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Posted by Jon Hoffman in Places to Eat
You can work up a powerful appetite here in the Great Smoky Mountains. Between hiking, rafting, tubing, ziplining, fishing, paddling, sightseeing, shopping, and visiting various theme parks, you'll be hungry enough to eat a horse – or at least a heaping platter of hearty Southern fare!
Fortunately, there are scores of great restaurants all over the Tennessee Smokies. You'll find every conceivable kind of cuisine, from classic country cooking to Asian, Italian, Mexican, French, Brazilian, fusion, and more.
Best of all, new restaurants are constantly opening, so you can always discover delicious new ways to delight your taste buds.
Here are a few new eateries you'll want to check out on your next trip to these beautiful mountains.
If you've never tried whole-hog barbecue, you're in for a rare treat. Perfected in Tennessee and North Carolina, this traditional Southern specialty is exactly what it sounds like. A highly skilled pitmaster carefully dry-rubs and slow-cooks an entire pig for 12 hours or more. Then, when the meat is ready to fall off the bone, the pitmaster pulls it and seasons it with a simple vinegar-based sauce. The result is a smoky taste sensation, so tender it practically melts in your mouth.
At Trotter's Whole Hog BBQ in historic downtown Sevierville, you can enjoy a generous platter of this scrumptious slow-smoked delicacy, complete with a classic side dish like slaw or smoked potato salad. If you prefer, you can try other tantalizing menu items such as dry-rub smoked chicken, savory pork ribs, fresh fried catfish, and stuffed smoked sausage. Kid-size platters are also available.
Ready to feast like a gaucho? Come to Azul Cantina at Mountain Mile Tower & Shops in Pigeon Forge. This high-end roof-top restaurant offers South-of-the-Border cuisine, grilled to juicy perfection over a traditional wood fire. It's a fresh new twist on classic Tex-Mex, featuring familiar favorites like quesadillas and carnitas – plus adventurous entrees like tortilla-crusted cod – all cooked the time-honored Argentinian way. Be sure to bring a hearty appetite!
It's been open a relatively short time, but already the Painted Bear Coffee Company has earned a reputation as one of the best coffee shops in the Smokies. Housed in a rustic log cabin in the heart of the Great Smoky Arts & Crafts Community, this gourmet café offers delectable baked goods along with a wide selection of freshly brewed artisanal coffees, herbal teas, chai latte, yerba mate, iced coffees, and more.
Open only since last fall, this Gatlinburg hotspot specializes in downhome Southern fare, lovingly prepared with the freshest local ingredients. Drop in for lunch or dinner to sample Appalachian favorites like pork ribs, corned beef and cabbage, smoked chicken, beef liver and onions, pulled pork, pot roast, pork chops, fresh mountain trout, Southern fried chicken, and more. Plus, don't miss Cumberland Jack's signature treat: the complimentary "l'il mug of soup."
You'll discover many more delectable dining options here in the Great Smoky Mountains – from the world's largest Buc-ees plaza to the exotic Brassa 51 Peruvian restaurant, both in Sevierville. Not to mention several new Italian restaurants, a nostalgic soda fountain called Red's, and two additional world-class barbecue places (Hippie's BBQ and Archer's).
Getting hungry? Contact Volunteer Cabin Rentals to book your comfortable family cabin close to all the attractions and restaurants in the Tennessee Smoky Mountains.
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