The Peddler Steakhouse

FOOD

The unlimited salad bar is the Buffet Authority heart of The Peddler. It is not a decorative bowl of greens tucked into a steakhouse meal; it is a full opening course with enough range to become its own dinner. The bar is included with every entree and can also be ordered by itself, inviting repeat trips before the main plate arrives. Fresh vegetables, cheeses, eggs, olives, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms and croutons cover the familiar ground, while house-made dressings let each plate move in a different direction.

Then come the details that make this salad bar feel wonderfully old-school. Marinated vegetables and briny extras sit alongside the basics, and smoked oysters, anchovies and pickled okra push the spread well beyond the standard lettuce-and-tomato formula. It is easy to understand why longtime visitors remember the bar almost as vividly as the steaks. The practical move is to be mindful of managing room here: a carefully edited salad leaves room to return for a second plate after deciding which odd little additions deserve another visit.

Steak remains central to the full menu. The Peddler uses Certified Angus Beef and grills over real Tennessee hickory charcoal. For the signature custom-cut service, New York strip and ribeye arrive at the table before cooking, where the peddler cuts the steak to the requested size. That visible choice is part of the restaurant’s identity. Filet mignon and prime rib round out the classic beef side of the menu, giving the room the comfortable vocabulary of a traditional American steakhouse rather than a modern chef-driven one.

The non-beef entrees keep the meal from narrowing into steak alone. Fresh boneless rainbow trout can be grilled or fried, Verlasso salmon and shrimp go over the hickory charcoal, and chicken appears both marinated and finished with portabella mushroom sauce. Because every entree includes the salad bar and a side, these lighter choices still deliver the same generous dinner structure instead of feeling like substitutes for the “real” meal.

Starters and accompaniments stay firmly in the steakhouse lane. French onion soup arrives under oven-browned cheese, while the signature chicken almond soup offers a more distinctive house option. Oysters on the half shell, baked brie with honey and roasted pecans, and fried mushrooms with cauliflower make easy table starters. Standard sides include baked potato, wild rice, steak fries and seasonal vegetables, with richer upgrades such as a baked stuffed potato, caramelized onions or fresh button mushrooms.

Dessert is where The Peddler leans back into Smoky Mountain comfort. Hot blackberry cobbler with vanilla ice cream is the most regionally satisfying finish, while the Peddler Mud Pie combines chocolate-and-peanut-butter ice cream with a cookie crust, whipped cream and chocolate sauce. Strawberry shortcake, cheesecake, creme brulee and warm chocolate cake make the final choice almost as strategic as the first trip through the salad bar. The entire meal works because abundance is built into the menu: unlimited greens and garnishes first, a substantial entree second, and classic steakhouse sweetness if there is room left.