Caffe’ Rel

Unbelievable. This place would be five star in any large city. Service, food, everything is amazing.

If you are in this area… and you are Unilocaling restaurants… just stop right now and eat here. If all these other 5 stars reviews didn’t convince you, please let mine. It’s fantastic. It’s low key but also classy. Affordable, yet they have escargot, blue crab, mussels, lamb, and many other amazing food on the menu. Today I got the short rib sandwich special… omg. Huge, melted in my mouth, fantastic rye bread, price tag of $ 8.95. Shut your mouth.

If I could give this place 6 stars, I absolutely would! The food was amazing, easily some if the best food I’ve ever had in a Southern restaurant. The service was fantastic and it wasn’t a long wait at all (about 15 minutes on a Friday night). The place only takes cash or check, no credit cards.
Started with with the house bruschetta and I had the special of Roasted Pork Tenderloin over European mushroom risotto and a side of the Caffé vegetables. It was the best risotto I’ve had in the states. My fiancé had the mahi mahi special and it was so flavorful and delicious. We ended with the tiramisu and a slice of the Italian cream wedding cake.
We ended up taking half of each dessert home, the portions are generous. It was a delicious experience that I definitely will return for again!

Located in Franklin NC in the heart of the Smoky Mountains this charming café is the real deal. Attached to a gas station, the exterior presents itself as maybe something to not look twice at with the exception of the amount of vehicles parked around it. Many times I judge the establishment by how many cars are parked outside. Generally a pretty good indicator if the food is good or not. Especially in odd hours i.e. 3:30pm on a Saturday. This is when I visited Café Rel and the restaurant was still full at that time. Chef Owner Richard Long is passionately involved both with the kitchen and his guests. A graduate of Le Cordon Bleu Chef Long is making his mark in the culinary world with this quaint and uniquely placed establishment. Producing what I will would call fusion cuisine, with influences of American, French and Italian cuisines. I had the Ossobuco and it was wonderful. The tomato bruschetta was phenomenal and the Cesar Salad was spot on! Attention to details such as serving chilled silver with a salad in a chilled bowl is what helps this establishment stand out above the rest. If I had the room I would have defiantly delved into one of the many homemade multi layered cakes on display. I am definitely going back to try some. I will make a special trip from Charlotte to Franklin (that’s 190 miles) just to dine there many more times in the future. This was a great find and experience.

Although this French Caffe is attached to the Hot Spot filling station, the atmosphere is still incredibly charming. The food is made fresh, so it’s really good. I had a chicken cordon Swiss sandwich, and loved it!

Excellent! Hard to find Lamb on a menu, however this place has it. It was some of the best I have eaten. So good I
ordered one to go!

Simply amazing! Weird location but the food is fabulous and reasonably priced. They only take cash so make sure you have the cost of the food and a tip in the form of cold hard cash.

Even though it is located right next to a gas station it serves gourmet food. Before our food got there they served us bread and tamatoe sauce with drizzled olive oil. It tasted amazing! I then ordered a steak and shrimp scampi, my friend ordered the classic filet mignon sandwich, and we got a side of Mac n cheese. The steak was cooked perfectly! And the shrimp and bow tie noodles with the garnish tasted great! It came with steamed vegetables on the side that were so perfect I made sure to leave some for leftovers. My friend got the sandwich which she said was absolutely amazing! It was phenomenal, the steak was good just the right amount and the bread was so good and was toasted perfectly. Our waitress was Lori and we never had an empty glass of tea. She was a great waitress and if there were more than five stars we would give it to them.

Unbelievable food and service. The location threw us but overall experience was well worth the visit. Osso Buco was the most amazing food I have ever eaten!

Ate here several years ago, it’s astounding. It was a bit odd to walk in past a fuel truck filling the ground tanks, but once in side you forget where you are. The food was amazeballs. When the chef came out for a smoke break we asked him if he was hiding from the mob or something because the place shouldn’t exist in touristy BBQ country.

Absolutely amazing! Will be back! Richard the owner and chef was very nice. Best meal I have had in a long time! Price was not too bad for a great meal. Don’t let the fact that it is attached to a hot spot scare you. Not at all what you would expect! Very pretty inside. And have to get the chocolate cake!

It’s hard for a restaurant to stay in business for 5, even 10 years. Rel has been around since 2003, so you know they’re doing something right.
Went for lunch yesterday. They always are full of happy diners. The reason is simple — good food, great menu selection, capable service and good value. I especially like the fresh French bread with a zesty marinara– like sauce they give you before your meal is served. Great iced tea is available also.
Sophia and I each had salads. Mine was topped with Italian sausage that had a wonderful taste. This restaurant has both French and Italian selections so the menu has dishes that will satisfy your Mediterranean tastebuds.
Rel is connected to a gas station and they share the bathrooms with the gas station. How many restaurants have a condom machine in the men’s room? Good selection, too. So if eating good food makes you randy, Rel has your back!

Visited for the first time and ordered a salmon sandwich for lunch. I expected something slightly different, but it was a salmon filet sitting on a bun with lettuce and a slice of tomato. It came with chips and tartar sauce on the side. It was marked on the menu as a house special, so I was expecting something unique. Salmon was seasoned and cooked perfectly, and I enjoyed it, but it seemed too simple. The tartar sauce could have used a bit more acid or zest to make it more interesting.
Service was good, and the place is small, but comfortable. I’ll return the next time I’m in town.

During our recent week long cabin trip in Franklin, NC, we were told that Caffe’ Rel is the place to go for a meal or two or three. I am very glad we gave it a try. The food was delicious. We tried several different dishes including the special of the day bacon-​wrapped scallops, clam in white wine sauce, and several other dishes. From the start of the meal to the last dessert dish, everything was full of flavor. If we ever go back to the area, we will definitely go back.

We are from out of the area (California) and had heard about this place from locals. Absolutely wonderful. Service is professional and friendly, food sooooo yummy and restaurant decorated really cute. Cash only (and they have some good wines by the bottle at decent price). Dress code anything from VERY casual to dinner formal, everyone will feel comfortable. Definitely will be back.

WHAT HAPPENED CAFFE REL?
Had lunch Saturday with a friend I’d been telling how great Caffe Rel is. We rode there from Robbinsville.
We ordered blue crab bisque. Two thumbs up.
He ordered a lamb burger with home made potato chips. Chips were either soggy and flexible like a piece of wet lettuce or crisp and stale. His lamb burger was bland. We told the server about the chips who bought out «fresh». These were flavorless.
I ordered the Asian chicken salad. Chicken was tough as if pre cooked with grill marks on and then reheated in a microwave. the salad consisted of a heap of romaine lettuce with sesame seed dressing. That’s all just shredded romaine.
I’ve eaten here in the past and the food was really good.
Did the owner sell? He wasn’t there so maybe that’s why the food quality was off???

While attending a KCBS BBQ event in Franklin, NC, we visited Caffe Rel for dinner and were pleasantly surprised. Squeezed in next to a gas station, you would think it would be your run of the mill joint serving frozen food and can vegies, but that is not the case. This place serves outrageous food, cooked individually and presented in a manner of any high price establishment.
All tables receive a soft French bread with olive oil and a chunky tomato dipping sauce. A wonderful start, but we would have preferred the chunky tomato sauce warm.
I ordered the Chicken Francisco, grilled chicken breast topped with montrachet cheese, sun dried tomatoes and a basil caper butter sauce, and served over bow-​tie pasta with a side of sautéed veggies. This entire dish was fabulous, layers of deep flavors, but the star was the basil caper butter sauce.
Dora here. I don’t eat much for dinner, so I opted for the Mac and Cheese appetizer. Rosemary infused gruyère… oh my! I stuffed myself, but my fork kept going back for more. Delicious and rich, and oh so yummy!
We rate this restaurant 5 forks out of 5 for a family friendly restaurant serving outstanding food.
~Ernie & Dora Hiers, Fiction Faith & Foodies Blog

Only stopped in for some dessert to go, but the place was packed so I’m guessing the regular food is worth going for. Surprisingly nice on the inside (for being attached to a gas station), and pies were tasty. Got a bourbon pecan, «snickers» pie, and Belgium chocolate pie. Sadly they didn’t have any blackberry cheesecake, which sounded delicious. Might have to come back for lunch one day!

Don’t be discouraged by the location, this place is a gem!
Everything cooked to perfection, service outstanding, and reasonable prices.
On my fave list…

Before coming to town this trip I noticed the good reviews on this place so made sure to stop here on arrival. Its easy to find on the south side of E Main going east from downtown Franklin.
As I walked toward the door the door flew open and a doorman greeted me. Now isnt that different! You dont see that often, especially at a restaurant located at a gas station! Not only that he was well dressed with a tie. Then I notice ALL wait staff except some helpers in black shirts have white shirts and tie.
The service is attentive and prompt! They have a large menu. European items, lots of sandwiches and burgers to appeal to the locals, and pastas and salads. There were also desserts displayed off the kitchen.
The waiter brought cut twisted french bread with olive oil and tomato sauce made with fresh tomato to dip it in.
There is a little French symbol on the menu items that show its a specialty of the house. So I order something different with that symbol called French Blue Batard. I also order the Classic Filet Mignon Sandwich single stack. Photos posted.
Both were good. I wouldnt say supurb but good yes. The restaurant obviously from sight, and from reviews, has many fans and regulars. It was rather busy.
I went to the restroom and there is a sign with arrow. I push open a door and go down a hall, I notice hey Im in the gas station and this is the gas station rest room! But thats ok. Once back in the restaurant your out of the gas station area and back in a nicely decorated place with lots of items of interest all over the place to keep it interesting.
I notice a big Belgian flag back on the kitchen wall. I ask the waiter is the owner or the chef Belgian? He says yes, the Chef is Belgian. Well thats a plus!
When it was time to pay I grab my wallet even before the bill was brought. My waiter was way over at the far side of the restaurant but he noticed I was taking out a card and he came to apologize its cash only. Now how often would a typical American waiter ever notice something like this? Yet he probably was American but on the ball like they would be in Europe, or actually most anywhere else in the world where waiters are always on top of things. Seems like waiters have six eyes in so much of the world as they always seem to know what you need when you need it and if you just glance up they almost always catch your eye. That though is so un-​American, so I was so surprised he caught that move to take out the card as he did.
On departure the doorman again opened the door and thanked me. Again rather un– American but nice.
So I would go back again just to try a few more things. Maybe I can find something to rate 5 stars! However to get to 5 stars the place should take credit cards. In Europe all sit down restaurants do! Almost all of them in the US do too!
It’s not hard to do and its a customer friendly practice to do so. Nobody has to worry about running short of cash or having to count to make sure! We have had a «plastic» society for a long time now and so has Europe so being cash only is very archaic.
It is nice to see someone trying to bring some level of European food and service to the rural US South. Go eat there and support their efforts!