honestly speaking; to be frank; in all honesty
Used as a sentence adverb to preface a candid or potentially blunt statement. Common in both casual and formal speech.
正直なところ、その計画には反対です。
To be honest, I'm against that plan.
正直なところ、あまり美味しくない。
Frankly, it doesn't taste very good.
実は also means 'actually' or 'as a matter of fact', but it often reveals a hidden truth, while 正直なところ emphasizes the speaker's frank opinion.
Standard spelling; the kana ところ is more common in this phrase.
Kanji spelling 所 is also used but less frequent in this expression.
From 正直 (honest) + な (attributive) + ところ (place/point), literally 'at the honest point', used idiomatically as 'honestly speaking'.