Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge

Taking a trip to Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area. Anyone have any dining suggestions? Need not be Upscale, looking more for local flavor. Thanks in advance!

I don't think there is such a thing. Just got back from there a few weeks ago. For whatever reason, it's just a series of pancake houses and chain restaurants. There are 3 or 4 Texas Roadhouses, a couple of Ruby Tuesdays, about 20 Flapjacks Pancake Cabins, and a lot of fast food. We tried out a italian place called Carinos, and it was fine. Comparable to Carrabas. We had lunch one day at the No Way Jose Cantina (there are a couple of these in the area too) and it was complete crap. By the second day, we went to a grocery store to buy some stuff to cook at the cabin. Before we left town, we caved and had breakfast at Flapjacks, and it wasn't half bad. They cram you in like sardines, though. The tables are side by side.

Maybe someone else had a better experience than us. We just found most of the food to be mediocre at best. Unless you want to just walk around in downtown Gatliburg and eat corndogs, funnel cakes, and italian sausages. If it's state fair food you want, it's everywhere!

Apple Barn in PF is can't miss..also The Peddler is good for steaks

We make an annual trip with the whole family to the area every year. Just last weekend we really enjoyed a great dinner at the Old Mill Cafe in Pigeon Forge. There is a well-known Old Mill Family Restaurant, but we've found the wait times there to be intimidating (1 1/2 - 2 hours). They sent us right across the street to their cafe, and we enjoyed an excellent meal with no wait. Their bread is made in-house, and even the grain is ground in-house. They serve it with fresh churned butter. The hubby had prime rib, and I enjoyed a ribeye. Both were excellent. We recommended the place so highly that my parents went the next night and both really enjoyed their trout dinners.

There is also a place toward the end of the main strip down in Gatlinburg called, I think, Park Lodge. I haven't been there in a couple years, but the times I've been it has always been excellent. It's a bit more upscale, but still completely comfortable to visit in your jeans.

The Old Mill Cafe is very good but, as the previous post indicated, there can be a long wait (esp. on weekends)....over the years, many of the indies in Gatlinburg and PF have surrendered to the chains....I was passing through PF a few months ago, returning from Hilton Head, and had dinner at the local Bob Evans....actually quite good...

We were just in Gatlinburg in late September. If you stay on the main strip through town, prepare to be dissapointed and to wait a very long time

There are two English-style Pub restaurants just outside of Gatlinburg, and most importantly, off of the main strip. The one I recommend the most is called the Fox and Parrot on Glades Road in the Arts Community. It was a very eclectic place with very authentic English cuisine. The service can be sketchy, but as long as you are not there during prime time hours on the weekend, is is bearable. The food was tremendous, they have a very good beer list and the atmosphere was very authentic.

The other place is called the Ship. This also had very good food, spotless service and a decent beer list as well. It does not have near the atmosphere that the Fox and Parrot has, but it really what you prefer when you go out to eat. I liked the Fox and Parrot better mainly for the atmosphere, but if you are looking for good and quick service, check out the Ship.

There was a small Italian place heading out to the Arts Community that had very good wood fired pizzas. The name escapes me, but it is also outside of the main strip.

We ate at the Bear Creek Grill when we were there over Memorial Day weekend. It's a few miles north of Gatlinburg on the parkway. It reminded me quite a bit of the Italian restaurants my family used to go to when I was growing up in New Jersey; steaks, seafood, stuffed shells and the like. They do a pretty decent New York-style pizza.

If you can get in, the Pancake Pantry is a MUST! We had pizza one night at Guarino's Pizza (1235 East Pkwy), and it was fantastic! If you are planning on cooking meals, take it from me, bring a cooler full of food purchased before you cross the state line. They have a pretty high tax on food and liquor there. You'll save yourself lots of money if you shop for those items in KY. Have fun!

Well, it was Gatlinburg in mid-July
And I just hit town and my throat was dry,
I thought I'd stop and have myself a brew.
At an old saloon on a street of mud,
There at a table, dealing stud,
Sat the dirty, mangy dog that named me "Sue."

That whole strip from the Kodak exit south makes me cringe with the awful traffic. So last time we took a backroad and got into Gatlinburg in about 15 minutes from Sevierville.

Actually, we will be staying closer to Sevierville/ Townsend area! (Black Bear Hollow)