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Friends Tavern

4.0 (3 reviews)

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The Gym Bar And Grill

The Gym Bar And Grill

3.8
(4 reviews)
0.0 mi

On vacation in the area and we were looking for some pool tables and lunch. Enter this little dive…read morebar that fit the bill perfectly on a Thursday afternoon. I've got to admit I was put off a bit by the indoor smoking, something I'm not used to at home and wasn't expecting. There were a handful of people chain smoking and playing video games, so there was quite the cloud of smoke. The bartender on staff was very friendly and easy to talk to. He made good drink suggestions and was efficient and fast with service. We stared with fried deviled eggs as an appetizer before playing a few games of pool. They were very good! The right mix of crispy, savory, and salty. Later for lunch, we had The Gym Burger (pretty good but could use some seasoning in the beef), the chicken sliders (tasty!), and the Stacy's Wrap which was an interesting item and good, though I think i would add a vegetable like onions next time for some texture. The pool tables were $1 of quarters per play which seemed reasonable and they have a change machine if you needed it. It looks like they have live music given the stage setup, though of course we didn't see that. Overall a very neat dive bar with good food and a fun place to spend a few hours.

Everything. I had a blast. The drinks were good the food was good. Service was great. Played…read morebingo and its was so much fun. Planning on visiting again on our next trip

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The Gym Bar And Grill
Fried deviled eggs
Fried deviled eggs
The Gym Bar And Grill

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Old Forge Distillery

Old Forge Distillery

4.6
(214 reviews)
5.5 mi
$$

Super fun! We got a perfect parking spot right next door and walked up to the tasting where Bryan…read morewas ready to help us! We got to try 8 different flavors of moonshine. My favorite was pumpkin roll, and my husband's was raspberry. We each bought a bottle to take home! Cheers!

For all of you sweet alcohol drinkers out there: Old Forge Distillery's got you. This is the place…read moreto get the hard stuff that also tastes like an oatmeal cookie or watermelon taffy or a pumpkin roll. When you want to get drunk, but you also need your drink to look electric blue and taste like raspberry, you come here. I'm not the biggest fan of sweet drinks in general, and especially not sweet alcohol. But I wasn't about to pass up an opportunity to taste some of Old Forge Distillery's moonshine and gin. They also make vodka, whiskey and rum. The gin was good! It doesn't taste like traditional gin, because they age it in bourbon barrels, so it has a little bit of a caramel taste to it. (In my opinion.) The moonshine and the cream liqueurs are where you will find the crazy flavors. I think my favorite was the coffee moonshine, which tastes like a wonderfully spiked black coffee. Samples are plentiful. The bartender told us which ones were crowd favorites, and also recommended some that I would not have picked myself. They also have a huge gift shop with lots of tchotchkes, plus bottles of their goods to take home with you.

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Gimlet
Gimlet
Old fashioned with moonshine cola cherries
Old fashioned with moonshine cola cherries
Cute bar area

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Cute bar area
The Rampant Lion

The Rampant Lion

4.6
(76 reviews)
8.9 mi
$$$

THis one has a story behind it. Got invited to a drum circle in Gatrlinburg by my girlfriend's son…read more We went out that morning to see Cades Cover (big mistake - it was Memorial Day) and swung back around through Townsend (stopped at Mountain Man to have a craft brew on the way). Knowing we were going up to the arts district, I looked for a place to meet them before the circle and saw there was a Celtic Pub. Only that was the spot where the drum circle was. And, to my surprise, it is the same owner as the Fox & Parrot Tavern in Gatlinburg, one of my favorite English pubs (and currently closed do to a feud with the US government - hope that gets fixed). The place is definitely British country feeling. Very nice tap list, including both local brews and standard UK brews. Heavy wood feeling with a very nice deck outside, which includes some spots under cover (which was important as it rained on the circle and people had to duck in). There is nothing elegant about the place or the food. But that is its charm. The fish & chips were on point, esp. with the malt vinegar. Shepherd's Pie a bit salty for my tastes, but not to the salt lick level. Also came with chips. As for the drum circle, if you are reading this in June 2026, that is every Monday at 6-8 PM through the end of the month. I got some great drone footage of the circle, which I added to this review.

After several days of disappointing meals in the area, we chose The Rampant Lion for our final…read moredinner because it was close to our cabin. I only wish we'd found it sooner. The moment we walked in and saw the Red Wings jerseys, I had a feeling we were in the right place--and we were. The bourbon selection is outstanding, the wings and pretzel appetizer were excellent, and the fish and chips were hands down the best I've ever had. My daughter ordered the filet, and it was a true filet cooked perfectly. To top it all off, the prices were incredibly reasonable. We had appetizers, dinner, and several bourbons, and our bill was actually lower than what we paid the night before at another restaurant that wasn't even close in quality or service. Thank you for ending our Smoky Mountains vacation on such a high note!

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Political affiliation
Political affiliation
Interior
Interior
Bottled beers

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Bottled beers

Friends Tavern - bars - Updated July 2026

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