A local shares the secrets of the Pigeon Forge culinary scene
I don’t know if this is a massive secret. But when anyone from Sevier or the surrounding counties goes to Pigeon Forge, most of the time we are just as much of a tourist as anyone from Indiana or Ohio or Michigan or any of the other places that come to the mountains.
Pigeon Forge – and to a lesser extent Gatlinburg – is build for tourists. It doesn’t matter they come from 500 miles away or from a less exotic place like, you know, Newport.
Locals come to Pigeon Forge more often than most of y’all so we do have ways we approach things.
For instance? We ain’t waitin’. If we drive by a place and there’s 50 people outside staring at their phones and waiting for the call, we keep moving. Anything more than 20-30 minutes and it’s dubious. Anything that’s an hour or longer and we WILL find someplace else.
We also like the new stuff. Anytime a new restaurant opens in Pigeon Forge – unless it’s something outlandish – check the license plates in the parking lot. You’ll see a lot of Sevier, Knox, Grainger, Blount, Jefferson, Cocke and Hamblen counties. If there’s anything we local tourists love in Pigeon Forge, it’s something new.
We were talking at softball practice the other day and someone brought up Gorilla Taco – the new Pigeon Forge taco joint. The reviews were deep and specific. Not everyone on the team had eaten there, of course. But the number – considering it had only been open a few weeks – was considerable.
Finally, it needs to be affordable. We ain’t in town with our vacation budgets. Sure, we can splurge for special occasions but when we drive into town on some random Sunday afternoon, we’re lookin’ for a place that’s filling and affordable.
Places locals eat in Pigeon Forge
Calhoun’s
Calhoun’s is an East Tennessee icon. If we’re in Pigeon Forge, we eat Calhoun’s barbecue. If we’re in Gatlinburg the same. West Knoxville? Lenoir City? Turkey Creek? Yep. Yes. And of course. When we go to UT games, we eat at Calhoun’s on the River – the best of all the Calhoun’s. In addition to having excellent barbecue, Calhoun’s has tradition. It also has the feel of a nice night out without absolutely blowing the budget out of the water.
You want to eat like a local at Calhoun’s get the Trio – ribs, chicken strips and pulled pork – with the Spinach Maria as a side. I’m also partial to the Smoked Sausage and Cheese Plate but I don’t know if that’s as much tradition as it is that I really like Smoked Sausage and cheese.
The Local Goat
A very similar situation to Calhoun’s. The Local Goat is excellent food that qualifies as a nice night out without breaking the bank. The menu is a little more adventurous than your typical Pigeon Forge Restaurant and we get to give ourselves credit for avoiding a chain restaurant.
Want to eat like a local at The Local Goat? Start with the Fried Green Tomatoes and follow that up with the Shrimp and Grits – we LOVE Shrimp and Grits – or the Bison Meatloaf. We are intrigued by non-traditional meats. I like the Bloody Mary here as well, but I like the Bloody Mary’s almost everywhere.
The Applewood Restaurants
Dear Lord do we love the Applewood restaurants. How much do we love the Applewood? So much that they built two with essentially identical menus about 300 yards apart. I’m guessing on the yards, I haven’t stepped it off. The Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant did so well that they built the Farmhouse Grill on the other side of the compound and both stay busy. How much do we love the Applewood Restaurants? So much that I’m cheating to include them on this list.
The Applewood compound is technically in Sevierville, not Pigeon Forge. But they are located right on the shores of the West Prong of the Little Pigeon River which serves as the border between the two towns. If you can swim to Pigeon Forge from your restaurant’s front porch, I’m grandfathering you in as a Pigeon Forge Restaurant. Want to eat like a local? Try the meatloaf or the chicken fried steak. Want to eat like my grandfather? Try the chicken livers.
The Old Mill Restaurant
Just like you guys, we are quite fond of the down-home style restaurants. We like the tradition of downhome meals, and they tend to be more affordable than in a lot of other places.
We like the Old Mill’s history, and that the food is more authentically down home than a lot of places that claim a certain heritage but are faking it. The Old Mill has roots that go back to the founding of the area. We like that.
You want to eat like a local at the Old Mill? Fried chicken and taters is the play. I like the spareribs and sauerkraut because it offers a certain level of down-home authenticity you don’t usually find at other places where they like to pretend Granny never had to cook on a budget.
Huck Finn’s Catfish
Four words. All. You. Can. Eat. Son, we will walk out of this place with catfish filets dangling from our pockets in order to make sure we get our monies worth. You have three all-you-eat options at Huck’s. They are fish, chicken and fish and chicken.
There are more options on the non-all-you-can-eat menu. But do you want to get a stern look from your dad? Order something from the non-all-you-can-eat menu.
“Boy, I best not tell hear you say you’re hungry two hours from now.”
The all-you-can-eat meals come with vittles or as they’re called in other places, sides. They include beans, dill pickles and onion slices – there are few things that make me think of my papaw faster than someone eating raw onion – cole slaw, hush puppies and fries, green beans or mashed taters. Alas, the fried Okra is an app and not a vittle so it costs more. But frankly, any time fried okra is on the menu, it is a moral imperative that somebody orders it.
Do you agree with our list? Let us know in the comments!