Redemption For Crockett's Breakfast Camp in Gatlinburg? A Short Review and Answer

Crockett’s Breakfast Camp in Gatlinburg has been on a notorious streak for us lately. They went from being regarded by all three of us as the best breakfast we’ve ever had, to total mediocrity… at best. It’s been quite the fall for a breakfast restaurant that’s still highly regarded and super busy on the weekends.

Before I get to the question of whether our last visit was redemption for the place known for their humongous portions, I want to very briefly recap our previous visits. The food has barely come out warm on most visits; the service has been awkward and sub-par, along with the quality of the food—most especially, the scrambled eggs and omelets. Frankly, we’ve had consistently better food and service from the other more established breakfast spots in Gatlinburg.

So… was there a total turn-around on our last visit? Let’s dig in for a quick summary before I put together a definitive list for 2025 of our favorite breakfast locales in Gatlinburg…coming soon, I promise.

On this particular Sunday morning, we (my wife and I) arrived before 8 in the morning. If you get here too much later, you’re going to have to wait, but they do have an online waitlist you can get on. That still requires you to check in with the staff at the front, however.

We were seated and awaited our waitress for a few minutes before she politely introduced herself and took our drink order. She also started us off on the right foot by asking us if we were ready for order before she ran off to get my coffee and our waters. Surprisingly, I knew what I wanted already, and we both ordered an old standby—Cathead Stackers.

These are biscuits the size of… yes, cat heads. And they are filled with eggs as you like them, choice of meat, and cheese. While, over the years, I’ve ordered almost everything on the menu, these were one of my favorites. Heck, I remember when these were six bucks, but at $9.49 with a side of corn pone and a small bowl of fruit, it’s still a good deal. But was it?

Before I get into the food, the atmosphere really hasn’t changed much, as far as I could see. It is a re-imagining of the campsite of David C. “Crockett” Maples, a noted frontiersman (not the actual Davy Crockett) and true mountain man. His story can be found on the Crockett’s Breakfast Camp website, if you’re interested in learning more. They also have that same cool newspaper menu we’ve loved and kept through the last 10 years of visits. And now, back to the food.

At first glance and taste, our Cathead Stackers looked and tasted good. The top part of our biscuits were fluffy, massive, and tasted like the honorable Southern breakfast item it is. The bottom part was predominantly overdone, though. If you threw it at someone’s head, it would do some damage. And that’s no joke. It was a big disappointment after the visible half was so good.

The eggs? Well, that’s been my main problem with them for the past six or seven visits… or more. I got over hard fried eggs, but the scrambled ones my wife ordered were flat, tasteless and lacked any type of creaminess the other breakfast restaurants in Gatlinburg excel at. Yes, I know it’s just eggs, but I think any place that serves breakfast owes it to their guests to make them good, just like anything else on the menu. Here? I feel like they’re an after-thought. The Pecan-Smoked Bacon was far and away the best thing about this biscuit sandwich, all the way through.

The coffee is what I expected. It wasn’t as terrible as some of the other restaurants in Gatlinburg put out, but I guess that’s only based on how strong, weak, or old their Community Coffee is, which I am not a fan. And I believe that’s what most use here.

The side items were fine. I did enjoy and have always enjoyed the corn pone a good bit. It was more moist than it normally was on previous visits, and that was a welcome change. The fruit was fresh as advertised, and my wife liked her Hunt Camp Potatoes (hash browns).

Service was great. Amanda did everything right by asking us how our meal was and getting us refills when needed. She did her job well, and that is all we could’ve asked for. I just wish other parts of our meal reflected her well-done duties as our waitress. That was the best part of our experience and represented the best turn of past events.

The big question was posed in my title. Was this actually redemption for what was once easily our favorite breakfast in Gatlinburg? Not really. No, it wasn’t bad, but the areas in which I hoped they would improve the most, did not exactly deliver for us. I’m not saying we won’t be back, but my wife declared she would only go for the only sure thing in their arsenal, in her opinion—their cinnamon rolls. Sadly, I can’t come here and get the best thing for my blood sugar anymore—eggs.

I’m not going to tell you this place is terrible, and you shouldn’t go. That would be wrong, and a lie. This review is obviously subjective. It’s only our opinion. I do believe if you’re throwing caution to a stiff breeze in spring, by all means you will enjoy their Aretha Frankenstein Pancakes, Cinnamon Rolls, Waffle of Insane Greatness, and more. Yes, that’s what it’s called. I’m sure they do all these things consistently well still. Heck I’ve had these and more at various points in their early years here in Gatlinburg. As of now, though, I can get better quality options for the food I want and need to eat for breakfast at other places in this tourist town. I have to don the diabetic hat, instead of the tourist one I enjoyed splurging with every visit.

I’d still give Crockett’s Breakfast Camp a 3.4 out of 5 for a rating, which isn’t awful—just average. But doesn’t compare or sniff the better breakfasts in Gatlinburg. Again, don’t shoot me, I’m only an “average” guy who lives and works here now giving his opinion. It’s okay. You can enjoy Crockett’s as much as you like when you’re on vacation. I won’t rain on your parade. Enjoy the giant skillets, too—that’s their specialty. But I can almost promise you, you won’t finish it. They’re huge. And that’s my other warning if you want to save yourself some money by sharing.

Thank you, everyone, for reading my latest Gatlinburg review. Stay tuned, as I feel I’m ready to rank my top 5 breakfasts here: 2025 edition. Will Crockett’s be good enough to make the list? You’ll find out soon enough! I appreciate you all for staying updated with all the happenings here in Gatlinburg on this platform and Facebook!