15 Best Restaurants in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

Background Illustration for Restaurants

Within the park on the South Rim, you can find everything from cafeteria food to creatively prepared, Western- and Southwestern-inspired American cuisine—there's even a coffeehouse with organic joe. Reservations are accepted (and recommended) for dinner at El Tovar Dining Room; they can be made up to six months in advance with El Tovar room reservations, 30 days in advance without. You should also make dinner reservations at the Grand Canyon Lodge Dining Room on the North Rim—as the only "upscale" dining option, the restaurant fills up quickly at dinner throughout the season (the two other choices on the North Rim are a cafeteria and a chuck wagon–style Grand Cookout experience). The dress code is casual across the board, but El Tovar is your best option if you're looking to dress up a bit and thumb through an extensive wine list. Drinking water and restrooms aren’t available at most picnic spots.

Eateries outside the park generally range from mediocre to terrible—you didn't come all the way to the Grand Canyon for the food, did you? Our selections highlight your best options. Of towns near the park, Williams definitely has the leg up on culinary variety and quality, with Tusayan (near the South Rim) and Jacob Lake (the closest town to the North Rim) offering mostly either fast food or merely adequate sit-down restaurants. Near the park, even the priciest places welcome casual dress. On the Hualapai and Havasupai reservations in Havasu Canyon and on the West Rim, dining is limited and basic.

El Tovar Dining Room

$$$$ Fodor's choice

This cozy room of dark wood beams and stone, nestled in the historic El Tovar Lodge, dates to 1905. Gourmet classics such as duck, lamb, and salmon are on the menu, which focuses on locally sourced and organic ingredients. Many dishes have a modern Southwest touch, and the room is also open for breakfast and lunch. Modeled after a European hunting lodge, this rustic 19th-century dining room built of hand-hewn logs is worth a visit. Everyone from Teddy Roosevelt to Sir Paul McCartney is said to have dined here. If you can't get a dinner reservation, consider lunch or breakfast, when you can get the pancake trio featuring honey pine nut butter and prickly pear syrup.

Dinner reservations can be made up to 90 days in advance with room reservations, and 30 days in advance for all other visitors.

Arizona Steakhouse

$$$$

The canyon views from this casual Southwestern-style steak house are the best of any restaurant at the South Rim. The dinner menu leans toward steak-house dishes, while lunch is primarily salads and sandwiches with a Southwestern twist. Local ingredients, as well as beer and wine selections from Arizona brewers and vintners, are featured along with a larger list of wine, beer, and cocktails.

9 N. Village Loop Dr., AZ, 86023, USA
928-638–2631
Known For
  • Views of the Grand Canyon
  • Southwestern fare
  • Local craft beers and wines

Something incorrect in this review?

Cliff Dwellers Restaurant

$$

At the end of a row of motel rooms at Cliff Dwellers Lodge, this restaurant is a pleasant surprise with excellent food, craft beer, and a full bar. Order gourmet sandwiches and salads for lunch; rib-eye steak, roasted chicken, and baby back ribs impress at dinner. A small patio is available to dine on out front.

Milepost 547 N. Hwy. 89A, AZ, USA
800-962--9755
Known For
  • Full bar with craft beers and wines
  • Avocado pie
  • Patio dining with Vermillion Cliff views

Something incorrect in this review?

Recommended Fodor's Video

The Coffee Shop

$
From 5:30 to 10:30 am, the Roughrider Saloon operates as a coffee shop serving pastries, breakfast burritos, and grab-and-go fare. Seating is limited, but you can watch the sunrise as you sip your coffee on the deck.
AZ, USA
928-638--2611
Known For
  • Best place to get your caffeine fix
  • Quick breakfasts to go
  • Coffee served at a saloon bar

Something incorrect in this review?

Fred Harvey Burger

$$$

Open for lunch and dinner, this casual café at Bright Angel Lodge serves basics like salads, sandwiches, and burgers. Harvey House favorites like strip steak and spaghetti round out the menu. For dessert try the flourless chocolate lava cake or the more casual ice cream sandwich with whipped topping and chocolate sauce. Be prepared to wait for a table: the dining room bustles all day long.

Desert View Dr., AZ, 86023, USA
928-638–2631
Known For
  • Reasonably priced American fare for a national park
  • Family-friendly menu and setting
  • Some limited vegetarian and gluten-free options
Restaurant Details
Reservations not accepted

Something incorrect in this review?

Fred's Diner

$$

Tucked in the back of the Raptor Ranch gift shop, this order-at-the-counter eatery is the area's best option for a quick bite on the road. Pizza dominates the menu, but chicken tenders and wings are options, too. The restaurant serves a limited selection of pitchers of beer and bottles of wine.

Grab n' Go Coffee Shop

$

Located at Bright Angel Bicycles, next door to the Grand Canyon Visitor Center, this convenient coffee bar also serves fresh juices, sodas, and energy drinks as well as sandwiches, salads, and pastries. Everything is fresh and from Flagstaff favorites; the coffee beans are from Firehouse Coffee Company, the sandwiches and salads from Eat N' Run, and the bagels from Biff's Bagels.

10 S. Entrance Rd., AZ, USA
928-638--3055
Known For
  • Vegan and vegetarian options
  • Items from popular Flagstaff eateries
  • Trail-friendly foods

Something incorrect in this review?

Grand Canyon Inn Restaurant

$$

This no-frills restaurant at the Grand Canyon Inn plates all-American fare like pork chops, fried chicken, and burgers. Pasta and salads are available, too. The restaurant has a limited wine list and beer offerings plus a full bar serving mixed drinks.

257 S. Hwy. 64, AZ, USA
928-635--9203
Known For
  • One of the few restaurants in the area
  • Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner
  • Better than expected meals

Something incorrect in this review?

Guano Point Cafe

$$$

This walk-up café offers a casual dining experience at Guano Point. Chow down on barbecue pork or chicken, curried vegetables, and sides like mashed potatoes and corn on the cob as you take in the canyon's views.

Grand Canyon, AZ, USA
Known For
  • Panoramic views of the canyon
  • Outdoor dining at picnic tables
  • Limited meal options

Something incorrect in this review?

Gwe Ma’jo

$$

Located at Hualapai Point, Gwe Ma'jo is the only restaurant at Grand Canyon West that serves breakfast, although its offerings are limited to an egg and meat plate, breakfast burrito (with or without meat), French toast, and fry bread. At lunch, you can sample Navajo dishes like pinion stew and tacos made with fry bread. 

Jacob Lake Inn Restaurant

$$

This restaurant inside Jacob Lake Inn satisfies hungry travelers with homemade breakfasts and burgers and sandwiches for lunch.  At dinnertime, try the grilled Salisbury steak topped with grilled onions; add hunter gravy and an egg to enjoy it like a local. Or, sample a regional trout dish. The restaurant also has a bakery and an ice-cream counter selling milkshakes, sundaes, and cones.

U.S. 89A & Hwy. 67, AZ, 86022, USA
928-643--7232
Known For
  • Homemade pies
  • Navajo rugs and sandpaintings on the wall
  • Counter seating

Something incorrect in this review?

Maswik Food Court

$$

You can get BBQ, hot sandwiches, hot dogs, or Mexican fare at this food court. The adjacent Maswik Pizza Pub serves pizza by the slice and wine and beer. Lines can be long during high-season lunch and dinner, but everything moves fairly quickly.

Sky View Restaurant

$$$

The only indoor, sit-down dining at Grand Canyon West overlooks the Skywallk and Eagle Point and serves chicken tenders, salads, bowls, and vegetarian burgers. Beer and wine are also available. Meal tickets for here can be purchased as part of a package.

Known For
  • Floor-to-ceiling views of the Skywalk and Eagle Point
  • Sit-down dining
  • Meal ticket option

Something incorrect in this review?

Skywalk Cafe

$$

This café at Eagle Point serves hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, chicken tenders, and chili dogs. Dining is outdoors with views of the Skywalk and Eagle Point or within view of the Hualapai musicians and dancers who perform several shows daily.

Yavapai Dining Hall

$$$

If you don't have time for full-service, the restaurant in Yavapai Lodge offers cafeteria-style dining for breakfast and dinner, including beef brisket, pizza, baked chicken, and salmon. Wine and beer, including craft brews from nearby Flagstaff, are also on the menu; or enjoy drinks on the patio at the adjacent Yavapai Tavern, which serves lunch and dinner.

Yavapai Lodge Rd., AZ, 86023, USA
928-638–4001
Known For
  • Quick bites or hearty meals
  • Convenient dining in Market Plaza
  • Patio with firepit at Yavapai Tavern
Restaurant Details
Reservations not accepted

Something incorrect in this review?