The Cottage vs Local Goat vs Puckett’s: Classic Southern Flavors

Located six minutes from each other on the Pigeon Forge strip, these restaurants serve classic Southern dishes with a new flair

There was a time when Southern dining in the Smokies meant a very specific, downhome type flavor. Maybe it was fried catfish. Maybe it was mashed taters and gravy or meatloaf or ham n’ beans. But whatever it was, it was made the way your grandma – or somebody’s grandma – made it.

You can certainly still eat that way in the mountains. If you count the breakfast places, there are literally dozens of restaurants serving up “downhome” country eats.

But in recent years there’s been a shift. New places have opened up with new visions of classic dishes. Pushing boundaries and increasing flavor. Using higher-end ingredients to elevate the experience, they create something both familiar and new.

If you have the time and the means, we recommend you try all three of these and many more in this style that you can. But what if you only have the time – or money – for a single dinner out?

Well, we’re here to help.

The Cottage

The newest member on this particular corner, The Cottage has quickly jumped into the list of our favorite dining spots in town. Though it opened with a dinner service, The Cottage is now strictly a brunch destination. It is open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. through the week and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the weekends. In addition to classic southern dishes like chicken & waffles, shrimp and grits and short rib hash, Chef Randall Roach’s team serves up a variety of brunch fares that is perfect to get your day started or for a middle of the day break.

The fried green tomatoes are perfect, and the pimento cheese is better than that. The handhelds include an excellent burger and a crispy chicken sandwich. The short rib and cheese bagel is slow-braised beef short rib, provolone cheese, pepper relish, chipotle crema, on a toasted Potchke Bagel.

While The Cottage is new and – apparently adjusting to the market – we hope that it finds its niche and stays on the Pigeon Forge dining scene for a long time to come.

Puckett’s

With eight locations, mostly in East Tennessee, Puckett’s is fascinating success story. Born out of a community grocery store in Leiper’s Fork, Tennessee, Puckett’s has built its brand on home-grown recipes, classic Southern flavors, and live music. Recognized as a Top 5 Local Restaurant in Southern Living and nationally, for its barbecue, Puckett’s Pigeon Forge location is right next to the Christmas Place.

What to start with? Well, like The Cottage, the pimento cheese and fried green tomatoes make for a good starter. But The Sampler with smoked boudin, hot smoked sausage AND fried green tomatoes and pimento cheese bites is the right way to go.

For an entrée? The BBQ platter with its cherry-wood smoked pulled pork is always a good call. But our hearts belong to the smoked meatloaf and/or the Piggy Mac – cherry wood-smoked pulled pork in an iron skillet, topped with white cheddar mac n’ cheese and biscuit crumbs.

Handhelds include the classics plus a Misc City Hot Chicken Sandwich that I’m not brave enough to try. I like some heat, but there is a heavy price to pay in the aftermath and I’m unwilling to endure it anymore. The Redneck Burrito, however, is excellent with its pulled pork, baked bean and slaw wrapped and ready to go.

The Local Goat

Probably the most established of the three, The Local Goat has quickly ascended to Pigeon Forge Restaurant royalty. The parking lot stays full, and the demand is great. Apps include fried green tomatoes – it’s a Southern cliché at this point. However, the deep-fried deviled eggs are a more interesting – if polarizing – option.

Chicken wings, salads and handhelds abound. The Buffalo Meatloaf is excellent and the Elvis Burger – with peanut butter, smoked bacon friend banana – stands out for those who are brave enough to try it.

In addition to more classic burgers, there are also bison and lamb options. The menu at The Local Goat is a little broader with more pasta and fish options and it’s willing to stray from southern cooking into more classic fare including fish and chips.

The winner

In a battle of quality restaurants in the mountains of East Tennessee, can we honestly say anyone loses? Well, we can. But we don’t really want to. An ideal day would be breakfast at The Cottage, lunch at Puckett’s and dinner at the Local Goat, but that seems ambitious.

If we HAD to pick for a single meal – we’ll call it a late lunch to adjust to The Cottage’s new hours, the ranking would be as follows:

1. The Cottage: We may have some recency bias here, but we’re really enjoying this new spot.

2. Puckett’s: They offer classic southern flavors, live music and cherry-wood smoked barbecue.

3. The Local Goat: They remain one of the area’s best restaurants. That said, this ranking is lower because of the menu that tries to do a lot of things. If we’re being honest, going into this we thought the Goat would win. But as we considered each restaurant’s case, we surprised even ourselves. Still, the Goat is aptly named and will remain among the best restaurants in the region for the foreseeable future.

Which restaurant is your favorite of the three? Let us know in the comments!