Where to Eat at the Grand Canyon
Choices of where to eat at the Grand Canyon include the El Tovar Dining Room, Bright Angel Lodge, and self-catering options.
Self-Catering
If you’re staying in the small Grand Canyon Village then dining choices are limited. Many of the cabins and lodges which make up the cheapest accommodation do have catering facilities enabling you to cook for yourself if you wish. There are supply stores in Grand Canyon Village where you can buy the basic provisions.
Where to Eat at the Grand Canyon
El Tovar Dining Room
The best dining option, and one which is worth booking in advance as soon as you know the dates of your stay, is the El Tovar Dining Room at the El Tovar Hotel. It has been in business for over 100 years and has lost none of its grand old style. It also continues to offer good food, and is far from being the average hotel restaurant.
If you have a reservation at the hotel you can also reserve a table in the restaurant up to six months in advance, but if you are not staying at the hotel you can only reserve a table 30 days in advance. It doesn’t have an especially South-Western menu but the food is typically American (several kinds of steak, Alaskan salmon, pork chops) in hearty portions and of the best quality. It also has an excellent wine list of mainly California, Oregon, and Washington wines – the three best wine states in the USA.
Bright Angel Lodge
The Bright Angel Lodge also has a restaurant, the Arizona Steakhouse, and you must arrive early if you want to try to get one of the tables with a Canyon view. The food is not as elaborate or as expensive as the El Tovar, but is good steakhouse fare.
Tusayan and Williams
If you enjoy good food then the other good choice is the Coronado Room, which is in the Best Western Grand Canyon Squire Inn in Tusayan. This has a formal air and a menu much better than you might expect to find in a chain hotel – lots of steaks, and interesting dishes such as elk tournedos and buffalo short ribs.
There are several other dining options in Tusayan, and also in Williams, if you are staying there. These include Route 66 diners, pizza restaurants, steakhouses, and more casual cafés.
Frommer’s Arizona and the Grand Canyon
This is our recommended guide for Arizona and the Grand Canyon, if you’re thinking of planning a visit. The two authors both live full-time in Arizona and the book is therefore based on lifetime experiences of the state. It has 86% 5- and 4-star ratings on Amazon.
