Tauck Spirit of the Desert Tour | Best Meals, Restaurants & Dining Review:
How good is the food on a Tauck luxury tour? And when Tauck says most meals are included, what exactly do you get? On my October 2026 Tauck Spirit of the Desert Tour, I discovered that the food was excellent, most meals were included in the tour price, and, best of all, most meals allowed us to order directly from the restaurant's menu rather than settle for a limited group menu.
For someone who enjoys good food almost as much as spectacular scenery, this was a very pleasant discovery!
In this video, I review the dining experiences along my journey through the American Southwest and share my personal awards for the best meals of the tour.
My Best of Tauck Dining Awards:
π Best Breakfasts β Red Cliffs Lodge, Moab, Utah. A wonderful breakfast experience in one of the most scenic locations on our tour, surrounded by spectacular red sandstone cliffs.
π Best Dinner β Wild Thyme Bistro, Springdale, Utah. My favorite dinner of the tour, enjoyed while visiting the beautiful Zion National Park area.
π Best Buffet β Fred Harvey Restaurant, Williams, Arizona. An excellent buffet experience at the Grand Canyon Railway & Hotel. This is not an usual Tauck stop. We stayed in Williams only because the hotels at the Grand Canyon were closed due to water shortages.
Other Memorable Dining Experiences:
π
Picnic Dinner at Dead Horse Point State Park, Utah. A memorable outdoor dinner with spectacular views of the canyon landscape and a beautiful Southwest sunset. Sometimes the scenery is every bit as delicious as the food! And the wedding on a rock outcropping was equally spectacular, but not created by Tauck, just nature.
π½οΈ Lunch at Calico's Restaurant, Kingman, Arizona. Another enjoyable meal where we could order directly from the restaurant's menu.
My Overall Verdict:
I found the food on Tauck's Spirit of the Desert Tour to be excellent. One of the biggest advantages was that most meals were included in the tour price, and most were ordered directly from the restaurant's regular menu. That is an important distinction when evaluating the overall value of a Tauck tour.
Of course, when you're eating your way through the Southwest, there is always the danger of returning home with more than photographs and memories. Fortunately, Tauck provided plenty of walking opportunities at the National Parks to help offset the calories!
This video is part of my 2026 Tauck Spirit of the Desert Video Series, which includes reviews of the hotels, national parks, sightseeing experiences, and overall tour quality.
If you are considering Tauck's Spirit of the Desert Tour, or simply enjoy travel, restaurants, and the spectacular American Southwest, I hope this video helps you decide what to expect.
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https://youtu.be/jChhPo59wSQ
