Bennett's Pit Bar-B-Que

Bennett's sits on River Road and we've been going there for years because it's one of the few places in Gatlinburg where you get actual barbecue without the tourist markup. They smoke everything over hickory for up to 14 hours, and you can tell — the pork ribs have that deep pink color that only comes from real pit smoking, not some fake liquid smoke nonsense.

The salad bar is back, thank goodness. They took it away for a while and people were not happy about it. Now it's restocked fresh and honestly, we always hit it first with the kids because the potato salad is solid and it keeps them busy while we wait for the main course. Fair warning though — some folks say the potato salad tastes different than it used to, but we think it's still good.

One thing that saves us every time is the free parking lot right on site. You don't realize how much of a lifesaver this is until you've spent 20 minutes driving in circles looking for a spot downtown during peak season. Plus they stay open until 10pm on weekends, which is rare for barbecue joints around here.

Oh and they have a full bar now, which is new-ish. The brisket can be hit or miss depending on the day, but stick with the ribs and pulled pork and you won't go wrong. Just ask for the sauce on the side — it's served warm and you can control how much you want instead of getting it pre-sauced.