Gatlinburg recs please

Asheville

Locco Burro.

I'm going to make a trip up there this fall and I've already come to terms that there will be very little good food on this trip. LOL

Go drink moonshine.... don't go to Gatlinburg with high hopes for good food.

Best Italian Cafe and Pizzeria and Bean Trees Cafe in Hartford, TN (maybe a 20-25 min ride from Gatlinburg). Those are the 2 I remember and both were legit.

Best place I've found is the restaurant at Buckberry Lodge, it's about 10 minutes up mountain from downtown but worth checking out particularly if you can get there in early evening for sunset with a mountain view. The food is very good. Recommend a reservation.

The best place I've not yet been is Blackberry Farms. It's supposed to be a super nice place with one of dining reservations is a upscale converted barn. I've heard that only kids allowed in barn are teens and only for first sitting of evening. They brew their own beer that I've seen around NOLA recently. 1 hour from Gatlinburg.

In town, our favorite is the Smoky Mountain Brewery. Not great, but a beer flight and some pizza beats the other places.

In Pigeon Forge, we are partial to Apple Barn and it's restaurant there.

There's a good barbeque place up in the mountains that name escapes me now. It's a tiny place that sells out quickly, we got last order of ribs before 1pm. I'll update if I remember name.

That's the debate. I love beer, but might can compromise with the wife who wants wine.

Btw, blueberry farm shouldn't even be in this thread. It's on a whole other planet from the east tenn places

This is an all day trip that is worth it. You will come back singing my praises and tell the Asheville fricks to go frick themselves. Don't do it on a Sunday or Monday though.

Two ways to do this.

First way is to take 441 all the way to Sylva and take 23 to Franklin, NC. Plan to be in Franklin for lunch. Go to a gas station in the middle of town called Hot Spot. In this gas station there is a restaurant called Caffe REL. Not going to give away the surprise for this one. It will blow your fricking mind as a foodie. Get dessert too. There is a pretty ok local brew in Franklin too, but Caffe REL always wins when I am near Franklin.

After lunch take 64 to Highlands. This is a beautiful road with waterfalls. Take your time. There are lots of amazing restaurants in Highlands. Wild Thyme is a goodie. It's a long drive back to Gatlinburg, so I recommend a stay in highlands if you can manage it.

The other route is to go to Townsend, take foothills parkway to us129. Us129 to 28 and 28 to Franklin. This is an extremely twisty route that will be full of motorcycles and sports cars though. Part of this route is the road called the dragon. It's extremely popular for driving/riding.

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Blackberry Farm is good, but extremely pricey. It's a celeb hangout, so you pay for that more than the food. The food is pretty frickin amazing though.

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Blackberry Farm is worth every fricking penny. The scenery, food, drinks, spa, staff, and experience is nothing but first-rate. My wife and I have been twice and have loved every trip. It pains me to hear the news of Mr. Beall. I wish his wife and kids nothing but the best.

Dam Guide.... you have it all figured out! I may have to do this. Thanks