Best Restaurants for Outdoor Dining in Gatlinburg

This was our first time at Madison’s. We read about this beautiful and recognized restaurant in Open Table. Since we had planned a trip to Franklin NC, we added Madison’s to our itinerary and we were not disappointed. In is a beautiful place on Main Street in Highlands, NC. The decor and atmosphere was elegant, and the food was fantastic. We highly recommend Madison’s if you are anywhere near Highlands.

The food is always good. It is my favorite place to eat. Great cocktails! Our server Jett is the best!

Unanimously the best meal my husband and I had of 2024. We were seated on the patio on a 40 degree night, and it was perfectly comfortable. The pork belly “small plate” knocked our socks off, and the veggie pasta was outstanding. Our only regret was not leaving room for dessert, because that doughnut bread pudding looked BOMB. Didn’t particularly care for our server. He was easily distracted and kept repeating himself. A dinner for 2 turned into a 2 hour affair, but the biggest hangups were coming back to take our order and bringing us our bill. Could have been an off night for him, we’ve all been there, and it didn’t alter our experience to keep us from ever coming back.

We were thrilled with the experience! We had requested a table with a “pretty view” for my mother-in-law’s 90th birthday. It did not disappoint! Our server was perfect and the chef made a special dessert for the birthday… the food was hot, fresh, and perfectly prepared. We will go back!

We visited the Hard Rock Cafe from NC for the first time and everything from the service, to the wait times, and the overall experience was a 10000/10