10 Places Where Locals Love to Eat in Pigeon Forge

Elvira’s Café is a spacious mountainside restaurant serving Southern American dishes with a slight Russian twist. It’s a favourite spot with the locals for its breakfast menu, which includes homemade crepes and French toast paired with bacon and eggs. The all-American lunch and dinner dishes are just as delectable. Try the café signature prime rib to cure your hunger pangs.

Elvira’s Café is busiest around 10 am, so try to get there for an early breakfast to beat the queues and grab a table with a view of the surrounding mountain vistas. It takes about 20 minutes to drive to the restaurant from the main tourist area, but the locals will tell you it’s well worth the trip.

Blue Moose Burgers & Wings is the top local sports bar and restaurant for those with a palette for traditional American fare. With around 30 flat-screen TVs constantly playing the latest local and national sports, it offers a menu includes a variety of gourmet burgers as well as award-winning jumbo wings, which come in 16 flavours such as Honey BBQ, Sweet Thai Garlic and Sriracha Ranch.

If you want to treat yourself to some locally loved comfort food, try the hamburger with grilled cheese sandwiches as buns. After lining your stomach, you can enjoy a refreshing cask ale or lager, which include locally sourced and international favourites.

Head to the Old Mill Restaurant to try some of the best country cooking in the Smokies. It’s a family-style Southern diner that occupies a 19^th-century mill overlooking the Little Pigeon River. As you immerse yourself in the local history and culture, you can feast on homemade classics like pot roast and country-fried steaks.

To eat like a local, try the Old Mill signature corn chowder, which goes great with freshly baked bread. There’s an onsite shop selling homemade baked goods, confectionery, jams, jellies, stone-ground grains, and even pottery.

Holston’s Kitchen has a preserved appearance to give it that Old West vibe. It sources almost all its fare from local suppliers, from its hand-cut ribeye steaks to its produce, sauces and desserts. Menu favourites include Hawaiian chicken, sirloin steak and fish and chips, but we recommend trying the juicy prime ribs and leaving enough room for the signature strawberry shortcake.

On top of its traditional Southern offerings, Holston’s Kitchen holds weekly events such as Saturday Brunch and Mexican Mondays. You shouldn’t struggle to find a table for breakfast or lunch, but you might want to book a dinner spot in advance.

Hickory Cabin Restaurant is a small, family-owned lunch diner that’s a little off the radar for visitors but adored by the locals. It specialises in Southern barbequed delights such as slow-smoked pulled pork sandwiches, ribs, steaks and chicken wings, and its signature BBQ sauces have won numerous awards. Its dessert menu is just as mouthwatering, but the locals often recommend the banana pudding.

On most days, Hickory Cabin Restaurant is only open from 11 am to 3 pm. Seating space can be limited, but a takeaway service is available. We recommend booking in advance if you want to dine in during the evening on Thursday, Friday or Saturday.

Smoky’s Pancake Cabin is a breakfast and lunch diner that serves morning delights such as omelettes, fresh sandwiches and a variety of homemade pancakes that have earned a loyal following. It’s famous with the locals for its signature Pineapple Upside Down Pancakes, though grilled cheese sandwiches with hash browns and bacon always go down a treat.

Smoky’s Pancake Cabin is only open from 8 am to 1 pm daily, making it an ideal place to fuel up before a day of exploring the Smokies. On busy days, it can take up to 30 minutes to get a table, but the unique array of pancakes makes the wait more than worthwhile.

The Smoky Mountain Brewery is a family-friendly restaurant that’s locally adored for its hand-tossed pizzas, delectable chicken wings and American favourites liked steaks, burgers and sandwiches. Its home-brewed beers, which include the Cherokee Red Ale and Tuckaleechee Porter, make perfect meal pairings. On most nights, live entertainment includes live country music acts, making the Smoky Mountain Brewery a great place to dive into Southern culture.

With plenty of HD TVs and late opening hours, the Smoky Mountain Brewery is an ideal spot to enjoy a tasty meal, catch up with the sports or end the night with a few unique beverages. If you’d like a quiet lunch, we recommend getting there before 4 pm.