Pawpaw’s Kajun Kitchen

My date and I ate here on Friday night. It was very busy but we still felt well taken care of by the staff. They were very attentive and timing of food service was good, even for a packed house.
We had the boudin balls, catfish orleans, and catfish acadiana. All were AMAZING! Coming from someone who lived in Houston for years, this is the greatest cajun food I’ve had since moving back to Knoxville. I could eat here every single night.

Great cajen food, fresh and extremely tasty. Perfect! Service is good, owners are there and really cool.

Unbelievable food, great friendly service. Crawfish boil was excellent and maybe the best PoBoy shrimp sandwich I’ve had. Jambalaya had a great smokey flavor and the crab cakes had plenty of crab in them. Alligator bites were excellent and I could dip anything in the roumelade sauce. Great trip and yes we ate that much there.

What an amazing place and the food was unbelievable. As good as the food was, it could only be topped by the great service. We left there with full bellies and a memorable experience for our vacation. And I can’t forget the snow cones they make next door and was a great cool treat on a very hot day.

Maybe it deserves a boost from a 3 star review, but I’m not sure.
The catfish was good, but not great.
The roast beef po boy «dressed» and topped with homemade gravy was really good.
The fries were disappointing. Crinkle cut, frozen variety, not homemade. I doused them in the sri racha flavored ketchup.
Service was good.
Ambiance was… meh.
I just feel okay about it. Indifferent. Not disappointed. But not excited either.

My dad told me there is one authentic Louisiana Cajun restaurant I’d like to visit in Wears Valley. I’m so glad we came early enough to get the beignets and sampler on the appetizer menu. This place is authentic and will visit again.

If you want real Cajun food, this is the spot. We live in gatlinburg with lots of places to eat and this is on the top of the list
Great people and great food

Don’t let the name or exterior fool you. Really good home cooking, reasonable prices, very good service. The catfish baskets were great, the brisket was excellent, and the pulled pork and slaw was very good. Top it off with white chocolate bread pudding.

The outside isn’t much to look at but the food is excellent for the price. Catfish basket was wonderful. Delicious hush puppies and creamy Cole slaw. Our server Patty was very sweet and helpful as well. A must-​stop spot in the area.

No-​frills, friendly service, predictable menu, fair prices. The food is what you would expect it to be… no surprises, not much in the way of flair, but prepared with care and delivered hot. I have not tried the bbq or the breakfast menu, but the catfish, oysters, shrimp, sandwiches, french fries, slaw have been good every time. I didn’t like the gumbo the only time I tried it, but other reviews are more positive and I may have not been served the best example. The iced tea is only fair, and the only thing I’ve had there that I would qualify as «needs work». There are few alternatives in Wears Valley. Elvira’s can be good, but our visits have been so-​so, iffy service, higher prices.

Nothing but WONDERFUL! We had shrimp poor boys, fried shrimp and catfish, gumbo, jambalaya, pulled pork and more… Everyone raved about their food all day. Great place and would recommend to all… Even for those who have picky eaters.

Dinner was great. Service was sweet and quick. We had Po boys and gumbo. The Po boys were really good. The fish and shrimp were fresh and the bread was perfect. The gumbo was really deep in flavor and was perfect with a splash of hot sauce. Couldn’t ask for a better dinner. Worth the drive.

Let me start by saying that I myself am from South Louisiana where PoBoys, Red beans & rice and Gumbo are served as common as your all American Hamburger. I have been to many «Cajun» resturants and have sadly been dissapointed by many but I must say there are not enough stars to give this place. I ordered the Roast Beef Poboy and it by far was one of the best not only that I have had in awhile, but EVER, slow roasted homemade roast and gravy. NO DELI ROAST HERE… My Son had the Shrimp Poboy and it was just as delicious with juicy flavored shrimp. Out of curiosity I ordered two crab cakes as an appetizer before our meal to see what kind of flavor this resturant was working with and I must say I was impressed from the start. They were full of flavor and absolutely delicious. I spoke to the owner about being from Louisiana as well and as a thank you for stopping in he shared two Beignets with my kids and they were just as perfect as I remembered. I HIGHLY recommend this resturant if you are looking for flavor, authentic Cajun food and an overall great experience. The resturant is family owned, the cook himself (the owner) shared a few laughs with us as well. The entire waitstaff was friendly and on top of everything. The resturant was clean and inviting. We will be back every chance we can come up to the mountains.

Great service and food was awesome! My wife is from Louisiana and is always a little skeptical about Cajun advertised restaurants out of Louisiana, but the owner is 100% Cajun and knows how to cook! The roast beef PO boy is a must have! The pulled pork sandwich is also very good.
Highly recommend and we will be back!

16 year Louisiana resident… I hear often that I need to try someone’s Cajun food and usually wind up disappointed. Not here… the flavors are on point. We had the gumbo, crab cakes, and shrimp poboy and all were terrific, then came the bread pudding. Wowza.
True Cajun food here.

Loved the shrimp po boy and the gumbo! Great food and good service. I would definitely go again!

We will never again pass through this area without stopping for catfish at this restaurant. Everything we had was great. The catfish was truly exceptional.

So good that I went through creating a Unilocal account just to review this place.
Located deep in the mountains however it was more than worth the drive.
Had the catfish, shrimp, and Crab Cake New Orleans. Everything was a ¹⁰⁄₁₀. No complaints whatsoever.
Finished things off with the Pecan pie and the Bread Pudding. Let’s just say there was no need for a take out container.
¹⁰⁄₁₀ from Detroit.

Not much can be said that has already been said. This place was a beautiful addition to our day.
We started off with a cup of the seasonal Crawfish Étouffée. It was seasoned to perfection and nicely presented. For the entrée we ordered the family portion of catfish. This was a phenomenal deal for the size. The catfish was tender, beautifully seasoned and perfectly crisp without that greasy mess that you so often find. Of course we finished with the white chocolate bread pudding.
The service was amazing as well. The owners have all of the charm in the world and deserve all of the success that may and will come their way.
This is now on go to list whenever I make it back this direction. (Make sure you verify the hours of operation as this is a seasonal place: Opened March 1^st)

Catfish flakes off the fork with tenderness. Light and crispy breading… It’s Heaven!
White chocolate bread pudding that’s «Smack yer grandma good!»
I will be back!