In a world of endless dining options, it's rare to encounter a restaurant that feels like a quiet revelation--one that doesn't shout its excellence but simply delivers it, course after course, with such precision and grace that you leave wishing that you'd found this gem sooner. The food itself is the quiet star. Each dish arrives as a small masterpiece of balance--flavors layered with intention, textures that surprise without gimmickry. In short, this is one of the very best restaurants I've ever visited--anywhere. It doesn't chase trends or demand attention; it earns it through quiet excellence. If you value food that respects both ingredient and diner, make the reservation. You'll likely find yourself, as I did, already planning the return visit. Highly recommended--worth every moment and mile, and we come from SWFL. read more

Caffe Rel SALTY! Second experience at this quaint establishment. Our first visit was spectacular! Food, service, ambiance. However, something was off the second time around. I chose the opal basil dish with scallops. I have celiac, so rice was the base for a gluten free option. My husband had the crawfish with cognac and pasta dish. The descriptions on the menu were very different, however the dishes seemed to have the same base sauce. And boy was it salty!!! My husband adds salt to everything and both dishes were too salty even for his taste. Hoping this was a one off and quality hasn't declined. On a better note, the gingerbread cake was top notch!! read more

Everything is great. Been a client for years. Food, service, ownership. Can't wait to go back again. Bet it's even better! read more

Server was nice and the inside of the restaurant is super cute despite being attached to a gas station. Large menu with many options to choose from. Complimentary bread with tomato sauce given to the table. The Asian chicken salad was very good and fresh. The pasta with purple basil and shrimp was pretty good; large portion but shrimp was a bit fishy. Disappointing that they were out of a few things. Pasta was served with overcooked broccoli drenched in garlic. Prices are a bit high but overall an enjoyable meal! read more

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Didn't care for their Philly cheese steak, very little meat and the bread should have been toasted in the oven or something similar. I had take out. read more

Great Italian food good attentive service Fast friendly and clean reasonably priced

My wife and I ate there several years ago and were not impressed with the food. We decided to give them a second chance this week. I ordered a Philly Cheesesteak which had onion strips a 1/2" wide and 3" long, 2 small roasted red pepper strips, meat and cheese on a French roll. The meat was lean and tender but tasteless, no discernible flavor at all. My wife ordered the French dip. Meat was full of fat and gristle, not able to cut it with a steak knife and the au jus was more like brown water, no flavor at all. For $50 I would expect much more. I could have gone to Jersey Mikes and got better subs for far less. I've lived in the area for 16 years and I can say for sure I will not be going back to Cafe Rel! I received a reply from the owner: "Thank God!! You should definitely stick to Jersey Mike's". That's the attitude from the owner! No apology, no give us another chance just pure disrespect for their customers. I would eat there again if it was the only restaurant in town. Totally unacceptable! read more

Café Rel continues to prove why it's one of Franklin's most beloved dining spots. The French-inspired menu is crafted with care, and every plate feels like a little trip to a Parisian bistro--without leaving town. The shrimp and grits, a dish that perfectly blends Southern comfort with French technique. The shrimp were plump and expertly seasoned, the grits silky and rich, and the entire dish came together with layers of flavor. Service is warm, the atmosphere is cozy, and the food is consistently excellent. Highly recommended. read more

I started off with the blue crab soup forgot to take a picture. It was amazing! I would go back for another cup right now. My husband and I both got two different kind of pastas! Will definitely be back! read more

Caffe Rel - American Near Me - Franklin, North Carolina

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Caffé Rel never disappoints! We dine here a couple of times a month. The salmon mango crème fraiche is incredible. This restaurant is decorated in the most adorable way. The service is great! read more

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The owner is rude!!! We were there during a busy time and we had a table of 4, one of which was my Mom. My husband and I ordered a glass of wine. Once it appeared that we were finished with our meal the waiter started hovering trying to get us to leave. We could see the owner telling him to keep coming back over, which we could tell made him feel very uncomfortable. It's a very small place and they were busy but the treatment we got was uncalled for. The owner even made some comment as we were leaving and I thought my brother was going to hit the guy. VERY RUDE AND WE WILL NOT BE BACK! read more

Food is always fantastic. Great service. Ambiance created by the original owner is great.

Charming atmosphere. Great menu. Friendly staff. Prompt service. Perfectly cooked seafood. Reasonable prices. Pay no attention to the unique location, don't let it deter you from trying this place. read more

Service was perfection. The food was out of this world EXCELLENT!! I am so satisfied after this meal I'm dilly/happy!! Someone running a shop downtown said Nick Saban was here 2 nights ago!! How cool? read more

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The food is awesome!!!! The service was great today even though they were busy. The atmosphere is always great. Friendly servers and a great Chef. read more

Caffe Rel - American Near Me - Franklin, North Carolina

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Excellent food in a cozy environment. Great service. A go to spot when we travel in this area. High quality food in a surprisingly small town. read more

Excellent service, excellent Reuben. All other dishes I've had have been excellent as well. Love the interior.

We live in the area, and visit Caffé Rel infrequently. I have food sensitivities, so I have to be careful in choosing foods that won't give me problems. I do enjoy their Caesar salad, so I may order that a lot. Their Sunday brunch is good, although somewhat limited. If you do not have food sensitivities, I think you will like it even more than I do! read more

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This restaurant truly lives up to the hype, offering a fantastic dining experience right from the moment they open for lunch. The blue crab bisque was perfectly seasoned, and my meatball sandwich was absolutely delicious, complemented by incredibly fresh bread. Given that it wasn't patio season, I really appreciated how accommodating the waitress was in serving us outside since we had our dog with us. The quality of the ingredients and the flavors left a lasting impression--definitely worth the visit! read more

Caffe Rel - Filet mignon sandwich - American Near Me - Franklin, North Carolina

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As everyone says, being attracted to a gas station you don't expect what's inside. Decor is good but what really stands out is the food. I had parmesan incrusted cod on a bed of "spicy" wild rice. Delicious! My only complaint is that the portion was so large I did not have room for a piece of their several cake offerings. read more

This restaurant has been around in Franklin for a long time, so it has to be good. The food is always very good and often excellent. Even after the original chef/owner retired and all thru the pandemic, it maintained its high quality. It's pricy, but not the most expensive in town by a long shot. That makes it an excellent value, with better service than pricier places in town. read more

The food is all delicious, with lots of great choices. Their desserts are all awesome, especially the caramel cake. Additionally, the coffee rocks, too! read more

Extremely disappointing experience. The crab bisque was so salty that none of us could eat it-- all four bowls were sent back. The scallops over pasta were just as bad, completely overwhelmed by salt and inedible. The restaurant was uncomfortably loud, making it hard to have a conversation. Service was equally poor: our server was unprofessional and untrained, unable to answer basic questions about the food or the wine list. Instead of properly placing the dishes on the table, he simply handed us plates directly off the tray. To top it off, the bread and oil appetizer was brought in a portion meant for two, even though there were four of us. I had to specifically ask for another so that each couple would have one. After we had paid the bill with our credit cards and were preparing to leave, the owner came to our table and asked what the problem was. We told him, and he offered to remove the items from our bill. We declined his offer -- by that point, we just wanted to leave and go somewhere else where we could get food we could actually eat. For a place with such a reputation, Café Rel failed badly on food, service, and atmosphere. We will not be returning. read more

Not the best place for the cost?? Atmosphere??? And the food was average and a little bland read more

Though tucked away behind the Hot Spot gas station, atmosphere was nice and the food was excellent. The servers were attentive and accommodating. I highly recommend Caffe' Rel if you want to get your French cuisine on. read more

The food is good, but the price is outrageous! I took my friend there for her birthday and just to have lunch was $100. Not including a tip.

We've eaten here 2x now it would be a regular place but we live an hour away. I have had dinner and lunch here now and both times amazing. The service is very quick for the level of dishes that are served! It's a smaller venue but will not disappoint. Each time we've ordered appetizers and mains .... We've both ordered different things each time and it's amazing once I had the crawfish cognac and cream.....epic! I went back to eat the same dish then decided to get the cordon bleu sandwich just as good! The appetizer of coconut shrimp was huge fresh and delicious a meal in itself! Ambiance is cozy and inviting. read more

Caffe Rel - Coconut shrimp there were 6 huge shrimp but we immediately dove in! - American Near Me - Franklin, North Carolina

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I will start with the good. The food was excellent, excellent flavor, good portions. Now for the bad: it took our waiter ten minutes to even acknowledge us and a few more minutes before we were even given a glass of water, the seats are uncomfortable and should be in a children's playroom, the waiters are either new to restaurant work or have been poorly trained-our wine glasses were not for red wine and when a bug flew into mine, it was replaced with a proper red wine glass, when we asked for small plates to share our Excellent Greek salad they came out boiling hot almost too hot to handle and definitely no good for a salad, the waiters were trying to deliver food but had no idea who got what so they walked up and down the restaurant trying to auction off the food: is this your food, how about you! the candles on the table blew out almost immediately and we were almost finished our meal when they were replaced but the old ones were never taken off the table and lastly, the layout of the restaurant is not conducive to intimacy or even elegance. not what you would expect from a French restaurant. So I hope the restaurant makes some changes because the food is good and worth a visit but everything else falls short. read more

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Run don't walk to this delicious restaurant attached to gas station (yep) in Franklin. We've been twice now and the food is just unbelievable. Last time we had the Shrimp & Grits and it was the best we've ever had. Today we tried another shrimp dish (with bowtie pasta in a cream sauce) and it didn't disappoint. The Snails and Tails appetizer is not to be missed... so good. They feature a limited kids menu (which my picky kid loves) and they only take cash. Be sure to check their hours before you go as they fluctuate. Must eat here on any trip to the area!!! read more

Caffe Rel - Snails & Tails and Shrimp Pasta (halved portion) - American Near Me - Franklin, North Carolina

Wonderful food and great service! Highly recommended! Would definitely return. Beyond our expectations.

Great food and large portions. Addesta was a great server and makes a James Bond worthy Grey Goose Martini! The complementary bread with a fresh tomato sauce was wonderful. It was cold inside so bring a jacket. Overall great experience and we will be back. read more

The food was amazing! We stopped by at lunch and had three of their sandwiches. All were great and the fries and chips were delicious. This is a little gem of a restaurant. read more

Very friendly service and exceptional food reasonably priced. There is no reason not to make this a must stop. We had the Blue Batard appetizer which is blue crab, garlic, shallots, capers and lemon sauce on French bread served over a bed of greens with balsamic dressing. We really enjoyed the shrimp and grits with bacon, onions peppers and a tangy tomato sauce. We had no more room to eat so we had to get the Italian Creme cake to go. The slices are large enough to share for a party of 4-6. So glad we got to try this place out on our trip to the Highlands area. read more

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Yes, you'll want to eat at the restaurant connected to the gas station. Yes, you'll want to wait whatever the wait time is. Yes, it's crowded inside, but the food is worth all of it! Don't miss out on THE BEST dinner Franklin NC has to offer! Fair prices, amazing tasting food, and the dessert is mouthwatering good. This is a must stop if visiting or even driving through Franklin. read more

Caffe Rel - Pork Osso Bucco - pork shank, potatoes, caramelized onion, mushrooms & carrots. Finish w/ a touch of Madeira. - American Near Me - Franklin, North Carolina

First visit and it was wonderful. Liz was my waitress and extremely pleasant and accommodating. Kitchen did a special order for me that was delicious . Will definitely return next time I'm in the area read more

One of the best restaurants I have found anywhere. When I saw the gas station I was apprehensive about it but Im glad we went in. The food is spectacular and so is the service. read more

It would be so easy to skip this place if you only noticed the humble exterior. But doing so would mean missing out on the treasure to be found inside. There was a time in my life when I believed the best Shrimp & Grits could only be found in historic oceanside cities like Charleston SC or Mobile AL. But now the top of my list for that meal is the tiny mountain town of Franklin NC in their hidden gem called Caffe Rel. read more

Great restaurant. If I could give this place more stars I would. The menu has something for everyone and the prices are very reasonable. Don't let the location (attached to a gas station) scare you off. The atmosphere inside is very nice. Our waiter Steve went above and beyond. If you're anywhere nearby check Caffe Rel out. You won't be disappointed read more

Do not let the location fool you, this is a hidden gem! My favorite is the Caffé Portabella - the aioli is simply amazing. My last visit I decided to get the coconut shrimp appetizer. The shrimp was perfectly cooked and was paired with a tangy pineapple sauce. Always appreciate a visit to this place! read more

Caffe Rel - Coconut shrimp - American Near Me - Franklin, North Carolina

The trifecta - great food, excellent service and who can argue with the ambience of a gas station? It all works perfectly.