Pitting JT Hannah’s Vs Junction 35

Which of these two Tradition-Steeped Restaurants is the Best?

In the competitive world of the Pigeon Forge culinary scene, there are a lot of angles that have to be considered. It’s not just about who has the best food. You have to stand out. Certainly, you have to be creative. You have to grab some attention. Because, after all, if you don’t get them through the door, they’re never gonna know how good the food is.

But how can a restaurant make itself known against the neon cacophony that is Pigeon Forge? There are a number of gimmicks that can be tried. Maybe you want a mascot – a gorilla in a luchador mask, perhaps? Or maybe you want an outlandish theme – animatronic singing chickens.

A lot of places lean on country and mountain themes. They claim to use homemade recipes straight from a grandma’s secret book. Does that grandma have to be real? Reader, she does not. Or maybe you go the celebrity route and have someone famous’s name over the door.

Historic themes and area restaurants

History – authentic or not – is big among the restaurants seeking the tourist trade. But it doesn’t have to be overly done. The KBS Restaurant group – one of the more successful culinary operations in the mountains – likes to meld a little real local history into the fabric of the place. Crockett’s Breakfast Camp, the now defunct Cumberland Jack’s and JT Hannah’s were all built adopting the story of the prominent local person and using that to develop their restaurant’s theme.

Though its name is not based on a particular person, Junction 35 – which is a distillery and a kitchen – uses history in a similar way. The name and the theme is drawn from “loggers and moonshiners once hid their ‘shine on trains to outsmart patrols. These trains stopped near Latitude 35 North, where moonshine was unloaded and bootlegged across East Tennessee.”

When choosing a place to dine during your visit to Pigeon Forge, these places hope the historic theming helps get your through the door. And that the food – and in Junction 35’s case, the spirits – bring you back for more.

The case for Junction 35

Before we begin, this rating is for the food side of things. I’ve sampled more than a few Junction 35 spirits and have yet to find a complaint. However, in fairness the distillery is a (chiefly) separate issue from the restaurant.

What kind of food can you expect at Junction 35? It’s a barbecue place at heart. Pulled pork, Texas style brisket, smoked sausage, wings, and baby back ribs lead a menu filled with multiple variations on the theme. The place offers a variety of smash burgers and classic sandwiches. There’s also the Brisket Philly, the Tennessee Brisket Dip and the Big Country Reuben.

Apps are the mostly the classics you’d expect from a Southern-tinged dining experience. Fried green tomatoes, BBQ nachos, loaded fries. But there is a little bit more adventure in the Tennessee Poutine – crispy french fries topped with beef gravy, white cheddar garlic cheese curds, and green onions and also the Brussels sprouts skillet – than you might find in more paint-by-numbers establishments.

Junction 35 offers a variety of salads as well as entrees. Included are the shrimp & grits, Cavatappi Alfredo and a delicious Smokehouse Mac – house made mac & cheese, topped with low and slow pulled pork piled high, crispy onion strings, breadcrumbs, and parmesan cheese. It’s served with a side of J35 BBQ sauce.

When done well, it’s an above-average menu. There are some really strong concepts that are both slightly outside the box and well executed. There’s some forethought put into being good and interesting.

The Junction 35 experience is not always consistent

The first time we went to Junction 35 was outstanding, one of our most memorable dining experiences in the Smokies. I am a Reuben sandwich aficionado. The Big Country Reuben – pastrami brisket, Swiss cheese, coarse-grain mustard, sauerkraut and J35 sauce served on toasted rye bread – was possibly the best Reuben I’d ever had. The Brussel Sprouts appetizer was appropriately crispy and delicious. I washed it down with a perfectly made Bloody Mary and we quickly had a new favorite dining spot.

Return visits haven’t exactly lived up to that standard. Mostly, it’s been good not great. However, there was one disastrous visit to the Sevierville location. The staff was short and it left the place overwhelmed even through it wasn’t quite half full. I’m willing to chalk that up to a bad day but I’m less enthusiastic about Junction 35’s menu than I used to be.

In a place where copycats reign, Junction 35’s willingness to try to stand out is appreciated.

The cast for JT Hannah’s

Let’s start with this. JT Hannah was a businessman – operating the largest freight warehouse and stockyards in East Tennessee. Hannah had a significant workforce, many of whom stayed in the bunkhouses. Per the restaurant’s website, “J.T. soon added a lunchroom just off the old Icehouse building, hired the best cook around and began serving delicious, home-cooked meals. He was also known to tap a barrel or two of his finest local brews.” Word of the quality of the fare spread and in 1930, Hannah closed the stockyards and storerooms and opened the restaurant to a larger audience.

Today, the restaurant that bears his name offers a wide-ranging menu that at times is a little wider than it needs to be. What can you get at JT Hannahs? Salads, sandwiches, burgers, pasta, grilled chicken, fried chicken, Chicken Cordon Bleu sandwich, ribs, steaks, fajitas, beef Manhattan, fish and chips, fried catfish and beer battered shrimp. The extensive menu steals a little of the local history angle, IMO. And it makes the restaurant feel a little more like a large national chain than a locally focused eatery.

Was JT Hannah selling spaghetti and meatballs to his stockyard workers? Did they enjoy a nice chicken and broccoli alfredo or a strawberry chicken salad? Why are we doing fajitas? The KBS family has a wide variety of restaurants, including the Greenbrier, one of the absolute best in East Tennessee. Why does this menu feel like they’re taking a little something from everything they do and serving it up here?

JT Hannah’s experience

Now, moving past the width of the menu, let’s talk about the general quality. In my experience, JT Hannah’s is a very consistent dining experience – I assume at least in part because the larger restaurant group has a lot of knowledge invested in the place. It’s consistently good – not often great or exceptional – but also rarely average or bad. It’s a solid B-student, doing well across the variety of the menu.

The decision

The choice here, in my opinion, comes down to someone reaching for greatness versus someone delivering a consistently good but rarely great experience. Both have their appeal. Certainly, if you have a large group in which people can’t decide on a single theme, JT Hannah’s cover a lot of bases well. If you want great barbecue options and other menu items that really stand out, Junction 35 is the clear choice.

For me? I’m rolling with Junction 35 but am willing to keep my options open. In fact, this is one of those situations where my final decision might be swung by checking whichever place has a lower wait time. I might prefer Junction 35, but if Hannah’s can get me in 45 minutes earlier, I’m happy to get a warehouse chili bowl for an appetizer and then a steak or burger.

Which one of these two popular eateries would you choose? Let us know in the comments!