Frommer's Review
Whether you travel by foot on or a mule, at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, pretty much anything tastes good. Would the food at Phantom Ranch taste as great on the rim as alongside Bright Angel Creek? That's hard to say.
Every evening, just three options are offered: a steak (put steak sauce on it and you're in heaven) or vegetarian dinner at 5pm, and a hearty beef stew at 6:30pm. The vegetarian plate consists of lentil loaf and the side dishes to the steak dinner: vegetables, cornbread, baked potato, and salad. With either dinner, the dessert is chocolate cake.
The family style, all-you-can-eat breakfasts are excellent, with heaping platters of eggs, bacon, and pancakes laid out on the long tables in the canteen. The box lunch, for $10, includes a bagel, cream cheese, summer sausage, juice, apple, peanuts, raisins, pretzels, and cookies. Alternatively, you could pack your own lunch and, if necessary, supplement it with snacks from the canteen.
Because the number of meals is fixed, hikers and mule riders must reserve them ahead of time through Xanterra or at the Bright Angel Transportation Desk. As a last resort, inquire upon arrival at Phantom Ranch to see whether any meals remain. Up until 4pm this can be done in the canteen itself. After 4pm, ask at the side window behind the canteen. Between 8am (8:30am in winter) and 4pm and from 8 to 10pm, anyone is allowed in the canteen, which sells snacks, soda, beer, wine, basic first-aid items, souvenirs, and film. The lemonade tastes fantastic.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without
notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before
planning your trip.
