Housed inside an 1880s building on Route 1 in Hyattsville, Maryland, Franklins is the rare restaurant that also doubles as a toy store, a craft brewery, and a genuine piece of local history.
What started as a struggling old hardware store has become one of Prince George’s County’s most beloved gathering spots, run by a husband-and-wife team who simply refused to let their little corner of Route 1 fade away.
How Franklin’s won Hyattsville’s hearts
In 1992, Mike and Debra Franklin purchased the old Hyattsville Hardware Co, a local institution sitting on a struggling stretch of Route 1.
The couple didn’t set out to build an empire.
They just wanted to bring back some of the bustling community energy the neighborhood had lost, so they opened Franklins General Store & Deli, serving soups and sandwiches out of the back of a shop otherwise filled with toys and gifts.
By 2002, the Franklins closed the deli portion entirely and opened a 200-seat brewpub next door, doubling the size of the general store in the process and giving Hyattsville its first-ever microbrewery.
Locals suddenly had a spot where they could grab a pint of house-brewed beer, order a full dinner, and then wander next door to buy a birthday gift, all without leaving the building. 🎁
The Franklins leaned hard into the idea that “local” should mean something real, not just a marketing buzzword, and that philosophy shows up directly on the plate.
Burgers are dry-aged and sourced from Roseda Farms in Monkton, Maryland, and produce like tomatoes, come straight from Prince George’s County soil, giving the kitchen a farm-to-table backbone that regulars have come to expect.
The restaurant built deep community ties through its fundraiser program, which has returned more than $300,000 to local nonprofit organizations over the years by donating a share of sales on select event nights.
Even the building itself became part of the draw, since Franklins commissioned a permanent kinetic light mural called “After Dark, Hyattsville” and continues to rotate local artwork through the dining room in partnership with the Hyattsville Community Arts Alliance. 🎨
A husband-and-wife team who simply wanted to save an old hardware store ended up building one of Maryland’s most unique combinations of restaurant, brewery, and toy shop, and that same independent, community-first spirit is exactly what has kept generations of Hyattsville families coming back. 💯
Food Highlights
- Confit Duck Leg: Paired with French lentils, rainbow chard, and baby kale, then finished with dried cherries and a citrus demi-glace.
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Crackling Pork Shank: A slow-cooked pork shank finished with crisped skin, served alongside apple sauerkraut and a citrus demi-glace.
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All Maryland Lump Crabcake Platter: GW Hall’s lump Maryland blue crab formed into cakes and served with Franklins fries, coleslaw, tartar, and cocktail sauce.
- Home Style Meatloaf: A comforting classic served with mashed potatoes, spring vegetables, stout-onion gravy, and crispy shallots.
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St. Louis Style Spare Ribs: Smoked daily and served until gone, finished with a choice of dry rub, Carolina style, or house Franklins barbecue sauce.
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Wild Blue Catfish: Iron skillet blackened and served with butternut puree, spaghetti squash, red pepper oil, and a lemon brown butter emulsion with Creole remoulade.
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Grilled Flat Iron Steak on Stew: A grilled flat iron steak served over a traditional slow-cooked stew base of potato, celery, carrot, onion, and herbs.
- Pulled Pork Platter: Slow-cooked pulled pork finished with a choice of Carolina-style or house Franklins barbecue sauce, served with two side dishes.
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The Cook’s House Burger: A half-pound Roseda Farm burger topped with sriracha mayonnaise, dill pickle chips, double cheddar, bacon, and red onion.
Atmosphere
Franklins blends industrial charm with genuine warmth, preserving the exposed beams and brick of its century-old hardware store bones while filling the space with local art and craft beer memorabilia. 🎨
The dining room sits right alongside the general store, so it’s completely normal to see someone finish dinner and then wander next door for greeting cards or nostalgic toys.
An outdoor space and seasonal tiki bar add another layer of fun on weekends, especially with the building’s glowing kinetic light mural setting the mood after dark.
It feels like a neighborhood living room, just one that happens to also brew its own award-winning beer.
Bottom Line
A husband-and-wife origin story, over three decades of community roots, farm-sourced burgers from Roseda Farms, award-winning house-brewed beer, and a genuinely one-of-a-kind combination of restaurant, brewery, and toy store make Franklins a Hyattsville institution worth the visit. 🍺✨
Address:
5121 Baltimore Ave, Hyattsville, MD 20781
📞 (301) 927-2740
🕔 Open Sun–Tue 11 AM–9 PM, Wed–Sat 11 AM–10 PM