Top 8 Restaurants for Your Girls’ Trip in the Smokies

A girls' trip to the Smokies covers a lot of ground in a few days — which means the restaurants need to be worth the stop on their own, not just convenient. These eight deliver the right combination of atmosphere, food, and experience for a group dinner that becomes a trip highlight.

Special Occasion Dining

The Greenbrier Restaurant — Gatlinburg. The Greenbrier sits in a historic log-cabin-style building set in the Gatlinburg forest off Newman Road — away from the Parkway, which is half the point. The setting alone separates it from every other restaurant in the area: woodland views through the dining room windows, a quieter atmosphere, and the specific feeling of a destination dinner rather than a Parkway stop. The kitchen focuses on hand-cut prime steaks with an in-house dry-aging program, fresh seafood, and house specialties paired with signature craft cocktails. The spirits and wine selection is extensive. For a girls' trip where one evening is designated the special-occasion dinner, The Greenbrier is the answer. Closed Mondays; open Tuesday through Sunday starting at 4:30 p.m. Reservations strongly recommended — check greenbrierrestaurant.com.

The Peddler Steakhouse — Gatlinburg. The Peddler has been the Smokies' special-occasion steakhouse since 1976, positioned on the banks of the Little Pigeon River with views of the water from the dining room. The extensive salad bar — hot and cold dishes, soups, breads — functions as a first course that stands alone. The steaks, fish, shrimp, and chicken entrées cover the range of the group, and desserts like the hot blackberry cobbler and Kahlua crème brûlée are the specific finishing touches that make a meal feel like an occasion. Reservations recommended; check peddlergatlinburg.com.

Unique Dining Experiences

Gaucho Urbano — Pigeon Forge. Gaucho Urbano is a Brazilian churrascaria — a format that is specifically good for a group that wants a dinner experience that's active and social rather than a sequence of individual plates. Servers circulate with skewers of grilled beef, lamb, chicken, sausages, and pork; you signal when you want more, and they come back. Hot and cold bars with sides, cheeses, and made-from-scratch salads supplement the meat service. The format produces a table that shares, lingers, and orders more — the right atmosphere for a girls' trip dinner. Book ahead; it fills on weekends. Check gauchourbano.com for current hours and reservations.

Ole Red — Gatlinburg. Ole Red at 511 Parkway in Gatlinburg is Blake Shelton's country music venue and restaurant — a multi-level space with live entertainment, a full Southern food menu, and a rooftop bar overlooking the Parkway. The format works specifically well for a girls' group that wants dinner and a show in the same building without coordinating a separate ticket: the live music runs alongside the meal, the bar program is substantial, and the energy of the room is higher than a standard restaurant. The Southern comfort food menu — smoked meats, Nashville hot chicken, loaded sides — suits a table that wants to share and sample rather than order individually. Check olered.com/gatlinburg for current entertainment schedule and hours.

Southern Cooking

Paula Deen's Family Kitchen — Pigeon Forge. Paula Deen's at 131 The Island Drive serves family-style Southern cooking with unlimited portions — dishes arrive at the table and are replenished as needed, which is the format that works best for a group that wants to try everything rather than commit to one entrée. Fried chicken, meatloaf, chicken pot pie, hot sides, fresh biscuits, and desserts like butter cake and banana pudding come around continuously. The all-you-can-eat structure removes the mental math of individual ordering and creates the kind of relaxed, indulgent meal that a girls' trip dinner should be. Check pauladeensfamilykitchen.com for current hours and reservation availability.

Local Goat — Pigeon Forge. Local Goat at 2167 Parkway is the most versatile restaurant in Pigeon Forge — a from-scratch New American kitchen with rotating craft beers on tap, sports on TV, and a menu that covers enough ground for a group with different tastes. Starters like the deep fried deviled eggs and stuffed piquillo peppers are designed for sharing. The burger lineup (Jackson Hole Bison Burger, Hot Honey Fried Chicken Sandwich, The Elvis with peanut butter and fried banana) gives the table something to talk about. Entrees cover pasta, ribs, steak salad, and seafood. The white chocolate bread pudding closes the meal. Reservations recommended for weekend dinners; check local-goat.com.

Celtic Pubs

Boudicca's Celtic Pub — Gatlinburg. Boudicca's at 634 Parkway inside The Village Shops is the Celtic pub that actually functions as a pub — cozy bar atmosphere, Irish beers and Scottish ales on tap, and a proper food menu rather than just bar snacks. Fish and chips, bangers and mash, the Banger Burger (topped with sliced sausage, mashed potatoes, and grilled onions), Angus beef burgers, and the Scottish Street Melt are the menu anchors. The Village courtyard setting gives it a quieter atmosphere than the main Parkway — a specific advantage for a group that wants to hear each other talk over dinner. Winner of Gatlinburg's Gatlinburger Week competition. Check boudiccascelticpub.com for current hours.

The Rampant Lion — Gatlinburg. The Rampant Lion expands the Celtic pub format into a broader whiskey and beer destination — 100 beers, 80 wines, and 180 whiskeys give the drinks list the depth that makes it worth lingering over rather than a quick stop. The food menu covers shepherd's pie, lamb, Scotch eggs, and Celtic classics, with desserts like sticky toffee pudding that are hard to find elsewhere in the Smokies. For a girls' trip group that includes whiskey enthusiasts, the menu functions as both dinner and an education — staff can walk through the list and help narrow down the selection. Check rampantlionpub.com for current hours.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do these restaurants require reservations?

The Greenbrier and The Peddler strongly recommend reservations and fill on weekends — book as far ahead as possible for a girls' trip dinner. Gaucho Urbano fills quickly and walk-ins are chancy on peak nights. Paula Deen's and Local Goat can be booked online. Boudicca's and The Rampant Lion are generally walk-in friendly but busier on weekend evenings.

What's the best area to stay for access to all these restaurants?

A Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg cabin puts you within 15–20 minutes of every restaurant on this list. The Gatlinburg Trolley (free, all routes) connects the downtown Gatlinburg restaurants without requiring a designated driver for the pub evenings.