Recently I stopped in at Puckers Sports Grill, located at 745 Parkway in Gatlinburg. The astute observer will make note that that is literally right next door to the Historic Gatlinburg Inn parking lot. If you walk out of our front door to Parkway and look to your left, there it is, nestled neatly into the sidewalk directly beneath the China Bazaar retail shop. So you can grab some dinner and pick up a set of ninja throwing stars all at the same time.

Puckers is a casual place, with a pool table located near the front entrance. I found it to be a very friendly little join that seems to count quite a few locals among its patrons. It was clean and well-maintained. The beverage selection was good, including a number of cold beers on tap. But what really got me…was the food.

This little sports grill has an interesting menu that includes:

Stone fired flatbreads with homemade sauces

Several different burger configurations, including their specialty, the Juicy Lucy, that is prepared stuffed with cheddar cheese and applewood smoked bacon

Various other sandwiches, including sliders

Jumbo chicken wings

I wish I could tell you that I sampled everything on the menu and could speak unequivocally about everything they cook. But alas, I was just a guy off the street only in need of a single meal. I am definitely a wing man, so I went with the jumbo wings.

They have twelve wing sauces from which to choose. I went with Sweet Chipotle Heat. The wings were flavorful, and the bucket they came in was swimming in chipotle sauce. Now, if you don’t like it “saucy,” then that may not be to your liking. But I loved it. The wings had just the right amount of crunchy texture. I ate the wings with a side of fries, which were also delicious.

Now, health food this is not. But I was looking for some good bar food, and that is definitely what I found.

If you’re looking for nightlife action, I did step back in much later that night to a heavy crowd of people dancing and partying.

If you’re staying at the Inn, Puckers Sports Grill just may be a place you want to check out. The staff is friendly, it’s very casual, and the food is REALLY good.