The Best Restaurants in Pigeon Forge TN

A top 10 list of the best places to eat in Pigeon Forge, TN. This list of Pigeon Forge Restaurants covers food for everyone: Italian, southern, breakfast, Japanese, steaks, seafood, country, etc. These Pigeon Forge restaurants are a must-visit!

If you plan on visiting Pigeon Forge, Tennessee then there’s one thing that you are definitely going to do—enjoy the best southern cooking you’ve ever had. If you’re anything like us, you want to eat somewhere unique to the area that you can’t have back home or anywhere else. Fortunately, there are numerous Pigeon Forge restaurants to choose from and we have compiled a list of the top 10 places to eat in Pigeon Forge to help narrow down your decision.

So if you’re looking for the best restaurants in Pigeon Forge TN then we guarantee you’ll find it here!

1. Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant

2. Old Mill Pottery House Cafe and Grille

3. Thai Basil

  • Location: 530 Winfield Dunn Parkway, Sevierville
  • Phone: (865) 453-9339
  • Official website: thaibasiltn.com

4. Old Mill Restaurant

5. Bullfish Grill

6. Smoky Mountain Brewery

7. Kinkaku Japanese Steak House

8. Calhoun’s Restaurants

  • Location: 2532 Parkway, Pigeon Forge
  • Phone: (865) 868-1500
  • Official website: calhouns.com

9. Huck Finn’s Catfish

10. Alamo Steakhouse

If you have comments about any of these best restaurants in Pigeon Forge TN, or if you recommend another restaurant, then please share your thoughts in the comment area below.

Also, if you plan on visiting Gatlinburg, TN, then be sure to check out the Top 10 Restaurants in Gatlinburg TN as well!

65 thoughts on “The Best Restaurants in Pigeon Forge TN”

  1. we ate at the applewood farmhouse resturaunt back in aug. og 2006 and we have eatin at sevral other places and by far they have the best food and their black bean soup is the best i have ever eatin by far. so if you go there make sure you try it.we will be coming back in aug.2008 and it is the number one place on our list to eat. you get alot there for your moner to eat.their fritters our out of this world to.
    Gary Hayre
    Trowood.Ohio

  2. The Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant is awesome!!! I generally eat there for lunch (it’s cheaper). Sunday brunch is also very good. The vegetables, soup, and fritters all all superb! I make a point of visiting there anytime I’m in Pigeon Forge. Portion sizes are huge, so definitely only go when you’re really hungry!

  3. The Old Mill Restaurant is defintely number one for my husband and I. We usually visit Pigeon Forge at least 4 times per year. Each visit we eat at the Old Mill several times. They have the greatest home cooked meals in town with very generous portions. Personal favorites: Fried Pork Chops, Turkey and Dressing and the list goes on!

  4. Thanks for the tips on the great restaurants. We will be visiting for the first time the end of May and have been trying to decide which places not to miss, your list and the comments are a great help.

  5. We love to eat at Rocky River Brewery when visiting in the smokies. They have the best steaks of any where we have eaten.

  6. Bullfish grill is one of my many favorites. The Apple Barn is great too. If you like BBQ…You need to go to Bennet’s BBQ. The Old Mill is another fav. Flapjacks is a good breakfast place.

  7. I LOVE PIGEON FORGE, SEVIERVILLE AND GATLINBURG. WE TOOK OUR 5 YEAR OLD GRANDDAUGHTER TO SEE THE MIRACLE AND SHE STILL TALKS ABOUT IT. WE LIVE CLOSE AND STILL COME OFTEN. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.

  8. The applewood restaraunt is by far my favorite restaraunt in the area.Serving sizes are excellent as well as the food. Even my grandchildren enjoyed the food. I highly recommend this restaraunt to anyone wanting great food and good portions.

  9. there are many great resteraunts on the top 10. The old Mill one of my Favorites! Also Carrinos. However To experience the full vactions experience, try some of the less known or less publicized places. Some that we have tried great american steak buffet, If it is still there lol the resteraunts change like indiana weather lol. Happy days Diner, and the Baskin robbins/petro’s. I had no idea what a petros was, but it is like what we call walking tacos here so be on the look out for area specific spots you may never see anywhere else happy Vacationing!

  10. We love Pigeon Forge and the whole Smokey Mountain Region.
    We plan a trip with family and friends every year. I appreciate all the tips you share to make our trip more enjoyable. Thank you

  11. The Alamo is by far the best place to have a GREAT steak. Johnny Carino’s is yummy in second place.

  12. Very interesting to learn about top ten restaurants in the Pigeon Forge area. We are visiting for a week in May (18-24) and hopefully trying out some of these places to dine.
    Would be nice to have a coupon from each place??? :-)
    George

  13. The Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant is a great place to eat breakfast! This has been a tradition in the years that we have been vacationing in Pigeon Forge. We have yet to eat there at any other time of day but I’m sure it is delicious as well!

  14. My family and I have to disagree with this list….the BEST place to eat is Bennett’s. We eat there for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner on most occasions when we are visiting! I HIGHLY recommend it!!!

  15. Just got back from Pigeon Forge yesterday. Went for the spring Rod Run. Had a wonderful time. All the restaurants we eat at are great. We especially like the Old Mill and several of the steak houses. We’re looking forward to trying a couple more on our next trip in the fall.

  16. We bought a chalet in Pigeon Forge three years ago and go there as often as we can (at least seven times a year). We have eaten at all but two places on this list and I agree that all of these places are great. Go to The Old Mill for lunch instead of supper, for the best price. I found that I got the same food, only more than double the price for supper. Bullfish is still my favorite steak house. Happy Days is a great joint for fun and milkshakes. Our favorite Breakfast place, All American Pancake House, burnt down a couple of years ago and I guess the owners are not going to rebuild.

  17. We are gearing up for our first vacation to the Smokey’s in a week. We are staying in Pigeon Forge, and I have been looking for great places to eat. This has been so helpful! Thanks bunches!!

  18. My husband and I and family visiting from California, tried the new Flying Horse restaurant in Pigeon Forge this week. It is located on the Parkway across from The Christmas Place, next to Starbucks. The food was excellent. We shared the crab cake hors d’ouvres and we all agreed we should stop there and just keep ordering them for dinner! But we had already ordered dinner so…we had the trout, salmon, shrimp and steak. All of the dishes were delicious. There was plenty of food. You really get your money’s worth. but save room for dessert – I will next time! My mother-in-law ordered the hot fudge sunday – none of us had ever seen a Sunday served this way. My father-in-law had to help her finish it. they both said it was delicious. I cant wait to go back again so I can order one. I dont want to spoil the surprise so I wont tell you what it was like. They have a merry-go-round off the lobby area. we didnt ride but it looked like the kids were really enjoying it. There is also a cute gift shop in the lobby so you have plenty to do if you have to wait for a table. Bottom line…We had a lovely meal -would definitely recommend it to anyone.

  19. Out of all the restaurants on your list I do not think the Old Mill belongs there. I ate there and it was the worst meal I had out of any of the restaurants I have visited in Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg.

  20. by far bennets is our main place for the best food in town. very good food for all. price is right. very friendly staff also in the heart of all of the fun. cincinnati oh needs a bennets.

  21. I also ate at the Flying Horse Cafe and tried the Hawaiian Pineapple filled with homemade chicken salad with toasted pecans and grapes on the side with a wonderful homemade blueberry muffin… I took half of the chicken salad home for later to make a sandwich for lunch next day. It was too good to waste and it actually made two meals in one…and as high as gas and food is getting, it is like getting two meals for the price of one… The carousel was beautiful…… i bought some beautiful unique gifts in the gift shop to save for Christmas and birthdays coming up…….

  22. We recently tried the Mystery Dinner Theater in Pigeon Forge, located across from the Belk Mall. This was the first time we had ever experienced a mystery dinner theater. We had alot of fun. Will definitely go back. The food was good and lots of it, our waitress, Pat, helped us with some of the clues – she was great! We saw the “Who Killed American Idol” show. Cant remember when we have laughed so much. They said they will be having a children’s show this summer – we’ll definitely take our grandson when he comes to visit.

  23. Just returned from Pigeon Forge this afternoon. We had taken our grand daughter to see the Magic Beyound Belief show. It was great family entertainment. My mission is to try all of the good places to eat. We experienced the great Bennett’s BBQ, a definate recommend. We also did Carrino’s Italian restaurant which also was great. Last month we had dinner at the Applewood which is definately worth the stop. Great food and friendly staff.

  24. My husband and I go to the Grand Fall Rod Run every year in Pigeon Forge and we LOVE that place! I think we have eaten at most of the places listed but our absolute favorite is the Great American Steak buffet. They actually have the largest wood fire grill in th US, the service is always great, and the food is to die for. We start to crave it about 3 mos before going each year and can’t wait to get there. Interested in checking out the new Flying Horse this year, thanks for the tips!

  25. My family and I have visited Pigeon Forge for over twenty year,making at least 2 trips anually as well as for over 15 years we have taken church groups with numbers up to 50. Pigeon Forge without a doubt is one of the truly good places to visit for good clean family entertainment and good food everywhere. We like to eat one meal at Fudruckers. Best hamburgers in the world. Old Mill can’t be passed over. For the price, Dixie Stampede is excellent with a good meal. Seafood anywhere is good because the best of it is shipped inland. See you next weekend Sept 28 – Oct 3 and Dec. 25 – Jan 1. Where do we Florida beach folks go for vacation? The Smokey Mountains of course. J. Weaver. Panama City Beach Fl.

  26. My family and I have been going to the smokys for 40 plus years, its alsome and our favorite place, we have been to many different places but the smokys is home! My son is 19 and he and some friends went last weekend , now if 3 teenagers can go and have fun that says it all!

  27. We went to Pigeon Forge last week and spent a few days. We visit the area 2/3 times a year. Last month, while staying at The Inn at Christmas Place, we saw The Flying Horse next door. On our trip back to the mountains last week, we ate lunch at The Flying Horse. Wonderful food, decor was great, fabulous service. A restaurant worth trying!

  28. My husband and I spent the night at Pigeon Forge last May to attend a company picnic at Dollywood. Thanks to both Dollywood (which we both absolutely love) and to his company Adessa for their efforts in providing such a nice gift to Adessa employees. We don’t make the trip to Pigeon Forge as much as we used to due to my declining health, thus the reason we have to spend the night each time-it’s just to hard to do physically in one day now. I must say that there have been few times that we have gotten a bad motel or a bad restuarant. Our favorite restuarant of all time is the Red Lobster. Pigeon Forge’s Red Lobster has the best food of all Red Lobsters in this eastern area. And believe me, we have tried quite a few. The service was great, the food delicious, no waiting time to speak of, and the restuarant is impecable. Our family favorite for motels is the Valley Forge Inn. The owners and operators are good Christian people who treat everyone with care and respect. Other members of our extended family go each year as a group and have never had a complaint. The price is really reasonable too. With the raging economy having a great place like Pigeon Forge with all its great people, attractions, accomodations, etc. is a true blessing to all of us on a tight budget. I appreciate most of all the good clean family atmosphere. It is truly refreshing in a world where we are constantly bombarded with lewdness and offensive behaviors. Thanks Pigeon Forge, Dollywood, and all your merchants for sharing your delightful town with us all. Hope to see you soon. The Coleman’s of Loudon, TN

  29. YOU NAMED A LOT OF GOOD PLACES BUT YOU FORGOT 1. MY WIFE AND I THINK THE BEST PLACE TO EAT IS MEL’S DINER.

  30. We live in the area and have tried many of the restaurants.
    Yesterday we ate at Tony Roma’s. The Roma ribs are great and
    meaty!!!! The Roma ribs are between 1/2 slab and a slab. Get
    them with the Roma sauce.

  31. Hi, me and my family went to eat at Duff’s Smorgasbord and we loved it the food was great and the people there are very friendly. If you like buffets you will love Duff’s.

  32. Okay, Damon’s our first night, excellent food and great ribs. Corky’s our second night, wonderful BBQ and excellent service. Bubba Gump Shrimp in Gatlinburg was our next stop and it was excellent but really overpriced. Hard Rock Cafe was next and as always the service was exceptional and the food was great.

    Our only bad dining experience was at the Wood Fire Grill in Pigeon Forge. The food was sub par (especially for the price), the service was absolutely bordering between awful and non existent. They brought our first drink and I was not offered a refill until much later than I had eaten. $75 for a buffet family of five with one kid and the food was mostly not cooked through and the staff was rude. I do not recommend this place to anyone.

  33. The absolute best place for me is Huck Finns! We love it there. We also have to go to the Old Mill and even though it’s in Gattlinburg, my husband has to go to Fanny Farkles! We will be down there in November and we are going to try the flying horse because I have heard a lot of good things about it!

  34. ADORE Log Cabin Pancake House. It has not changed at all since I was a girl. There’s also one in Gatlinburg. The pancakes are slap yo mama good.

    I once left my sunglasses there, and they mailed them for me. So, so nice.

  35. We have been going to TN for years, and we always stay in the Pigeon Forge area. The Flying Horse Cafe isn’t open any longer. When we were there in March, it was being turned into a pizza place. One of our favorite places to eat is The Pottery House, which is right across from the Old Mill. They have great food. Huck Finn’s is great too. Hard Rock Cafe in Gatlinburg has great food also. I am trying to think…in all of the years that I have been going to TN, I don’t know if I have ever had a bad meal…LOL! We are heading to Pigeon Forge this Saturday morning for vacation. We will be staying a week, and I can’t wait!!!!!!

  36. We visit Pigeon Forge so much that I think we are part time residents there. There are several good places to eat that aren’t really bad expensive here are a few… The Pancake House (its next to James Manor Motel) Breakfast is awesome and its a favorite of ours the pancakes are so good, excellent service and decent priced. Huck Finns is a good place also; The fixings they bring out before the food is so good. Fudruckers is a good burger place we love to eat there too. I also agree if you eat at the Old Mill go at lunch time much cheaper.

  37. How could Bennett’s not make the list. By far the best place to eat if you like smoke and bar-b-que. They are great.

  38. We love to eat at Bennett’s. Although they have raised there prices within the past year or so. It is very good. The apple barn and the old mill are very good. I do not recommend eating at Flapjacks for breakfast. My omelet was awful and my wife’s french toast was uncooked. The waitress asked me if everything was ok and I told her no. She got the manager and she told me she would only take 20% off our meal since we ate most of it. I told her I did not want a discount. The waitress asked me a question and i gave her an honest answer. We will never eat there again or recommend anyone else to eat there. If you cant cook breakfast you are hurting!! They can keep the 20%…

  39. I can believe Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant is number 1. On the first night of vacation I read this list and went to Applewood. When we walked in the restaurant it was a ghost town we waited 10 mins to be greeted and another 5 mins for them to seat us in this practically empty restaurant. Applewoods smell and look reminded me of a Piccadilly Cafeteria which is not a good thing. The staff was scary looking one server looked like Jaba the Hut. Then the menus we got were covered in food. So we just left and went to Calhoun’s which was delicious.

  40. I cannot believe Duff’s Smorgasbord went out of business, it’s now Captain Jim’s Seafood Buffet , It really makes me sad, My husband talks about this place like crazy, When we met i’d never been to TN. and he talked and talked this place up like it was gold, so I finally got to eat there, and now to see it turned into something else is just a real bummer for us.. can’t wait for June…we will be vacationing down there and bennets will be my first stop :)…. I really don’t like the wood grill, and for fast food we like Cystals lol (I know) not suppose to eat fast food on vacation but hey it’s good…
    Happy vacations everyone…

  41. We were in Pigeon Forge a couple of years ago and the best place we ate at was Mama’s Kitchen. They brought the food to the table in bowls country style and the service was great. If you like good home cookin, this is the place.
    Can’t imagine why it wasn’t mentioned. I sure hope it is still there next time we go back.

  42. Our family’s favorite is Golden Corral. We also enjoy Bennett’s BBQ. The kid’s favorite is Mr. Gatti’s pizza (they love those games and the food!). We also recommend Valley Forge Inn. It is an older motel, but they are friendly Christian people. We will be visiting this weekend!

  43. Little Tokyo is excellent!! Kids love to watch them cook in front of you and toss food in their mouth. Wonderful food!!!!

  44. We ate at a place in Pigeon Forge that was not on this list..but should be #1!!! J.T. Hannah’s is awesome! Great food and great atmosphere! It was the best place that we ate on our trip, that we went back twice!

  45. With long waits in the past, 3/19/12 was our first try of Bennett’s Bar-B-Q. We almost went to one of our favorites, Corky’s but decided to stop at Bennett’s. Big mistake. Our server didn’t completely understand English and that affected our order. The catfish was fine, ribs were tough, and pulled pork were no better than from frozen. We’ll invest our time at Corky’s from now on. (As a matter of fact, we satisfied our ‘smoked’ craving at Corky’s the very next night.)

  46. We visited April 7-14 2012. Our favorites are Old Mill for breakfast, Mel’s Dinner on Wears Valley Road (1 block from parkway) for lunch or a quick meal, and Applewood Resturant for evening meal. Cannot belive these places for food for the money. Will visit each when we are back in the area.

  47. We visited Pigeon Forge for the fall Rod Run. I was so disappointed we didn’t eat at Bennett’s BBQ, the place was crowded from the time they opened to close. We were told on Saturday night the wait was over 3 hours and a to go order would be 2 hours. Love the food, but we were hungry so we opted for Captain Jim’s Seafood. Very good buffet, awesome shrimp and hush puupies. Very friendly staff but the atomsphere is lacking, very drab.
    We also at the Wood Grill for brunch. Rather overpriced for what you get, maybe cause it was brunch, the selection wasn’t as plenitful. I enjoyed the bbq and sweet and sour chicken. Not sure if I will return.

  48. I’ve eaten at several restaraunts during my many visit’s to the area, and although I don’t really agree with the list, everyone has different opinions. The fact that the Chophouse didn’t make the list is odd though

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