Fred Harvey Burger Grand Canyon AZ

Since we were visiting the Grand Canyon for the second time we looked for somewhere new to have lunch. We headed to the Bright Angel Lodge at the Grand Canyon AZ for a Fred Harvey Burger.

First trip to Grand Canyon

Our first trip to the Grand Canyon was about 8 years ago while spending a few days in Sedona. And as awesome as it was, we really had no intention of ever going back. But things have a way of changing on the road and we try to just go with the flow.

Distant Drums RV Park

When approaching Distant Drums RV Park in Camp Verde AZ, Steve began to get nervous that it was going to be an awful park! It was also further from Sedona than we would have liked. And then we pulled up to the office and looked around at the park. It was GORGEOUS!!! So we decided to stay two weeks instead of one and cancelled our first week’s stay in Las Vegas. (For us, one week in LV is more than enough.)

So while searching for “things to do” in the area we realized that we were actually in a fabulous location. And with the extra time we thought a return visit to the Grand Canyon was a good idea. The first time we went it was bitter cold and so windy I thought we would get blown into the canyon.

Bright Angel Lodge

The day we went the weather was unseasonably warm for January. The sky was clear and the wind pretty calm. It was glorious. Our first priority was lunch because we were starving after our drive from Camp Verde. We had a hankering for a good burger, so we went to Harvey House at the Bright Angel Lodge to try their world famous Fred Harvey Burger. Since it was lunchtime we had a brief wait to be seated and used the time to enjoy the view of the canyon from the Lodge area.

Mary Colter, Architect

Bright Angel Lodge was completed in 1935. It was designed and built under the direction of Mary Colter, who was the Fred Harvey company’s celebrated Southwest architect. Her appetite for rustic designs and her attention to detail let to the creation of Bright Angel Lodge’s iconic chimney. From the outside of the building it’s nothing out of the ordinary. But then you enter the building to discover that the interior hearth is layered with stone collected from the geologic layers found in the Grand Canyon.

Mary Colter is still admired today for her artistry in making every feature and object throughout the lodge complex fit visually and blend with the canyon landscape.

Fred Harvey Burger Grand Canyon AZ

The Fred Harvey Burger Restaurant is located at Bright Angel Lodge. It is a casual family friendly restaurant featuring healthy diner-style fare that is prepared in the Harvey House tradition. The restaurant décor features the signature colors of Mary Jane Colter within the vibrant window-transom panes. And the interior is accented by stout log columns with colorful mosaics. The setting characterizes the nostalgic and trendsetting culinary facets of the Fred Harvey dining era.

We loved the relaxed and casual vibe so much more than El Tovar where we had lunch during our first visit to the Grand Canyon. El Tovar was pricier and even a little bit on the stuffy side. Fred Harvey Burger was the total opposite and with great food.

Our lunch

Steve and I both ordered the exact same thing! We both had the Fred Harvey Burger which was an 8-ounce burger with melted Cheddar, loads of bacon, sliced jalapeños, crispy onion, lettuce, tomato and smokehouse aioli; served with perfectly cooked French fries. The burgers were juicy and the total package offered tons of flavor in each and every bite.

With our appetites sated, we drove on to explore the South Rim of the Grand Canyon which I will share about with lots of pictures in my next post!!!