Bennett’s Pit Bar-B-Que

Why go: Bennett’s bastes its pork, ribs, chicken, and brisket in the house sauce and then smokes them over hickory for up to fourteen hours, and the sauce comes to the table warm on the side so you decide how much goes on.

About Bennett’s Pit Bar-B-Que

Bennett’s has been locally owned and operated for more than thirty years and is part of the Johnson Family of Restaurants, which also runs the second Bennett’s in Gatlinburg. The kitchen works the same way it always has. Pork ribs, chicken, pulled pork, and beef brisket are basted in Bennett’s own sauce, then set over smoldering hickory so the heat and the sauce work their way through every layer. Brisket is smoked nightly rather than held over, which is why the menu marks it subject to availability.

The dining room is a full sit-down room rather than a counter, with booths, tables, and a covered patio. Meats arrive already sauced but the pitcher of warm sauce on the side is the point, and there is a separate mustard sauce for anyone who grew up on Carolina barbecue.

Getting to Bennett’s Pit Bar-B-Que

Bennett’s sits at 2910 Parkway, right on the main strip through Pigeon Forge, which puts it within a few minutes of most of the city’s attractions, theaters, and hotels. Free parking is available on site at both locations, so you are not circling for a space along the Parkway. Traffic through the middle of town slows considerably on summer and fall evenings, so budget extra time if you are aiming for a particular seating.

Why Choose Bennett’s Pit Bar-B-Que

Plenty of places in Pigeon Forge smoke meat. What separates Bennett’s is the range of things it does alongside the barbecue, and the fact that it is built to handle a table of twelve as easily as a table of two.

• A forty-item soup and salad bar. All you can eat, homemade, and it includes the house smoked chicken salad, which is an unusual thing to find in a barbecue room and a genuine option for anyone at the table who is not eating smoked meat.
• Separate lunch and dinner menus. The lunch menu runs daily from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM, the dinner menu takes over at 3:00 PM until close, and the kids menu is available the whole time.
• Room for a group. The Pigeon Forge location has a group dining area seating roughly eighty people, with group pricing available for parties of twenty or more.
• Built for a cabin. Bulk to-go orders and family-sized feast packs are set up for feeding a rental full of people, and off-site delivery is available on group orders.
• Fully accessible. The restaurant states that both of its locations are fully ADA compliant.

Menu Favorites

The five smoked meats are the backbone of the menu, but the appetizer list is where Bennett’s gets playful, and the starters are worth ordering even if you already know what you want for your main.

• Jumbo Baby Back Ribs. The house specialty, smoked slow and low until the meat gives. Available as a half rack or a full rack on the dinner menu, or as a smaller lunch portion.
• BBQ Pork Shoulder. The sandwich that made the place, slow smoked and pulled, served with the original sauce. Also available as a platter with a garlic biscuit and two sides.
• Burnt Ends. The top of the brisket, smoked, cut up, sauced, and baked. Listed as subject to availability, so ask early in the meal rather than late.
• Deep Fried Deviled Eggs. Six deviled egg halves, hand breaded and fried, served with homemade chow chow. The starter regulars talk about.
• Texan Sampler. A generous portion of all five smoked meats: pulled pork, beef brisket, jalapeno sausage, chicken, and baby back ribs. The order to place when the table cannot agree.
• Honey-BBQ Jalapeno Sausage. Jalapeno smoked sausage dipped in the honey barbecue sauce, slow smoked, sliced, crisped on the grill, then dipped again.
• Spicy Brisket Philly. Slow smoked brisket with sauteed onions, green peppers, mushrooms, jalapenos, and pepper jack on a hoagie roll.

What to Expect

A few practical things are worth knowing before you walk in, particularly around seating, since the restaurant handles waits differently from most of its neighbors on the Parkway.

• No reservations, but there is a waitlist. Bennett’s does not take reservations. It does run an online waitlist you can join before you leave your hotel or cabin, which is the closest thing to booking ahead.
• Peak-season waits are real. Summer and fall evenings fill the room, so the waitlist is worth using rather than arriving cold at 6:00 PM.
• Patio seating. The Pigeon Forge location has an outdoor patio, which is the better seat when the weather cooperates.
• Service animals only. Pets are not permitted in the dining room or on the patio. Service animals are welcome.
• Allergies and dietary restrictions. The restaurant keeps an allergy information sheet and asks guests to email the owner ahead of a visit rather than sorting it out at the table.
• Locals get a discount. Members of the restaurant group’s loyalty program receive a standing discount and a birthday meal, which is worth knowing if you live in the area rather than visiting.

Nearby in Pigeon Forge

• Alamo Steakhouse. Hand-cut steaks and a full bar a few doors up the Parkway, for the night the table wants a knife and fork instead of a rib bone.
• Big Daddy’s Pizzeria. Brick-oven pizza with a build-your-own approach, directly across the strip and an easy pivot when half the group vetoes barbecue.
• Paloma Scratch Kitchen. A scratch kitchen just south on the Parkway with a menu that leans further into seafood and steak than anything smoked.
• J.T. Hannah’s Kitchen. A long-running American menu a short drive north, useful when you want variety rather than a single specialty.
• Buzzed Bull Creamery. Nitrogen-frozen ice cream and spiked milkshakes up the road, a natural stop after a rack of ribs.

Explore More

My Smoky Mountain Guide Pigeon Forge is a great resource for finding places to eat and things to do.

• Pigeon Forge Food & Beverage Guide. Restaurants, dinner shows, breweries, distilleries, and eateries throughout Pigeon Forge, from sit-down meals to grab-and-go stops.
• Pigeon Forge Outdoor Adventure. Mountain coasters, UTV rentals, rafting, helicopter tours, and other ways to experience the Smokies from outdoors.
• Pigeon Forge Attractions. Museums, escape rooms, mini-golf, arcades, and other family-friendly stops across the city.
• Pigeon Forge Entertainment. Dinner shows, live music, comedy, magic, and theater experiences throughout Pigeon Forge.