Reagan’s House of Pancakes

Why go: A family run breakfast house since 1986 where a country style buffet covers everything from pancakes to fried bologna, and the printed menu is deep enough that nobody at the table has to settle for it.

About Reagan’s House of Pancakes

Reagan’s House of Pancakes opened in November 1986 and has stayed in the family since, growing to two Pigeon Forge restaurants on the Parkway. The format has not drifted: a large country style breakfast buffet running alongside a full printed menu, served in a room built to turn over quickly without rushing anyone out.

The buffet is the reason most people come. It carries warm pancakes, scrambled eggs, biscuits and gravy, bacon, sausage, hash browns, fried bologna, French toast, grits, and cinnamon rolls, plus a fresh fruit bar and a spread of pancake toppings, syrup, and jam, all included. Children pay a reduced rate and children three and under eat free alongside a paying adult, which is why tour groups and large families keep the parking lot busy.

If a buffet is not what you want, the menu covers breakfast thoroughly: nine omelets, egg and meat plates from grilled sugar ham to country fried steak, and close to twenty pancake, waffle, and French toast variations. A limited lunch menu of sandwiches and plates opens at 11:00 AM, and the breakfast menu stays available right through to close.

Getting to Reagan’s House of Pancakes

This location sits directly on the Parkway at 3516, just past Ogle Drive and near traffic light number eight at Dollywood Lane, which makes it a natural stop on the way to Dollywood rather than a detour. The sister restaurant is further north on the Parkway at 2820, on the corner of Sharon Drive near the LeConte Center, and it is worth knowing about: when one location is backed up on a peak weekend morning, the other is often the faster seat.

Why Choose Reagan’s House of Pancakes

The pitch is straightforward, which is part of the appeal on a morning when a family is trying to get out the door and into the mountains.

• Buffet and menu together. One table can split between all you can eat and a plated order, so the big eater and the light eater are both served.
• Locally owned since 1986. Nearly four decades under the same family, in a town where restaurants turn over constantly.
• Clear gluten free guidance. The restaurant states which dishes work and which do not: egg and meat dishes and the fruit bar are safe, while pancakes, waffles, French toast, and bread are not.
• Groups are genuinely accommodated. Tables can be reserved in advance for large parties, which very few breakfast rooms in Pigeon Forge will do.
• Breakfast served open to close. Nothing on the breakfast side is cut off at a certain hour, so a late riser still gets pancakes.

Menu Favorites

Beyond the buffet line, the menu has a handful of dishes people plan return trips around.

• Caramel Nut Pancakes. The house standard and the one most often ordered, served with whipped butter and hot homemade syrup.
• Sweet Roll French Toast. Cinnamon roll dough taken through the French toast treatment, which is as rich as it sounds.
• Fruit Roll Ups. Seasonal berries and cream cheese rolled between pancakes, in blackberry, strawberry, raspberry, or blueberry.
• Center Sliced Tennessee Country Ham. Served with red-eye gravy, two eggs, and three pancakes, and about as regional as the menu gets.
• Meat Lovers Omelet. A three egg omelet with your choice of pancakes, toast, or biscuits on the side.
• Chix and Waffles. The one dish that reads more lunch than breakfast, and it is available from open.

What to Expect

The restaurant runs on a short morning schedule and a high volume, and a few details are worth knowing before you plan around it.

• Doors close at midday. Service ends in the early afternoon every day, so this is a breakfast plan, not a brunch you can drift into at one o’clock.
• Lunch opens at 11:00 AM. Sandwiches and lunch plates are unavailable before then, and the window for them is short.
• Reserve large groups through the website. The group form asks for party size and arrival time. If you are within 48 hours of arriving, call the restaurant directly instead.
• There is no private room. Groups are seated in the main dining room at either location, and holidays or event weekends may run at capacity regardless of notice.
• Weekend mornings draw a crowd. The buffet keeps the line moving faster than a menu only room would, but arriving early still saves the wait.
• Open on holidays. The restaurant serves every day of the year, which makes it a reliable option on a morning when much of the Parkway is shut.

Nearby in Pigeon Forge

• The Old Mill Restaurant. Southern plates beside the historic mill, a short drive north and a landmark in its own right.
• Old Forge Distillery. Small batch spirits and tastings in the same mill district, for later in the day.
• The Old Mill Creamery. Ice cream by the scoop, and the obvious follow up to a walk around the mill grounds.
• Boss Hogg’s BBQ Shack. Casual barbecue on Wears Valley Road, an easy change of pace.
• J.T. Hannah’s Kitchen. An American menu north on the Parkway for a sit down dinner after a mountain day.

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.