Pancake Pantry

Pancake Pantry has been Tennessee's first pancake house for 65 years, and honestly, it shows in the best way possible. We've eaten our way through most of Gatlinburg's breakfast spots, and this place on the Parkway still hits different — probably because they're serving breakfast until 3pm when most places have moved on to dinner prep.

The lines are absolutely brutal between 10am and 2pm, especially during Pancake Week in February when half the town is hopping between breakfast spots with that Visit Gatlinburg app. But here's the thing — if you can drag yourself out of bed and get there right at 7am, you'll walk straight in. The coffee's hot, the pancakes come out fast, and you'll actually enjoy your meal instead of feeling rushed because 20 people are staring at your table.

One thing though — parking is a nightmare on the Parkway. We usually park a block away and walk, which isn't terrible unless it's raining. Call ahead for takeout if you're staying in a cabin and want to skip the whole scene. The number's 865.436.4724 and they take Apple Pay now, which surprised us last time.

Oh and during Pancake Week, you can check in here after ordering to collect stamps for some prize pack. We did it last year mostly for fun, but you have to hit seven places total. Honestly, by the third pancake restaurant we were ready to roll down the mountain.