Pancake Pantry

The Pancake Pantry is a Gatlinburg institution. Tennessee's first pancake specialty restaurant opened in 1960 and has been drawing lines down the Parkway every morning since — 65 years of the same commitment to from-scratch batters, house-made syrups and compotes, and a breakfast menu with 24 varieties of pancakes alone. Tucked into The Village at 628 Parkway, the Pancake Pantry is the kind of place that defines a vacation morning in the Smokies. If you haven't been, it's on the list. If you have, you already know.

What to Expect

The Pancake Pantry is a breakfast-and-lunch spot, open daily from 7 AM to 3 PM. Lines form early on weekends and during peak season — arriving before 8 AM or after 10:30 AM tends to mean a shorter wait. The dining room fills quickly, but the wait moves steadily and the food is worth it.

Everything is made in-house: batters are prepared fresh daily, syrups and fruit compotes are made in the kitchen, and the menu changes seasonally with rotating specials every two weeks. Takeout is available by phone — a practical option for cabin mornings when the wait feels long.

The Breakfast Menu

Served all day.

Pancakes, Crepes & French Toast

With 24 varieties, the pancake and crepe menu is the main event. A few highlights:

Wild Blueberry Pancakes — Sprinkled with powdered sugar, served with blueberry compote $12.95
Sweet Potato Pancakes — Cinnamon, golden wheat, and sweet potato with whipped butter and cinnamon cream syrup $11.95
Caribbean Pancakes — Sliced bananas, chopped nuts, and coconut with powdered sugar $13.25
Pecan Pancakes — Chock full of pecans with powdered sugar and pecan syrup $13.35
Swiss Chocolate Chip Pancakes — Buttermilk pancakes with chocolate morsels and powdered sugar $12.95
Orange-Walnut Pancakes — Black walnuts with fresh orange syrup and powdered sugar $13.25
Sugar 'N Spice Pancakes — Cinnamon and sweet spices, served with applesauce and cinnamon cream syrup $11.80
Smoky Mountain Buckwheat Cakes — A favorite mountain recipe with syrup and whipped butter $10.95
Old Fashioned Buttermilk Pancakes — Extra light and tender $9.30
Whole Wheat Pancakes — Ground by a local mill $9.30
Corn Meal Pancakes — Southern classic with syrup and whipped butter $9.30
Silver Dollar Pancakes — 8 for $7.25 or 15 for $9.30
Gluten Free Pancakes — House recipe with whipped butter and house syrup $11.60
Pigs in a Blanket — Link sausage nestled in buttermilk pancakes $12.80

Crepes (all rolled to order):

Parisienne Crepes — Whole strawberries in compote, powdered sugar, whipped cream $13.25
Peach Delight Crepes — Ricotta, cream cheese, and peaches, topped with peach compote and whipped cream $15.50
Swedish Crepes — Rich egg batter crepes with imported Swedish lingonberries, lingonberry butter, and lemon $12.95
Austrian Apple-Walnut Crepes — Apple cider compote with black walnuts, apples, and sweet spices $13.25
Red Raspberry Crepes — Red raspberry compote inside and out $14.50
Cherry Supreme Crepes — Juicy cherries with cherry compote $14.50
Georgia Peach Crepes — Peaches in compote with whipped cream $13.25
Marvelous Blintz — Pecans and raisins in ricotta-cream cheese filling, topped with orange blueberry syrup $13.50
Banana Pineapple Triumph Crepes — Fresh bananas with pineapple syrup, pecans, and whipped cream $12.95
Apricot-Lemon Crepes — Diced apricots, pecans, and fresh lemon $13.25
French Toast Continental Style — Cinnamon, powdered sugar, and cinnamon cream syrup $12.95

Waffles (all served with whipped butter and syrup)

Plain $8.95 | Chocolate Chip $11.50 | Blueberry $11.95 | Pecan $12.35 | Ham $12.55 | Bacon $12.55 | Strawberry $12.75 | Cherry $12.95

Eggs & Omelettes (all served with 3 buttermilk pancakes)

Morning Star — Hash browns topped with melted cheese and two fried eggs, covered with diced grilled onions, pimentos, mushrooms, ham, and green peppers $15.50
Southwestern Omelette — Pepper jack cheese, andouille sausage, salsa, corn salsa, sour cream $15.50
Western Omelette — Green peppers, onions, mushrooms, pimento, ham, cheese $14.95
Ham, Cheese & Hash Brown Omelette — $15.75
Ham & Eggs — Thick slice of ham with 2 country fresh eggs $14.50
Bacon & 2 Country Fresh Eggs — $13.45
Sausage & 2 Country Fresh Eggs — Country-style pork or turkey sausage $13.30
2 Country Fresh Eggs (any style) — $10.90
Egg white substitution available on any omelette for $2 extra

Rotating Specials (changed every two weeks)
The Pancake Pantry runs bi-weekly rotating specials that aren't on the regular menu. Current specials through August 23: Caramel Apple Delight — three crepes with caramel ricotta filling, covered with a brown sugar apple compote, crushed peanuts, and whipped cream $13.85. Check pancakepantry.com for the current special before visiting.

Kids Menu (12 and under)

Bears in the Snow — two bear-shaped buttermilk pancakes with M&M faces $6.10
Zippidy Doo Da — two pancakes with banana and strawberry compote $6.35
M&M Pancakes — $6.35 | Chocolate Chip Pancakes — $6.10 | Silver Dollars — $7.25
Children's Special — four mini pancakes, one egg, bacon $6.95
Served after 11:30 AM: Plain Hamburger & Fries $7.90 | Grilled Cheese $6.10

Lunch Menu

The lunch menu is available after 11:30 AM and runs until closing at 3 PM. Visit pancakepantry.com/lunch for the current lunch offerings.

Hours, Location & Practical Info

Address: 628 Parkway, Gatlinburg, TN 37738 (inside The Village)
Phone (Takeout): (865) 436-4724
Hours: Open daily, 7:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Closed: Thanksgiving and Christmas

Payment: Credit cards, Apple Pay, and Google Pay accepted.

Takeout: Available by phone at (865) 436-4724 — a great option for bringing breakfast back to the cabin.

Wait times: Lines are common on weekend mornings and during peak season. Arriving before 8 AM or after 10:30 AM typically means a shorter wait.

Nearby Attractions

The Pancake Pantry is located inside The Village — a charming European-style shopping courtyard just off the main Parkway strip:

The Village Shops — Artisan galleries, specialty shops, and local retailers just steps from the restaurant
Anakeesta — Mountaintop gondola and adventure park, a short walk from The Village entrance on the Parkway
Ole Smoky Moonshine (The Holler) — 903 Parkway; a natural afternoon stop after a morning at the Pantry
Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies — One of the Southeast's top family attractions, a short walk down the Parkway
Great Smoky Mountains National Park — The park entrance is minutes from downtown; a post-breakfast hike to Alum Cave or Laurel Falls is a natural pairing