Painted Bear Coffee Co — Restaurant in Gatlinburg

Welcoming and cozy café with warm and friendly staff/owners, Alicia and Daniel. We were on vacation in Gatlinburg and came across the Painted Bear Coffee Co. after a random internet search. Seeing the near perfect reviews, we decided we had to check it out. And we're so glad we did, because it's one of the best we've been to, and arguably one of the best anywhere. It's nestled at the end of a small row of local artist shops amid the beautiful trees and tall hills bordering the Smokey Mountains. In Fall, when we were there, it's like living in a postcard as you pass the vibrant orange, yellow, red, and green foliage and round the bend to see the small, handmade sign reading "Coffee" on the side of the road just before you see the shop. They have all the usual assortment you'd find in most coffee shops, but once I found out they had Yerba Mate, that became my drink of choice. Not many places carry this, and since Daniel hails from Uruguay (originally), he really knows how to brew it properly. I asked Daniel about creating a Yerba Mate Latte and, after some experimentation, he ended up with a nice blend that was then added to the menu. If you're into this great concoction that has been consumed (sometimes) ceremonially for decades in South America, I highly recommend giving it a go, particularly when it's made by someone who grew up making and drinking it. My wife got the latte and my kids got something flavorful (mocha frappe maybe??). All drinks were always amazing, which I'm sure is the result of the extensive research Alicia did on all things coffee and tea for more than a year prior to opening the shop (how many baristas can say that?!?). Daniel's specialty is clearly Yerba Mate, but perhaps everything else is Alicia's specialty, as she moves through the portions, timing requirements, and various brewing and frothing mechanisms like a pro. Take note competitors, this is how it's done! While you're there, don't forget to check out some of Daniel's paintings. He's incredibly gifted as an artist and wonderful to chat with. If we weren't four hours away, we'd be there all the time. Don't waste your "Bucks" anywhere else... Stop by Painted Bear Coffee Co. before heading out on your day trip. You'll be very...

Great coffee shop in the beautiful area of the artist loop. They always have very nice seasonal coffee creations, but the dessert selection could be a little better as limited to just a small selection of cookies. It would be great if they would have pecan pie, chess pie, or blackberry cobbler to go with the wonderful coffee. Maybe I'm just a dreamer but I'm thinking their must be some small bakeries or entrepreneurs in the area of Gatlinburg and Pigeon forge that they could set up some sort of pie / dessert delivery to their coffee shop with. The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is the hours. They list they close at 4 pm, a few times I have been their around the 3:30 pm to 3:45 pm and the person working there told me it was too late to order as "the coffee pot was already turned off". And I noticed about 6 or 7 other customers that day were turned away because they showed up past 3:45 pm. I dunno but I think that is such an early time to close. It would be great if they could be open to 6 pm or even to 7 pm as a lot of tourists driving the artist loop are looking for something to do at that time. I know it is easy to suggest when it's not my coffee shop and I'm not personally working the coffee machine, and when you are exhausted and tired of all the tourists at that point in the day, but it would be great to get one of your wonderful coffees and a chess pie at 5:45 pm after dinner at the Painted Bear and hang out, (hey I can at least dream this). I will definitely be back if I can finish my hiking and/or trout fishing and be able to get to your...

We drove past this cute little coffee shop on our way back to Ohio today. Something in me told me to stop and I am SO GLAD that we did! I had a difficult time finding something in the area that carried something that I could drink that wasn’t full of added sugars. I gave up coffee 2+ years ago and made matcha my go to drink. Most coffee shops buy the matcha powder that has added sugar. I have been on a long health journey and have given up added sugars. While matcha wasn’t on the menu, curiosity got to me when I saw Yerba mare latte on the menu. I was secretly googling what this was when it was our turn in line. I asked about the drink and was very well educated on it. I was even able to try it before ordering it! I honestly think that this may be my new favorite drink. I love that all of your alternative milks are unsweetened. Both workers were so friendly and so patient with all of my questions. Your shop is exactly the type of shop that I love to support. We left with two drinks, two little bears, and a jar of honey. I plan on checking out the paintings as well. We wish we would have found your shop sooner, but...