12 Places to Eat During Your Stay in the Grand Canyon

There are plenty of places to eat during your trip to the Grand Canyon, whether you want to pack a picnic or eat in a traditional restaurant. The trip to the bottom of the Canyon and back can be a tough trek, so you’ll want to be sure you’re well fueled for the journey. 

Here are some of the places that are available at the Grand Canyon for eating. They include locations where you can buy groceries as well as places to stop, eat, and take in the magnificent sights. Some of these spots are located on either rim of the Canyon. You can also visit Ghost’s Canteen at the bottom of the Canyon.

Restaurants and Groceries on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon

The South Rim is the most popular area for visitors to the Grand Canyon because it combines great views with various services and activities that are fun for the whole family. Because the Grand Canyon Visitor Center is located on the South Rim, it’s a good place to start exploring the area and get a bearing on what there is to see. 

Here are some of the locations available for food and groceries on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon: 

• Bright Angels Bicycles and Café: If you want to rent some bicycles to tour the Grand Canyon, Bright Angels is a great place to pick up some coffee and sandwiches while you’re at it. The café features coffee sourced from local roasters at the Firehouse Coffee Company.
  
• Market Plaza General Store: Market Plaza is a strip mall along the South Rim that features a grocery, a deli, a bank, and a post office all within easy walking distance of each other. The General Store is a good place to stop if you want to grab some snacks for a trip down the Canyon, such as bottles of water and trail mix, but it also has a full-service deli for sandwiches to go and other picnic lunches.
  
• Yavapai Lodge Restaurant: If you’d rather get a meal at a sit-down restaurant on the South Rim instead of a quick breakfast or lunch, the Yavapai Lodge and Tavern offers a sit-down meal experience with an emphasis on Southwestern cuisine and American style. Entrees include southwestern burrito bowls, barbacoa, vegetarian options, cheeseburgers, and pizza.
  
• El Tovar: El Tovar is an elegant sit-down restaurant on the South Rim that features wine-tasting menus from local wineries with a hundred wine selections. Guests should be aware that formal attire is required for dinner services, but breakfast and lunch are casual. The cuisine is Haute traditional with Southwestern influences.
  
• Bright Angel Restaurant: The restaurant at Bright Angel Lodge on the South Rim features a mixture of Southwestern and traditional fares like fajitas, burgers, steaks, chicken, and ribs. For added fun, there is also a full-service soda fountain and an old-fashioned saloon nearby that offer refreshment for all ages and dispositions. 

• Desert View Trading Post and Ice Cream: If you want a little something sweet while you’re exploring the South Rim and maybe want to pick up some cool souvenirs while you’re at it, the Desert View Trading Post and ice cream parlor is a good place to do both. This trading post features ice cream, homemade fudge, and coffee-based drinks along with a ton of locally made rugs and other artisan crafts.
  
• Hermit’s Rest Snack Bar: For visitors to the Grand Canyon on the South Rim who are just wanting a quick pick-me-up, the Hermit’s Rest features a snack bar that offers fast food to go for hungry tourists. The snack bar offers traditional snack fare such as fresh-baked cookies, ice cream, hot chocolate, sandwiches, and various chips.  

No matter whether you want to grab a fast bite or you want a luxurious meal from a top-grade fine dining restaurant, there are opportunities to do both on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. 

Restaurants and Groceries on the North Rim

While it doesn’t have as many visitor amenities as the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, the North Rim still features many restaurants and places that you can pick up some food. 

Here are some of the places there are to eat on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon: 

• Grand Canyon Lodge Restaurant:This old-fashioned lodge-style fine dining restaurant features contemporary American dishes and dishes that were famously served in the 1930s, making it a good choice for those diners who want a real experience along with their meal. For a fancy meal, the Grand Canyon Lodge is excellent. However, visitors should be aware that reservations are required.
  
• The Coffee Shop and Rough Rider Saloon: This combination coffee shop and cold drink bar offers a little bit of everything for weary visitors to the Grand Canyon. Offerings included freshly baked bread each day along with sweet pastry options such as cinnamon rolls and muffins.
  
• Deli in the Pines: If you want to get your food to go, the Deli in the Pines is a good option on the North Rim. This takeaway restaurant features pre-made sandwiches and salads that are cold and fresh and ready to take with you on your hike or sightseeing tour. Getting premade sandwiches when you get to the Canyon can save you the trouble of having to tote them there (or keep them cold).
  
• Camper Store:The general store for campers on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon features basic groceries and convenience foods such as bottled drinks and pre-packaged snacks like trail mix and jerky that can be easily carried along on day trips to the Grand Canyon. 

There aren’t quite as many places to get food on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon as there are on the South Rim, but there are still plenty of diverse options to choose from within the park itself. 

Phantom Ranch Canteen – The Restaurant at the Bottom of the Grand Canyon

There is only one place to get food once you’re at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, and you’ll need reservations to get in. This restaurant is the Phantom Ranch Canteen. Just getting to this Grand Canyon restaurant will require a 9.6-mile hike (each way) or a 7.8-mile hike, depending on whether you are coming to the Canteen from the Bright Angel Trail or the Kaibab Trail. 

Breakfast served at the Phantom Ranch Canteen is hearty and designed to fuel hikers for the grueling summit back up to the rim of the Canyon. Offerings include scrambled eggs to order, cherry wood smoked bacon and sausage, buttermilk pancakes, and tropical fruit salad. 

Lunch options at the Phantom Ranch Canteen consist of a hiker’s sack lunch that contains the following items: 

• Whole-grain bagel with jelly and cream cheese
• Smoked sausage
• Apple
• Energy bar
• Craisins
• Soft cheese
• Chocolate covered almonds
• Powdered energy drink

For dinner, visitors who eat at the Phantom Ranch Canteen can choose from two options depending on when they’d like to eat. The choices are a stew-based dinner or a steak dinner, and each is served with homemade cornbread, a fresh garden salad, dessert, and a baked potato. For vegetarians, vegetarian chili is also available. 

Can You Bring Your Own Food to the Grand Canyon?

You can absolutely bring your own food to the Grand Canyon! The restaurants at the Grand Canyon can be pretty pricey, so those tourists who are watching their budget or have specialized diets can buy groceries at one of the local markets or general stores and pack a lunch.

However, it’s a good idea to pack lunches that are heat-resistant as hiking the Grand Canyon can take several hours and some items (especially those with mayo) are perishable in the heat. 

There Are Plenty of Places to Eat at the Grand Canyon!

It doesn’t matter if you’re on the North Rim, the South Rim, or you’re down at the bottom of the Grand Canyon; there are plenty of choices when it comes to picking somewhere to eat while you visit. Not only do you have your choice of cuisine to choose from with the restaurants available, but there are also many grocery stores that you can visit to make your own lunch.