Crockett’s Breakfast Camp vs Pancake Pantry: Which Is the Best Gatlinburg Breakfast, According to a Local

A local weighs the pros and cons of the two Best Breakfast Restaurants in Gatlinburg

Certainties in life are rare. Things change often without warning. Call it what you want. Whether it be fate, karma or luck. But even the things we think are certain in life can be changed by unexpected forces beyond our control.

So, when we find something unswerving, something unerring, something bedrock, something certain, we latch on to it. We recalibrate our lives around this rare, true north star. In Gatlinburg, that north star is breakfast.

Weighing the Pros and Cons of the two Best Breakfast Restaurants in Gatlinburg

Many believe Gatlinburg was built on a mountain and – from a certain point of view – that’s true. They don’t realize that the mountain is covered in butter and maple syrup.

Pancake, flapjack, crepe, galette, griddle cake, batter cake, flannel cake or blintze. Whatever your preferred term for a thin, flat cake of batter that is pan-fried and eaten with syrup or rolled with filling, it is the very foundation upon which Gatlinburg was built.

Imagine waking up from a typical overnight stay in Gatlinburg. You are bleary-eyed and foggy-brained. And so you hope the brisk scent of mountain pines and streams and, I don’t know, bears will greet you and enliven your spirit. Instead, you’re likely to be met with the smell of pancakes and sausage and bacon. If we’re speaking frankly, the second one is a lot better.

There are a lot of places where you can get a good breakfast in Gatlinburg. But currently, two establishments at the top of the heap. One is a monarch and the other a usurper, a challenger to the throne.

First, the Pancake Pantry has regally reigned over the Gatlinburg Breakfast Kingdom since 1960. It is an impressive, Queen Vicotria-esque run of unbroken sovereign rule. Secondly, we have Crockett’s Breakfast Camp. It is a brawny, big-shouldered breakfast establishment that’s not afraid to break a few eggs – which is a costly endeavor these days – as it tries to commandeer the throne.

How do we – mere peasants who enjoy both a classic pancake and a hearty breakfast skillet – decide which would be the monarch we support? Well, we could vote but honestly, that seems counterintuitive considering the multi-graph autocratic metaphor.

Pancake Pantry pros

Pro – a great story. In 1960, a pair of Hoosiers made the trek from Indiana to Gatlinburg with little more than a decent amount of financing and dream. Jim and June Gerding opened the Pantry – the first pancake specialty restaurant in Tennessee. Over the next decade, the eatery helped shape what breakfast in Gatlinburg would become.

Located on the lower end of the strip, the Pantry’s mildly European architecture and that of the Village Shoppes – partly owned by Jim Gerding as well – added allure and charm to what might have otherwise become a litany to gift shops specializing in airbrushed T-shirts.

Pro – it’s really good. The Pancake Pantry wasn’t built on charm and location alone. The breakfast menu is heavy on pancakes, crepes, waffles and blintzes. But they also offer the classic breakfast options of meats and eggs and omelets. If you want something a little heartier, something that might be more appropriate at a place like Crockett’s, try the Morning Star, which is freshly shredded hash browns, topped with melted cheese and two fried eggs covered with a blend of diced grilled onions, pimentos, mushrooms, ham and green peppers. It’s served with toast and whipped butter or buttermilk pancakes. Friends do not get the toast.

For the record, breakfast is served until closing. They do have lunch options that are quite good as well, burgers, sandwiches, soups and salads – I’m a sucker for the Polish Aristocrat sandwich and a nice bowl of split pea soup. But that’s partially because I’m enamored of ordering a sandwich called the Polish Aristocrat which is essentially a Reuban that substitutes cole slaw for sauerkraut.

Pancake Pantry con

Con – it’s popular. Open daily from 7 am to 3 pm, the Pantry is one of the more popular restaurants in the mountains. If you don’t want to wait, I’d recommend getting there when the doors open. Later in the morning, you’re likely to see a significant crowd. That crowd can result in a feeling of being rushed as the demand for table turnover is high. Once, on a mother-daughter trip, my wife and daughter got their breakfasts a little more quickly than expected and partway through the meal went to use the facilities. When they came back the table was bussed and prepped for the group waiting outside.

It’s an anecdotal story and should not be used to infer a larger issue. But it is indicative of how heavy the morning rush can be.

Crockett’s Breakfast Camp pros

Pro – fascinating theming. Crockett’s does not have a significant history of its own. However, it does have excellent theming.

David C. Crockett Maples was a veteran of the Civil War and fought for the Union. Crockett was also a mountain man and a guide. After the war, he opened a supply store at the base of Mt. LeConte with his wife. He – allegedly – was known for serving the best home-cooked breakfast in the Smokies. Although that sounds like something the marketing people slipped in. But I can tell you the Maples family played a significant role in Gatlinburg’s development. The Institute for Culinary Arts at Walters State Community College’s, Sevierville, is named after Rel Maples.

However, something that didn’t run in the family was Crockett. During an expedition up the mountain, Crockett was caught in a blizzard. He survived but lost his legs below the knee to frostbite. Not one to give up, he fashioned some long boots with wooden feet and spent his life getting around on his homemade prosthesis and a pair of canes. The statue outside the restaurant shows him with his canes. The whole thing makes for great theming and gives you something to talk about while waiting for your breakfast.

Pro – again, it’s really good. Crockett’s approaches breakfast from a different angle than the Pantry. While the Pantry’s focus is mostly sweet, the Camp focuses more on the savory. We’re talking cathead biscuits, hearty skillets and steak and eggs. But the Camp has no problem going sweet. The giant cinnamon rolls are delicious. And they use the somewhat famous Aretha Frankenstein mix – out of Chattanooga – for their waffles and pancakes, which you have to respect.

Crockett’s Breakfast Camp con

Con – inconsistencies in theming. Look, I will admit a certain oddity to my spirit in which I will allow a menu’s theming incongruities to bother me. While I suspect no one else in the world would be bothered by this, I promise you that I have genuine agitation. Is it right? No. Is it normal? No. Is it real? Yes.

What bothers me so much? On the menu, under a section labeled “Crockett Maples Features,” there are four meals listed. The first two are Huevos Rancheros and Elk Mountain Grande Burrito. Friends, I can kind of accept that a mountain man with two wooden feet stuffed into his boots was a great chef for people trekking up and down LeConte Mountain. I cannot accept that he specialized in Huevos Rancheros and a Grande Burrito.

Serve them.  By all means, serve them. But can we give Crockett some dishes that cling a little more closely to canon? 

 

And The Winner is..

This is the internet, and the internet doesn’t like when I say things are a tie. So, I picked the Pancake Pantry based on little more than personal preference. They’re both great breakfast and lunch spots. You can’t go wrong either. Ideally, you can hit both on your vacation. But because in general, I feel like I need to go back to bed and digest things until lunchtime after I go to Crockett’s, I prefer the Pantry. Also, I just like it a little better. Also, I do like that the Pantry expands its options at lunch and the Polish Ambassador and split pea soup may be the world’s greatest lunch.

Is picking the best breakfast spot based on its lunch offerings worse than saying Huevos Rancheros is a con? Absolutely 100% it is.

Are you planning a trip to the Smoky Mountains soon? Make sure to check out our coupons page before your trip!

Have a question or comment about something in this article? Contact our staff here. You may also contact our editorial team at info@thesmokies.com.