Bright Angel, Grand Canyon

Bright Angel Lodge is central to a lot of activities along the rim and has several options for meals. There are two full restaurants, both pretty good, a snack bar that sells wonderful ice cream and a bar that doubles as a coffee and pastry bar in the mornings.

Favorite Dish: The Arizona Room is there nicest restaurant and we had a very nice dinner here. I had a tender and juicy beef tenderloin filet in a reoasted red pepper cream sauce, roasted cumin onion rings (an unusual but very nice flavor), sour cream and cheddar mashed potatoes and green beans. My wife and grandson had the trout with lemon sage butter accompanied by a black bean rice pilaf and green beans. Both my wife and I had a glass of Zinfandel as well. We finished off by sharing the chef’s dessert special of the day, a Fudge Lava Cake with ice cream on top. It was a delicious, moist, very chocolate, large hunk of dessert. Good thing we only ordered one. A fine dinner for us all.

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Another restaurant in the Bright Angel lodge is just called the restaurant as far as I can determine. It has a family atomosphere and offers what we found to be quite a varied and good menu. The walls are decorated with old Harvey House memorabilia which give it something of an early 20th century feel. I had eaten too well that day so opted for a Harvey Spinach Salad which was a nice bed of spinach topped with sliced egg, tomatoes, mushrooms and sunflower seed. Sprinkled over was parmesan and pieces of bacon (not bacon bits!). With a nice roll and butter it was very tasty and satisfying. My wife and grandson shared a roast porkloin topped with warm cinnamon apples and accompanied by rice and a steamed medly of cauliflower, broccoli and carrots. We finished by sharing a slice of their New York style cheese cake with a strawberry sauce. Very nice (and very rich!).

Favorite Dish: I had a nice glass of cabernet and my wife had a Canyon Breeze which is vodka with cranberry and pineapple juice.

Total price for it all including tip was $50 which I thought a bargain.

After our shuttle along Hermit Road we returned to Grand Canyon Village just as darkness was falling. It wasn't a long walk to Bright Angel Lodge, so we zipped up the walkway to have dinner there.

The generously-sized dining room had high, wood-beamed ceilings and comfy booths or tables filled with diners ready for a hearty meal after a long day at the canyon. Lodge-style decor set the theme for the restaurant.

The menu included a wide variety of dishes. It didn't take me long to decide upon a Colter quesadilla with Buffalo chicken ($7.15) and Jim ordered a Chicken Fajita ($13.00). I should have realized "Buffalo" chicken would be spicey--it was...but also very good!

Bright Angel is a lodge within Grand Canyon village and also includes a cocktail lounge and small gift shop.

We ate here for breakfast. It was average priced for American breakfasts in a restaurant. There was an ample amount of food presented and lots of choices.
One thing you have to remember is that ALL the eating places and ALL the hotels are run by the same corporation. So it is going to be similar in nature.
The wait staff was efficient. In the summer expect lines. No reservations for a table can be made.
The restaurants do not have a view of the canyon, but this one is only a few steps away from the rim walk.
There is a trail near here where you can at least start walking down which will give you a sense of the hike down.

Favorite Dish: You will find American basics of breakfast. Various diets are represented.
Coffee wasn't Starbucks.
Be sure and ask for water and drink it. You don't want to get dehydrated later.

Our main reason for stopping here was to have the famous Canyon Crunch ice cream, since the the Bright Angel Fountain only takes cash, and we we only had a credit card on us. The room was nice enough, done up in a western theme, but service, though pleasant, crawled at a snail's pace even though the restaurant was half-empty.

Favorite Dish: We decided we might as well have lunch, and I had the Hiker's Salad, which was grilled chicken breast, salad, and romano cheese. The salad was iceberg lettuce ( the lettuce snob rears her ugly head again) which was described on the menu as "mixed greens", the chicken breast was okay, but the worst thing about the salad was the pre-grated-in-a-canister Romano cheese. Ick. The saving grace of the salad was the delightfully sweet and spicy Grape-Serrano salad dressing, sort of like a vinagrette. My husband had a cheese burger and onion rings, and he thought the burger was pretty good, and the onion rings outstanding.

The Canyon Crunch ice cream is very yummy. It appears to be vanilla ice cream with chocolate and butterfinger pieces. However, the waiter told us that it is no longer being made, as the Grand Canyon is the only purchaser, and it's not cost effective for the company that produces it.

I thought the food was okay, but I expected the quality to be better. It seemed to be about the same as at the Yavapai cafeteria. You would be probably better off at the cafeteria, as the prices are cheaper.

The Angel Lodge provides two dining options as well as an outdooor snack/cafe facility on the terrace at the back. On the day of our visit food for fuel was the order of the day as well as a little liquid refreshment - solely to regain the metabolic balance of course!

Chicken fingers with BBQ sauce, Onion Rings and a couple of pints of Fat Tire did exactly the intended job, plenty of calorific intake and a couple of pints of liquid to replace the lost sweat.

Favorite Dish: I wouldn't exactly say the the chewy chicken was my favourite dish but it was pretty much what i had expected and there was plenty of it. Fat Tire served a little too cold for my tastes, but what's new there?

The Bright Angel was just what my son and I were looking for.

If we wanted a humber and fries they had it. There were a lot of other items on the menu that would please people too. If you want to have a couple of drinks that is availble also.

Before we hiked to the bottom of the Canyon we ate breakfast at The Bright Angel. It was clean and well run.

The location is nice. Right by the Grand Canyon and next to Kolb and Lookout Studios.
Not to mention the beautiful views.

Favorite Dish: Basic burger and fries. The breakfast was great too.

I have decided to have a beer at the Bar. The bar is rather closed off, with windows looking out toward the front.

Favorite Dish: Low fat buffalo burger and beer.