This edition of Excited about Eating takes us to the mountains of Tennessee and to The Old Mill Pottery House Café & Grille located in Pigeon Forge. This charming local favorite eating spot features Southern cooking with fresh breads from their bakery and gorgeous homemade desserts.

Old Mill Pottery House Cafe & Grille directly across from the Old Mill

Dora here. We get over to this area a few times a year, and The Old Mill has always been a favorite. But any more, even sharing, I just can’t shovel down ALL. THAT. FOOD. So when we stumbled on Old Mill Pottery House Cafe & Grille, directly across the street, this became my new favorite restaurant in the whole Sevierville area. Hands. Down. Oh, and my dad would tell you that it’s just about the only restaurant that’ll make him a rare burger. 🙂

Always a crowd!

Front and center, love this rustic fireplace!

Don’t bother waiting for a parking spot out front. There’s ample parking in the back and then you can decide if it’s warm enough to enjoy the gorgeous patio. Unfortunately, during this visit, it was too cold and rainy.

Ample parking in the back. Then, you can decide if it’s warm enough to enjoy this stunning patio.

For my lunch, I chose the Grilled Rib-eye Steak Sandwich, served on a fresh baked hoagie roll with lettuce, tomato, red onion, melted provolone, peppers, and caramelized onions with a baked potato on the side. This sandwich was outstanding, tender so that you could easily bite through, covered by melted cheese and a combo of peppers and caramelized onions that just kept me going back for more. The baked potato was cooked just the way I like them, with a harder skin and soft inside.

Grilled Rib-eye Steak Sandwich, outstanding!

Dora here. It’s always a tough choice because I love their burgers and so many other items on the menu call out to me. But not as loudly as the Quiche / Salad combo. lol. They always offer a daily quiche that sounds intriguing, but inevitably I order the Chicken and Almond. The almonds add a nice texture along with a buttery firm crust, and, honey, is this thing loaded with chicken! Insert happy sigh. The Strawberry Spinach Salad with raspberry vinaigrette is fresh and light, and pairs nicely with the quiche and cinnamon raisin bread.

Chicken Almond Quiche with Strawberry Spinach Salad ALWAYS calls my name!

Still Dora. My only beef (pun intended, lol) with Pottery House is the back dining room. They have this beautiful rustic front room with stone floor and fireplace and a stunner of a garden to enjoy through ginormous windows on both sides, but then…the back room where they sit most of their larger parties. It’s almost as if you walked into a different restaurant. One day maybe they’ll add those little touches that make the front half of the restaurant so rustic and charming. In the meantime, we usually just ask for a table in the front. 🙂

We rate this restaurant 5 forks out of 5 for a family friendly restaurant serving outstanding food. (4.5 for Dora, 5 for Ernie)