I walked into Fred Harvey expecting the usual sad hotel buffet vibes--lukewarm mystery meats and regret--but instead, I got pleasantly schooled. This place is surprisingly decent, and in buffet land, that's basically a Michelin star. Breakfast? Solid. Dinner? Also solid. They're pulling double duty like a champ without breaking a sweat. The bread is fresh-baked and dangerously addictive (I may have committed carb crimes). The pasta station had me twirling happiness, and the omelette station was flipping out perfect custom creations without judgment. But let's be real: the true MVP was the soft serve. That creamy, dreamy swirl machine had me acting unwise. I went back for thirds and zero shame. Shoutout to the staff--they're genuinely nice and accommodating, like they actually enjoy their jobs. Rare as a perfectly cooked buffet egg. Whether you're fueling up before a day of whatever you do in this area or winding down with dinner, Fred Harvey delivers without the usual side of disappointment. Pro tip: Leave room for the soft serve. Trust me. I'm basically a professional now. Would return. Might marry the soft serve machine. 1 Star - Fred Harvey Gift Shop: Where the Souvenirs Are Fine, But the Racism Is Vintage I came for some overpriced keychains and maybe a magnet to remember my surprisingly decent meal at the attached Fred Harvey restaurant. What I got instead was a masterclass in selective hospitality from an old white-haired lady behind the counter who clearly moonlights as the neighborhood gatekeeper. First incident: Restaurant's closing, gift shop too. My son lags a few steps behind (you know, kid stuff), so we're casually browsing while waiting. Out comes the yell: "We're closed!" I politely explain we're just waiting for him. "You need to get out." Cool, cool. Right then, a white lady and her daughter stroll up. Same situation--waiting for hubby. Suddenly it's all "Oh ok dear, no problem! Take your time!" The contrast was so stark I nearly got whiplash. Round two, breakfast the next day. We actually wanted to buy stuff this time. Walk straight from the restaurant (it's connected!) into the shop. Another white lady enters from outside. "Darling, we're closed." She says she'll just grab a couple things--boom, "Ok that's fine!" Then my son swings around the corner and it's instant yelling: "WE ARE CLOSED! You can't buy anything!!" I jump in: "We came from the restaurant, we were already in here." Her response? A legendary "SO!" My white friend (who could pass for Latin) had to step in and point out the obvious double standard before she grudgingly let us shop. At that point? Zero desire to give her a single dollar. I wanted to vault the counter and test if that hair was a wig, but I'm a lady who respects her elders--even when they don't respect basic decency. For context: My kids are half Black, half Spanish. Beautiful, polite, and just trying to buy some tourist junk like everyone else. The racism was so blatant it ruined what should've been a harmless five-minute transaction. The shop itself? Meh souvenirs. The experience? 1 star and a lifetime of side-eye. Racism is alive and well in the gift shop, folks. Skip it unless you enjoy vintage prejudice with your postcards. Would not return. Might mail the manager a mirror instead. I would be giving the restaurant a 5 star review for the amazing service and pretty impressive buffet experience, but the gift shop ruined that guys. For a town that gets 100% of its income from tourists, it's crazy that being ethnic will get you treated like this.. please address this. read more

My family and I dined at this restaurant as part of the Polar Express package for dinner and breakfast and had a great experience both times. There was a decent selection for dinner and breakfast, and the service staff was WONDERFUL! Everyone was friendly and they bring you your drinks and desserts. I am shocked by the reviews. I am extremely picky when it comes to buffets and I felt everything was fresh and tasty. The pasta bar and omelet bar were awesome! We loved our experience at the Grand Canyon Railroad Hotel and having easy access to this restaurant added to that. Be mindful of the train departure schedule as it gets busy before most departures and after arrivals. read more

This is the absolute WORST buffet I've ever had. Seriously. Cold tasteless soup, wilted lettuce on salad bar, cold dry food.... Yuk. Just yuk. A waste of $33. Eat in the bar in lobby or go somewhere else. read more

The Fred Harvey Restaurant - Part of the wasted food. All three of us were disgusted. - Buffets Near Me - Williams, Arizona

Dinner felt like reheated frozen dinners. The meat winter way too salty and dry. Quality nonexistent which is too bad because the service is great. Now breakfast is a total different story, their breakfast is excellent! read more

This restaurant was booked as part of our grand canyon vacation package. Retail cost was $20/person for the breakfast buffet. We came on a early Thursday morning around 6:30ish. We were greated at the counter and then bought to our seats. We were a party of 4. They brought us to the seating area in the back which was sorta weird since there was plenty of seating in the main dining area. We were greated by the waitress. She asked us what we wanted to drink. Since we didn't book this meal we weren't sure what was included so my sister asked her if the drinks was included with the buffet. The waitress was very rude, rolled her eyes and answered "I think so." WOW unfortunately I forgot to get her name but she was young blond girl. Worst service ever. We ordered 4 orange juices. She never asked us if we wanted refills. We wanted some hot water at the end of our meal but she was busy chitchatting. She did come and take away finished plates though. The food was your usual mediocre buffet. They had a wide spread of eggs, sausage, bacon, eggs benefit, toast, fruits and oatmeals. The omelette station was the only good part of the meal. Made fresh with tons of topping selections. She also told us to come back 5 minutes later so we didn't have to stand there to wait for it to cook. So nice. The biscuits were also hard. The interior was very nice though. Nicely decorated and felt really cozy with a fireplace. Good for some photos. Overall, I wouldn't recommend due to the mediocre food and bad service. read more

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This buffet is abysmal, I'm not quite sure what we expected but for $30 per person adults and $22 per person children over 2 this was horrible. The food that we were able to get was terrible, tough, flavorless the rest of the buffet was simply empty with little to no effort in refilling the line. The buffet itself was filthy, the trays were mostly empty, the staff didn't care and the guy on the pasta station was openly complaining about making so many pastas while his line frequently had 15 to 20 people waiting as he would only make one pasta at a time. I'll never be back for the food though this was our fourth time on the polar express. The pictures will speak for themselves. We spent over $200 for our family and literally ended up leaving hungry and going to McDonald's. We didn't bother complaining, what's the point, you can see in the photos they knew there were issues and still didn't care to fix them. The atmosphere is nothing special. Eat literally anywhere else, you might as well set your money on fire eating here. Run, run far, run fast! read more

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Had their breakfast and dinner buffet here when we were staying at the RV Park right next door - about a 5 to 10 minute walk. Huge dining room, a stage with live music for dinner, and an action station ran by the most efficient woman ... omelets in the AM and pasta in the PM. Dinner comes with a dessert. Service with a smile and small town charm. There was enough variety for me - not a ton but plenty to pick from. I just wish their menu changes to make repeat visits taste different. read more

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It's a buffet. Some good food , mostly mediocre with occasional regrettable items. It's self-service except for your drinks, a pasta station and sometimes a carving station at dinner. The carved filet mignon was pretty good. There's always large quantities of gravy and canned vegetables. If you're 'lucky' you might get entertained by a not very good folk singer. read more

I ate at a really nice restaurant while on vacation. Honestly, there was probably a bit too much food, but overall, it was fantastic! The service was excellent, and the food was well-prepared. I feel it's a bit underrated. read more

We were absolutely disappointed! We looked at their website before we went to make sure they had a variety of options since we were traveling with children and picky eaters. After paying over $120 (that included a AAA discount) we went in to a buffet that only half was open. Barely any food and nothing that their website stated with the exception of salad bar and pasta bar. Such a terrible experience! Last time we went it was packed with options. If you advertise something in your website you should have it! read more

Purchased 4 meals with 2-night stay package at hotel. Breakfasts: decent coffee- 3 Eggs Benedict, Raw egg white on greasy hash brown patty- 0; thick bacon slices- 4; egg casserole- 3. Skipped breakfast on 2nd day. Dinners: basically same offering on both days. First day: salad bar with limp cucumbers, good shredded beets, cheese, olives, romaine and spring mix greens and decent ranch dressing. -1 But, by 7:30 and when we left at 8 nothing was replenished or wiped down in that area. Macaroni and cheese was pasty and inedible- 0; beef tenderloin, chewy and overdone. Couldn't cut with provided butter knife at table. Roasted chicken, good. -3 quinoa mix, tasty and my favorite -4. Dessert, apple pie. Nice filling but crust a bit doughy and overwhelmed filling- 2. Second day: gluten friendly pasta with sausage and white sauce. Pasta, just horrible and so was the rest. - 0; baked chicken leg- 3; salad bar, much better today and regularly replenished- 3 So, this restaurant is very convenient and the servers were all super friendly and efficient. Live musician on both nights with the second being superior. But, the food is just not worth it. Very little variety, low quality and hot foods, lukewarm at best. Recommend getting something easy at market for breakfast and coffees at Starbucks. So many choices for dinner within walking distance. We loved our deluxe hotel room though! ~EG Eats read more

Now THIS is my idea of a Western railway resort restaurant! The space itself is HUGE, with plenty of booth & table seating. Since I was only here for breakfasts, my review is on that alone. Well, THIS IS A BREAKFAST! It's a glorious buffet with what I can only describe as The Most Holy Omelette Station of All Time, Space, & Dimension. And all for a flat $20 (as of the time of this review)! The wait staff is blazingly good! I'm talkin' high-end Napa Valley good here. They made sure my drinks were filled & refilled, and that I had whatever condiments I needed. I'm definitely coming back here again! read more

No food. What was being served was corn dogs and chicken nuggets. Even the salad bar was empty. read more

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I don't like buffets much. when i was in cooking school, i learned a lot about proper food storage and temperature. It made me phobic about buffets, especially dirty ones. But as i've reflected about this place, i thought it's not made for me. it's meant for volume and speed, not good food. it's a tourist place. so i'm going to chill out a bit. We paid to eat here for 2 dinners and 2 breakfasts. The first dinner was so bad, I could not come back to dinner. The breakfast was a little better, but not great. At dinner, the buffet looked like it was a mess hall during an active war. It was so gross, i felt ill. They did have a pasta bar where you could get a something freshly prepared. It was ok. That pasta bar turns into an omelette bar in the morning. which is fine. There are servers here. They don't do much. They bring drinks and clear plates. But they're fine. They are not the issue. The food is. I'm trying to be reasonable in giving it a 2. it isn't good and it's dirty. but they're fast and they deal with many travelers. i could not eat here for dinner again and just didn't use almost $80 of vouchers to eat somewhere better. read more

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Like alot of the other reviews. They were correct. Over priced and 0 on food variety and taste. Yes the staff was great. Now with that all said we were there for dinner. Last time for that. Breakfast on the other hand we enjoy. Omelets station is awesome. That gal knows how to make them. Rest is like most buffet food. But it's good. Will be back for that. The one star is for the dinner buffet. read more

Fred Harvey is the restaurant located at the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel in Williams, AZ. We dined here for dinner and breakfast as part of the Polar Express package we booked for the holiday. We went the weekend before Thanksgiving and it was pretty busy for their holiday season. The restaurant is buffet style and included holiday dinner food such as beef tenderloin, pork loin, turkey, and all the side dishes like mashed potatoes, corn, macaroni and cheese, vegetables, soup and salad bar, and dessert options that they bring to your table. For kids they have chicken nuggets and French fries. They also had a made to order pasta station which was good. For breakfast, they had all your typical breakfast foods. Definitely try the pancakes because they are really good. They also had a made to order omelette station which had a pretty long line. They also had cereals and fruit and yogurt. The food is decent and the service is good. The restaurant is convenient since it's at the hotel and you can get in and out fairly quickly. read more

Breakfast buffet was a pleasant surprise and good value, as it includes juice 7 coffee with the food. Omelets were great - lots of fresh ingredients. Can't speak for dinner but well worth going there in the morning, especially if you are doing the train to the Canyon. read more

My family had the opportunity to eat at The Fred Harvey restaurant four times as part of our Grand Canyon Railroad trip. The dining room is in the same area as the Grand Canyon Railway hotel and keeps up the train theme with a model train running the ceiling border of the room and plenty of windows to see the train arrive and leave if you are dining at those times. The staff are friendly and helpful. The reason for the three star rating is the food is mostly frozen food reheated at the restaurant but marketed as recreations of popular dishes from original Fred Harvey restaurants. Overall, you won't go hungry and the convenience of a short walk from the hotel to the restaurant makes dining at Fred Harvey attractive but if I could do it over again I'd only eat at the restaurant for breakfast before our train ride and dinner the evening we returned. The other meals I would have left to trying other restaurants in Williams, many which are a short walk away, read more

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Let me tell you- the beef tenderloin is absolutely worth the trip alone. Not to mention, the white Mac and cheese in its gloriousness moving in with main dish + seconds vibes! The buffet room is super comfy, and the lines move pretty quickly. The service is so friendly, and there was no waiting for our drinks. They bring out your desserts, so it saves you a trip back to the lines. The decor is adorable, and very on theme with the railroad station. We all enjoyed dinner in our polar express experience jammies, so don't feel obligated to go bananas unless that's your thing, then please do. This was a really fun memorable experience, we'll be back! read more

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I wasn't expecting much to begin with but this place was really below my expectations. It is buffet only with no option to buy a la carte. To be honest though, I didn't have much time to try as much as I could and we went here more for convenience. The decor is very cute with a train circling above the dining area. We came here for breakfast but the options didn't really look appealing. The cashier and servers were really nice and the cashier even offered for us to look at the buffet before deciding to dine. We needed a quick option that was close to the train so we figured we'd just go for it. The only station that may be looked promising is that they had a cook to order omelette station. They had tater tots, bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, bread/bagels for toast. Drinks are included in the price. The pros are convenience, especially if you are staying at the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel and it is close to the train. The servers are nice and I was able to bring some oranges and apples on the train which was a useful snack for later on. read more

Do yourself a favor and avoid this buffet. This was, without a doubt, one of the worst dining experiences I've ever had. The food quality was completely unacceptable. Most of the "hot" items were cold, tasted like they had been sitting out far too long, and seemed anything but fresh. The carving station was the worst part. The meat I was served was severely undercooked -- to the point it was inedible. I actually had to placed it on a napkin, and the waitress took it back to show her manager because of how bad it was. That alone should tell you everything. The service didn't improve the situation either. The check-in process was disorganized and unwelcoming, and overall the experience just felt poorly managed from start to finish. For the price you pay, this place is absolutely not worth it. There are far better options out there. I would not return and definitely would not recommend it to anyone. We paid 72.00 for this buffet which wasn't posted anywhere when you walk up or I would have not eaten here ! read more

I'am giving a ONE star because the staff were friendly but when you go to any restaurant the food is most important. We came in for breakfast and paid roughly $65 for 2 adults & 1 child. It was TERRIBLE! It was a disgusting mess! The food was literally all frozen options that they warm up and throw out on a buffet. Even the fruit, yogurt, and oatmeal stations were a horrible mess. NOT worth the money go somewhere else as there are many places on route 66 that actually use a stove to cook your food. basically the offerings are what you get as a "free" breakfast at Hilton embassy suites. read more

Food was horrible. Almost all of it was frozen food. Would not go here again. The service as good. Staff was nice

Dinner buffet was included in our hotel stay at the Grand Canyon Railroad hotel. After disembarking our train ride we headed here. There was a long line through the gift shop but the line moved consistently and there was lots of tchotchkes to look at until we got through the line. Food was meh. They're still doing thanksgiving food into December. The Mac and cheese was really good. Breakfast buffet the next morning was good and about what you would expect. I had eggs Benedict and the kids had pancakes. The buffet is somewhat small but there is just enough variety that everyone should be able to find something to eat. read more

Friendly staff and beautiful dining room. Great choices food will definitely be coming back

We got the package deal from Grand Cayon Hotel which included breakfasts and dinners. Before we arrived I checked yelp to see how the food was and I was worried that it may be bad due to some poor ratings. In my opinion the food was great. It's buffet food and it's pretty much American diner fare. If you're a foodie or expecting some big city cuisine, than this is not your place. In fact, Williams is probably not your place. The restaurant was clean and well organized. Service was great. Chairs and tables were comfortable. There were musicians in the evenings and they were entertaining. The food was fresh made and offered a wide enough variety to suit our taste. The top sirloin steak stood out with a nice carving station. The pasta c station was also great. The salad bar was fresh nd always stocked. The eggs Benedict were great in the mornings. Fresh orange juice. Overall, an excellent experience. read more

Whadaya want??? It's a buffet, you frustrated little wokey's". Lovely setting, good, solid food - and great service. That anyone would complain about this place in ANY way is depressing. You'll get your fill; the quality is solid; and the overall experience is spot on. Thanks to management and servers! read more

So so buffet. Reasonable priced all you can eat. But not great food. Not the best variety for a buffet. Nothing was special. But it's food.

We thoroughly enjoyed our breakfast before boarding the train. The buffet selection was very good and the omellet station was great. Our server was attentive and very pleasant. read more

Oh Fred Harvey. You may have had a good restaurant here pre-covid but that has definitely changed. We unfortunately had this restaurant included in our package for the Grand Canyon Railway & Hotel and we were told it was a great buffet restaurant. Once we saw the actual buffet choices however it was anything but great. Dinner options are limited to one side of the buffet only. The carving and cooking stations are shut down. And the other side of the buffet area is also closed. Breakfast options are a little better but not by much. They had eggs Benedict which was surprising but beyond that it was your typical breakfast fare. If we do ever purchase the grand canyon hotel package we will not be including the meals as part of the package. You're better off going elsewhere in Williams to have a much better experience. read more

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My wife and I enjoyed the food but my kids ate the mini corndogs and chicken nuggets for dinner and later that night both threw up. 1 star for any place that gives my babies food poisoning. A bit overpriced too. Try the more authentic restaurants in Williams across the street. read more

We had a wonderful dinner and breakfast here in the Grand Canyon Railroad Package. Both meals are served buffet style with plenty of options. I loved the railroad train that travels on top, around the restaurant. Service was outstanding. There is an attached gift shop. This restaurant is adjacent to the hotel- very easy walk. They are both adjacent to the train depot, so everything is close together. read more

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It's more of a buffet than a restaurant. I can't really attest to the food, but I can't tell you we came right after they opened for dinner and everything looked pre-cooked and most of the meat looked already dried out. We went elsewhere. read more

The only time I have been to this place is for Thanksgiving. This would be my 3rd visit and this one was the worst one out of them all. I don't know how this place is all the other times but during Thanksgiving. I would highly not recommend this the wait is extremely long to check in and to get any of the food. There is only one side running and by the time you even get your food they are out and you have to wait for them to cook and make more. The salad bar is empty and a complete mess. There is honestly nothing good to say about it. I'm pretty easy to please but this will be the last time I give this a go. It's expensive and just isn't worth it. read more

Stopped in for breakfast buffet. The food was very good and all you want. Then you can watch the Wild West show then load up on the train to the grand canyon read more

Granted, we showed up just prior to closing. The woman ringing us up was talking up the prime rib and making it sound like there was a large selection so we paid. Overpaid. For a half empty buffet of hard, dry food. If they are not going to keep the buffet stocked up until they close they should not be charging the same price for guests who only get the dried up, picked over leftovers. They didn't even re-stock things like salad toppings. Very disappointed. Wish I had ordered fresh made bar food at the Pub in the hotel instead. The ambiance was gorgeous! Loved the wood, the large fireplace, and the train that goes around the dining area near the ceiling was super cool. read more

Do not recommend. There's no food available. The tiny bit you can grab did not look food safe (cold or been sitting out).

We thought that this would be a good restaurant since it's got the name Fred Harvey in it RSVP Fred Harvey. It's a buffet we walked in and asked to look at it it reminded us of being in school and going to the cafeteria. It looked awful it was a lot of empty stuff there the ambiance was terrible just boring like a high school I wouldn't suggest going there it's $30 for the buffet and their food looked terrible I would give it no stars but I had to put a one star in order to post this read more

Yummy food. Great variety of selection of meals and desserts. Fast friendly servers. wonderful location inside of the lodge.

I surprised my better half with tickets on the Polar Express package. As part of the package, they toss in Dinner coupons and breakfast coupons the next day at this restaurant on-site. I sort of half-expected the restaurant was going to be a roll of the dice. On one hand, have you see the sheer volume of people boarding the Polar Express train. It is jam-packed. You need to feed all of these people inexpensively, efficiently and at minimal margin. That isn't going to equate to a 5-star dining experience. It simply isn't. Of course, they use powdered eggs and buy mass food in bulk. You can't tell me you're naive enough to believe you're getting USDA Prime Grass-Fed Beef and free range chicken eggs. Don't be silly. On the other hand, since I half-expected this, I knew my wife and her gluten allergy would not be well received at this restaurant. We walked down to Route 66 and had dinner elsewhere. Yes, it was part of the "package", but did not want my wife suffer. After perusing the dinner buffet, there was essentially nothing for her to eat except the wilted salad that appeared quite sad. I am hoping the quality of the restaurant improves significantly despite the plausible cost increase. Hoping the 2-star reviews on Yelp are analyzed by management and they act, accordingly. read more