Tucked away on the backside of the Village Shops downtown lies one of the more unique dining and drinking experiences in Gatlinburg – Boudicca’s Celtic Pub. It is one of Gatlinburg’s newer eateries, having been in business less than a year.

Boudicca’s Celtic Pub specializes in made-from-scratch foods in the tradition of the Celtic nations, generally considered to consist of Brittany, Cornwall, Ireland, the Isle of Man, Scotland and Wales (no, we’re not geography experts – we looked it up). The pub also services a selection of beers appropriate to those areas, such as Guinness, Smithwick’s and McEwan’s Scotch ale. The pub takes its name from a legendary historical Celtic heroine named Boudicca, who led an uprising against the Roman army centuries ago.

In addition to Celtic-style food and drink, the owners have done a fantastic job of creating a realistic atmosphere. The stools, chairs and tables are authentic, square and crude. Comfortable? Not really. But they sure do seem appropriate for the atmosphere. These people want you to feel like you are in a real Celtic environment. It works. Don’t come for a padded seat – come for some heavy beer and great food! Speaking of the food…

…the food is great! The menu is not large, but it features a number of items based on traditional Celtic foods. Examples include fish and chips and bangers ‘n mash (we think a banger is a sausage, but we’re still not sure). You can also get chicken fingers (fried with “secret Celtic seasoning” of course) and chips. “Chips,” in case you don’t know, are thick-cut fries. There is also something called a Celtic Spice Bag, which despite the weird name sounded delicious from the description.

We went with the Scottish Street Melt, which is described thusly:

Using the finest Irish butter to toast our potato roll on the grill, we melt our Irish white cheddar over Irish yellow cheddar, then add fresh grilled red peppers, green peppers, sweet onions and one fresh, never frozen, 100% angus beef patty to complete the melt.

It tasted just as good as it sounds! So it’s basically a patty melt with a ton of cheese, peppers and onions. It came served with chips (again, fries) which were well-cooked and well-salted.

We washed it down with a Harp, a crisp, clean, golden, pilsner-style, light bodied lager. Yes, we eschewed the dark, heavy stuff for a light, flavorful beer that paired nicely with our meal.

The staff (or at least the one person we talked to) was very nice. The bartender, a young lady named Victoria, was attentive and conversational. The pub’s décor is perfect, with green walls, beer signs and mirrors. It consists of a small bar area in the lower level, and a slightly larger dining area upstairs that you get to by climbing a narrow set of green stairs. The pub is cozy. However, all meals are served in to-go containers for consumption in the beautiful courtyard at the Village Shops if you would just rather take it outside.

Boudicca’s Celtic Pub is located at:

634 Parkway, #7
Gatlinburg, TN 37738

It is situated in the Village Shops at traffic light number 6. It is an easy walk from the Historic Gatlinburg Inn – cross the street, take a left and go about two blocks.

Highly recommended!