I Waited Over An Hour To Eat At This Pigeon Forge Restaurant And I'd Do It Again

The first time my son and I drove through Pigeon Forge, our mouths were agape. Look at that roller coaster! That building is upside down! Is that…The Titanic?? The town's main drag, Great Smoky Mountain Parkway, is lined with so many over-the-top attractions on either side that it’s hard to keep your eyes on the road.

While there are activities everywhere you turn, finding places to eat is a little harder, especially if you’re looking for non-chain restaurants. Pigeon Forge is big on pancake houses, burger spots, and dinner theaters. But good, old-fashioned home cooking is not as easy to come by.

Which is how we found ourselves waiting for over an hour for a table at The Old Mill. At home in Birmingham, I would laugh if someone asked me to wait that long at a restaurant. It was late, and we were tired and hungry, but The Old Mill’s thousands of positive Yelp reviews convinced me it would be worth it. And I’m very glad we did.

About The Old Mill

The Old Mill’s name is both accurate—the restaurant was built in 1993 near a still-functional gristmill dating back to 1830—and not. More than a single eatery, there is actually an entire complex called Old Mill Square that is home to multiple restaurants, a creamery, distillery, general store, pottery studio, and several other shops.

It’s a lively place, with free tastings at the distillery, pottery making demonstrations, and live music when the weather’s nice. Although all of these activities make the crowds larger, they also serve as fun distractions to fill the time when you are inevitably waiting for your table to be ready. (Knowing that people wander the property while waiting, the host or hostess will call your name over a loudspeaker.) Although The Old Mill is a huge restaurant, it doesn’t take reservations and is a popular place year-round.

What’s On The Menu

Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, The Old Mill specializes in Southern-style comfort food, like chicken and dumplings, baked “city” ham, and country-fried steak (there’s a whole “Southern fried” section of the menu). But what sets this place apart from similar restaurants is that each dinner entree comes with a cup of corn chowder, corn fritters, a side salad, mashed potatoes, green beans, and a dessert. In this day and age, free bread is practically unheard of, let alone a list of side dishes. When this bounty of food arrived, my mouth was once again hanging open. Everything was fresh, seasoned well, and thoroughly satisfying.

For such a busy place—watching the waitstaff hoist and maneuver massive trays of food throughout the dining rooms is mesmerizing—the attention to quality at The Old Mill is impressive. I never thought I’d say this, but it’s worth the (very long) wait.

Read the original article on Southern Living