Eva M Jackson

02/27/2010 03:02 am

I was very impressed with our service, the restaurant staff was very courteous as well as very friendly. My guests and I will definitely recommend this resturant to all of our friends and family.

Michael Hooker

02/22/2010 03:02 pm

My fiance and I recently went to the Peddler for dinner and it was great. The atmosphere was great, and the service and the food were outstanding. I had a custom cut 14 oz. Ribeye, and it was incredible. The steak was very juicy and seasoned very well. Not too much to take away the taste of the meat. My fiance had the blackened chicken and enjoyed it very much. Beautiful view of the river. I HIGHLY recommend calling ahead of time to get on the list. It took us 20 mins to get seated, and took others who had not called ahead almost 2 hours. Also make sure to say you'd like a river seat (if just two of you). I would recommend to everyone.

Kevin Howe

02/15/2010 11:02 pm

My wife and recently I visited The Peddler while celebrating our 15th wedding anniversary. The salad bar was fresh, with anything and everything you could want. I had the ribeye which was cooked to perfection, while my wife had steak and shrimp--she loved it. We didn't have room for desert. Can't wait to go back again the next time we visit the mountains.

amber vickery

02/11/2010 11:02 am

We travel to Gatlinburg about every month and every time we go we love to come here. It is in fact the best place we have ever eaten at!!!!!

Margaret Mahone

02/10/2010 01:02 pm

This past September was our first time dining at The Peddler and needless to say it was the best dining experience we have had in a long time. The wait staff was very attentive and the food was not only the best but came in very large portions (great value for the money). We have a toddler and this restuarant was child friendly. We are planning a trip back to Gatlinburg in February and already know we will eating again here.

rachel hopkins

02/06/2010 03:02 pm

It was great! The service was good. It was worth the little wait we had.

kathy wallace

02/05/2010 10:02 am

This is the #1 steakhouse in Tennessee. My husband and I love to come here for our special occasions and any other time we get to come. There is always a wait time but that just proves how good they are. The service is excellent and so is the food! My favorite is the salad bar. My husband has to have a steak with it. I hope The Peddler stays around for a long long time because we really enjoy having this place to come to. Thanks Peddler

Doug Messer

01/27/2010 05:01 pm

The food, service and ambiance far and away exceeded our expectation as always. I truly appreciate your help and support as this was a very important business meeting for Dollywood and one of our corporate sponsors. As professionals, the folks from Kodak where very impressed with one of them saying they now have a "new favorite restaurant" and she will be bringing her family back for the holidays. Again, the evening was outstanding and as we say here at Dollywood; "Create Memories Worth Repeating" the staff and food at the Peddler accomplished that.

Dave Baumgardner

01/16/2010 09:01 pm

This is the best steakhouse in Gatlinburg. Great service.

Mendy and Lamar Parker

01/01/2010 03:01 am

Great place to eat. My husband and I eat here once a year for our anniversary and more if we are in town. If we are in Gatlinburg, we are stopping to have dinner.

randi greene

12/28/2009 09:12 pm

Always a great experience and food, and especially love sitting by the river!

Barbara Snow

12/27/2009 01:12 am

My family has been eating at The Peddler for 20+ years. It is our favorite place to eat in Gatlinburg. The steaks are always delicious and the service is very good. The salad bar is outstanding!!!

Mark Wesson

12/22/2009 02:12 pm

It just doesn't get any better than this. My dad brought us here when I was young. Now my wife and I come to the Peddler every time we come to the mountains. Our trip just wouldn't be the same without it. The steaks are great, the salad bar is second to none, and the atmosphere is absolutly perfect. If you haven't eaten at the Peddler, you missed a true mountain treat.

Gene Clement

11/07/2009 04:11 pm

The best steak house restaurant I have ever eaten in. The food, service, and staff are second to none. I have eaten in some of the finest restaurants. This place is the best!

Philip Chitwood

10/20/2009 09:10 pm

You won't find a better to place to dine. The food and service are excellent.

SevierCountyNews.com

09/28/2009 07:09 pm

Tourists who come to Sevier County a few times a year are often surprised that the place they wanted go to “next time” has ceased to be by next time. Signs, facades, and entire buildings change in what seems to be the blink of an eye. If a business is not successful right away, there is little nostalgia for it in the business community. Consequently, if a business remains successful, and little has changed for decades, there must be a reason. The Peddler Restaurant in Gatlinburg is one such place. The continually overflowing parking lot and chatting groups of patrons waiting in the hot afternoon Sun is one’s first clue that this is no ordinary restaurant. The Peddler only opens for dinner and does not take reservations, so people who want to eat there have to be willing to wait their turn. Entering through the front doors through the beveled and stained glass window of dogwood blooms immediately invites one into a dark paneled air of elegance and expectancy. There are several dining rooms in the Peddler, some intimate and others large and festive. Most overlook the gently gurgling Little Pigeon River as it emerges 300 yards out of the National Park. The “leaving one restaurant, going into another” feeling one has when being led to a table is the result of the cobbled-together style of the original building. The restaurant began as a residence owned by C. Earl Ogle, one of the first European-Americans to come into the area. The original cabin was not adequate for his family, so the pieces of 4 other homes were added. Rather than destroy the history of the original structure and vintage woodwork, the same “add on as needed” thinking was used when the residence was turned into a restaurant in 1977. The original owner’s passions were also incorporated. Mr. Ogle was a collector of millstones, and many were still on the property when renovations began, so one will find millstones in the front dining room set into the chimney and two smaller ones in the front Peddler sign. In fact, the Peddler has lots of nice artistic touches that connect it to its location. Decorated like a rustic lodge, the rooms are punctuated with touches of rock and stained glass all around including a lovely stained glass brook trout over the salad bar, and another in the bar area. The touches of art are so in keeping with the rooms that there is no hint of “fancyness” in them. One feels the he or she might have chosen the same thing to hang there. But of course a restaurant cannot only be known for atmosphere. For people to come back, service and food are just as important. These are two areas where the Peddler is outstanding. Known for steaks and proudly calling itself a steak house, one would expect that is not a good choice for vegetarian fare. One would be right. There are no pasta dishes or tofu on the menu. This is carnivore heaven and the meat rules. It is true that the Peddler has one of the most extensive salad bars in the area, and that there are a few chicken and fish choices so everyone should be able to find something. But if one eats steak, one should not pass up the chance to have it here. And if one is trying give up meat from one’s diet- abandon all hope here. The aroma and sight of perfectly cooked steaks will eventually be too much. The “steak peddler” brings the beef trolley by so one may choose his or her own cut and he has time to explain the cuts and what to look for. Unlike many chains, the Peddler’s meat is properly aged and cooked over hickory charcoal precisely as ordered. The quality is superb. Service is also quite good and unlike other chains, servers know what they are talking about. Teddy Smith, who grew in Gatlinburg came back to help manage the Peddler in 1990 and has been there ever since. “Everyone is like family,” he says. “All of the staff have been here at least 3 years and most of them over 10 years. In the lobby we have photos of everyone who works here.” Longevity shows. There is no hesitation when one asks the server about ingredients or special orders- they already know the answer. The owners, Pat and Geoffrey Wolpert also have the Park Grill Restaurant in Gatlinburg. When the Peddler was purchased by them it was one a small chain of Peddlers in Knoxville, Nashville, Bristol and Boone, but they decided to concentrate their efforts on making this Peddler an exclusive. In this, they have made a great success. The Peddler is synonymous with Gatlinburg and fine dining. The only negatives to report are minor and in part a result of the Peddler’s success. The cozy nature and architectural disunity of the building makes it a little noisy which takes away from the fine dining experience, and the small lobby means that many people wait in the parking lot to get in. Prices at the Peddler are higher than other steak houses but a bargain for those who appreciate “the good stuff.” Without a doubt, the Peddler has earned its reputation as “the place one brings guests from out of town.” And one need not worry about “next time” because if it keeps doing what it is doing, the Peddler will be here for a very long time to come. Appetizers ranger from $8-$12.00 and entrees from $19-$39.00, desserts are $6-$9 and very special. “Kristi’s Chocolate Cake” (named after the chef) is so large it could serve four people and could be ordered “instead of” dinner. There is also a nice selection of dessert coffees on the menu. The Peddler has a short but adequate wine list and serves mixed drinks. They will not take reservations but one can call ahead for wait times and to be added to a waiting list. They stop seating at 10 p.m.