The Best Burgers in the Smoky Mountains (Ranked by a Local)

“I’d gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today…” – and these are the ones worth it.

When you think about the Smoky Mountains, I suspect the first foodstuff that comes to mind is pancakes, probably followed closely by barbecue. That is, unless we allow liquid refreshments on the list, in which case moonshine is probably right near the top. 

If you broaden the conversation to cooking genres, you might think of down-home breakfasts or hearty homestyle lunches. 

But you want to know what the true culinary king of the mountain is? It’s burgers. You can find dozens of places that do burgers that are well above average, venturing into the upper stratosphere of great, outstanding culinary excellence. 

How many places have great burgers in the Smokies? Most places that deal heavily in meat, like steakhouses or the BBQ places, are gonna have good burgers. Anybody who deals heavily in smoke and grills and seeks perfection in meat preparation is going to have a fantastic burger. And the diners, the griddle places where they throw the patty on the flattop, cooking it in its own grease, maybe with a mess of sliced onions. 

It seems burger perfection can be found anywhere, made by anyone with a passion for what they do. 

Ranking burgers is a difficult task

Choosing the best 5, 10 or two dozen burgers in the Smokies is a difficult task. The difference between Nos. 2 and 10 could be finer than frog hair and beholden to the tastes of the individual. Are smash burgers your thing? Do you like a variety of toppings, or do you prefer the classic style?  

What we need is to inject a measure of science into this thing. Set up a Burger Challenge – like the old Pepsi Challenge, but much, much better. Really taste the burgers in a controlled setting. Don’t give in to the vagaries of timing and experience.

There’s an old Eddie Murphy joke about someone starving being given a Saltine cracker. Suddenly, that cracker is the best thing we’ve ever had. 

We have to account for the idea that our own experiences are flavored by what was going on the day we had the burger. But this is the internet, and it demands that things be great. We can’t just write “Hey, here are some tasty burgers.” We would be ejected from the Internet quicker than a man sitting in a catapult. 

And so, we do what we must. In fact, we will not shirk our duties. We will rank these burgers or we will die trying!!!!

What goes into making a great burger? 

But first, an aside. There are a couple of schools of thought on how to achieve burger perfection. In a way, it’s a little bit like a hitter’s approach in baseball or a golfer’s swing in … well, golf. There’s a scientific way. Carefully considering launch angles and hand placement, and the right timing of launching your hands or your hips, and carrying your momentum through the ball. And then there’s the folk who just grip it and rip it. 

You can get a great burger by carefully considering the beef mixture – the right balance of fat and lean, or whether to add a little ground pork or something more exotic. You consider the type of cheese, the way it melts, and how it forms a culinary symphony with the spices of the meat and/or toppings.

There are those who spend hours considering the bun, the perfect texture to soak up grease and condiments, but maintain the structural integrity required to eat the thing. Then there’s the old-fashioned get a hunk of meat, cook it on the grill with garlic and onion, throw on a slice of American cheese, grab a bun out of the bag, and voila, you’ve got a burger. Somehow, both approaches can be amazing if done correctly.

Ranking the burgers of the mountains 

1. Pinchy’s Lobster Company – Sevierville 

Is it a coincidence that the two best hamburgers I’ve ever had in my life were from seafood places? Probably. Until I set foot in Pinchy’s, the best burger I ever had in my life was at Dan’s Clam Stand in Homosassa Springs, Florida. Dan’s is a family favorite; we’ve been going there for nearly 30 years now. If you’re on the Nature Coast, they closed the Homosassa location after the pandemic, but there’s another spot in Crystal River. Tell them I sent you. They won’t have any idea who you’re talking about, and I find that very funny. 

And frankly, Dan’s had been at the top of my list so long, I never expected anyone to surpass it. But Pinchy’s? The Pinch burger isn’t overly dramatic. It’s two patties, cheese, comeback sauce, and pickles on a locally-sourced brioche bun. The way the cheese and the sauce fill in the nooks and crannies of the burger meat, which has just the right amount of grease, and the way the bun soaks it all up? It’s amazing. I still feel weird going into a seafood place and ordering the burger. But at Pinchy’s, I’ll make the exception. Pinchy’s is located at 212 Court Avenue in Sevierville. Follow the website here.

2. Graze Burgers – Sevierville 

This restaurant is located just around the corner from Pinchy’s and right next to The Appalachian. As an aside, The Appalachian has a good case for being on this list as well, except that The Appalachian experience offers so much more than the burger, even if it is revelatory.  At Graze, unlike Pinchy’s or The Appalachian, the burger is the thing. It’s right there in the title.

The burger meat is 100% natural, no hormones and no steroids, the way the meat is supposed to be prepared. They even have their own house bacon: 14-day-cured, smoked pork belly.

The variety is the thing at Graze, where you could eat for a fortnight without trying the same burger twice. They also serve a Love Bird, Y’all, although it is technically a chicken sandwich. But in England, they call it a chicken burger, so we’ll allow it. 

I’m also not sure that The Last Frontier – House-smoked Alaskan salmon, onions, capers, roasted garlic, local greens, tomatoes, lemon dill sauce – qualifies. But when did y’all become a bunch of burger comptrollers? There’s a lot of burger variety. That’s the point. Did we have to get burger accountants involved in this thing? 

Not having had them all myself – there’s a Ghost Pepper burger that is out of my capabilities. So, I can’t say which is best. However, I do lean towards the Local Farmer – aged cheddar, house bacon, fried egg, local greens, onions, tomatoes, house pickles, and graze sauce. And also, the Southern Jam: pimento cheese, bacon jam, bourbon-caramelized onions, local greens, tomatoes, house pickles. And finally, the Mad Greek – Colorado lamb, feta, tzatziki sauce, olive tapenade, cucumbers, local greens, tomatoes, and onions.

Look, part of me feels guilty ranking Graze No. 2 because of this variety of excellence. But I have to remain true to my experience.  The burgers have blown me away, but Pinchy’s burger blew me away slightly more. Graze Burgers is located at 125 Bruce Street in Sevierville. Follow the website here.

3. Puckett’s Grocery – Pigeon Forge

We follow Graze Burgers’ litany of burgers with Puckett’s. The burgers there are just one of the great things on the menu and far from the house specialty, so maybe this seems strange. And that could be. But Puckett’s Mojo Burger – a hand-formed patty, coleslaw, cherry wood-smoked pulled pork, baked beans, cheddar, house pickle, and drizzle of BBQ chipotle ranch – is worthy of inclusion.

I debated on whether it was fair to include a burger in which the patty is only part of the whole show, but I decided this ain’t about fair. It’s about justice. And Puckett’s deserves its place on the list, and it goes great with a cup of gumbo, just FYI. You can find Puckett’s at 2480 Parkway in Pigeon Forge. Follow the website here.

4. Blue Moose Burgers and Wings – Gatlinburg 

I went into the Blue Moose – a regional restaurant chain with a handful of locations in East Tennessee – a little skeptical. Sure, burgers share top billing with wings, but how good could it be? I expected a competent burger, but nothing that would change my worldview. But I was pleasantly surprised. The Blue Moose- which somewhat ironically replaced a Jimmy Buffett place, Mr. Cheeseburger in Paradise, himself. 

I am a fan of a good mushroom burger, so I went for the big mushroom melt. However, the quality of the meat and the overall burger were much better than what I expected. We had to test drive a couple of others. I don’t know that I’ll ever pull the trigger on the Big Daddy Mac’N Cheese Burger – an all-American cheeseburger served with a giant portion of fried macaroni and cheese, and two slices of Applewood smoked bacon. But the Hawaiian Luau Burger has our attention for our next trip. And not just so we can quote Jules from “Pulp Fiction.” The Blue Moose Gatlinburg location is 515 Parkway. The website can be found here.

5. Mel’s Classic Diner – Pigeon Forge  

I wanted to include at least one classic, American-style diner here and picked Mel’s over a couple of solid contenders.  Mel’s has a variety of burgers – named after movie and music stars of the 50s – with slight variations on a theme.

The Beach Boy hamburger is the same as a Chubby Checker Cheeseburger, except for the cheese. The Big Bopper Bacon Cheeseburger is the same as the Chubby Checker Cheeseburger, except it has bacon. We can get a little more adventurous, though, as the Ritchie Valens burger comes with Jalapeños while Buddy Holly gets chili. The James burger – I assume for James Dean – gets the works.

Editor’s Note. We ain’t got no hotline. 

Who serves the best cheeseburger in the Smokies? Let us know in the comments!