Franconi’s Pizzeria in the summer of 2025
This is how I tried it the first time in 2019. I was looking for a place for breakfast and they had a wonderful “Firemen’s Special” that was some breakfast. The breakfast platter consisted of three scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, toast and potatoes. It was some breakfast to finish. It was big enough for two people and everything was delicious. The eggs had been cooked in clarified butter and you could taste the flavor in the eggs.
The Firemen’s Special at Franconi’s.
Later that afternoon, I went for a couple of slices of pizza for the “Firemen’s Lunch Special” . The pizza is good here but I found other places on the Wildwood Boardwalk that I liked better. Still the pizza is pretty good at Franconi’s.
The pizza here is delicious.
When I returned to Wildwood two years later (the Firemen’s Convention had been cancelled in 2020) for the Convention 2021, I started visit with dinner at Franconi’s with one of their cheese steak platters with fries and pickles.
Their cheesesteaks are excellent. Since the Wildwoods cater to a largely to a Philadelphia crowd, the cheesesteaks around here had better be up to “Philly standards”. Unusually cheesesteaks in New Jersey don’t come anywhere near going to the Reading Market in downtown Philly but Franconi’s does a great job.
You don’t always have to travel to Philly for a great cheesesteak
The steaks were those thin little steaks that I love so much not sliced steak for a steak sandwich which so many places pass off as cheesesteak. They grill them to a caramelized perfection and then topped it all with Cheese Wiz which I am convinced is the best cheese for it. It was served on a large chewy hoagie roll that was grilled slightly with clarified butter. Each bite was heaven and you could taste the complexity of flavors.
I was looking forward to breakfast the next morning after we voting for the NJ Firemen’s Association election. I made a b-line down the boardwalk to Franconi’s for breakfast again and I ordered the #8 Breakfast special . That was a nice feast that included two pieces of French Toast, two scrambled eggs, two slices of bacon and two pieces of sausage with a side of perfectly cooked home fries. It was so big that it took up two plates.
The breakfast specials at Franconi’s are always a feast.
The French Toast was cooked on the grill with a combination of a custard cinnamon mixture with clarified butter that made the dish crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. The meats were cooked crisp on the grill and the potatoes were cooked with clarified butter that were nicely spiced. The breakfast filled me up for both breakfast and lunch.
The French Toast is excellent here.
In 2022, I attended the NJ State Firemen’s Convention again and had dinner at Franconi’s, which is now becoming a tradition. I stopped in for dinner on Saturday night and walked the boardwalk. After a long stretch, it was time for a late lunch/early dinner, and I needed something to tide me over until my dinner reservation at 8:00pm. I decided to have a Meatball Hoagie Parmesan ($9.95) for a six-inch sandwich.
It was wonderful. Their red sauce has so much flavor to it and is so well spiced. The meatballs are freshly made and have the taste of beef, pork and garlic and are perfectly cooked. It was such a nice combination of flavors. The bread was fresh and chewy as I would expect a Jersey sub to be at the shore.
The meatball sandwiches are delicious.
I returned for the Convention in 2023 and ate both my breakfasts at Franconi’s and the food is consistent and wonderful everytime I eat there. The first morning I had the the Firemen’s Special which is two pancakes, two scrambled eggs, home fries and sausage. It was some breakfast.
The Firemen’s Special in Franconi’s in 2023.
The pancakes were light and fluffy and had that nice malt taste.
The second morning I ordered the #8 again with two pieces of French Toast, two scrambled eggs, two pieces of bacon and two sausage. This is enough food for two people but I always manage this breakfast on my own. It is so good!
The second time around is wonderful.
I came back in 2024 for Convention and basically ran to Franconi’s for breakfast again. I was looking forward to another feast at breakfast and was not disappointed. The first morning the breakfast at the hotel was not enough and I had to have another breakfast because of a long day of traveling ahead of me. So I had a Bacon and Cheese Omelet with a side of home fries. God that hit the spot.
My Bacon and Cheese Omelet breakfast with home fries and an English muffin
The Omelet must have had three eggs in it and was perfectly cooked
The second morning, I was in a rush to vote and sign in and then get to my next destination. So I checked out of the hotel early and I headed to the Boardwalk for my next delicious breakfast. I wanted to try something new on the menu, so I had the Bacon, Egg and Cheese Breakfast sandwich and on the side, a Belgian Waffle. Both were wonderful and served as my breakfast and lunch as it was going to be another long day.
My Belgian Waffle and Egg sandwich breakfast in 2024
The Belgian Waffle was crisp and sweet
Their Bacon, Egg and Cheese sandwich on a Brioche bun is a meal onto itself with three scrambled eggs
Yum!
When I returned again in 2025, I have to admit that the prices have gone up by two or three dollars for both the entrees and sandwiches but every place on the Wildwood Boardwalk has done the same. Still for the portion size and the quality of the food it is well worth it.
I decided on a Chicken Parmesan sandwich (don’t call it a hero in South Jersey)
The sandwich was filled with freshly fried breaded chicken cutlets and topped with a delicious red sauce and lots of mozzarella cheese. The sandwich was served with pickles, which no Italian would ever do. Still it worked and the sandwich was delicious.
The meal was so good
The sandwich was loaded with delicious chicken and gooey cheese
Yum!
I enjoyed my lunch so much that I came back for lunch the next morning. I was so tired of the scrambled eggs and pancakes choices I decided to try something different and ordered some Biscuits and Sausage Gravy and a Grilled Buttered Sticky Bun. I thought this would be different.
The Biscuits and Sausage with a Cinnamon Twist
The main meal
The Sausage Biscuits with gravy
The Sausage Biscuits and gravy was so decadent and rich, it was the perfect breakfast for a long day of running around the beach communities.
They were so rich and creamy
The hash browns here are well spiced and crisp
The deep fried Cinnamon Twist replaced the sticky buns that they ran out of and are not on the menu
It was so decadent and sweet and it is a real winner. It is also not on the menu so you have to ask for it. What an amazing breakfast it was!
When I returned for the next convention, I stopped in for lunch after the first set of meetings. I did not want to have a huge lunch because I had plans for dinner. So I thought I will just order sausage calzone. Big mistake, the thing was huge!
When the waitress brought it out, I thought she brought me the big one
I wondered how I would finish this thing
This calzone was the size of a small pizza
It was delicious and what a lunch
The lunch was so good that I stopped in for Breakfast the next morning. I had one of the Firemen’s Special breakfast’s that had three eggs, your choice of bacon or sausage, hashbrowns and two blueberry pancakes (I paid three dollars for these but well worth it).
The Firemen’s Special of Three Eggs with Sausage and Hashbrowns and two large Blueberry pancakes
They did not skip on the blueberries in the Blueberry Pancakes
The Scrambled eggs were excellent and everything on the plate was perfectly cooked and spiced
I don’t what it is about Franconi’s that makes it so special to eat here. Maybe it is the location on the boardwalk so close to the beach and the sea air or the sounds of the ocean and the boardwalk or just people enjoying themselves.
What a breakfast!
It is also the excellent food, friendly service and maybe that “Jersey Shore” attitude during the warmer months that creates a memory. Along with Ravioli House in Wildwood, NJ, these are my two ‘go to’ places when I visit Wildwood, NJ and I highly recommend them. Friendly service, generous portions, fair prices and excellent food.
This is what the Jersey shore such a great experience.
I took a long walk on the Boardwalk to work off the breakfast
Sometimes there are just establishments that don’t fit into the traditional mold of this blog but when I find one that stands out it really makes it special. There is something about the boardwalk businesses at the Jersey shore that just different. Maybe it is just the sites and smells or just the combination with the sea air and the beautiful weather with the aroma of good food. This is how Franconi’s Pizzeria & Ristorante on the corner of Oak Avenue & the Boardwalk in Wildwood, NJ makes your mouth water.
Franconi’s Pizzeria & Ristorante at Oak Avenue and the Boardwalk
The one thing I have to say about the staff at Franconi’s is…
Don’t miss the Jersey shore breakfasts at Franconi’s in Wildwood, NJ.
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Franconi’s is excellent for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
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