Are you coming or going from the Smoky Mountains and interested in sampling some truly southern food. One of people’s favorite pastimes is eating brunch. It may be a mix up of breakfast and lunch entr©e or a breakfast entr©e served at lunch. Either way you make it, it’s going to be delicious because no one cooks as sinfully as the south! Here are some of our favorites thus far.
1. Golden Girl’s Restaurant in Clinton
This brunch spot specializes in southern home cooking with a diner setup and friendly service. The peanut butter pie is a favorite here.
2.Sky Blue in Nashville
Nashville is the famous city so it’s no surprise its favorite restaurants are highlighted on prominent media; like Sky Blue’s feature in the show Nashville. People come here on some days and wait literally an hour just for an order of omelets and pancake wrapped French toast”it’s just that good!
3.Marche Artisan Foods in East Nashville
In East Nashville, Marche Artisan Foods is earning mainstream attention, having been awarded the Best Brunch in Nashville last year. Its favorite dishes include croissant French toast, frittata steak, and a fruit tartine.
4.Germantown Caf©
The Germantown Caf© has an uptown menu as well as a gorgeous skyline view. Its traditional southern style is served with flair, with favorite dishes like fried green tomatoes sandwich, crab cake sandwich, Germantown burger and pasta of the day.
5.Rankin Restaurant in Knoxville
Yes, there are brunch restaurants outside of Nashville, though Knoxville might well be the second most mainstream city for brunch meals. Rankin is a modest looking establishment from the outside but inside they have the breast breakfast in town, or so many customers claim. Favorite dishes include grits, pork tenderloin, and biscuits and gravy.
6.Knox Mason in Knoxville
Another Knoxville diner, but this one focusing on local ingredients and unique twists on old favorites. They also serve beermosas and Mason Bloody Mary.
7.Cosmo’s Caf© at Knoxville
This Knoxville brunch restaurant is in the heart of the Bearden area and offers breakfast, lunch and in-between. Favorites include Hammerhead coffee, espresso, buttermilk biscuits and their Toad in the Hole plate, which is eggs, sausage and grilled sourdough bread.
8.Alchemy in Memphis
Memphis is another big city and in the Cooper-Young area, they’re making brunch into something sleek and nightlife-worthy. The restaurant has two storefronts as well as a square bar, bar tables, couches and a nice atmosphere. It almost feels like a cocktail bar with the handcrafted drinks, except that they serve brunch and a unique offering of tapas.
9.Mountain Lodge Restaurant
You’ve got to love a name like Mountain Lodge, and since it is in the heart of the Smoky Mountains in Gatlinburg, it’s an ideal location for brunch”or breakfast or lunch. No dinners here, so expect country style favorites like chicken fried steak, homemade cinnamon rolls and chocolate chip pancakes.
A spokesperson for Mountain Air Cabin Rentals, who handle cabins in the Smoky Mountains area and Gatlinburg, says that with all the mountaineering, hiking and tourist activity, plenty of tourists only eat brunch in the first place. They’re too busy, too active to plan for a big dinner. They want to see the sites most of the day and then relax in the evening. Brunch is nice, especially when you can enjoy a few cocktails with your meal.
