We are a group of 2 seniors, 2 adults & 3 toddlers. We're staying at Maswik Lodge for 2 nights end of June. We're wondering about the restaurants and cafes inside the park. We don't want anything fancy but we do want a sit-down meal at breakfast and dinner (lunch we can just grab anything) Are there many options inside the park to choose from? How is the quality? We're also wondering how long the wait can be in summer. Are we better off grabbing something to eat at Tusayan?

We really liked the Arizona Room for dinner. We thought the food was good. We also really liked the Bright Angel Restaurant for lunch and breakfasts-- it is sit-down but very casual.
Overall, we really enjoyed the food in the Grand Canyon. We were not expecting much, being that it is a national park, but we thought the food was quite good.

Here's a discussion from several years ago that includes several comments about dining at GC

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...and-canyon.cfm

We just had dinner at El Tovar and loved it. It was a bit on the expensive side but a real treat.

We also ate at El Tovar and it was fine-the views are great.

I haven't eaten at Grand Canyon in a few years, but meals in national parks can take a long time. We have had dinners with few other patrons in the dining room that have taken 2 hours. With 2 toddlers, you could be in for a stressful time. Maybe someone who has been to GC more recently can give you a better idea, but I would be careful.

Have eaten dinner at El Tovar three times -- twice it was very good, once just average (a bit disappointing considering the high prices). ET is expensive and you need advance reservations. Haven't tried the other rim restaurants but I understand they are overpriced and OK to average, according to most reviews.

The cafeterias at Yavapai and Maswik are OK (and less expensive than the sit-down restaurants). Usually have a wide choice of options and lots of room to sit and eat.

At Tusayan there are some really mediocre places to eat, but the Squire Inn (Best Western) has always been very good for us. Less expensive than El Tovar, less pretentious too. You can get into Tusayan and back into the park easily after dark but if you go mid-day there is sometimes a long line at the entrance station to get back in, occasionally up to 30 minutes, so I would only do it after sunset (if staying inside the park).

Thanks for the tips!