Here are the dining options, ordered from least expensive to most expensive.
The names of some of the restaurants change regularly, I am not sure why, especially the one that I will generically call the Bright Angel Coffee Shop, which I think is the most descriptive name. Recently, it has gone through a lot of name changes a few weeks ago it was called Fred Harvey Burger, and when I looked online preparing this video, it has changed again to Fred Harvey Café. I will just call it the Bright Angel Coffee Shop. So some of the names I used here are generic, but adequately descriptive. So, here we go:
Probably the least expensive option is picking up a sandwich, drink, including beer or wine, and a dessert at the General Store. You can then sit at one of the tables out front, or in the snack bar and enjoy a meal for $10.
Next is the snack bar at the front of the general store. They have typical menu, including freshly prepared pizza and both an indoor and outdoor sitting area.
About the same price, but on a much grander scale is the food court at Maswik Lodge. They have various food stations and a generously sized eating area with soaring ceilings and a pleasant atmosphere.
The Yavapai Cafeteria is currently being remodeled and certainly will be renamed, but will likely be very similar to Maswik Food Court. Both Yavapai and Maswik were built by the same company in about the same era, so similarities abound, despite the fact they are currently managed by different companies.
Yavapai has a tavern, where you can get pizza, beer, wine and liquor. The food is prepared at the nearby Yavapai Cafeteria. Maswik has the pizza pub, where you can get beer and wine, and watch sports on big screen TV’s. If the Maswik pizza pub atmosphere is not to your liking, you can take your food and drink to the more quiet open seating area beyond.
Yavapai is unique in that it has outdoor seating both at the Tavern and at the General Store. Maswik does not have this option.
Moving up the, ahem, food chain, is the Bright Angel Coffee Shop. They keep changing the name and it is currently called “Fred Harvey Café.” It is kind of like a Denny’s. The restaurant was built in 1935 and designed by Mary Colter, and has a pleasant atmosphere. They do not accept reservations, and you sometimes need to wait to be seated.
Next up is the Arizona Room, well, that is what it was called for years. It has recently been renamed the Arizona Steakhouse. It is right next to the Bright Angel Coffee Shop, but has a separate entrance and takes both reservations and walk-ins, but reservations are recommended. It is only open during the high season. The Arizona Room is moderately upscale and leans toward a steakhouse or chophouse menu.
At the, ahem, top of the food chain is the El Tovar restaurant. This is the flagship eating establishment at South Rim. Reservations are required for every meal but breakfast, and in the busy season you may not get a seat without a reservation. Dressing for dinner is encouraged, they have a Maitre d’, white tablecloths, and an upscale atmosphere. El Tovar was build in 1905 and was once considered the best hotel West of the Mississippi. Xanterra does try to maintain this upscale atmosphere to this day.
Let me also comment on reservations and crowds. I strongly recommend that you make reservations, generally available online a month in advance. First, there is always a crowd around the entrance of El Tovar seeking a table without reservations. Second, people love to see the sunset on the rim and then mob the restaurants. That’s when delays in seating and service are the worst. If you plan to see the sunset, you might want to have your dinner first to avoid the mob scene after sunset during the peak months.
My favorite place to eat is none of the above. I first started by bringing my own breakfast to Grand Canyon, because I get up early and hit the trail well before the restaurants have opened. I eat my lunch from my backpack on the trail. That leaves dinner as the only meal I would eat out. Even before covid, I grew frustrated with the cost, quality, inconvenience and variable efficiency of the service at the sit- down restaurants. I gave them up. Similarly, the pizza pub I liked so much could range from serving a decent pizza to one that was almost inedible. And that meal would cost about $60 including a couple of beers. I started bringing my own food. On a two night stay, I have a salad with tuna on the first night, and I have a hearty soup on the second night.
This allows me to have healthy food, prepared the way I want, when I want it, at minimum cost. I can pop open a beer for 1/4 the cost of a draft at a restaurant, play some jazz from the internet and pay less than five dollars per person per meal, served when I want it, with no wait, and prepared to my satisfaction. It is healthier, cheaper, faster and made to my satisfaction.