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All the United States North Carolina Franklin Caffé REL
AO Edited Gastro Obscura

Caffé REL

Step past the gas pumps and into a fine French bistro.

Franklin, North Carolina

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Sam O'Brien
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  Sam O'Brien for Gastro Obscura
  Sam O'Brien for Gastro Obscura
  Sam O'Brien for Gastro Obscura
Bruschetta al fresco, near the pumps.   Sam O'Brien for Gastro Obscura
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About

The meal options at most gas stations consist of a case of eternally-rotating hot dogs, plastic containers of days-old egg-salad sandwiches, and microwave burritos. But drivers who pull into the Hot Spot parking lot in Franklin, North Carolina, will find a delightfully different menu—one that’s four pages long and filled with everything from pork osso buco to baked salmon with mango crème fraîche. 

Caffé REL doesn’t look like much from the outside: It shares a small, gray building with a neighboring convenience store just past the pumps. But one step inside reveals a charming bistro with art on the walls, jazz emanating from its speakers, and waiters scurrying across the floor in white dress shirts and black pants. 

The café’s French-influenced menu is the work of chef and owner Richard E. Long (the REL of Caffé REL), a classically trained chef who honed his craft under the tutelage of European mentors. Long sees his gas-station bistro as a way to make fine cuisine accessible to all Americans. At Caffé REL, you can enjoy a glass of wine and sausage-stuffed squid while wearing  flip-flops and a tank top. There’s no pretense. As the sign outside declares, “It’s about the food.” 

The menu includes everything from sandwiches to pasta to seafood. But the standouts are dishes that blend Long’s European training with local Southern specialties, such as blue crab bisque and crawfish tails sauteed in butter and garlic, with a touch of lobster fumé, crème, and cognac. 

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Unique Restaurants & Bars Restaurants Gas Station

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The restaurant is open Wednesday through Saturday. It's cash only, but you can stop at the ATM in the connected gas-station convenience store.

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Added By

Sam OBrien

Published

July 12, 2022

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Sources
  • https://www.10best.com/interests/food-travel/how-popular-european-bistro-ended-up-at-a-gas-station/
  • https://wncmagazine.com/feature/caffé_rel
Caffé REL
459 E Main St
Franklin, North Carolina, 28734
United States
35.184152, -83.373346
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Photo of North Carolina

North Carolina

United States

Places 199
Stories 34

Nearby Places

American Museum of the House Cat

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miles away

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Explore the Destination Guide

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Stories 34

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