Overall: service could be improved (faster?), the fancy black ties that the waiters/waitress wear can go. More interesting, quality ingredient entrees that are worth the price. I would come here for a drink, and dessert. But else where for dinner.
To repeat what others have said: mediocre food on a white table cloth. They try to hard to push the whole "fine dining" thing, and it ends up being a lackluster experience. IMHO, get rid of the black bow ties.
Anyway, on the first night, the service was excellent and the food was good.
Let's face it - if you're visiting the Grand Canyon, the last thing you're worried about is the dining experience, right? However, you do have to eat! So why not do it in style?
The soup was pretty good. The hostess was downright rude. The waitress was nice but she wouldn't make eye contact with us which was a little peculiar. The food was not good. In fact, after we picked at our entrées for 20 minutes we asked for the check and as soon as we get it we are out of here!
First impressions are everything, right? When the hostess is half yelling, half talking to waiter about a problem in front of you...yeah, real nice. Maybe our waitress will redeem the hostess. Yeah, no. While she was prompt on taking our talk orders, it took forever between drink order and entree order and dessert order. We saw her a total of six times (to and fro drink, entree , dessert orders). She never asked if we wanted another beer, or cocktail. She never swung by to ask how everything was tasting. We were just another table, who hopefully tips well.
On the first night I had to complain as the time schedule was away behind and we had a llong waiting for a table for two (despite our reservation made several weeks in advance)
There are dishes from some of the old menus of the Hotel's past, which is a fun addition. Everyone in our party enjoyed their meal, and the service was excellent. The only downside was the cheese board appetizer: I've never tried one with less interesting cheeses. That was a real sore point. Also the bread at the table was perfunctory, which detracted a bit from the overall experience. Without those two blemishes, this would get the full five stars.
El Tovar is not trendy or fashionable, but does serve fine food in a cozy, classic environment complete with a fireplace. The El Tovar hotel is an historic spot, with a rustic ambience that fits the overall Grand Canyon experience well.
Our food? Yeah, no. There isn't a whole lot of choices for us non seafood eaters. I had the one dish that seafood free, chicken. The chicken tasted like it came from the local food service distributor. The mushroom, wine sauce was really good! The pasta was just...pasta, no seasoning, no nothing. The wine menu is very extensive, and has something for everyone (dry, sweet etc) The dessert was really good. There's heavy chocolate dishes, or classic apple pie, sorbet..whatever tickles your taste buds.
We were staying at the hotel, with reservations to have dinner at the El Tovar dinning room for both nights.
I'm sitting in the dining room of El Tovar right now while I write this two star review. I had read mixed reviews but the overall 3.9 star rating (which is the best of what is available at the Grand Canyon) persuaded me that this would be the best choice, despite some of the warnings from other reviewers.
On top of the long waiting, the waiter mixed things up, not paying attention for our orders. My husband was presented with pork instead of the chicken he asked for. He decided to keep the pork, afraid that if asking for the exchange he would have to wait another hour.
All in all, if you're visiting the Grand Canyon's South Rim and you're in the mood for some fine dining, you should give this place a try. They do accept reservations, so I'd recommend that.
On the second night we were escorted to the table at the correct time. Nevertheless, the food took MORE THAN ONE HOUR to arrive at our table. The waiter said that things were a little “complicated” as I asked the veal.
Very nice restaurant. Quality food, great atmosphere and great service. But, I must make a negative comment. We enjoyed dinner and breakfast at this restaurant, but, our delightful server, Sierra and I were having a conversation when another "rude" server piped in without saying "excuse me", and in front of me, told Sierra that the lady who had just been seated next to us, was a VIP and needed all of her request met. This "rude" coworker went on and on about this VIP person. The coworker needs a refresher course on how to speak "privately " with another coworker in this situation. This opinion is in no way a negative reflection on our delightful server, Sierra!!
El Tovar Dining Room is a US Restaurant based in Grand Canyon Village, Arizona. El Tovar Dining Room is located at El Tovar Hotel, Grand Canyon Village, AZ 86023, USA.
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