Paula Deen’s Family Kitchen

Paula Deen’s Family Kitchen occupies a large, 15,696-square-foot space on the north end of Branson Landing, with views looking out over Lake Taneycomo. Before you even reach the 300-seat dining room, you first pass through a sprawling retail gift shop. It’s filled with cookbooks, branded merchandise, and even a staged kitchen featuring a likeness of Paula Deen. The entire restaurant operates on a single concept – family-style, all-you-can-eat Southern dining. There is no à la carte menu. Instead, the whole table works together to choose a set number of entrees and sides to share. The meal begins with complimentary Cheesy Biscuits, followed by the main dishes. Entree choices are classic comfort food, from the signature Southern Fried Chicken and Beef Pot Roast to Spare Ribs and Chicken and Dumplings. For sides, expect things like Baked Mac and Cheese, Creamed Potatoes, Fresh Candied Yams, and Fried Okra. Food arrives in smaller initial portions to prevent waste, but the servers will bring endless refills of anything you want. It’s a constant rotation of replenishment until everyone is finished. After the main course, each person gets to pick their own individual dessert, with options like a dense Ooey Gooey Butter Cake, Peach Cobbler, or Banana Pudding. The whole setup is designed to handle large groups with ease. And while you can't get the main family-style meal to go, you can buy the desserts from the counter on your way out.