Fine Dining

El Tovar Dining Room

Elegant American restaurant inside the El Tovar Hotel with Grand Canyon vistas from some tables.

(3,190)

$$$$Grand Canyon Village, AZ

About

El Tovar Dining Room sits inside the historic El Tovar Hotel right on the South Rim, and it's the closest thing Grand Canyon Village has to a special-occasion restaurant. With a 4.2 rating from over 3,000 reviews, it's earned its reputation as the place to have one memorable meal during a park visit — window tables looking straight into the canyon, an old-lodge atmosphere of timber beams and stone, and a menu that goes well beyond typical park-lodge fare.

What to expect

Reviewers single out the crab cakes with cactus caviar, a well-built French onion soup, generous trout and strip steak plates, and a prickly pear crème brûlée that regulars say to save room for. Breakfast gets just as much love — the cinnamon roll and California eggs Benedict show up again and again in reviews — making it a solid bookend for a day on the rim, not just a dinner spot. Service leans warm and attentive rather than fast, fitting the room's unhurried, old-school feel.

Booking notes

Price range: $$ (moderate to upscale for a sit-down dinner)
Hours: breakfast 6:30–10am, lunch 11am–2:30pm, dinner 4:30–9:30pm daily
Reservations: open a month out and are worth locking in, especially for a window table at sunset — same-day openings do turn up for smaller parties

It's inside the park, so treat it like in-park lodging logistics: plan ahead rather than walking up and hoping for a table, particularly during peak season.

Reviews (3,190)

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4.2

3,190 reviews

Google Reviews

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Erin Clark

6 months ago

We stayed at Maswik Lodge and wanted to try a nice breakfast the morning of our departure. El Tovar exceeded all expectations and was a highlight of the trip. It gave us a last great view of the canyon and the atmosphere was so unique from anything we’d seen up to that point in the canyon. The decor was so unique and the food/coffee was the best of our entire trip. Our table was big enough for our family of five (kids 6, 9, 11) and the view facing the canyon window was amazing. Even our picky eaters found the fruit loops a perfect menu option while those of us looking for something more unique found success in the French toast, omelet, and California eggs Benedict. The famous cinnamon roll was also a wonderful sweet treat for our celebrating birthday boy.

Audrey Hipps

4 months ago

A most amazing experience and 12/10 dinner!! The setting (view of Grand Canyon), service (the BEST‼️ server Sherlene) and food were amazing!! We had crab cakes with cactus caviar that was absolutely incredible! I had a Caprese salad that was perfect and DeForrest had a shrimp dish that was superb. Then to top it all off we had a prickly pear crème brûlée that was unbelievably delicious. What a wonderful evening and experience for us both a great way to end the Grand Canyon part of the trip!

Christine Gartner

2 months ago

We enjoyed our dining experience at El Tovar. The two pasta dishes we had were delicious. My son had a kids cheeseburger and it wasn't the best but he said the fries were amazing. We had a beautiful jew of the canyon. I would definitely come back. We also had the key lime pie and the chocolate cheese cake. Both were rich and delicious. Guy was our waiter. He was wonderful. Thanks for a great experience!

David Baker

5 months ago

Solid, tasty food right on the rim of the Grand Canyon. El Tovar has a dated, old-school feel to it, but serves up good food with very kind service. The service isn't terribly skilled, but they're all nice, helpful, and working hard to ensure you have a good meal. For food, I enjoyed my shrimp cocktail with southwest seasoning. My wife had a very good French onion soup with an intensely flavored broth. My trout was a very generous portion and had good flavor; I probably would have preferred a lighter cook on it, but most Americans want fish thoroughly cooked. My wife really enjoyed her strip steak, cooked exactly as she asked for -- nicely rare. Plating of the food was simple and functional. Overall, if you want a relaxed, non-pretentious, sit-down meal right in the Grand Canyon, El Tovar is going to make you happy.

David Fernandez

2 months ago

Anniversary dinner and the chef special was Halibut wild rice and green beans with carrots. Halibut was cooked to perfection. Beautiful sear with a lemon dill sauce. INCREDIBLE! Mediterranean salad was wonderful. Service was excellent. Request a table by the window and a bottle of prosecco when we arrived and they delivered! They made this an unforgettable evening. Thank you!!