Paula Deen's Family Kitchen
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Hours
Sun
8:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Mon
8:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Tue
8:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Wed
8:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Thu
8:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Fri
8:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Sat
8:00 AM - 11:00 PM
What is Travelers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Ratings and reviews
RATINGS
Food
Service
Value
Atmosphere
Food and ambience
Local cuisine, American
Special occasions, Scenic view, Large groups
Does this restaurant serve Tuscan food?
Details
About
A spacious restaurant and retail store offering hearty, family-style dining with classic Southern recipes. Located in the heart of the Smoky Mountains at The Island in Pigeon Forge.
CUISINES
American
Meals
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Brunch, Drinks
FEATURES
Seating, Parking Available, Free off-street parking, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Wine and Beer, American Express, Mastercard, Visa, Discover, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service, Family style, Non-smoking restaurants, Gift Cards Available
Top 3 reasons to eat here
Sponsored by: Paula Deen's Family Kitchen
1. Absolutely wonderful and fun!
"The food was amazing, and our waiter was absolutely so nice!"
Julie M
2. Delicious.
"We had a great time and our server, Mike, went above and beyond"
Lindsey W
3. Southern Cooking at its Finest
"Southern cooking on ten!"
Mandie7777
Contribute
4.5
10,400 reviews
Excellent
6,608
Very good
1,684
Average
1,108
Poor
524
Terrible
476
Mandie7777
Sonora46 contributions
Favorite Review
May 2023 • family
Soooooo good!!! Come hungry! Pricy but food was worth it. Southern cooking on ten! We tried fried chicken, pot roast, chicken dumplings, okra, Mac n cheese, greens and mashed potatoes!!!! Everything was good.
Written May 1, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Brandon M
Hi! We certainly thank you for visiting. Come back soon!
Written May 12, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
tenntravelguy
Hendersonville468 contributions
Oct 2019 • none
Another business lunch with 5 business associates and there was quite a wait to be seated so you can take advantage of milling around in the enormous gift shop which has so many things to see including a variety of Paula's cookbooks and numerous things for your kitchen at home.
Once we were seated we chose the Savannah which includes 3 entrees served family style and our choices were the Southern Fried Chicken, Homemade Meatloaf and The Chicken and Dumplings as our entrees. Our four sides were Mashed Potatoes, Corn Casserole, Baked Mac & Cheese and Green Beans. Then after your lunch or dinner where you feel you can't eat another bite everyone gets a dessert and you won't go wrong with Ooey Gooey Butter Cake!
Eat all you can because you can't take any out with you as to go boxes are not available! With tax each person usually will spend around $22 to $25 dollars at lunch.
Written May 24, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bridgette Knight
10 contributions
Jan 2020 • couples
This was a very nice restaurant. I love the concept of family style dining especially at a Paula Deen restaurant that way we could try a lot of the food. Everything was delicious, the fried green tomatoes and black eyed peas were my favorite and the fried chicken may be the best I’ve ever had (and that’s saying A LOT). The spare ribs were not that great and the butter cake takes like it had a 5lb bag of sugar in each slice. I also do wish they’d allow you to take your leftovers home. It’s sad to think the food will go to waste because we couldn’t eat another bite. They are already very mindful of portions per person so I don’t think it’s unreasonable to allow people to take the little food that’s left. The view in the restaurant was impeccable and I LOVE the little store on the main level. I HIGHLY recommend this place.
Written January 18, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Amber P
Smithdale26 contributions
Mar 2020 • family
We were really looking forward to eating here, after all the reviews! Unfortunately, it didn’t meet our expectations.. It really wasn’t what we expected at all... We ordered the fried chicken, fish and pot roast.. our sides were the corn casserole, broccoli casserole, mac and cheese and mashed potatoes.. The best part was the broccoli and pot roast, the rest was really bland and/or cold... our server was too busy to really wait on us, so we didn’t get really any drink refills or anything.. it definitely isn’t worth $20 a plate! We won’t be back.
Written March 13, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KarenK518
Corona1535 contributions
Mar 2020 • couples
Traveling from Asheville NC to Nashville, we took a side trip to visit the store and eat at Paula Deen’s. The store is on the first floor and the restaurant takes up the entire second floor. There is an escalator and elevator. The window tables have a great view of the Great Smokey Mountain 200 ft. High Observation Wheel and a fountain area. We didn’t do our homework on the menu except to read several reviews on Trip Advisor which were all glowing reports. After we were seated for lunch, the server explained to us that each table is served family style. We could order 2 down home dishes, 4 sides and 2 desserts for $17.99 per person. The other choice is 3 down home dishes, 4 sides and 2 desserts for $19.99 per person. There are 7 down home dishes to pick from. We chose the meatloaf and chicken, candied yams, tossed salad, broccoli casserole and creamed potatoes. The food came out so quickly (which is a positive) but it didn’t taste like it was cooked fresh. They have no take home boxes if you can’t finish your meal but they offer the dessert in “to go” containers. It was a lot of money and food for lunch.
The store on the first floor has lots of colorful kitchen items, signage and boxed mixes for purchase.
Written March 5, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BohemianKentucky
Corbin25 contributions
Jan 2020 • none
Gotta' love Paula Deen, and her restaurant is one of the highlights of any visit to the area. Food is served family style: choose two or three meats per table, add your sides, and choose your dessert. Then put on your feedbag and pig out because you're about to have the best food around in abundance! If you run out of a dish, your server will bring more--a little slice of heaven! While the price is not cheap, it's honestly well worth it for the quality and quantity of food you receive. I've paid more for less at other restaurants and absolutely not been as happy as I was with the food at Paula Deen's.
Written January 22, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cathy S
Taneytown46 contributions
Sep 2020 • couples
Highly disappointing in the food as it tasted like what you would get at a smorgasbord. In other words bland. Hubby ordered fried chicken, said it was “eh” and not as good as the hometown grocery store. We also had ribs, which was sparse on the meat; catfish was good, not great; Mac and cheese was cheesy as in cheddary; green beans were good; broccoli casserole, which was eh; and coleslaw, good. The cheesy biscuits were biscuits that are not meant to be held in the hand, and I’m not sure they are worth a fork. We were told, by our server, that doggy bags are not allowed, so we were not going to have dessert until we found out that we could take that with us. We took the butter cake and blueberry cobbler. We tried both, one small bite each, and throw the rest away.
For the cost of the meal and tip, all of which came to around $60+ I expected a much better experience. I would only recommend this venue to those that do not like spices in their food and can eat large portions since you can keep refilling your plate with the home style delivery. Seriously, specially for couples, save money and really enjoy the same menu, but better food, at Cracker Barrell, which is right down the road.
Written October 1, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bobbie E
Pensacola8 contributions
Jan 2020 • none
The first time I came to Paula Deens, it was amazing as far as the food, service, etc. It was so good, that we went back a few weeks later only to get mediocre. The ribs were overdone, the fried chicken was overdone, the poppy seed salad was just lettuce in a bowl without the poppyseed and the broccoli and cheese was so smothered in cheese that you couldn't even call it a broccoli dish. We brought this up to the server and she said that the cook was off on the food all night. I didn't know that the cooks made "salads?" Plates were piled on our table yet other servers were walking by empty handed. They could have grabbed our dirty dishes. It honestly was a waste of $40. I don't think we'll be back but if we do go, it would only be to give it another chance to see if it's as our first visit was or like the second. If it's like the second, we'll never be back. I'd like to think it was an off night for them but honestly that should NEVER happen. It was such an awful meal. And I need to mention that it wasn't really that busy. There was no excuse for the experience that we had both with the food and the service. Shame on Paula Deens being so very new yet and allowing this to happen. There should be a line cook that makes certain that everything is spot on before it leaves the kitchen. Even the waitress had a duty to see that the salad wasn't what it was supposed to be and not to serve it. Come on now.
Written February 5, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DMcCrary35184
West Blocton94 contributions
Aug 2020 • none
The food was great but the service was BAD. Very rude and took forever to get our food and drinks. 4 people at the table the amount of food that was brought to the table was not enough for all 4 of us to even get one serving. When we asked for more food since it was family style, it took an additional 30 minute to get that food. When we asked the waitress about it being so slow she was very rude. Not sure we will be going back anytime soon.
Written August 4, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Superfryy
Centerville17 contributions
Aug 2020 • family
I will admit that I was never a fan of Paula Deen until I was forced to go to her restaurant Lady & Sons in Savannah, GA. After eating that tasty food, I was converted. Last night, I went with family to try her restaurant in Pigeon Forge. The wait time was reasonable and you can peruse a large store while waiting for a table. The food is served family style and you have 2 options: 2 main dishes & 3 sides for $21.99 per person or 3 main dishes & 4 sides for $22.99. The food was outstanding! We chose Fried Chicken. Fried Pork Chops & Pot Roast for our main dishes. Our sides included Creamed Cirn, Mac & Cheese, Poppyseed Tossed Salad & Green Beans. You also have unlimited refills on both main dishes and side dishes. If that is not enough food, it also includes dessert. I was ready for them to roll me out of the restaurant and we didn't order refills! Big shout out to or excellent server named Ty. I did notice every staff member throw ya'll into our conversations. I guess that would make Paula Deen proud.
Written August 28, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CP3030
Frostburg30 contributions
Mar 2020 • family
We waited almost an hour and fifteen minutes to be seated. The saving grace in this is that we could walk around at The Island while we waited. We were at the restaurant when we got the text that our table was ready so we went straight to the hostess station. They told us to proceed upstairs and we waited another 10 minutes to finally be seated. We ordered the pot roast, fried chicken and ribs and broccoli casserole, mac & cheese, mashed potatoes and green beans. The “free” biscuits were phenomenal. I enjoyed the fried chicken and broccoli casserole, our daughter ate up the pot roast. Some gravy with the mashed potatoes would have been nice. ***Note that you cannot take leftovers with you, so eat what you order. We did take our desserts with us. My son had the chocolate cake, I had the chocolate butter cake and my husband had the blackberry cobbler. The chocolate butter cake was delicious.
Will we be back? Probably not - it was a VERY expensive meal and not worth the wait and nothing was so good that we have to go back for it. We might stop in the store and buy the butter cake mixes, but not the $100 dinner.
Written March 15, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Brian
Lockport61 contributions
Aug 2020 • none
While camping in the smokey mountains, we stopped by to get something to eat and was worth the money. We arrived early like around 4 to beat the crowd and so glad we did because when we left there were probably 30 or so people waiting to get in. The food was very filling and mmmm mmmm good! The cake at the end was the topper that's for sure. They do push to order, eat and get out but not in a rude way because they have a lot of people that want to eat there. After we ate, we walk through the different stores to walk off all the calories we just inhaled. There are a lot of different stores and is a very enjoyable area to spend some time either before or after you eat.
Written October 26, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kristen H
4 contributions
Aug 2020 • none
The wait staff did a great job in keeping food on the table and drinks refilled. Annamarie definitely made sure were taken care of and left with full stomachs. We didn't know what to expect walking in and didn't realize it was a family style restaurant. You can order 2 mains and 4 sides or 3 mains and 4 sides, for a different cost. They bring out a serving for enough people at your table and continue do so until you tell them that you're done. Food was okay, but I prefer a little more seasoning. Overall, I don't think you'd be disappointed.
Written August 28, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dionne Fields
Knoxville2144 contributions
Nov 2020 • none
Paula Deen's Family Kitchen has the best southern style home cook menu.
You just pay one price and our server would bring us our food choices from the menu.
Paula Deen's Family Kitchen has amazing gift shop down stairs with kitchen sets with Paula Deen's touch.
And upstairs is where are the real majic happens in the Paula Deen's Family Kitchen.
My two son's loves her fried chicken and her amazing desserts made from scratch.
The executive chef went above and beyond cooking amazing southern home cooked dinner for every guest today.
Written December 4, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Charity D
2 contributions
Dec 2020 • family
We popped in to pigeon forge for a short family vacation. My daughter,son, daughter in law, granddaughter, husband and me. I love Paula Deen and was so excited to go to her restaurant it was the first time ever. We put our name on the list. 4 hour wait, but I really wanted to go and my family really wanted me to be able to go so we waited. When we finally got the text to come to the restaurant we then waited another 30 mins. When we finally got seated our server came right over explaining the family style dining that there were no to go containers and took our drink orders. She then returned with out drinks and said she would bring us bread. 15 mins later she brought us bread. Then took our order and ask if we wanted more bread which we did. When our food arrived we ask for more bread which she said she would bring right out. We got the Southern style Catfish which was over cooked it was dry and almost burnt. We also got the Country Fried Pork Chops they where cooked nicely we cut them with our butter knives (because they didn’t offer us any knives) but the green peppers where so overwhelming you couldn’t taste the meat. We also go the Southern fried Chicken which was undercooked.For sides we got the green beans which was excellent but not enough for each of us to try. The creamed potatoes which my family said was good ( I didn’t get any there wasn’t enough) the Baked Mac and Cheese (again I didn’t get any because there wasn’t enough) and the Tomato and Cucumber salad which was excellent. Our server stopped by and ask if everything was ok when we again ask for bread and more sides and voiced our issues with the meats she smiled and said she would be back. When she returned empty handed she ask if we would like dessert and brought our check. $149. I was so unsatisfied with the food, the service and the cost. I would have been better served and filled at the local McDonald’s. I didn’t even want to look around in the store ( which I was excited to buy goodies). I hope not everyone’s visit was as bad as ours but I definitely won’t be back and I’m kinda turned off on Paula Deen now too. I just expected so much more from one of my favorite cooks.
Written December 28, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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