I recently had dinner at Smoky Mountain Brewery & Restaurant in Gatlinburg and thought it was worth a restaurant review in our little blog here.

Located at 1004 Parkway, Smoky Mountain Brewery & Restaurant is an easy walk from the Historic Gatlinburg Inn. You will, however, have to cross the street. It is situated a up a little alley, right past the Cherokee Grill. It is easy to spot, especially at night when the whole building is traced with red neon.

It is the oldest craft brewery in East Tennessee, with the Gatlinburg location having opened in 1996. In addition to Gatlinburg, it has locations in Knoxville, Pigeon Forge and Knoxville.

It is a very festive, lively environment. It is popular stop for those coming down from a mountain hike, or wanting to try some locally made beer. I did sample the beer, but the main thing I was interested in was the food.

I ordered a dish called “ale steak skewers.” It consisted of four skewers of sirloin marinated in Cherokee Red Ale (a house brew), placed on top of a bed of mashed potatoes. For an additional side, I had honey mustard potato salad (yes, I know, that’s a lot of potatoes). The meal came served on an iron skillet.

The steak was well-seasoned and very flavorful. The mashed potatoes were delicious and made exactly like they should be. The potato salad had chives, which I liked, but I didn’t really taste much in the way of honey mustard.

So the meal gets a thumbs up from me.

I did also try the beer. I’m not a dark beer guy, so I ordered the Mountain Light beer. It is clearly intended for non-beer aficionados like me, because it was very light and easy to drink. It was not skunky, tasted good, and reminded me of a typical domestic beer.

So definitely add Smoky Mountain Brewery to your list of restaurant choices when you’re walking around Gatlinburg.