The Best Pancakes in the Smoky Mountains

Why are pancakes a big deal here? The delicious flavor is surely one reason, but history is another. Gatlinburg is home to the first pancake restaurant in the state, Pancake Pantry, which flipped its first flapjack in 1960. When hungry diners turned up in droves, more pancake houses popped up. Here are four of the best.

1. Pancake Pantry

Twenty-four varieties of pancakes and crepes give you so many options, you’ll come back to indulge in new flavors. Try golden sweet potato pancakes. Cornmeal pancakes and buckwheat cakes are Southern favorites. The Pancake Pantry’s orange-walnut pancakes meld citrusy zing with a nutty crunch. Pancakes’ fancy cousins, crepes, come in a rainbow of fruit flavors. Order omelets, waffles, and more at this legendary breakfast destination!

2. Sawyer’s Farmhouse Restaurant

Put that napkin on your lap. You’re going to need it after you sample the mouth-watering, homemade syrups here. Sawyer’s Farmhouse Restaurant prides itself on the freshest ingredients. For pancakes, that means freshly milled flour, real butter, and those syrups including blueberry, peanut butter, and cinnamon creme. Try pancakes with melty M&Ms inside. Strawberry banana pancakes pack extra flavor with creamy bananas in the pancakes and are nestled on top with fluffy cream. Sawyer’s crafts crepes bursting with sweet cream cheese and fruits. Hungry for a less sweet breakfast? Savor omelets made from free-range eggs.

3. Crockett’s Breakfast Camp

More than a century ago, frontiersman “Crockett” Maples and his wife served breakfast to travelers who stopped at their general store. Crockett’s Breakfast Camp keeps that tradition alive. Start with thick pancakes and add toppings like chocolate chips, compotes, or berries. Cinnamon roll swirl pancakes sport a luscious glaze. Buckwheat pancakes use a granola batter with pecans and strawberries on top. Crockett’s serves eggs, omelets, loaded biscuits, French toast, and waffles. Devour the special–cinnamon rolls battered and pan-fried!

4. Flapjack’s Pancake Cabin

With five locations across Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and Sevierville, Flapjack’s Pancake Cabin is always close by to satisfy your cravings with a hot stack right off the griddle. Alongside favorites like blueberry or pecan pancakes, Flapjack’s features cinnamon multigrain pancakes, sticky bun pancakes with cream cheese icing, and pancakes crowned with peanut butter cups. Buttermilk pancakes come with all the signature Skillets–sizzling meals like corned beef hash and eggs or hash browns with biscuits and gravy.

When you stay at a Smokies cabin rental you’re never far from pancakes. Reserve your vacation cabin today. Come hungry!