Classic national park dining at its best. Dark-wood tables are set with china and white linen, eye-catching murals spotlight American Indian tribes and huge windows frame views of the Rim Trail and canyon beyond. Breakfast options include El Tovar's pancake trio (buttermilk, blue cornmeal and buckwheat pancakes with pine-nut butter and prickly-pear syrup), and blackened trout with two eggs.
Dinner reservations are accepted up to 90 days in advance if you are staying at El Tovar (by phone or email only), or 30 days in advance online for general park visitors; during high season especially, you will need reservations. Parties of six or more can request the intimate Teddy Roosevelt Room across from the hostess desk – pop your head in to check out the mustache motif carved into the wood paneling. To avoid lunchtime crowds, eat before the Grand Canyon Railway train arrives at 11:45am. The adjacent cocktail lounge is busy for afternoon cocktails and after-dinner drinks; avoid the uninspiring interior and head to the back porch for table-service snacks and a prickly pear margarita, a perfect spot to people-watch along the Rim Trail.
