One of our recent favorite activities is finding the best local restaurants to eat at, whether we’re at home or out of town. We look for the best quality of food for the best price because with a big family (or any sized family), you don’t want to waste money on bad food. We also look for great customer service because it shows the level of appreciation for the consumers. On our destination vacation to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee last week, we had the opportunity to review Mama’s Farmhouse. Here’s our experience:
First Impressions
We’d heard about the Christmas rush and how everyone flocks to Pigeon Forge for the beautiful Christmas lights and attractions during the holidays so we arrived expecting lengthy wait times at our destinations. Maybe it was the rain or the fact that it was mid-week, but we didn’t wait anywhere, including at Mama’s Restaurant for our supper.
Despite the rain, the kids made use of the play area just outside the restaurant for waiting guests. We couldn’t pass up the memory maker moments of the kids posing in mama’s outhouse (picture included below) or the twin crawling through one of the play tunnels or Papa Pete posing as the farmer and the kids as animals in the wood board cut-out. It looks like a great place to occupy kids while the parents wait to be shown to their tables.
The hostess welcomed us and we were shown immediately to a table. The restaurant is spacious with plenty of room to maneuver between tables, which is perfect for the carts holding platters of hot food.
The Foodie in Me
I know, I’m probably in the minority here, but this was the first time I’ve eaten at an all-you-can-eat restaurant in my adult life. So I wasn’t prepared for the abundance of food delivered to our party of 13. While the biscuits, sides, and desserts remain the same every day, the meat choices vary depending on the day so if you’re planning at stop at Mama’s Restaurant, call ahead and check the menu beforehand.
Delessa, our waitress, started us off with our choice of soup or salad and homemade award-winning buttermilk biscuits which we promptly devoured. You have the option to choose which sides you’d like, but since we wanted to try all of them, we did so not realizing how large the portions were for a party of our size.
Had I known, we would not have ordered ALL of the sides for 13 people because I hate to waste food and since it’s all-you-can-eat, there isn’t a take-home option and the food is trashed.
The three meats offered on Thursday–Fried chicken, Meatloaf, and Turkey with dressing–were served along with the sides. To be honest, I don’t even like dressing but when my husband and dad raved about it, I tried it. It was delicious! Both the chicken and turkey were juicy and the chicken fried to perfection so I can see why it’s one of their award-winning specialties.
The eight sides include macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes and gravy, fried okra, green beans, broccoli casserole, creamed corn, chicken and dumplings, and sweet potato casserole.
The macaroni and cheese is always a fan favorite and theirs was no different –the kids gobbled it up! With our large party, opinions varied on the food, but we all agreed the biscuits, peach butter, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and banana pudding were ALL of our favorites!
Here’s what you need to know…
Mama’s Restaurant is perfect for large appetites! The portions of food are huge so there’s no reason for anyone to leave hungry. For the price, the amount of food is definitely worth it because it includes biscuits, soup or salad, your choices of meat and sides, plus dessert!
Drinks are not included which adds up quickly for anyone but especially large parties so be aware of the additional charges and just order water if you prefer.
I thought the food slightly over-salted which would definitely affect anyone on a low or no-sodium diet so take that into consideration when you go and certainly check with your waitress beforehand.
Overall, I loved the service and the food was plentiful. If you’re looking for a home-cooked meal, this is definitely a restaurant to put on your radar!
This post is a collaboration in part with Mama’s Restaurant and all opinions are solely mine.