Ain’t No Smokey Mountain High Enough Gluten Free Review

Prior to recently visiting Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, I had no idea what to expect from their gluten free restaurant scene. Sure, since these are mega-popular tourist destinations there are A TON of restaurants. But, are there delicious celiac-safe restaurants? I had my reservations, and not the good kind. Could these locations, known for their steak and pancake houses and down home country cookin’, have restaurants with satisfying (and safe gluten free) options?

Don’t cast aside your dreams of visiting the Great Smokey Mountains just yet, I found some gluten free gems in those hills. And if not exactly gems—restaurants where I at least had a decent meal, felt safe eating, and did not get glutened.

For the sake of transparency, I decided to call this post a review instead of the best of Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. Unlike my other gluten free travel posts about Hilton Head Island and Disney World, I don’t feel confident that I’ve truly found all of the best of the best gluten free dining options in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg.

With that said, I think of done pretty darn well in finding some good gluten free dining in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. I would gladly recommend and go back to many of the restaurants in this review. And if I wouldn’t call all of these restaurants mind-blowing in the deliciousness of their gluten free offerings, I did feel safe dining as a celiac at each of these.

In order to figure out which restaurants were safe, I knew I had my gluten free research cut out for me as we started planning these trips.  With that said, I feel like this is an excellent opportunity to discuss my research process in finding safe gluten free restaurants while visiting new places. In case any of you are newly gluten free and new to this seemingly daunting task, I hope the below research methods help you find delicious and safe gluten free dining on your next vacation.

Gluten Free Travel Research Methods for Safe Eating

1. FindMeGlutenFree Initial Search – Doing a FindMeGlutenFree search of the location is a great place to start. You’ll learn how many options there are in the area and get specific ideas of restaurants you’ll want to research further.
2. Utilize the Magic of YouTube – This one may be a little more unique to my family, but we like to watch A LOT of YouTube videos about an upcoming vacation destination in the weeks leading up to a trip. These videos are about a lot of things…attractions, resorts, people walking aimlessly through town, and FOOD! There are A LOT of travel videos out there about restaurants. Though hardly any have a focus on dining gluten free (yet…), you’ll definitely get a good idea of the really cool restaurants in the area and ones you suspect might have gluten free options. Watching these vacation videos has turned into a fun family ritual and is an entertaining way to find more restaurants to file away for further research and learn about the area. 
3. GlutenDude App Search – I’ve heard GlutenDude’s app is a very helpful place to research vetted gluten free restaurant options around the world. I have not tried it yet, but it’s definitely on my list of things to look into.
4. Check Out Facebook – There are a lot of Facebook groups out there for eating gluten free at different locations. I know my local Cincinnati Gluten Free Facebook group is always quick to offer the best of the best GF suggestions to fellow GF folk traveling to the area.   
5. Maintaining a Master List – I start a list of all the restaurants on my running list to research further and add notes to each such as —“kids allowed?” “Their pizza looks divine,” or, one of my favorites “GLUTEN FREE PANCAKES!” I list them on the notes app in my phone for easy reference. That way I can go back to my ideas later and either scratch them off or get super excited about going there. 
6. Go to the Restaurant’s Website – As I do my research for each restaurant, I’ll go to the menu on the restaurant’s website (not the menu on Google!!). I’ll first look for a gluten free menu, and then check for gluten free labels on their main food menu. I’ll also google the restaurant’s name and “gluten free” if I’m still not sure if it’s a safe place to go with decent options.
7. Give ‘em a Call! They’re Just People – Giving the restaurant a call is always the best thing if you are at all nervous about your safety. Have a few specific questions ready, such as: 1) Do you have gluten free menu items? 2) What are they? 3) Can you take any cross contamination precautions? Pay as much attention to the person’s confidence in giving you info as to the actual answers. I’ve found how they answer my questions to be a very good indicator of how well the staff is trained in dietary restrictions.
8. Final Due Diligence that Has Nothing to do with Gluten – Where exactly is this place anyway? What the heck will the kids eat here? Is this in the budget? Will we need reservations? Are they even open for lunch? All of these fun restaurant/travel questions must be dealt with or you’ll definitely be paying for it later. 

I hope these methods help you out when planning your next trip, I know they’ve helped me!

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So, without further ado, let’s talk about gluten free restaurants in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg! Let me know in the comments if you know of a restaurant in Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg that I absolutely have to try!! I’d love to turn this post from a review to a list of the best of the best.

PIGEON FORGE GLUTEN FREE

We stayed at Margaritaville Hotel at “the Island,” when visiting Pigeon Forge.  The Island is a fun spot for kids and kids at heart. The Island, a bustling area sequestered by buildings, roads and creek, is a resort area/little town/shopping center/amusement park all to itself. It’s packed with rides, shops, restaurants, and never-ending fountain shows. My 5 year old was frankly amazed by it all. There were a few cool rides for my thrill-ride loving heart as well.

Of the restaurants discussed below, the Margaritaville restaurant, Mellow Mushroom, and Timberwood Grill are located on the Island, and the others are outside the Island, very close by in Pigeon Forge. 

Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville

If You’re Looking for a Mountain of Gluten Free Nachos or Burger with Gluten Free Bun this is Your Place

Since we stayed at the Margaritaville Hotel and our first meal was at the Margaritaville restaurant, I’ll start my review here. The Pigeon Forge Margaritaville restaurant has one of the coolest outdoor dining areas I can think of. The neon of the bar lights and lights over the Island’s bridge next to the babbling stream and large trees lends to an atmosphere that is both relaxed and fun. There’s live music and a large bar. There is definitely a vibe.

Though Margaritaville doesn’t have a ton of gluten free options, the wait staff are helpful and knowledgeable about the gluten free choices. My Volcano Nachos were the bomb, just absolutely explosive. I am a sucker for some chili nachos. Plus, they have two kinds of cheese, pico de gallo, sour cream, jalapeños, and guacamole, yummmmm.  Besides nachos, Margaritaville has Southwest Chicken Salad, Chicken Caesar Salad, burgers, and a chicken sandwich which can be made gluten free upon request. You can see Margaritaville Pigeon Forge’s menu here.

I’m a sucker for a beautiful cookbook and got this one to enjoy the many flavors of Margaritaville at home. 

A lot of the recipes are naturally gluten free, others you can easily make gluten free substitutions for different ingredients, such as swapping in gluten free all purpose flour, GF breadcrumbs or gluten free/corn tortillas. And I thought this was so cool—the Crab Cakes are naturally gluten free as they are a quinoa and chickpea crab cakes!  

I do earn a small commission for any purchases made from this site. 

Check out the Margaritaville Cookbook here.

Sawyer’s Farmhouse Breakfast

Wow. What a Breakfast. I Should Have Pulled a Hobbit and Had a Second Breakfast 

I challenge you to find a gluten free breakfast better than Sawyer’s Farmhouse in Pigeon Forge. There are near a million breakfast joints in the area, but few with good gluten free options. In my research for a gluten free breakfast place, I read that Sawyer’s has gluten free pancakes…

I was determined to get a pancake entree, but when I saw that the omelette came with THREE pancakes (GF upon request), this seemed like a no-brainer. The waitress also said she had never heard of any complaints of anyone getting glutened on her watch, so this was promising as well. The omelette with pancakes was sooo much food and sooo delicious. It seemed like a ridiculous amount to eat, but I would have eaten every bite if we weren’t in a rush to get on the road to go home. The rest of my party also enjoyed their breakfasts and said it was a good find on my part. Check out the menu here!

Local Goat – New American Restaurant

Best Local and They Make EVERYTHING from Scratch 

After reading that the Local Goat was a scratch kitchen that uses local, sustainable food, as well as a winner of Trip Advisor Traveler’s Choice 2022, I was super excited to try it. I was not disappointed!

As it is one of my favorite things to do, I made a meal out of two appetizers—the Stuffed Piquillo Peppers and Grilled Chicken Wings. The peppers were stuffed with goat cheese and basil with a balsamic drizzle, and I could have eaten about 25 of them. As promised, the Grilled Chicken Wings were JUMBO, and I probably could have eaten the sriracha honey sauce by itself.

I was impressed that even the ketchup was made in house. The fries weren’t gluten free, so that was a bummer. The other adults in my party got delicious looking burgers, and I definitely had burger envy. I’ll probably try a burger next time, fries or no fries. They do have gluten free Stone Ground Cheese Grits and Whipped Sweet Potatoes, which I suppose could be acceptable substitutes for fries if I must.

Gluten free entrees include Baby Back Ribs, Bronzed Ahi Tuna Steak, and Flame-Grilled Salmon (with house butter). In a town full of diners, chains, and dinner shows, Local Goat seems to be rare breed. I think your taste buds and stomach will thank you. Get your goat on here.

Pirates Voyage Dinner & Show

Well, It Was Nice To Be Included

Ahoy, Matey! Let me just get this out of the way right here and say that I didn’t consider Pirates Voyage to be a great meal. It’s odd writing about food that I didn’t particularly enjoy, but thought you should know your options incase you (or your kids) want to do a dinner show.

The best I can say is that this was a just OK meal that seemed very safe, and that didn’t get me sick. A big part of me was thankful just to be able to eat a full meal at a dinner show.  My five year old loves pirates and was very excited about the show, so I’m glad they had something I could eat, so that we could make this show happen for her. 

How they chose to approach gluten free was interesting to say the least. For a roll, they gave me an individually wrapped Udis roll, room temperature, still in the wrapper. For fruit, one of those little fruit cups with the tiny diced pears and peaches. The entree was roasted chicken, which had good flavor at least and a potato. Dessert was an individually wrapped Udis snickerdoodle cookie, which was quite good actually. I had never had one before. The cookie was my favorite part. So you get my drift, nothing to write home about. But, if it makes you feel any better, my father in law said their regular (gluten) meal wasn’t too great either. You are basically paying for the pirate show experience and my daughter loved it. Would we do it again? Probably not, but I’m still glad we did it once. Looking for more info or to buy tickets? Here’s the link.

Mellow Mushroom

Trusted Pizza and Damn Good Local Hard Seltzer You’ve Got To Try

I know Mellow Mushroom is a chain and maybe you have one at home too. But, if you are looking for a safe pizza place in Pigeon Forge, this is probably going to be your best bet. Mellow Mushrooms use separate ingredients, as well as designated areas to prepare gluten free pizzas.

The Mellow Mushroom on the island in Pigeon Forge also has an entertaining outdoor dining area where you can watch people do the ropes course, and maybe even bungee jump off the top of it while you eat. 

Most importantly, I discovered a wonderful new hard seltzer at the outdoor bar there. It’s called Flying Panda and local to Knoxville, TN. How I wish it was available at home! I should have tried other flavors as well, but the Cherry Limeade was just so good that I had that twice. It’s also 11% alcohol, which is just what you need on the Island. Flying Pandas also come in Orange, Pineapple, and Green Apple, and are made from 6x distilled, charcoal filtered vodka, organic 100% blue agave, and real fruit juice. Better yet, sales help vulnerable or endangered animal species. Yaaaay! 

Check out Mellow Mushroom’s GF pizza offerings here.

For more info on Flying Panda or to just see a really cool looking website, click here.

Timberwood Grill

A Safer Choice Than Others on the Island

Timberwood Grill is definitely not the most exciting of gluten free options, but it’s undoubtedly safer than other restaurant’s on the Pigeon Forge island. For example, Paula Dean’s, which had some scary reviews on FindMeGlutenFree. Yes, the gluten free bun at Timberwood was falling apart by the end of the meal, but I had a tasty chicken sandwich and baked potato. I wish I would have taken a picture of their GF menu, as I don’t see it online, but some of their other gluten free offerings include ribs, brisket, and grilled shrimp.

Also, if you have a gluten-eater in the family, my husband loved this place—they must have really good wings (not safe for us GF-eaters though, unfortunately).

It’s also convenient to anywhere on the island and the big bear in the lobby was a fun picture spot for the kids!

Here’s Timberwood’s website.

Pigeon Forge Deli

Woulda Coulda Shoulda 

As I write this, I’m kicking myself all over again for not making time for the Pigeon Forge Deli during our trip. Even though I didn’t go, I want you to be aware of it in case you get the opportunity. I really appreciate a good sandwich and everyone in the reviews on FindMeGlutenFree say that this is the best sandwich they have had in years. The deli also has a dedicated area for preparing gluten free sandwiches and a 5 star rating on FindMeGlutenFree. Ugh, next time I will go for sure!!! If you’ve been there and it was amazing, let me know what kind of sandwich you ate in the comments please!

Pigeon Forge Deli does not seem to have a website, but be in awe of their reviews on FindMeGlutenFree.

GATLINBURG GLUTEN FREE

After staying at the Margaritaville hotel in Pigeon Forge, we just had to see how the Margaritaville resort in Gatlinburg (8 miles away) stacked up. We were not disappointed! Though their restaurant lacks the ambiance of the Pigeon Forge, the Gatlinburg hotel is definitely better with a better pool and large tropical lobby and bar area. It’s also a walkable distance from other restaurants, shops, and attractions along Gatlinburg’s main drag.

Chesapeake’s

Gosh, I Felt Safe Eating Here and Had an Amazing Cocktail

When researching dinner options, I was delighted to see that Chesapeake’s was right by our hotel and had gluten free options labeled on the menu! There’s nothing that jumps out as a real gluten free treat, but there was a decent amount of options and seafood sounded nice and healthy after gorging myself on Margaritaville nachos and the pizza place on the side of the mountain (discussed further below). 

It was a nice restaurant, but not so fancy that we couldn’t take a baby and 5 year old. I got a basil, fruity, Tito’s cocktail while we were waiting for a table and it was just about the best thing ever. For dinner, I had the blackened sea scallops, vegetable of the day (squash with cinnamon butter!), and the cheddar and bacon cheese grits. It was good, and best of all—the manager came over unprompted to discuss how they would prepare my food to prevent cross-contamination. I was impressed by their customer service and how serious they took my need to be gluten free. My husband and father in law split the seafood tower, which can’t really be compared to Hilton Head’s, but I helped them eat that too.

Here’s Chesapeake’s menu.

Ski Mountain Pizza

The Pizza Place on the Side of the Mountain 

If you are planning on going to up Ober Mountain and thinking about skipping the crowded tram, by all means, do it! If you drive up the mountain, you have the excellent opportunity to go to Ski Mountain Pizza! I think this may have been my favorite meal in Gatlinburg.

We drove up Ober Mountain in the morning and stopped at this little joint on the way back down. Little family pizza places are a real favorite of mine. Ski Mountain Pizza has the family pizza vibe going for it, while also being on the side of a mountain—wow, what a cozy atmosphere.

Our experience here started out somewhat nerve wracking, because the restaurant’s opening time was different on Google than it was on their website. As a result, we ended up getting there a whole half hour earlier than anyone else. This led to a fair amount of anxiety…Where were all the people? Was this place actually no good? Where had I brought my family?!

But then the pizza came out, the crowd showed up, and it became evident that I was a genius and excellent finder of GF pizza. The gluten free cauliflower pizza was downright delicious. At one point the waiter even happily brought out the buffalo sauce for the buffalo chicken pizza, so I could check the ingredients for gluten. I definitely recommend this place for delicious gluten free pizza in Gatlinburg. My stomach is growling thinking about it. For your gluten-eating family or friends, my father-in-law and daughter loved their cheese ravioli. I wasn’t even jealous because the gluten free cauliflower pizza was divine. Ski Mountain Pizza  

Till and Harvest Food Hall in Dollywood

Don’t Do What We Did 

A definite low point in our Gatlinburg trip. Going into Dollywood I hadn’t found any must-try gluten free restaurants and we just happened to be by the Till and Harvest Food Hall when everyone got hungry. The Food Hall is right when you walk into the kiddy area (Wildwood Grove) of Dollywood. Other than the staff being knowledgeable and me being comfortable with its safety, I was not very impressed with the food. I honestly don’t even remember what I ate, it was that forgettable, maybe a burger? Anyone know where the really good gluten free eats are in Dollywood?!  Let me know in the comments! I would love to go back and do better next time then update this into something more helpful. 

Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville (Gatlinburg)

Margaritaville…Gatlinburg Addition 

One thing is for sure, the Margaritaville restaurant at the Gatlinburg location definitely doesn’t have the excitement and ambiance of the Pigeon Forge Margaritaville restaurant location. Their gluten free offerings did seem highly similar, though after having nachos at both locations, the Pigeon Forge ones were definitely better. Doesn’t it seem like they’d be the same? I thought so too.

We went here twice, the second time I had the chicken sandwich, which was a fine chicken sandwich. The fries are gluten free, so that was a definite bonus, and the spinach artichoke dip appetizer was gluten free as well. Probably best of all was that they had a gluten free key lime pie!!!

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Where’s your favorite place to eat in Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg? We all loved visiting, so I’m sure we’ll be back sooner rather than later! Let me know in the comments where we should go next time!