Dine 21 Stories Down At This Restaurant Beneath The Grand Canyon

As long as there are restaurants, people will find new and seemingly impossible places to put them.

Now, a modest dining destination has opened around 65m below the earth’s surface, within the Grand Canyon Caverns – the largest dry cavern system in the US.

Located along the infamous Route 66, the Cavern Grotto restaurant opened more than 20 stories below the earth’s surface on August 15, and occupies a small, rocky perch inside one of the 345 milion-year-old chambers.

Given it’s worked around the natural geographic formations, there’s only space for four small tables (or 16 diners), though owners are prepared to squeeze another one in if there’s enough interest. For the same reason, American-style comfort food is prepared in the above-ground restaurant and lowered into the Grotto using a system of pullies.

“Standing there, it might be the most spectacular view [of the cave],” John McEnulty, one of the Cavern Grotto’s three managing partners, told ABC. His business, The Grand Canyon Caverns, is known for its cave tours and underground suite.

“During our tours, there’s not much time to linger in just one spot, since there’s so much to see,” McEnulty told Smithsonian. “With Cavern Grotto, people will be able to soak up the cavern and feel like they’re part of it.”

An all-you-can-eat lunch at the Cavern Grotto restaurant costs $63 ($49.95USD) per person, while dinner costs $88 per person and includes unlimited salad and dessert bars, along with two alcoholic beverages. Cave tours are available for an additional $25 ($25USD).

The Grand Canyon Caverns and Cavern Grotto restaurant are located just off Route 66 at mile marker 115. The nearest city is Pheonix, a 3.5-hour drive south.

(Lead image: screaming_monkey / Flickr)

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