If you are visiting the Smokies and you are looking for a truly epic meal, then let me recommend going to the Dillard House in Dillard GA. The restaurant is part of one of the best family run inns in the Smokies and the food is to die for. The entire meal is served family style and all you can est. So, the rule of the day is come hungry and plan to be there for a while.
The Dillard House is first and foremost an inn, a place to stay. It has been a place to rest your head since 1917 when Carrie and Arthur Dillard open the doors to travelers passing through the Georgia Mountains. These folks were in the foothills of the Smokies and after the founding of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, the volume of people through the area increased and the inn has grown right along with the demand. People of the early 20th century expected a place to eat that went right along with the place they were staying, the dining room opened and meals started to be served. Over time the food they were turning out was so good that it started turning heads as well. People began to come to the inn just to eat.
Nowadays, not only are people flocking to the restaurant as well as the inn, it has been written up in magazines such as Southern Living and it has been on TV on shows like the Fix 5 Atlanta Morning Show. This publicity has made the restaurant a destination. And the food they are turning out is incredible. For instance, this is what the dinner menu looks like:
Fried Chicken- Virginia Sugar Cured Ham
- Country Steak
- Prime Rib
- BBQ Chicken
- Potatoes au Gratin
- Green Beans
- Creamed Corn
- Steamed Broccoli
- Glazed Carrots
- Harvard Beets
- Ford Hook Lima Beans
- Cole Slaw
- Yeast Rolls
- Cornbread
- Cobbler a la Mode
All of this is delivered to your table at one time and if you find that one particular thing ran out a little too quick then you can just ask for more and they will bring it and keep bringing it until you are done!
Here is what to expect. If you get there right around supper time you are probably going to have a little bit of a wait. Between the people that come out from the inn and the people that are coming in just to eat. After you are seated and they get your drink order you are going to notcie one thing very quickly – the huge platters of food being delivered to the tables around you. In a few moments, one of those platters with the mountains of food will come to your table. And whether you are just there with that special someone or whether you are with a huge group the same kind of food comes out to each table. Start passing the sides and the entrees around the table, make sure that everyone gets a share. Start trying to figure out what your favorite is and of course besure to leave room for dessert.
Dillard House needs to be on your itinerary the next time you end up in North Georgia. Stay at the end but make sure that you eat at least one meal at the Dillard House. Come hungry and leave after having one of the best meals that you will have while you are on vacation.
Dillard House
768 Franklin St
Dillard, GA
800-541-0671