Grand Canyon National Park

El Tovar Dining Room

(928/638-2631 ext. 6432, daily breakfast, lunch and dinner, 6:30 a.m.-11 a.m., 11:30-2 p.m., 5 p.m.-10 p.m., reservations are required, lunch $9-$16, dinner $7-$28)

El Tovar Dining Room is truly carrying on the Fred Harvey Company traditions on which it was founded more than 100 years ago. A serious, competent staff serves fresh and creative, locally inspired dishes in a cozy, mural-clad dining room which has not been significantly altered from the way it looked back when Teddy Roosevelt and Zane Gray ate here. The wine, entrées, and desserts are all top-notch and would be mightily enjoyed anywhere in the world—but they always seem to be that much more tasty with the sun going down over the canyon. Pay attention to the specials, which usually feature some in-season native edible and are always the best thing to eat within several hundred miles in any direction.

The Arizona Room

(928/638-2631, open daily for lunch and dinner 11:15 a.m.-10 p.m., after Nov. 1 just dinner 4:30 p.m.-10 p.m., no reservations, lunch $7-$12, dinner $12-$25)

The Arizona Room serves steak, prime rib, fish and chicken in Southwestern-inspired dishes amidst a stylish, but still casual, atmosphere. There’s a full bar, and the steaks are excellent—hand-cut and cooked just right with unexpected sauces and marinades. The Arizona Room is closed for dinner in January and February, and closes to the lunch crowd from November through February.

If you only have one nice dinner planned for your trip, think about choosing El Tovar over the Arizona Room (but make sure to make a reservation in advance). The food is great at both places, but El Tovar has so much atmosphere and is not all that much more expensive than the Arizona Room, which doesn’t have the historical and aesthetic interest that’s all over El Tovar. Although, thinking about the Arizona Room’s baby-back ribs with prickly pear barbecue sauce makes one question such a recommendation.

Bright Angel Restaurant

(928/638-2631, open daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, $3-$9)

Bright Angel Restaurant just off the Bright Angel Lodge’s lobby is a perfect place for a big, hearty breakfast before a day-hike below the rim, serving all the standard, rib-sticking dishes amidst decorations and ephemera recalling the Fred Harvey hey-day. At lunch there’s stew, chili, salads, sandwiches and burgers, and for dinner there’s steak, pasta, and fish dishes called “Bright Angel Traditions,” along with a few offerings from the Arizona Room’s menu as well. Nearby is the Bright Angel Fountain, which serves hotdogs, ice cream and other quick treats.

Maswik Cafeteria

(928/638-2631, open daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, $3-$9)

Maswik Cafeteria is an ideal place for a quick, filling, and delicious breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You can find just about everything here—burgers, salads, country-style mash potatoes, French fries, sandwiches, prime rib, chili and soft-serve ice cream, to name just a few of the dozens of offerings. Just grab a tray, pick your favorite dish, and you’ll be eating in a matter of a few minutes. There’s a similar cafeteria-style restaurant at the Yavapai Lodge to the east of village.

The North Rim

The Grand Canyon Lodge Dining Room

(928/638-2611, breakfast, lunch and dinner daily, dinner reservations required, $8-$25)

The Grand Canyon Lodge Dining Room is the only restaurant in the park, serving fish, pasta, and steaks for dinner, and soups, sandwiches and salads for lunch. It’s not great, and is even less so toward the end of the season (late October), but it is the only thing going for several miles around.

The Kaibab Lodge Restaurant

(928/638-2389, Breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily, $6.25-$18.95)

The Kaibab Lodge is a small gathering of basic cabins behind the treeline at the edge of a meadow along AZ 67, about five miles north of the park boundary. You can rent cabins of varying sizes, and enjoy the lounge, giftshop, and warm fireplace in the lobby. The lodge closes in early November.

Kaibab Lodge Restaurant serves well-made, hearty fare perfect for the high, cool country—much better than the in-park eatery.

Williams

Rod’s Steak House

(301 E. Route 66, 928/635-2671, www.rods-steakhouse.com, 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Mon.-Sat., closed Sunday, $11.50-$35)

A northland institution with some of the best steaks in the region,Rod’s Steak House has been operating at the same site for more than 50 years. The food is excellent, the staff is friendly and professional, and the menus are shaped like steers.

The Pine Country Restaurant

(107 N. Grand Canyon Blvd., 928/635-9718, 5:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. daily, $5-$10)

The Pine Country Restaurant is a family-style place that serves good food and homemade pies. Check out the beautiful paintings of the Grand Canyon on the walls.

Twisters 50s Soda Fountain and Route 66 Café

(417 E. Route 66, 928/635-0266, 8 a.m.-close daily, $5-$10)

Twisters 50s Soda Fountain and Route 66 Café has 50s music and décor and delicious diner-style food, including root-beer floats. Even if you’re not hungry, check out the giftshop selling all kinds of road-culture memorabilia.

Tusayan

Jennifer’s Bakery and Internet Café

(U.S. 180 and AZ 64, across from IMAX, 928/638-3433, 7 a.m.-8 p.m.)

Jennifer’s Bakery and Internet Café has coffee and baked goods and is a convenient place to check your e-mail before you get into the park. They also serve good omelets and sandwiches.

Canyon Star Restaurant

(928/638-3333, 7 a.m.10 a.m. and 11:30 p.m.-10 p.m., $10-$25)

For something a little more substantial, try Canyon Star Restaurant inside the Grand Hotel, serving Southwestern food, steaks, and ribs, and featuring a saloon in which you can belly-up to the bar on top of an old mule saddle (it’s not that comfortable though).

The Coronado Room

(928/638-2681, dinner only, 5 p.m.-10 p.m. $15-$28)

The Coronado Room inside the Grand Canyon Squire Inn serves tasty steaks and seafood, Mexican-inspired dishes and pasta.

We Cook Pizza & Pasta

(AZ 64, 928/638-2278, $7-$15)

If you’re craving pizza after a long day exploring the canyon, try We Cook Pizza & Pasta for an excellent, high-piled pizza pie.