Smoky Mountain Dining Guide

Usually when you read a dining guide you expect to see reviews or recommendations for sit down restaurants, or out of the way places that few people know about. While we will include a few items like that, we also want to point out some great spots in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg to find tasty treats! Donuts, fudge, cake, pie...is your mouth watering yet?! You may need to add a day or two to your vacation so you'll have time to feast on all the local specialties! Let's do dessert first, then launch into the entrees later!

Pigeon Forge

Cakes by Bakin' Bishop

862 Wears Valley Rd, Pigeon Forge, TN 37863

(865) 310-2662

If you are looking for cupcake heaven, this is the place! Iced to order, these are the moist cupcakes everyone's raving about! Rated the #1 restaurant in Pigeon Forge by reviewers on TripAdvisor, you have to see the menu because then you'll understand the variety and quality they offer:

Mini and jumbo cupcakes, brownies, cinnamon rolls, and cookies to die for!

In addition to their 7 kinds of cake and 5 types of icing, you can add sprinkles, drizzles, sugar candies, or pecans to your cupcake. Wedding cakes are another specialty that these bakers will create and set up at your venue for you. If you're planning a Smokies wedding, you may wish to inquire here as many couples report an excellent experience! Mark this place down on your 'must-do list.

Sweet Frog Premium Frozen Yogurt

2726 Parkway, Pigeon Forge, TN 37863

(865) 365-1745

While you explore local favorites, Pigeon Forge also offers the chain stores you know and love. Indulge at Sweet Frog Premium Frozen Yogurt and try a tasty and lite treat. If you come in winter, try their new hot chocolate! The big draw is of course their awesome frozen yogurt, and wow they have so many flavor combinations, you'll have to come back a few times to try them all! They were voted Best Frozen Yogurt by The Mountain Press, two years running! Can you resist this Caramel Green Apple with nuts frozen yogurt?

Winter, spring, summer or fall, frozen yogurt makes the perfect treat anytime! Can't wait to visit Sweet Frog in Pigeon Forge? Check them out on Facebook! They announce discounts on this page too!

There are lots of other sweet shops in Pigeon Forge, and we'll review more of those in future guides. Now on to some top meal recommendations; here are a few restaurants you'll return to again and again.

The Old Mill

3344 Butler Street, Pigeon Forge, TN 37863

(865) 429-3463

Widely known for serving the best Southern food in the area, people drive from miles around to dine at The Old Mill. You know if you get apple fritters to munch on while you wait to be seated, this has to be a really great restaurant! Sit by the windows and watch the stream as you dine on down-home cooking for lunch like country fried steak, fried chicken, catfish, meatloaf, and chicken and dumplings. Stop in and try their burgers and BBQ pork sandwiches, plus other sandwich favorites like hot roast beef or grilled Reuben.

They offer great vegetable entrees, too, including stir-fried vegetables with chicken or shrimp, vegetable plate, or vegetable quiche. Team your vegetable entree with one of their homemade soups! The Old Mill's dinner menu tempts with several of their lunch favorites like country fried steak and fried chicken. You can also try Pot Roast And Gravy, BBQ Country Ribs, Spare Ribs & Sauerkraut, Sugar Cured "City" Ham, and many more.

Do-it-yourselfers will love The Old Mill's take-home mixes. Try corn chowder mix, fritter mix, banana nut muffin mix, and more! You will have to take home some of their amazing pecan pies, they're truly famous!

Gatlinburg

The Log Cabin Pancake House

327 Historic Nature Trail, Gatlinburg, TN 37738

(865) 436-7894

This restaurant gets super high marks for its breakfasts, but it's a great choice for lunch with its hot buffet and its country-style dinners are tempting, too. A big country breakfast is a great Southern tradition, so why not start the day out right with a plate of country-fresh eggs and some of this restaurant's famous pancakes? A little ham on the side sounds good, or sausage! You can get that too! They also offer 'hold the pancakes' breakfasts, if that's what you prefer.

If you always wanted to try biscuits and gravy, this restaurant cooks them up just right! For those who prefer waffles, there's likely not a better spot to dine on these as you can order 13 different kinds! Go with blueberry waffles, pecan waffles, chocolate chip waffles, or even bacon waffles! Now that's choices!

Lunch is just as special. Their hot lunch buffet is served after 11:00 am and offers a variety of meats, vegetables, salad bars, and desserts. The lunch buffet is served daily in season (mid-March through January 1). It may be a good idea to call ahead ((865) 436-7894) to find out more about their daily selections. If you wish to stop in for dinner, you can try their chopped sirloin steak, golden fried shrimp, or chicken fingers, and enjoy the salad bar with your meal. Each meal comes with two vegetables plus hot bread. You can substitute fries or a baked potato for one of the vegetables if you wish. Leave some room for the great fruit cobbler for dessert.

Buckhorn Inn

2140 Tudor Mountain Rd, Gatlinburg, TN 37738

(865) 436-4668

Perhaps fine dining is what you're after. The Buckhorn Inn is the place to be when you want a romantic inn atmosphere and excellent, gourmet fine dining. Diners report that this is the restaurant you want to visit when you want a quiet and upscale night out. It's a great choice for family gatherings and corporate dinners, too.

The Buckhorn Inn doesn't have a set menu; they offer an ever-changing menu, so it pays to check ahead on their website to see what they are offering on particular nights. Also, reservations are definitely recommended, as this is a popular spot. You don't have to stay at the inn to dine there, but they have lodging information on their website if you choose to book your accommodations with them.

Bennett's Pit Bar-B-Que

714 River Rd, Gatlinburg, TN 37738

(865) 436-2400

With over 900 positive reviews on TripAdvisor, you'll want to discover the amazing barbeque specialties for yourself. The generously sized racks of ribs are legendary, and the brisket is also highly rated. Service is exemplary, too. While the entrees are the stars of the show, the sides offer awesome Southern flavor, too. Complement your BBQ with potato salad, coleslaw, deep-fried corn on the cob, chicken with mac and cheese...yum!

Bennett's secret, per their website: They smoke their ribs for 14 hours over smoldering hickory wood. Leave room for the peach cobbler! If you happen to stop by in the morning, try their breakfast buffet. It's famous, too!

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