Snuggled in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, Pigeon Forge has been a vacation destination since Dolly Parton put it on the map with Dollywood. However, that is not the only entertainment to experience when visiting this gem of a city in Tennessee.
The best restaurants in Pigeon Forge offer the most excellent mountain cuisine and a Taste of Tennessee. However, other venues offer you and your group many different types of food. So, what is it you want?
After reviewing the best restaurants in Pigeon Forge, TN, the standout locations are worth your consideration. From local mountain fare to the exotic, that’s what’s for dinner, breakfast, brunch, or lunch in Pigeon Forge.
Cookie Dough Monster
$ | (865) 366-1444 | WEBSITE
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Knowing where the best burger is in any town is vital if that’s what you’re hungry for. At Cookie Dough Monster, our menu is filled with various items that will make you glad you skipped the food strips, branded fast food.
The burgers, chicken fingers, shakes, and other items at Cookie Dough Monster will delight the youngsters in your crowd. However, it will also please those who are young at heart and remember when a burger was a burger.
Local Goat & Billy’s Bar
$$$ | 865-366-3035 | WEBSITE
The difference between fast and restaurant food is quality, service, and menu offerings. Although a trip to the drive-through is convenient, dining on other options, prepared by a culinary crew from locally sourced foods, is a wonderful experience.
At the Local Goat and Billy’s bar, craft beer and Tavern food, done very well, awaits you in Pigeon Forge. At the Local Goat, you can come for a meal and stay for the game at Billy’s Bar, giving you options many restaurants don’t offer.
The Old Mill Pottery House — Café & Grille
$$ | 877-653-6455 | WEBSITE
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The Old Mill Pottery House serves salads, soups, and hearty entrees. And the dishes? You can take them home if you like. However, you will need to buy them next door where the potters work, adding another aspect to your visit to the Old Mill Pottery House.
While you’re there, look at the grist mill, one of the few mills remaining in the country. You can also buy a few of the products sold in the Café as gifts or to take home and enjoy.
Mel’s Classic Diner
$ | 865-429-2184 | WEBSITE
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Since 1993, Mel’s Diner has offered the locals and guests of Pigeon Forge a 1950s dining experience. Breakfast is available all day because it is always morning somewhere.
Delicacies at Mel’s include breakfast favorites, excellent burgers, and a banana split to finish your meal. That is unless you want a banana split as your entrée. But, of course, that’s allowed when you’re on vacation.
Gaucho Urbano — Brazilian Steakhouse
$$$ | 865-366-1002 | WEBSITE
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There are times when dining venues present themselves with new concepts and cooking styles. Gaucho Urbano is one of these locales. They offer a variety of meats grilled in a classical Brazilian manner. They also provide a selection of side dishes with grilled meats and their flavors.
Ordering from the menu here allows you to taste everything they offer in a family-style atmosphere or just a little bit. It is a little pricier than other restaurants here, but you get more than a meal at Gaucho Urbano and a wonderful culinary experience.
Alamo Steakhouse
$$ | 865-908-9998 | WEBSITE
Hand-cut, aged beef is as good as it gets as the ultimate meal. The Alamo Steakhouse is another of the best restaurants in Pigeon Forge. They offer steak grilled over an oak fire, cooked to perfection.
Food prepared from scratch, such as Alamo Steak Houses sauces, gravies, and bread, has become a restaurant specialty that is hard to find.
Cooking from scratch takes more time than reheating frozen food in a microwave, so order one of their fantastic appetizers to tide you over until dinner arrives. The appetizers are made from scratch, too, so give one a try.
Bennett’s Pit Bar-B-Que
$$ | 865-429-2200 | WEBSITE
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At times, B.B.Q. is the only food that will feed your craving. At Bennett’s Pit B.B.Q., you can find classic appetizers, like tater skins and B.B.Q. Chicken, B.B.Q. Pork, and B.B.Q. Brisket. Of course, baby back ribs are offered, too. However, at Bennett’s Pit B.B.Q., we serve Jumbo Baby Back Ribs that should satisfy the hungriest rib lover.
Big Daddy’s Wood Fired – Brick Oven Pizzeria
$$ | 865-429-7171 | WEBSITE
Brick oven pizza has a different flavor than pizza baked in a gas-fired or electric pizza oven. The combination of dry wood heat that cooks a pie at 550 degrees Fahrenheit is only one of Big Daddy’s excellent pizza secrets.
They also make their dough from scratch, as well as their sauces. Restaurants that cook from scratch offer the best food when done well, which is why Big Daddy’s Wood-Fired Brick Oven Pizzaria is one of the best restaurants in Pigeon Forge.
Mama’s Farmhouse — Southern cooking — Family Style
$$ | 865-908-4646 | WEBSITE
Family-style dining is enjoyable; at Mama’s, the servers keep the food coming until you tell them to stop. Eating at Mama’s Farmhouse is like having a holiday meal you didn’t have to cook yourself. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Family-style dining offers small group portions and enough to feed a hungry group of heavy eaters. More formal than buffet dining, family-style dining is an experience you must try.
J.O.E. & Pop’s Sub Shoppe
$$ | 865-413-1333 | WEBSITE
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If you are going to eat a sandwich, you need to go where the sandwiches are notable and made to order. You can request a classic sub at J.O.E. and Pop’s sub shop or create your own.
If you want to take your lunch on the road as you explore the Smoky Mountains, you can have box lunches made here to take on the road and eat lunch whenever you want.
Wild Bear Tavern
$$ | 865 – 868-0737 | WEBSITE
The Wild Bear Tavern serves Southern Comfort food with a German flare. Their menu includes southern and German recipes, resulting in a menu full of hearty foods.
So whether you are stopping by for lunch, dinner, or a brunch that includes potato pancakes, you won’t go away hungry, no matter the time of day. Located in the heart of Pigeon Forge, the Wild Bear Tavern is worthy of your visit while visiting.
Sunliner Diner
$$ | 865 -366-1263 | WEBSITE
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Take a step back in time and enjoy the food and service in a chrome-trimmed room decorated with classic cars. The Sunliner is a classical 50s diner with menu offerings reflecting the era.
Here you can order breakfast all day or enjoy a milkshake, a burger, or one of Sunline’s other menu items. Their dessert menu is also expansive, and for the brave of heart, try a milkshake cocktail. They’re a rarity.
Paula Deen’s Family Kitchen
$$ | 865-366-1510 | WEBSITE
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Paula’s reputation proceeds her and her restaurant, and its homestyle food fits right here in Pigeon Forge. Known for its southern menu offerings, Paula Deen’s recipes are the ultimate comfort food.
The menu items at Paula Deen’s are made fresh every day and are not frozen products that have been microwaved and served as fresh, although they aren’t. The difference in this approach is the quality of food served at Paula Deen’s Family Kitchen.
Brick & Spoon
$$ | 865-365-1942 | WEBSITE
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The Brick & Spoon is all about getting your day started right. Offering breakfast, brunch, and lunch, an Absolute Bloody Mary (created from your choice of ingredients) will open your eyes. Then you can choose from one of the many menu items: beignets, bananas foster, and other delicious breakfast and brunch recipes.
Blue Moose Burgers & Wings
$$ | 865-286-0364 | WEBSITE
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As the only family-oriented sports bar in Pigeon Forge, the Blue Moose has a tavern-type menu, and their food is excellent. However, the draw of the Blue Moose is its array of big screen T.V.s that will give you a view of the game, or the race, from any angle in the restaurant.
Of course, the fact that they serve great burgers, dogs, and drinks, doesn’t hurt, either. The Blue Moose is a great place to sit for a spell and take a break from your mountain adventures in Pigeon Forge.
Best Restaurants in Pigeon Forge
The best restaurants in Pigeon Forge offer a variety of foods. From beignets and French roast at breakfast, to juicy burgers, brick fired pizza, and milk shake cocktails, the foods of Pigeon Forge are interesting, as well as tasty. Dining out in the best restaurant is not a problem. However, choosing the best restaurants at which to dine may be.
Hayden has been a digital director for years. He has five years of experience editing and writing about food, restaurant, and recipe review content. At Birch Restaurant, he’s in charge of scouting, showing up unannounced in different restaurants, and writing a thorough food guide!
