Loco Burro Fresh Mex Cantina

Few Gatlinburg restaurants offer rooftop dining, and this is the one visitors mention. The upper deck gives you more air and more sky than a ground-floor Parkway restaurant, with some separation from the sidewalk crowd. It is still a lively room, not a quiet retreat. If you want calm, go at an off-peak hour. If you want energy and a view, go in the early evening.

Come before the weekend dinner wave if you want to be seated without a long wait.

The menu runs down the Mexican and Tex-Mex line: tacos, fajitas and the expected combinations, along with margaritas and other cantina drinks. It is not a narrow specialist; it is built to feed a mixed group with burritos, enchiladas and entrees, so a table with different tastes can usually order together.

Prices are mid-range for the Parkway. For specific menu items and current prices, ask when you arrive.

Call (865) 430-5624 for current hours. Rooftop seating is weather-dependent, so ask whether it is open the day you plan to visit. The restaurant's site is locoburro.com.

The Town Center area is in the busy downtown stretch, within walking distance of many attractions and shops. Parking is limited and costly. Gatlinburg's trolley is free and runs along the Parkway, so leaving your car at your lodging and riding in is often easier; see the city's trolley page.

If you are visiting the national park the same day, remember the parking tag ($5 daily, $15 weekly, $40 annual) is required for any vehicle parked longer than 15 minutes; see the NPS fees page.

• Rooftop tables go quickly on warm evenings and during October. Ask for one when you check in.
• Share appetizers for the table and order main dishes separately if you want to control the cost.
• Check the weather. Rooftop seating may close for rain or cold, and the indoor space is a fallback.
• The bar level is a good spot for an early drink before dinner.

Loco Burro is a fun, noisy, cantina-style stop on a street that is mostly pancakes and fudge. For a group that wants a break from Southern cooking and a seat above the sidewalk, it is a good pick.