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Franklin Café at the Gibson Inn, Apalachicola, FL

Franklin Café at the Gibson Inn

3.6
3.6
267 Reviews
$31 to $50
Southern

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 8 times today
Experiences are available.
  • Charming
  • Good for special occasions
  • Great for outdoor dining
Briny catches from surrounding waters, craft cocktails, and OCBC brews from our hometown brewery. At the Franklin Café and Parlor Bar, we source fresh and serve simply—honoring the spirit and traditions of the Gibson Inn’s original Franklin Café, which opened in 1907. We invite you to drop in for a Southern-style breakfast, lunch or dinner on the porch, or a Happy Hour toast, as we turn the tide on all-day dining in Apalachicola.

Open Daily for Breakfast 8am-11am, Lunch 11am-5pm, and Dinner 5pm-9pm. Weekend Brunch every Saturday and Sunday! Daily Happy Hour from 3pm-5pm.

Order delivery or takeout

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Southern, Oyster Bar, American
  • Hours of operation
    Breakfast Mon–Fri 8:00 am–11:00 am Brunch Sat, Sun 8:00 am–3:00 pm Bar Daily 11:00 am–9:00 pm Lunch Mon–Fri 11:00 am–5:00 pm Happy Hour Daily 3:00 pm–5:00 pm Dinner Daily 5:00 pm–9:00 pm
  • Phone number
    (850) 270-2150
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Executive chef
    Chef Edward Reese
  • Private party facilities
    The Franklin Café at the Gibson Inn offers an unparalleled setting for private events. We cater to both small parties and large groups who wish to take over the dining room, parlor bar and/or hotel.Whether your plans include a private dinner, wedding reception or family reunion, email Events@GibsonInn.com for more information.
  • Neighborhood
    Apalachicola
  • Cross street
    Avenue C and Market Street
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cafe, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Dog Friendly, Entertainment, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Outdoor Smoking Area, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, View, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Experiences

  • Pearl Drop Party at The Parlor Bar

    $125.00 per person

    Multiple dates available
    Join us this New Year's Eve at the historic Franklin Cafe and Parlor Bar to kick off the New Year right! We welcome you to celebrate with a three-course prix fixe menu that our chef has selected and three glasses of wine paired with each course. First course is a choice of house made soup or salad paired with a champagne, followed by an entree choice of filet of beef, veal osso buco, slow roasted duck, or crab stuffed flounder paired with a glass of red or white wine. Finish off with your night with a choice of an indulgent dessert paired with a sweet dessert wine. New Year's Eve Dinner Hours: 5PM - 8PM Price per person: $125

What 267 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

3.6
3.6 based on recent ratings
  • 3.3Food
  • 3.6Service
  • 4.2Ambience
  • 3.1Value

NoiseModerate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Franklin Café at the Gibson Inn offers a mix of culinary delights and attentive service. Guests praise "delicious food" and a "wonderful" waitstaff. While some mention delays and pricing discrepancies, highlights include fresh oysters, well-prepared dishes, and a charming ambiance. Manager Patrick is credited with enhancing the overall dining experience.

267 Reviews
  1. Larry

    Orlando

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 5
    The food was pretty good, the service was not bad as far as the waitress goes, however they only offer me vegetarian option and they were out of it! They were also out of several other menu items effectively limiting what you could order! I’m not sure how you don’t plan for plenty of options on a Friday evening but it was very limited and my wife when eats little to no meat had to order side items to accommodate her diet! Very disappointed in the options being so limited.

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  2. Elizabeth

    Raleigh

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 2
    Was looking forward to a special Xmas dinner but very disappointed. Food was overcooked, likely prepared ahead and just heated up. Unorganized staff, never really knew who our waitress was. Been waiting to eat at the ‘fancy’ hotel restaurant for years and sadly will not return. A lot of confusion and workers looked like they were not trained.

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  3. Robert

    Atlanta Metro

    6 reviews

    3.0

    6 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 3
    Only place open on Christmas day. Food was ok but over-priced.

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  4. OpenTable Diner

    Alabama

    1 review

    1.0

    1 review

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 5
    This meal was a fixed.price holiday meal so I expected to pay more, but this is one of the worst meals I've ever had. $160 for two people (one glass of wine each). Miniscule portion sizes (about two tablespoons of soup), tiny salad with one thin baguette slice, food wasn't hot, even the wine pours and deserts were small. Clearly understaffed but staff was nice so that's OK. I just wish I had eaten elsewhere for a lot less money and better food. We both thought maybe the kitchen was running low on food and that's why there was so little of it, but then they should have reflected that in the price.

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  5. Melody

    Tallahassee

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    I've been coming to apological for years. I've always wanted to stay at the Gibson end. So I decided this year. I would and let me say it was not the least bite disappointingly, everyone has been so friendly. Christmas dinner was excellent. I only gave it 4 stars for 1 minor reason, the chowder was barely warm, I feel certain that they would have warmed it if I had ask but they were so very busy and so kind I hated to complain, furmore ot was delicious. All in all It was a wonderful christmas meal. l would certainly recommend the Gibson Inn's Franklin café

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  6. Jim

    Atlanta Metro

    3 reviews

    1.0

    3 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Had the prime rib - 1 was overcooked and cold the other was medium and lukewarm first course came out after we were served main course. Seems everything was sat in the kitchen pre cooked and arranged. Reputation of restaurant did not meet expectations by a long way

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  7. OpenTable Diner

    Tallahassee

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 4
    I was very disappointed with the Christmas dinner. The steak was tough, the potatoes cold and the dessert which was on the menu as “warm” was cold. Just an overall disappointing meal.

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  8. Herschel

    Greater Boston

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Overall, my Christmas experience at the Franklin Cafe was nice, and the staff was pleasant and attentive to my needs. My dinner of Oyster Stew, Roasted Red Snapper, and Peppermint cheesecake was very good, but the oyster stew was only a half cup (very small). My Hsuband's Slow Roasted Prime Rib was excellent, and the very small cup of Oyster stew and Chocolate Torte was excellent.

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  9. Jim

    Atlanta Metro

    3 reviews

    1.0

    3 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 1
    Food was lukewarm and mediocre at best, very limited menu, Christmas Eve, overpriced and overrated. Expected a lot better.

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  10. Kristen

    Atlanta Metro

    14 reviews

    2.0

    14 reviews

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    This meal was on Christmas Eve and a pre-fix menu. Our server Cassidy was very charming and attentive. She was the best part of the experience. The specialty drinks were good. The appetizer was either soup or salad. The salad was fresh and good. The soup was delicious but the cup was only halfway filled. The entrees prime rib was grossly overcooked and tough. The sides were very small and lackluster. The desserts were ok, the plating was very sloppy. For the amount that we paid per person, the was the most expensive and disappointing meal we’ve ever had. I would not eat a meal here for a special occasion again.

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FAQs

Franklin Café at the Gibson Inn offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (850) 270-2150.

Franklin Café at the Gibson Inn is rated 3.6 stars by 267 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 8 times today
Experiences are available.

Order delivery or takeout

Google Map for Franklin Café at the Gibson Inn

51 Avenue C, Apalachicola, FL 32320

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Cross street
    Avenue C and Market Street
  • Neighborhood
    Apalachicola
  • Hours of operation
    Breakfast Mon–Fri 8:00 am–11:00 am Brunch Sat, Sun 8:00 am–3:00 pm Bar Daily 11:00 am–9:00 pm Lunch Mon–Fri 11:00 am–5:00 pm Happy Hour Daily 3:00 pm–5:00 pm Dinner Daily 5:00 pm–9:00 pm
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Southern, Oyster Bar, American
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    Chef Edward Reese
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cafe, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Dog Friendly, Entertainment, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Outdoor Smoking Area, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, View, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Phone number
    (850) 270-2150
  • Private party facilities
    The Franklin Café at the Gibson Inn offers an unparalleled setting for private events. We cater to both small parties and large groups who wish to take over the dining room, parlor bar and/or hotel.Whether your plans include a private dinner, wedding reception or family reunion, email Events@GibsonInn.com for more information.
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