Best Places to Eat in Pigeon Forge

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As you drive up and down the strip in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee you will find yourself bombarded by the number of restaurant choices. In fact, you might even find yourself asking, “Where do I even start?” Read on for some recommendations from our recent trip.

Where do I even begin?

First of all, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee has something for everyone when it comes to food choices. From large chain restaurants (think McDonalds, Arby’s, Little Caesars Pizza), to more localized restaurants (The Old Mill, The Local Goat), to small mom and pop restaurants (Pigeon Forge Deli, Huck Finn’s Catfish), you can truly find something for everyone.

Bennett’s BBQ in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

On our first night in town, we ate at a BBQ place called Bennett’s Pit BBQ. We all found something here that we enjoyed including our pickiest eater (mom win!). You can check out Bennett’s Pit BBQ menu here. The boys even had so much food that they were able to eat their leftovers for another meal. We placed our order online, and it was ready when we arrived. Every since we discovered and fell in love with mobile ordering on our Disney trip, I recommend it to everyone. It seriously makes your life so much easier!

The Old Mill Restaurant Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

The second night we were in town, we ate at The Old Mill Restaurant. This was my FAVORITE restaurant from our entire trip. Don’t let the prices scare you. The portions are HUGE! Even my husband who never usually has leftovers, had enough leftovers for another whole meal.

Each meal comes with a delightful corn chowder, salad, corn fritters, gigantic main dish (Our oldest ordered fried pork chops. We thought he’d get one pork chop. He got 3!), and a dessert. It’s a great value for the money! We also picked our food up and took it back to the cabin. I was so glad we did because when we got there, I heard the host telling people it would be a 2 hour wait!

There is a store located right next to the restaurant that you need to be sure to stop in. You can find all kinds of things in this little store. From jewelry, to soap, to clothing, to pottery, to their jams, jellies, flour, and mixes…I spent too much money in here!

You can also go to their website and buy their goodies directly from them. You know what I’ll be doing as soon as we run out of all the yumminess we brought home. Haha!

Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant

We first ate here 17 years ago on our honeymoon, and I immediately fell in love. The complimentary apple julep and apple fritters dipped in apple butter are AMAZING. So of course we had to go back and visit on this trip.

We ordered online through our phones for pickup. The app was a little bit of a pain to get to work, but eventually it did. Sadly, this meal turned out to be my least favorite.

We got a family pack of fried chicken and sides. The chicken was dry. We got macaroni and cheese and mashed potatoes for our sides. We had enough food for leftovers, but no one was excited about eating them. I ended up deboning the fried chicken and turning it into chicken salad so it wasn’t so dry.

Thankfully, the apple fritters and apple julep were exactly how I remembered them though.

The area where the Apple Barn Farmhouse is located is a neat little area to visit though. So I definitely recommend checking it out. There is The Apple Barn and Cider Mill & General Store. They sell all sorts of goodies here. From candy, to souvenirs, mixes, home decor, apple cider, jams, jellies, and sauces, they have everything.

There’s even a cider bar to get a variety of apple treats. They have apple cinnamon donuts, apple dumplings, old fashioned apple stack cake, fresh baked pies with homemade ice cream, apple butter muffins, milk, and coffee.

There’s a candy store and a winery on the property too. I ended up buying a bottle of strawberry apple wine, but I haven’t tried it yet. The nice thing about the winery is that they’ll ship it to you. You just have to have an adult sign for it on delivery.

Pizza places in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

The next night our youngest wanted pizza for dinner. So pizza it was. We always try to hit local pizza places when we’re on trips because why go somewhere new and eat something you can have back home?!? There’s certainly not a shortage of pizza places to pick from.

So we found this place called JDel’s Pizza in Pigeon Forge. They have giant New York style pizzas. It turns out that it’s a pretty popular place. They open at 4:00, and by 4:30 they were already telling people it was a 40 minute wait! I’m glad we called it in right at 4:00. But even if we would’ve had to wait, it would’ve totally been worth it!

Great places for snacks in Pigeon Forge

My kids always love vacations because they know they’ll get to eat differently than they do at home. And this vacation didn’t disappoint.

I guess it would be more accurate to say that our snacks were really our lunches. Because the snacks were huge and filling.

The first place we stopped for a snack was Cinnaholic. DON’T skip this place! You can customize your own warm, gooey cinnamon roll here. From picking your own frosting, to topping it with edible cookie dough, fruit, nuts, or candy-there is something for everyone to enjoy.

We each created something different to try. Since the inside was packed, we took them to our nice air conditioned car to enjoy them. Mine was so rich that I ended up eating half and sticking the rest in the cooler to enjoy later.

The Apple Barn Cider Mill & General Store

I mentioned this above, so I won’t spend a lot of time on it again, but you must visit the cider bar for a snack.

We got fried apple pies with homemade ice cream. You also MUST get an apple cider slushee while you’re there. We made this lunch one day, and everyone left with full tummies.

The Funnel Cake Factory

The Funnel Cake Factory was on my list of places to visit. Sadly, we never made it over there. By the time we were hungry enough to make the drive, we were either too far away from it and didn’t feel like sitting in traffic, or just decided to order an early dinner. So I’ll add it to my list of places to try for next time. Because I already knew we wouldn’t make it everywhere. And it’s a great excuse to go back.

Cookie Dough Monster Cafe & Grill

The Cookie Dough Monster Cafe & Grill was another place I was excited to try. But believe it or not, I forgot about it. I know, I know. I’m not even sure myself how I could forget about such goodness. But again, I guess it’s another reason to go back.

Other places to eat in Pigeon Forge

I could have spent a FORTUNE on food in Pigeon Forge. I LOVE trying new places when we’re on vacation! There’s just something special about eating some place you can’t eat at home and creating a memory to go along with it.

Here are some other places that we didn’t get to try this trip but have great reviews.

• Local Goat-This is a craft food and drink restaurant where everything is made from scratch. My friend visited in March, and had great things to say about it. Reservations are suggested since this place is always busy.
• Paula Deen’s Family Kitchen-My mom and several teacher friends always visit when they’re in Pigeon Forge. Food is served family style, but just know they won’t let you take home leftovers.
• Mama’s Farmhouse-This place is well known for their down home Southern cooking. You can pop in for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I hear it’s not to be missed.
• Huck Finn’s Catfish-If you like catfish, they say this is the place to go. I’ve seen lots of great reviews on this one.
• Five Oaks Farm Kitchen-This restaurant is another one that offers down home Southern cooking. I’ve read nothing but great things about it as well.

So what sounds good to you for your next Pigeon Forge, Tennessee visit? I can’t wait to hear about it!

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