Gatlinburger Week 2024 has ended (whew, thankfully!) and I have once again tasted some delicious meaty treats between two pieces of bread—or quesadilla in one instance. The following is a review of all the restaurants I visited who made burgers in this annual competition. Most of them were very good; two or three I considered amazing. This is what I love about the event: the creativity and the motivation for an eatery to raise the bar. It’s a challenge that benefits everyone, so let’s take a bite and review every one I tried during this satisfying but filling week of burger gorging.
Sunday
Boudicca’s Celtic Pub: Scottish Bonnie Burger
Yes, Boudicca’s was my winner last year. Did they do it again with this unique creation? You’ll have to find out later. But first, I stopped in before work in the afternoon on Sunday, anxious to not only try a place that I love, but also because I had never had a burger quite like this, featuring a never-before-eaten Scotch egg. I’m generally not a fan of runny eggs, but it worked this time. There was a different flavor in every bite, and I absolutely loved it. It sustained me for the rest of the day, as the protein was a quadruple threat: Irish cheese, beef patty, soft-boiled egg, and sausage casing. Once again, they charged just $9 for the burger and side—which for me, was broccoli. Just when you think they can’t do better, they pull another rabbit out of…the kitchen. Fantastic! It’s a five-star burger from a five-star pub.
Monday
Loco Burro: Quesadilla Burger
We visited Loco Burro for the first time in about 11 years to try their Quesadilla Burger. What I didn’t anticipate was a whole quesadilla divided into 4 parts on top of the burger. The Mexican tortilla had cheese and bacon in it—albeit a little short on cheese on about half of it. The burger itself was dry, but it had a nice grill flavor that I enjoyed. Where they went overkill was the bun. An actual quesadilla burger already has a tortilla as the bread. All they had to do was place the burger inside it and scrap the bun—which is exactly what I did. The cost was $12, and I found that very reasonable despite the fact it didn’t come with a side.
Tuesday
Alamo Steakhouse: South by Southbest Burger
So, I cheated a little bit and only had about 2 bites of this behemoth of a burger from Alamo Steakhouse. But boy was it memorable. My wife and son drove to the popular local Johnson family-owned restaurant and ordered it to-go. It was a full pound steak burger, so I didn’t want much. At $19, it seemed a bit high—at first—but after splitting it 2 and a quarter ways, it was well worth the price tag. Even though I don’t recall tasting barbecue sauce that was supposedly on it, in addition to bacon, cheese, lettuce, and jalapenos, it didn’t really matter. The meat is what shined, and that is all that should matter in this competition.
Wednesday
Margaritaville Resort: Shark Bite Burger
My son and I decided on Tuesday evening to visit the bar inside the Margaritaville Resort for the first time to try this burger. The Shark Bite Burger consisted of 2 five ounce patties with onion rings, bacon, jalapeno jam, sweet and spicy zest, and a signature sauce on an artisan bun. They did us a solid by giving us separate plates and cutting them in half after only telling the bartender we were sharing it. This was a nice gesture, as we also had a good serving of fries on our dishes, which only set us back $12.99 for the combo. My only complaints are the bun and meat being a tad dry, with the meat lacking in flavor alone. The toppings were noticeable and added some juice to the burger, helping in the taste category. Overall, pretty good, but not a contender for my favorite in a stacked competition.
Thursday
Little House of Pancakes: Pete’s Poppin’ Burger
It’s not every week I have to start my working day in the afternoon, so this was a perfect opportunity to try a burger I had been eyeing as a sleeper pick. Also, they close at 2, making this my only feasible opportunity at the local breakfast hangout. Pete’s Poppin’ Burger was only $10 with my local discount, but it was an outstanding, bite-for-bite lunch burger. The bacon-wrapped jalapeno poppers accentuated an already savory burger, and along with smoked cheddar cheese, sweet pepper, and pickled onions, it shouldn’t be passed over for more towering burgers. This one packed a punch without showing you the massive size others may use as window dressing. That’s an unfair assessment, since I couldn’t possibly try them all, but it just shows you how well a burger can be prepared without the glitz and glam.
Friday
Bennett’s Pit Bar-B-Que: Baby Got Mac
Since I don’t normally eat macaroni and cheese as a side anymore, I wanted to give it a shot on a burger. Somehow, I don’t believe I’ve ever tried one with the children’s delight on top. The Baby Got Mac burger from Bennett’s changed that on my sixth of the competition. It was large. Texas Toast, Carolina pork portioned to rival the size of the burger, pepper jack cheese, and onion straws. Well, while it was good, it ranked well below my initial expectations for it. The “Toast” could’ve been toasted more, and the pork totally masked the taste of the burger. The Carolina Pork was good but not incredible tasting; the mac and cheese was rather bland; the crispy onions I couldn’t even taste. I’m not sure they were even there. I’m not going to say I didn’t enjoy it. I mean, I was hungry, so I appreciated the protein fuel. But I had high hopes it could be a contender, and I had better burgers this week that were cheaper than the $14 it cost.
Saturday
Poolside Cafe (Sidney James Mountain Lodge): MAC Burger
I was totally burger’d out, but I didn’t come this far to wimp out on the minimum 7 required to be Burger Master (or Meister…whatever you call it) on the Gatlinburg App. The MAC Burger was my second chance to have a better experience with Mac and Cheese on a burger. Well…did it deliver? Yes, it absolutely did! This was a monster burger with 2 thick patties, bacon, macaroni and cheese, onion straws, and American Cheese. I saw many in this competition pile their burgers too high with ingredients that didn’t mesh. In this case, it worked, but then again, they didn’t get crazy with unique toppings. The burger was delicious, and I can’t believe I ate the whole darn thing.
Here’s is my final ranking of the burgers in the Gatlinburger Week competition!
7. Bennett’s Pit Bar-B-Que’s Baby Got Mac
6. Margaritaville Resort’s Shark Bite Burger
5. Loco Burro’s Quesadilla Burger
4. Alamo Steakhouse’s South by Southbest
3. Poolside Cafe’s MAC Burger
2. Little House of Pancakes’ Pete’s Poppin’ Burger
Drum roll…
1. Boudicca’s Celtic Pub’s Scottish Bonnie Burger
Yes, they did it again, setting the bar high on Day One of Gatlinburger Week, and while the competition’s getting stronger, it wasn’t enough to unseat my champion for the second year in a row. Stay tuned to find out if they actually take home the People’s Choice trophy for best burger in all of Gatlinburg for a third year in a row!
Thank you for sticking with me for my burger stuffing this week! I won’t be touching a burger in weeks, probably months. There were no bad burgers out of the seven I tried, and that’s definitely encouraging for next year’s competition. It was tough ranking the bottom ones, but that just shows you the quality and passion with which businesses are treating this week in September. Stay tuned for other news, events, personal stories and more in the coming weeks. It should be a good mix. Thank you as always for reading and subscribing to my publication!
I don't know how you did it!! For the most part, I don't eat ground beef because I don't like the taste or the texture of how it feels in my mouth. But I cannot imagine eating anything for seven days! You rock!!