Nino’s Pizzeria & Eatery just celebrated their 8th successful year serving up pizzas, pasta, subs, and other tasty eats for the greater Sevierville area. Eight years is a long time for a small place like Nino’s and gives a nice hint that this is certainly a place worth considering during one’s trip to the greater Pigeon Forge area.
We said small place and we certainly meant it. Nino’s Pizzeria & Eatery is owned by a husband and wife duo and was named after the husband’s father who was often called Nino, Italian for little boy, by his parents. But the name also does double duty, a well-suited name that looks and feels very much like a hole-in-the-wall Italian restaurant. The restaurant itself sits at the end of a lone shopping plaza at the intersection of Highway 411 and Long Spring Road in East Sevierville. The interior dining area consists of two rooms. The front door opens to the smaller of these two, lined with just a couple of tables and a long counter with fresh baked goods on display. A second, slightly larger adjoining dining room lies to the right.
As its name suggests, Nino’s Pizzeria & Eatery is best known as a low-key kitchen that serves up big pizzas as well as other Italian-inspired menu items. The owners are very much involved with every aspect of running their restaurant. Both are often seen bustling in the kitchen as well as the front, sometimes even going out to deliver the pizzas on their own. That’s right, in a world where it seems you have to use a third-party app for every food delivery nowadays, Nino’s Pizzeria & Eatery still do their own delivery. This makes them a fantastic choice for those staying in a nearby Pigeon Forge cabin.
In terms of pizza, it is important to note that this is not New York-style pizza as it is neither thin crust nor can you order by the slice. Pizzas are made either with an in-house dough or you can substitute for a gluten-free dough which is pretty tasty. For non-gluten-free pizzas, expect hand-tossed with a medium-thick buttery crust and a tomato sauce base. You can either build your pizza up or choose from one of their eight specialty pizzas which include a pork-heavy Carnivore Heaven Meatlovers boasting ham, beef, pepperoni, and sausage bacon, and a lighter Mediterranean Pizza with Kalamata olives, artichoke hearts, feat, and fresh mozzarella. Pizzas are cooked in a regular-style oven (not brick or wood-fired).
Outside of the pizza choices, popular menu items at Nino’s Pizzeria & Eatery include:
Garlic Knots
Hands down the most popular appetizer, you can choose either a small (10 knots) or large (20 knots) order. They also come available baked with pepperoni for a small up-charge.
Chicken Parmesan
Nino’s Pizzeria & Eatery has a pretty sizable sub and sandwich menu, but the Chicken Parmesan is the local favorite. This sub comes served with a thick slice of breaded chicken breast topped with fresh mozzarella cheese and marinara sauce. This and all other subs and sandwiches come served with a pickle spear and your choice of chips, potato salad, coleslaw, or macaroni. No French fries.
While their online menu does not list it, Nino’s Pizzeria & Eatery does serve beer and wine in addition to fountain drinks, bottled soda, coffee, and milk.
Insider Tips:
-Keep in mind this is a small mom-and-pop operation. So while they do complete deliveries, Friday and Saturday are not the best nights to order delivery through them as they can get slammed, and you might find yourself on hold for a while.
-They also have fairly early closing hours for a pizzeria (8 pm Tuesday through Thursday and 9 pm Saturday and Sunday). If you’re really hankering for their pizza on the weekend, order before dinner rush or get it for pick-up.