AA^3: What's Cookin in Gatlinburg?

 

When I go on trips, I like to skip the chain restaurants as much as possible and check out the local favorites.  I've had some amazing meals by doing this.  On AA^1, I caught green chili fever!  Arizona/New Mexico has green chili everywhere, in everything.  They even had it at Subway.  It was love at first taste. 

Chivo has mentioned that we must have some Tennessee BBQ and he'd like to go on a tour of a distillery.  He mentioned wanting to visit where they make Jack Daniels and asked if Tennessee has White Castles? Tennessee does have White Castle but not anywhere near Gatlinburg.  Jack Daniels isn't super close to us, but if Chivo really wanted to take the JD tour, we could make it happen.  Their distillery is in Lynchburg, TN which is 1.5 hours north west of Chattanooga, TN.  We pass through Chattanooga on our way to Gatlinburg, so we could detour for that if he's really into it.

So what type of food is Tennessee known for?
Sweet BBQ,  Turkey, Mountain Dew, Whiskey (Jack Daniels), and Krystal Hamburgers.

I've never been to a Krystal Burger but it looks really similar to White Castle.  We will probably pass some on the way to Gatlinburg so sounds like a nice pit stop!






I found a website called Inside Gatlinburg with an article listing the 10 best restaurants in Gatlinburg.  The article is from 2008 or 2009 but it has comments from visitors that are pretty recent so I assume the below restaurants are still there.  I'm sure Chivo and I will try a few on the list!


TOP 10 RESTAURANTS FROM "INSIDE GATLINBURG"
1. The Peddler Steakhouse  http://peddlergatlinburg.com/   
2. Best Italian Cafe & Pizzeria  http://www.bestitalian.com/
3. Log Cabin Pancake House http://www.logcabinpancakehouse.com/
4. Smoky Mountain Brewery http://www.smoky-mtn-brewery.com/
5. Calhoun's BBQ http://www.calhouns.com/
6. Cherokee Grill http://www.coppercellar.com/Restaurant-Cherokee-Grill-Steakhouse.html
7. Pancake Pantry http://www.pancakepantry.com/
8. Wild Plum Tea Room http://www.wildplumtearoom.com/
9.  Donut Friar
10.  Park Grill http://parkgrillgatlinburg.com/

GATLINBURG RESTAURANTS THAT HAVE MADE TV
Ole Smoky Mountain Moonshine - The first legal moonshine distillery in Tennessee
This place was on "Drinking  Made Easy"  http://www.olesmokymoonshine.com/
I really wanna try Apple Pie Moonshine.  I got some of their apple pie jelly when Stella and I passed through the smokies on AA^2.  I also wanna try the Moonshine Cherries. They are cherries soaked in 100 proof moonshine.  You can also tour their distillery.

I didn't find any other places that were on TV, the closest ones are in Knoxville.  We might go to Knoxville so here are those restaurants:

MAN vs FOOD
Sweet P's BBQ  http://www.sweetpbbq.com/
He had a  Gigante Burrito, a 4-lb. burrito stuffed with chopped pork, barbecue beans, coleslaw and more, plus a half -pound of mac and cheese and a half -pound of banana pudding.

Ye Old Steakhouse http://yeoldesteakhouse.com/
Steak as big as you want.






Westgate Resort Dining
Westgate Smokehouse Grill - Country style dining.  Serves breakfast,and dinner, not sure about lunch. It's won some awards from the Gatlinburg Rib Fest for it's BBQ.
Roaring Fork Snack Bar - Sounds like typical snack shop foods.  Hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza, french fries, salad.
Mason Jar Lounge - A bar with bar food like wings.
Smoky Mountain Ice Cream Shop - Dessert time!!  It sounds like it also has some snacks like chips and soda.
Marketplace & Grocery Delivery Service - Open 24 hours a day with your normal grocery store goods.


Westgate Dining
 

 

 

Trip Advisor suggested restaurants