The Park Grill offers some of the best service and food in Gatlinburg with (slightly) less wait

I see The Park Grill – the unofficial restaurant of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park – as a port. It’s the perfect launching spot for an adventure in the park or the perfect destination to return to civilization after a day of wild exploring. The Park Grill restaurant is located right next to the entrance of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park at the top of the Gatlinburg strip. While other national parks have restaurants and such within, the GSMNP is something of an oasis. You best stock up before entering because you ain’t gonna find a 7/11 within.

A sister restaurant (and often less crowded) to the more upscale Peddler, The Park Grill Steakhouse is full of the classic flavors of the Smoky Mountains but is also sprinkled with a dash of the Peddler’s panache. Plus, as the unofficial restaurant of the National Park, it has a great atmosphere. Plus, it is a great place for wedding receptions or rehearsal dinners as it is just a short walk from downtown Gatlinburg, TN. Not that The Park Grill is without its own panache. The grill was built with Idaho spruce timbers harvested from the top of Payette National Forest. That rustic feel only adds to the atmosphere of excellent service. In fact, some might even say the best service in Gatlinburg.

What to order at The Park Grill

But you don’t click on a story about a restaurant to read only about the wood and stone. You want to hear about the great food, the friendly staff and the banana pudding (appropriately referred to as Nanner Puddin’ at The Park Grill). So let’s get to the good stuff. Like many restaurants in the Smoky Mountains, The Park Grill’s menu is a bit at odds with itself. Are we upscale dining? Or are we having classic mountain food? Are we feeding Gatlinburg shoppers or hikers who’ve been up and down the GSMNP trails for hours? Is there a significant difference between the two?

The Park Grill, happily, decides it can be all things for all seasons. It offers delicious foods from a variety of backgrounds. Crunchy Fried Pickles and Home Style Fried Green Tomatoes, Pretzel Bites and Crispy Fried Chicken Skins right next to Hillbilly Peanut Hummus and Shrimp and Crab Bisque? All right, it’s gonna be that kind of a party. And here’s a pro-tip: The expansive salad bar is included with every entree.

The Park Grill specialties

The specialties include Smoky Mountain Shrimp which I was tempted to reject on the name alone as well as yard bird and a variety of BBQ. I recommend the Hickory Grilled New York Strip. The hickory adds just enough unique flavor to make the steak really stand out for $34, at the time of this writing. The fact is you can’t be a sister restaurant to The Peddler Steakhouse and not do a great steak. The Moonshine Chicken, a boneless breast marinated with pineapple and moonshine, is another favorite at $34. The Moonshine Chicken and fried shrimp combo meal are hard to beat.

They have an extensive salad bar with a fantastic variety of fresh vegetables. It’s delicious food. Burgers and sandwiches include the Moonshine Chicken sandwich which works surprisingly well. The star of this section, however, is the four-nickel bologna sandwich for $13. Some people might have a hang-up ordering a bologna and cheese sandwich at a nice restaurant. I am not one of those people. A thick slice of fried bologna and cheddar cheese? Yes, please.

And of course, you’ll want to end the meal with dessert. We recommend the Black Bear Brownie Bash for $14. In fact, it’s one of our favorite desserts in all the Smokies. But of course, all of the above mentioned items are just a snapshot of The Park Grill’s extensive menu which you can view here.

Prices and reservation information at The Park Grill

Entree prices at this fairly upscale (upscale for the Smokies at least) restaurant range between $9.99-$34.99. The Park Grill does accept online reservations (a rarity in this part of town). You can also contact The Park Grill, located at 1110 Parkway, Gatlinburg at 865-436-2300.

Conclusion: I highly recommend The Park Grill. It’s basically an easier-to-access version of The Peddler. Just be sure to get reservations, just in case, as it still tends to get busy in season.

Have you eaten at The Park Grill? What do you love about it? Let us know in the comments.

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