On a recent family outing to Sweetwater, Tennessee, my family had the chance to try out a new-to-us restaurant, The Cabin, in the nearby town of Loudon. One of our favorite things about travel is the chance to eat at local restaurants, especially ones off the beaten path and we had a Restaurant.Com gift certificate to help us save. The Cabin is located a few miles off I-75, making it a perfect stop for travelers between Chattanooga and Knoxville. We arrived a few minutes before the dinner rush, which worked out well because The Cabin seems to be pretty popular. By the time we left, both the parking lot and the dining area were filling up with hungry families, travelers, and everyone in-between.
When we arrived, we were seated almost immediately and offered a choice between complimentary rolls, complimentary cornbread, or a mixture of both. I overheard the waitress informing another customer that while the rolls were pre-made, the cornbread was made in house. Nevertheless, our family opted for a mixture of both and thoroughly enjoyed all of them. In fact, between the four of us eating bread, we managed to knock out two plates of rolls and cornbread.
Deciding what to order was a harder decision than rolls vs. cornbread thanks to the fairly expansive menu. After much debating, we decided on barbecue macaroni and cheese, a meatloaf sandwich, a Reuben with the brisket cooked in-house, the Smokehouse Burger, and a pulled barbecue pork dinner. The sandwiches and burger came with fries, although the waitress informed us other sides could be substituted if we wished. The barbecue dinner came with baked beans and coleslaw, and I opted to leave it as is instead of substituting any other sides. I also ordered a salad with ranch dressing, no croutons. The waitress was extremely helpful with substitutions and dietary requests, and I heard her talking to someone else who had a pretty complicated order at the next table. It’s the little details like this that can make or break my restaurant experience, so I was happy to be accommodated so easily!
The salad arrived quickly, and by the time I had finished it, our food was at our table. The waitress helpfully pointed out the two varieties of barbecue sauce sitting on the table, “smoky” and “spicy.” The barbecue macaroni and cheese came with “smoky” sauce, and the pulled pork arrived bare. We sampled both sauces, which were tasty. The barbecue macaroni wound up having more smoky sauce applied to it before eating, but my mom has always been one to load up on the sauce. I chose the spicy sauce, which was vinegar based and tangy. The baked beans were good, and had chunks of hamburger meat in them. That made them more hearty than the usual side of baked beans. The coleslaw was good, and I mixed most of it in with my barbecue and sauce.
Justin is a big fan of Reubens, and this one was no exception. He and my brother agreed that the fries were “good enough to eat without ketchup.” The Reuben was a large sandwich, and the portion of fries that came with it was pretty big too, especially after all the bread the boys had been filling up on.
Mom liked her barbecue macaroni and cheese, which was macaroni topped with chives, barbecue pulled pork, and barbecue sauce. It didn’t come with sides, but between the bread she ate and the dish itself, she actually wound up taking some of the macaroni home to eat later.
My little brother enjoyed his smokehouse burger, which was made with a hickory smoked ground beef patty topped with barbecue sauce, cheese, bacon, and an onion ring, along with mayonnaise, lettuce, and tomato. The burger was messy, which is usually a good sign in a burgers.
The meatloaf sandwich my dad ordered was a surprise favorite. Meatloaf sandwiches are popular in the South, but they’ve been disappearing from restaurant menus over time. Finding one on the menu was a nice throwback, which is probably why my dad ordered it. When it arrived, topped with sautéed mushrooms and onions, even my mom (not a meatloaf fan) wanted to try a bite. Everyone agreed that it was really good- the meatloaf was juicy, with just the right amount of filler to hold it together. All in all, it tasted like something you’d get at your grandma’s house, but in the best way possible.
The Cabin Restaurant and BBQ offers great homestyle cooking and large portions at reasonable prices. Although we went for dinner, they are also open for breakfast and lunch. It’s probably best to stop by during off hours or expect a bit of wait. Don’t worry though, they move fast and don’t seem to sacrifice service for speed. If you’re near Loudon, Tennessee, and want some good Southern style cooking or barbecue, check out The Cabin.
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This post has made me feel so hungry! Those chips look so delicious, as do the burgers. What a fab selection of homestyle dishes.
Everything looks SO good!!!! How in the world did you find such a dynamite place!?
Mouthwatering! Those pictures make me wish I lived in Tennessee near The Cabin Restaurant. 🙂 Everything looks so delicious.
~Lorelai
Life With Lorelai
Its breakfast time and I am already craving lunch! I am drooling great recap of this amazing meal!
I’ve never been to this place, but based on the pictures I approve. My gosh the bbq looks really yummy.
We are in Knoxville, so we are not far from The Cabin Restaurant. I am going to fie this place a try!
I like Restaurant . com because it gets me out there exploring restaurants that are not chain!! This looks like a really good one you found! The food looks great.
All look so tasty, make me hungry! I would love to eat at this restaurant.
That all looks so great. I would have a hard time ordering too it all looks so good.
This food looks so delicious! If I’m ever in the area I hope to get to check this place out.
Ok yum! I want to try and make the mac and cheese! Every thing looks so good 🙂
I could eat everything just based off the pics. I love good homestyle cooking restaurants. Reminds me of home and family meals.
That looks like some great Southern cooking- those biscuits. Oh yum.
Now I’m craving a reuben. That looks amazing
This looks like a nice place to visit.
I love your pictures – yum, yum.
That food looks almost too delicious to eat. I live in Knoxville and might have venture to Loudon to check it out.
The food looks amazing. I love finding a good restaurant that serves a variety of foods for everyone to enjoy. I haven’t tried restaurants.com because most of the places in our area are weird.
Now that looks like some wonderful southern cuisine! We are planning a trip through TN this summer and I’ll have to remember to stop in for a bite!
I love Tennessee! Been there a few times and don’t live far from it. My husband and I ALWAYS look forward to trying new eating places when we go out.
This looks soo yummy! Looks like a restaurant that I would love!
This meal looks delicious, and I would love to eat here sometime. Thanks for sharing this restaurant, loving the name!
This looks soo good!!! I would love to try the food at this restaurant, I love the mixture of cornbread and rolls!
Oh my gosh. Look at all that amazing food. It looks SO delicious. I miss going out to restaurants for a delicious meal.
Oh yum! This looks like a great place, our family would love it!
Yum, that southern food looks amazing! We just got back from that area in Tennessee!
Wow! That looks and sounds like an amazing place to go and enjoy a delicious meal! This looks like some great food!
Oh my gosh, I haven’t had lunch yet and the look of that cheeseburger has completely done me in! What a delicious place to dine.
These meals all look amazing. I love Tennessee and I would love to check out this restaurant. The south really knows how to do food!
That food has my mouth watering, I bet it was delicious. I recently received a $100 restaurant.com gift card I better see whats out there.
All of the food looks amazing. I will make sure I try them out if I am ever in the neighborhood.
This looks like such a great restaurant. I’d love to eat here. That bbq mac and cheese sounds so yummy. I’d really love to have that for lunch today! 🙂
I am officially hungry now, I might have to hitch hike to Tenn to get some of that food : )
Oh wow! That food looks amazing. If we’re ever in that area, I’ll be sitting down for some barbecue for sure.
My mouth literally watered at every single picture! My daughter lives about 15 minutes from Loudon, so we’ll have to check out The Cabin the next time we visit! We love Restaurant.com gift cards too! They save us soo much money when we’re traveling!