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Dining options in the park proper are limited to Bryce Canyon Lodge; the nearby Ruby's Inn complex is your best eating bet before you pay to enter the park. The restaurants in nearby locales tend to be of the meat-and-potatoes variety. Utah's drinking laws can be confusing, so ask your server what is available: beer is more common than wine and spirits.
Inside the Bryce Canyon Pines Lodge motel, about 5 miles northwest of Bryce Canyon City, this down-home, family-friendly roadhouse decorated with Old West photos and memorabilia serves reliably good stick-to-your-ribs breakfasts, hefty elk burgers, rib-eye steaks, and Utah rainbow trout. But the top draw here is homemade pie, which comes in a vast assortment of flavors, from banana-blueberry cream to boysenberry.
Order at the window and snag an outdoor table at this laid-back burger joint in a little red barn near Panguitch Lake, a great option en route to Cedar Breaks National Monument or Cedar City. The one-third-pound Black Angus steak burgers here come with a variety of toppings (bacon, onion rings), and the menu also has barbecue choices, such as pulled pork or beef brisket sandwiches, fish-and-chips, sweet-potato fries, and shakes and ice cream. A funky little general store is next door.
A quick and casual 40-seat eatery across the parking lot from the Lodge at Bryce Canyon, this pizzeria and coffee shop is a good bet for an inexpensive meal, especially when the lodge dining room is too crowded. Coffee shop choices include an espresso bar, house-made pastries, and fresh fruit, or kick back on the tranquil patio in the evening and enjoy fresh pizza or salad.
