TV Restaurants

Is Franklin Cafe Still Open? Best Thing I Ever Ate Update (Boston, MA)

Best Thing I Ever Ate, Season 5 Boston, Massachusetts

Current status

Open

As of October 2026, Franklin Cafe is listed open on Yelp, reviewed by our team on September 7, 2026; not yet independently confirmed through direct contact.

What the source shows: Yelp's listing (updated August 2026, no closure marker) and Franklin Cafe's own site, which lists current hours, together indicate the restaurant remains active. How we decide a status →

What happened after Best Thing I Ever Ate?

Franklin Cafe was featured for its American bistro menu served late into the night at a South End neighborhood restaurant and bar in Boston. The restaurant has long been known locally as a South End dining fixture with a kitchen open past midnight and a Sunday brunch service. A Yelp business listing, updated August 2026, shows Franklin Cafe active with nearly 590 reviews and no permanent-closure marker. The restaurant's own website, franklincafe.com, lists current operating hours of 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. daily, with the kitchen serving until 1:30 a.m. and Sunday brunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., though the site carries no explicit publish date. Franklin Cafe remains listed at 278 Shawmut Avenue in Boston's South End, distinct from an unrelated same-named restaurant in South Boston that appears in some directory searches.

The episode Best Thing I Ever Ate, Season 5

Episode 1
Air date not confirmed
Title: Combos · What was featured: South End late-night American bistro's dinner-and-bar menu

Also in Season 5 Best Thing I Ever Ate

Season 5: 61 of 104 still open · 7 renamed, moved or under new owners

All 13 Season 5 episodes →

Nearest restaurants By distance from 278 Shawmut Avenue

  • Coppa

    Boston, MA 0.0 mi away

    Best Thing I Ever Ate

    Open

  • Oishi Boston

    Boston, MA 0.1 mi away

    Best Thing I Ever Ate

    Closed

  • The Butcher Shop

    Boston, MA 0.1 mi away

    Best Thing I Ever Ate

    Closed

  • The Salty Pig

    Boston, MA 0.5 mi away

    Food Paradise

    Open

  • Anchovies Food & Spirits

    Boston, MA 0.5 mi away

    Food Paradise

    Open

  • Toro Tapas Bar (Toro)

    Boston, MA 0.5 mi away

    Food Paradise

    Open
All 134 TV restaurants in Massachusetts →

Before you go: Businesses change fast. Always confirm directly with the restaurant — call ahead, or check its own current website or social media — before making plans around anything on this page.

Sources we checked 2 references

  1. franklincafe.com https://www.franklincafe.com/
  2. Yelp https://www.yelp.com/biz/franklin-cafe-boston-5
See something wrong?

We work hard to keep every status accurate and dated, but restaurants change fast and our sources aren't perfect. If something here is wrong — a status, a name, an address, anything — tell us what you're seeing and where you saw it, and we'll check it.

Tell us →

Share

Record btiea-0401 · checked by Cal Marchetti.