GRAND CANYON SOUTH RIM FOOD

Grand Canyon Village
El Tovar Hotel
(928/638-2526 ext. 6432, daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, $18-26) offers elegant continental and American dining. Be sure to make reservations for dinner, though late seatings are often available. To get your choice of time and seating near a window, it's best to reserve ahead. Hotel guests can reserve up to 6 months in advance, non-hotel guests up to 30 days in advance. You can enjoy the ambiance at lower rates for breakfast ($8-12) and lunch ($10-15); no reservations are taken for these. If you're having lunch here, try to arrive early, as it's a popular destination for the railway passengers who arrive around noon.
    In Bright Angel Lodge, the informal Bright Angel Restaurant (928/638-2526 ext. 6189, daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, $8-12) has popular American food, including Southwestern items such as fajitas, plus limited Canyon views. The adjacent Arizona Room (928/638-2526 ext. 6296, daily for lunch March-Oct. $8-12, daily for dinner March-Dec., $11-24) features very fast lunchtime service for barbecue entrees, sandwiches, and salads, then a dinner menu of New York strip, prime rib, trout or wild salmon, and some Southwestern specialties. Large picture windows give everyone a view of the Canyon. Both restaurants offer a few vegetarian items. Neither place takes reservations, but there's an efficient waiting system; you're given a pager that announces when your table is ready. Sunset is the peak time; you can get in more easily by arriving earlier or later. Bright Angel Coffee in the lounge of Bright Angel Lodge will start your morning with java and pastries. For a quick sandwich, ice cream, or other snack, swing by Bright Angel Fountain on the Canyon rim behind Bright Angel Lodge; it's closed in the winter.
    Maswik Lodge, two blocks south of Bright Angel Lodge, and Yavapai Lodge, one mile east of Bright Angel Lodge near Market Plaza, have large cafeterias open daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner at relatively low prices.
    Canyon Village Marketplace in Market Plaza has a supermarket and a deli counter with tables. You can also buy groceries at general stores in Desert View and Tusayan.

Tusayan
The spacious atrium and greenery in the Canyon Plaza Resort's restaurant (928/638-2673, daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, $10-22) provide an enjoyable setting. Diners have a choice of ala carte or a buffet at each meal. Entrees include steaks, fish, wienerschnitzel, and Navajo tacos. The large selection of salads and fruit in the buffets will appeal to vegetarians; non-vegetarians will appreciate steak and seafood on the menu as well as a variety of meat dishes in the buffet.
    In the Grand Hotel, the western-themed Canyon Star (928/638-3333, daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, $15-26); there's a buffet for breakfast and lunch. A musician, cowboy singer, or band often entertains.
    Cafe Tusayan (928/638-2151, daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, $6-20) serves American favorites next to the Red Feather Lodge. Dinner highlights include steak, prime rib, and fish; you can pick up a box lunch with a bit of advance notice.
    Grand Canyon Squire Inn (928/638-2681) features the Coronado Room (nightly for dinner, $15-25) for fine dining of steak, barbecued ribs, prime rib, fish, pasta, and some Southwestern and vegetarian items. The Canyon Room serves breakfast and lunch (buffet available in summer). Downstairs, the Saguaro Sports Bar & Grill fixes pizza, sandwiches, and snacks.
    The Western-style Steakhouse (928/638-2780, daily for lunch in summer, daily for dinner year-round, $7-26) serves up steak, chicken, shrimp, and even a few veggie options; you can also dine on the deck.
    We Cook Pizza & Pasta (928/638-2278, daily for lunch and dinner, $7-20) offers pizza, pasta, calzones, and sandwiches; it's self-service with indoor picnic table seating. In the Grand Canyon Village Shops across from the IMAX, Sophie's Mexican Kitchen (928/638-1105, daily for lunch and dinner, $3-10) is a colorful little cafe serving fajitas, tacos, chili rellenos, and other popular south-of-the border fare. Nearby, Jennifer's Bakery & Coffeehouse (928/638-3433, daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, $4.50-10) brews many styles of coffee and has a tempting array of sandwiches and pastries; you can surf the Internet as you sip. There's a fast-food court in the Grand Canyon IMAX Theater complex. McDonald's, which serves three meals daily, is nearby across the highway.

Valle
Grand Canyon Inn's
restaurant (28 miles south of Grand Canyon Village, 928/635-9203, daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, may close in winter, $12-17) cooks up steak, ribs, chicken, trout, and other American standbys.

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