Bullfish Grill

Why go: Bullfish Grill runs a full seafood menu alongside hand-cut steaks and smash burgers, with jumbo lump blue crab cakes and pistachio-encrusted rainbow trout anchoring the from-the-water half of the list.

About Bullfish Grill

Bullfish Grill is a New American restaurant built around two kitchens’ worth of ambition: a seafood lineup deep enough to carry the menu on its own, and a steak and burger program running right beside it. The restaurant describes its cooking as inspired by the Pigeon Forge community and built on fresh, local ingredients, and the range bears that out. You can order jumbo lump blue crab cakes or a fried seafood platter at one seat and a hand-cut ribeye at the next.

The seafood section is where the kitchen puts its personality. Beyond the expected fish and chips and hand-battered Gulf shrimp, there is pistachio-encrusted rainbow trout finished with Sriracha herb butter, Atlantic salmon under a mustard dill sauce, and a New Orleans shrimp pasta that folds andouille sausage and Cajun cream into penne. The rest of the menu spreads wide across signature chicken dishes, slow-cooked baby back ribs, pot roast, meatloaf, rice bowls, and smash burgers.

The bar matches the kitchen’s range, with handcrafted cocktails, a wine list sorted by body rather than varietal, and a rotating draft lineup that includes several Tennessee breweries. Bullfish also pours a house golden lager brewed for the restaurant in Pigeon Forge, which is the kind of detail that separates a local operation from a chain with a similar menu. Catering is available for events, arranged directly with the restaurant.

Getting to Bullfish Grill

Bullfish Grill sits at 2441 Parkway, in the stretch the restaurant calls the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains Dining District. That puts it in the thick of the Pigeon Forge restaurant corridor, within a short drive of The Island and the Teaster Lane shopping and dining cluster. The restaurant has its own lot, which spares you the walk that the busier Parkway stops often require. Arriving outside the dinner rush is the easiest way to avoid a wait, and a reservation removes the question entirely.

Why Choose Bullfish Grill

Pigeon Forge is not short on places to eat, and a fair number of them serve some version of the same thing. Bullfish earns its spot for a handful of specific reasons rather than general goodwill.

• Seafood that goes past the fryer. Plenty of nearby kitchens stop at fried shrimp and fish and chips. Bullfish serves those, then keeps going into pan-seared crab cakes, encrusted trout, and grilled salmon.
• One table, two very different appetites. A group split between a seafood order and a steak order does not have to negotiate, which is the practical reason mixed parties end up here.
• A house beer you cannot get elsewhere. The golden lager is brewed for the restaurant in Pigeon Forge and pours alongside regional drafts from Tennessee breweries.
• Genuine range on the kids menu. Children get a real choice, including fish and chips, fried shrimp, ribs, and a small sirloin, rather than the usual two or three fallbacks.
• Built for a planned evening. Reservations, online ordering, and event catering are all handled by the restaurant, so it works for a date night and a family gathering alike.

Menu Favorites

The seafood section is the reason to come, though the steaks and the newer additions hold their own. These are the dishes that best represent what the kitchen does.

• Pan-Seared Crab Cakes. House-made jumbo lump blue crab cakes seared golden and finished with a sweet and spicy remoulade. The most ambitious plate on the seafood list and the one worth ordering first.
• Pistachio Encrusted Trout. Fresh rainbow trout in a light pistachio breading, pan seared and topped with Sriracha herb butter. The nut crust and the heat play off the mild fish nicely.
• Grilled Salmon. Atlantic salmon crowned with the kitchen’s signature mustard dill sauce, served with two sides. The straightforward choice when you want fish without a heavy treatment.
• Fried Seafood Platter. Hand-breaded jumbo shrimp and white fish with Southern fried okra, remoulade, and cocktail sauce. The order to make when you want the classic version done properly.
• New Orleans Shrimp Pasta. Spicy Gulf shrimp with andouille sausage, peppers, onions, and mushrooms tossed through penne in a light Cajun cream sauce.
• Spicy Shrimp Rice Bowl. Fried Gulf shrimp in a sweet and spicy Asian sauce over jasmine rice with pineapple salsa, cucumbers, and toasted pita crisps. A lighter, brighter option than the fried platters.
• Hand-Cut Sirloin. A USDA Choice sirloin grilled to order with two sides, for the half of the table that came for beef rather than fish.

What to Expect

The room is casual and geared toward families and groups, and the practical details are worth knowing before you go.

• Reservations are accepted through the restaurant’s website, which is the surest way around a peak-season wait on a weekend evening.
• Lunch and dinner run on separate menus. The lunch list is its own document, so check which one applies before you plan an order around a specific dish.
• Pickup and delivery are both available through the restaurant’s online ordering, handled in-house rather than farmed out to a third-party marketplace.
• Catering is arranged directly. Event catering runs off its own menu and is booked by contacting the restaurant rather than through an online form.
• Gift cards can be bought online and balances checked through the restaurant’s site.
• Kitchen hours end earlier Sunday through Thursday than on Friday and Saturday, so a late arrival midweek leaves less room than a weekend one.

Nearby in Pigeon Forge

• Johnny Carino’s. Pigeon Forge’s full-service Italian kitchen, directly across the way and the closest sit-down alternative to Bullfish.
• Puckett’s Restaurant. Southern plates and live music in a grocery-turned-restaurant setting a few doors up.
• Tennessee Shine Co. Moonshine and wine tastings with a bottle shop, just off the Parkway on Teaster Lane.
• Paloma Scratch Kitchen. Modern Mexican cooking and a deep tequila and mezcal list attached to The Wayback Hotel.
• Cookie Dough Monster Burgers & Shakes. Edible cookie dough and towering shakes, an easy dessert stop after dinner.

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.