Dancing Bear Appalachian Bistro

My husband and I eloped in Tennessee with our family and decided to use The Dancing Bear Bistro for our intimate dinner following the ceremony. We were giving recommendations through our elopement package and we were so glad we chose the dancing bear! We worked with Nicole for months in advance and we were blown away with every aspect of this place! She did an absolutely beautiful job of setting everything up and making our ideas come to life. The atmosphere of this restaurant is warm and inviting and was just what we wanted for our special day! The food was incredible and everyone in our party raved about it! The service was top notch as well! We had the sweetest server, she did an amazing job for our party! There is nothing bad to say about this place and I would definitely come back when visiting Tennessee again!!

To say this was a rare treat would be an understatement. Our original dinner plans fell through, and we arrived here without a reservation, on a table of 8. Even though they were busy, they still went out of their way to make accommodations for us. This was just the start of everything you would anticipate or expect from the greatest southern hospitality Tennessee has to offer. From the hostess station, to our waiter and the kitchen staff, everything exceeded our expectations. Jack (our waiter) was perfect. He was attentive, accommodating, friendly and very personable. This is a dining experience, not just dinner. All of the food we had here was top-notch. We tried several of the dishes on the menu, from land and sea, everything came out wonderfully. Personally, I think their trout is by far their best offering. The trout cakes and Trout with Grits presented the most distinguished flavor profile and even appeased the pickiest eater. Keep in mind, this does not undermine the scallops, pasta or filet; These were also amazing, and exactly what you would expect from here. Highest complements to the chef and his/her staff. I would highly recommend to make reservations and at least experience this venue for any occasion, not just the specials ones.

My husband and mother asked me where I wanted to go for my birthday dinner which is on Christmas Eve and for the 2nd year in a row I said “Dancing Bear” I thought last year was amazing the service was top notch and the food was excellent and I loved the low lighting romantic cabin ambiance. This year topped last year and might be really tough to top next year; the food in my opinion could be Michelin star, and the servers and bartenders truly made it an whole experience and we appreciated that. Our server was Jack and my mom absolutely loved talking to him, he was a pleasure to talk to and we all enjoyed his jokes! This has made my list of favorite restaurants, keep it up! I’ll probably see you next year :)

Came here for birthday dinner while visiting from Houston and had such a lovely time. The ambiance on a cold winter evening was incredibly welcoming and cozy. We had phenomenal service from the moment we walked in the door (shout-out to Jack, who provided excellent recommendations and made the evening special) and enjoyed each course immensely. Can't wait to return next time we're in the area.

We are in town for a family vacation from Florida and came for dinner. Our waiter William was absolutely AMAZING!! He was extremely knowledgeable on the food and wine and was just a pleasure to talk to and made our experience that much better. The food was outstanding and we all agreed it was definitely one of the best meals we’ve ever had!! The filet and duck (in the pictures) were to die for and the bread pudding for dessert was also amazing. We already made reservations for tomorrow which is our last night in town, it was that good!