By The Bucket

Solid road trip lunch today…read more Butter burger, curds and fries Always a treat Not a fan of the yellow cheese curd, really prefer just the white cheese, texture of the white cheese is superior Definitely recommend a stop

Everytime we come, use the drivethru, we have pets…read more I order a fish sandwich, extra tarter sauce He orders the Culvers deluxe They give us the bag, we start to leave. Once again, even though it's on the receipt, no tarter sauce. And no napkins. Everytime. So, now I have to find a big truck pkg space, go inside to retrieve missing items. They are always nice about it but never fix the front end issue.

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Rim Country BBQ and Wood Fired Pizza

4.5(431 reviews)

0.8 mi

On the drive back from New Mexico, I had to stop in Payson and check this BBQ spot out, and I'm…read moreglad I did. The location was really nice and open with a patio, and the inside was spacious without the tables being packed together. Plenty of room to sit back and actually enjoy your meal. I went with the ribs, and they were smoked just right--exactly how I like them. Honestly, they didn't even need BBQ sauce. I ate some with just the rub and some with sauce, and both ways were delicious. The mashed potatoes were so good I should've ordered more. The mac and cheese wasn't overly creamy, which was perfect for me, and I can't forget the Caesar salad. Really good Caesar salad, and one thing I always appreciate--serve it on a cold plate. This one came out nice and cold and was super fresh. Overall, really good BBQ, great sides, and a nice comfortable location. Definitely worth the stop if you're in Payson.

Hello Everyone: This review is for Rim Country BBQ and Wood Fired Pizzas in Payson, AZ…read more This was our first time at this restaurant. We would definitely come back again. Because we could not decide what to order, we got the sampler plate which had meats, sides, and dipping sauces. The photos show you the "before" and "after" of our meal! Bathrooms are clean. We had no problem finding off-street parking. Analysis of experience: This plate is enough for two people. You get: two ribs, two 1/2 pieces of sausage, a scoop of pulled pork (about 1/3 to 1/2 cup), two thin slices of brisket and some sliced smoked turkey breast. Also included is a sampler container of their dipping sauces to enjoy with your meat. Sides included: baked beans, corn, mashed potatoes, coleslaw, potato salad and mac & cheese. Our meat favorites were the ribs and the pulled pork. This is why: I first tried a bit of each meat with no sauce. I don't want to review sauces and sauces can cover up/mask many issues just like a coat of paint on a wall. Therefore, I started with meat (no sauce) tastings, then moved to the meat and sauce tasting. Ribs: The rib meat easily cut off the bone and was tender. There was not a lot of meat, the bones were pretty big as you can see, but what meat there was had a nice flavor and was tender. Pulled Pork: The pulled pork was some of the most tender I have experienced. This meat went well with ALL the dipping sauces served to us. I did not get a lot of smoke flavor to it, the flavor was subtle, but that allowed for the sauces to shine a little bit. Brisket: The brisket was tender, but I felt the fat line on the top of the brisket was still too intact for me (not rendered enough so the fat juices get down into the meat) and I thought the brisket was a tad dry. Turkey: The turkey breast had a nice flavor, but again, it was very subtle. This meat was also a tad dry, not bad with sauce on it, but could have been a little juicier. That was perhaps my least favorite because it was on the dry side. Sausage: The sausage was 1/2 of a sausage cut in 1/2 again as you can see in the photo. This was a spicy sausage with a charred cut side, very nice. The char on the sausage added a nice crunch to each bite. My husband and I both agreed our favorites were the ribs and the pulled pork and should we return, these two meats would be on our radar. Regarding the sides, here is my review: The yellow corn was average - nothing special. The mashed potatoes were average - nothing special. Mac & Cheese - average, nothing special. The sauce on this item was too runny for us. The sauce wound up against other items on the plate. The cole slaw was nice, fresh tasting, but I think it needed a dash of fennel. The coleslaw and the potato salad (items which are served cold) were co-mingled on the plate with all the hot items. I would have preferred them being served inside a small bowl or container on the serving platter to keep them cold. The potato salad was very good - I would definitely order that again. The beans were excellent - I would definitely order those again. This menu item is also served with a piece of garlic bread which was very good - it had melted butter on it and tasted like garlic! I am giving this 5 Stars even with some short falls regarding flavor and or juiciness because of the environment, friendly staff, clean bathrooms, available to find parking without driving around, and menu choices. The menu is large, enough choices for everyone to get something. If we are back in the area, we will try one of their pizzas. Hannah was our server and she did a nice job checking on us since she knew it was our first time there. Very pleasant, nice smile, and good with her customers. Enjoy!

Prime Rib Saturday Special

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Alibertos Mexican Food

4.0(92 reviews)

0.1 mi

I never leave bad reviews, but i have to inform the public on this one…read more Came here Jume 6th, 2026 at 1045 am. Between taking orders at the counter, the employee was using the mop bucket. No gloves and no washing hands between. The employee also likes to hand you your soda cup buy inserting her hand in the inside of the cup, right after mopping. There are other food code. Violations clearly visible but am leaving it up to the state inspector to do his job. The employee seemed fine touching cups on the inside, food and food trays and cleaning supplies simultaneously with no care. I am sure her food handlers card is up to date. I did try to inform her politely, but she waved her hand at me like she was batting away a fly. Very professional. A walking health code violation works the front counter. Beware.

Everything was delicious, perfectly seasoned. Portions were large, good service was good the guy at…read morethe counter very helpful,answered are questions. Very nice ,,&polite . We will be back & telling our friends. The price was pretty reasonable,too!

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#7 combo- five rolled tacos with rice and beans

Alfonso's Mexican Food

4.1(163 reviews)

0.5 mi

Honestly, the food is very tasty and we were pleased with our selection. We used to go to one of…read morethe other places in town and an employee of mine told me that this one was better. They don't have quite the selection of the other place, but the food is very good. My only criticism would be. There was not much in the way of carrots left by the time we got there on Sunday and they put the guacamole on the chips instead of giving it to you on the side. So the chips got sort of soggy by the time we got home. I will definitely have the shrimp tacos again. It was delicious and my son was very pleased with his Carne Asada tacos with guacamole. We also had a Carne Asada quesadilla and the famous chips with the guacamole already on them. Everything tasted very good. The inside is not anything fancy, but there's a few seats and there's a salsa bar with really nice salsa, limes, and if you can go when they are not out of carrots, there are carrots. I wished that their pickled carrots had more garlic in them. So I guess that would be my second criticism or more of a suggestion. The people there are very nice and if you can find the place you should go.

This is a small counter-service place with great food. My friend and I like to ride to Payson and…read morehave B'fast there bc of the food and location. It's clean and the cashier is very pleasant. Never been dissatisfied. The place is set back from the road a bit so it could be a little hard to spot...the first time

Green Chile

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Love little stops like this

Buffalo Bar & Grill

4.1(588 reviews)

0.3 mi

Loved this place!…read more Found it on google and needed to try it! I ended up ordering the Beast burger with green chile, it came on s sturdy bun, cooked perfectly juicy and flavorful. Onion rings were great, hand breaded and not from the freezer. Overall great service , food, and unique ambiance! We'll be back again!

Was driving through Payson months back and was hungry. I've heard about this spot many a times and…read moredecided to check it out. You can't help but look around at all the abnormal decorative pieces they have everywhere! The service is great and the atmosphere is fun. The food is ok....nothing to write home about. But the experience was worth the stop. On a scale of 1 to 10, I might stop in again? Maybe? The jury is still out.

Pork tenderloin

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Cowboy club substitute brioche bun for toasted sour dough

Pizza Factory

3.9(260 reviews)

0.2 mi

Locally owned & operated

Kid friendly

This place is always our go to while in Payson for pizza. The specials are what we like we recently…read moregot a Salad, drink and slice of pizza As always the pizza is delicious but the salad bar was a fun throwback to salad bars. We had a wonderful salad and everything was fresh. On top of that I was absolutely blown away by watching them clean all the shakers individually. I am a fussy person I admit but that alone was 5 star review.

I just wanted to take the time to compliment the manager Jake and his crew. They went above and…read morebeyond for my family! We've been coming here for years. We drive all the way up to Payson from Mesa just to eat at the pizza factory. Their pizza is outstanding! We will definitely be back. Thanks again!

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Wendy's

2.6(30 reviews)

0.9 mi

I've been coming to this location multiple times and had horrible service they got my order wrong…read moreand questioned me instead of being okay well I'm sorry and started screaming at me on the phone I know it's loud back there but thanks for the pain in my ear drums. I even ordered a spicy chicken sandwich and only got a regular and when I told them this they just kept questioning me

My food was fresh, fries were cooked in clean oil and fresh! Great customer service too. I ate at…read morethe location on I-10 at Love's in Toltec, it was the worst! Nasty fries, cooked in dirty oil, could not eat, half of their sodas were out. They were so slow, it took ten minutes to get a single combo meal. No excuse for slowness, they had a large crew on duty and 2 were just standing around.

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Chipotle Mexican Grill

2.6(35 reviews)

0.3 mi

It's healthier way of fast food. They was very nice and we enjoyed our meal at the bowl like we…read morealways do and it's so much food to get two meals out of it if not, three. It was clean he even have a little area that you can eat outside we took advantage of

The Chipotle in Payson, AZ is a great choice for fresh prepared food. Never had a bad dining…read moreexperience there. The employees are courteous and friendly. The restaurant is clean.

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Jack in the Box

2.3(35 reviews)

0.0 mi

Had a very nice breakfast at Jack-in-the-Box in Payson this morning. Mark was extremely helpful…read more Seems like he was doing it all making the breakfast taking the orders and serving them up hot and fresh. Thank you again it was great.

Guy named Mark working the drive through is a Total asshole and super rude. very disrespectful!read more

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Jimmy John's

2.6(36 reviews)

0.0 mi

Super grateful for an amazing meal that I got free for earning point and being a loyal customer. My…read moresandwich was amazing. The staff was amazing. I was super impressed with their new strawberry lemonade. If you have not had it yet I highly recommend you check it out. The ingredients are always so fresh. The Restraunt is always so clean. Maybe someday they will need a remodel however I right now the store is always busy and there is a reason why. They provide fresh sandwiches made with fresh raw ingredients. I will keep coming back when I can afford it. Their regular sandwiches could easily be two meals if you're trying to be conservative. Leave a positive digital foot print and collect your favorite memories. But if you're here to complain let the mayo that comes on the side be a lesson. Read that label again. What's that say? And you doubt it.... As above so below my loves beautiful consciousness beautiful souls!

Ordered our food 40 minutes ahead of time. Showed at the restaurant waited 20 minutes more to find…read moreout that my online order never got pulled and now they are out of French bread. While watching them make other French bread subs. No phone call or anything. I could have made it to our cabin by now. Hungry and late now. Ughhh so frustrated.

Seating

Italian night club #9 with bacon

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Lemonade

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11 reviews that are not currently recommended

The reviews below are not factored into the business's overall star rating.

Arch J.

168

2 years ago

Stopped by today (July 5th) at 1:30. No one inside and it was locked up and no closed sign. I can understand closing for the holiday or even the holiday weekend, but at least put up a sign as to when you will be open again. read more

Megan C.

2 years ago

Update your online hours. No one wants to look up a place, see they say Open, and then come to a closed location with paper and sharpie hours. This could have been posted online and you wouldn't have wasted my time. read more

G. Q.

7 years ago

Italian food my Foot. This no more than slob in a bucket, not even fit as animal feed. Should be sued by every italian for falsely advertising as Italian food. Would've given 0 if I could. read more

Bryan W.

6 years ago

Incredible food!! Love this place and the cook is amazing!! I get a huge amount of this stuff and end up living multiple meals of it!!

Corey D.

7 years ago

Terrible, I would not recommend this to my friends or family. Might as well of had my five year old cook us dinner.

Jeff P.

6 years ago

This place is AWESOME great service and even better food and is a family friendly place I will definitely be back

Bingo L.

6 years ago

Best pizza place in town. Homemade like mom's. His garlic bread is the best so get extra.

Linda W.

4 years ago

While the employees were nice and order was up quickly. The spaghetti was pretty bad.

Chris G.

7 years ago

The food is outstanding and very reasonably priced! We'll definitely be back.

Jeffrey J.

5 years ago

Tukeee is the hometown Italian food place.... much better than this crap

N L.

415

7 years ago

Great food and service!! Convenient location, also.

By The Bucket - italian - Updated September 2026

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The service was great, Dannie was so helpful! The food was…read moreamazing (Double BLT Croissant) and when my daughter was able to have it (with a peanut allergy!!) Thanks for the great food and amazing service.

The reason why I chose this place is because my niece is diabetic so we need a gluten-free options…read morewhich they have plenty of. My niece ordered the cheese pizza which you said was really good. I had the egg white omelette, which was really good. My partner had the BLT salad which she said was all right. My sister-in-law had half a sandwich and potato soup and she said the soup was awful that it was clumpy and not very good and she didn't eat it. Overall, we paid about $150 (including tip) for lunch which we all know is too high, but that's just because of the time we live in. The service was great. We will be back.

Beeline Cafe

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Food was so delicious true authentic breakfast food. Amazing service and super cute family vibes…read more Cash only

My wife, daughter, father-in-law, and I stopped into Beeline Cafe on a Saturday morning before…read moreheading up to Woods Canyon Lake for a day of fishing. There's something about starting a day in the mountains with a small-town diner that just feels right. From the moment we walked in, the staff made us feel welcome. They were especially kind to our daughter, chatting with her and making her feel like she belonged there. As a parent, those little moments don't go unnoticed. The food is classic diner breakfast in the very best way possible. No gimmicks. No unnecessary twists. Just breakfast done well. My wife and I both ordered the biscuits and gravy with scrambled eggs, hash browns, and a side of bacon. My daughter went with a waffle topped with whipped cream and strawberry preserves, while my father-in-law also opted for the biscuits and gravy. Everything came out fresh, hot, and exactly how you'd hope a breakfast cooked on a seasoned griddle would. The coffee stayed hot, the service never skipped a beat, and the entire meal felt like the perfect start to a day outdoors. Beeline Cafe isn't trying to reinvent breakfast. It's preserving the kind of local diner experience that's becoming harder and harder to find. It's a local favorite for a reason, and after our visit, I completely understand why.

Diamond Point Shadows

3.8

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Yes, it's worth the wait!!…read more I finally did it. After what feels like several geological eras, multiple decades, and approximately a billion years of living in Arizona, I finally stopped at Diamond Point Shadow Steakhouse. Every single time I'd drive by, one of two things would happen: they were closed, or I was in time crunch to my next destination. It became one of those places that lived permanently on my Arizona bucket list. Well, bucket list item officially crossed off! The food was exceptional, the service was outstanding, and now I'm kicking myself for not making the stop years ago. Everything was well worth the wait...literally and figuratively. A word of advice: get there right when they open at 4:00 PM. We intentionally ate an early supper, and I'm glad we did because the place fills up fast. If you show up later, be prepared to wait. That said, after finally experiencing it for myself, I'd say it's worth the wait either way. Some things in life don't live up to the hype. Diamond Point Shadow Steakhouse does. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to figure out why I waited half my lifetime to stop here.

We planned a Mother's Day/60th Birthday dinner in our new town. The restaurant came hightly…read morerecommended. After we were seated someone came around with a dessert tray showing us the desserts that were being offered complimentary for mothers day. Yah! We ordered an Old Fashioned and a Vodka Sour cocktail while were were perusing the menu since we hadn't been there before. The waitress was cute and kind and trying to do a good job. Mind you, the restaurant was not at capacity, nor was there a wait to get in. Our drinks came and they brought me a manhattan (not an old fashioned) with no ice and the cocktail cherry and orange wedge was put in my husbands Vodka sour ‍ ...ok they were a little confused at the bar. No problem. The server decided to bring me some cherries (maraschino, not cocktail) to make up for it (thanks but not the issue) Next we ordered dinner with our salads and they were delivered to the opposite person. Which isn't a big deal but there are only 2 people at our table. Dinner was fine he ordered a ribeye w/rice pilaf and I ordered the Barramundi with rice pilaf. The fish was nice, I'd never had it before and the ribeye was ok, nothing spectacular. Then the complimentary Mother's Day Dessert choice I made was creme brûlée as it's my favorite. Well it wasn't the dessert they walked around the restaurant advertising, it was a tiny little cup but as the server said "at least it's free" And boom, here comes the bill....we were charged full price for the complimentary Mother's Day dessert. And, we didn't notice until after we had paid the bill. Now, mind you the server was tipped based on the check total. When it was brought to her attention she tells us that we can either have a restaurant credit, or return the whole bill and charge us again but the refund of the bill would take 3 days. We told her to just take care of us next time since we are new to the area and hope to have a better experience next time we visit.

Early Bird Cafe

4.3

(266 reviews)

Took a drive to get out of the heat and stopped here to get lunch. We were greeted on arrival and…read moreseated. The waitress mentioned they had a fish special, so we decided to try it and a bowl of chili. The decor is classic American diner, lots of roosters and American flags. Cool! Food arrived in about 10 minutes, and looked great and everything was delicious. The cod had a light breading and fresh tasting. The fish plate included a potato, coleslaw and cornbread. The cornbread was okay, a little dry. The chili was a hearty portion and included cheese and onion toppings and crackers. Highly recommended for a nice meal in the pines.

We came here for breakfast around 815am on a Saturday. There was a short 5-10min wait and then we…read morewere seated. This place has been around for 16 years, and had an old diner vibe to it. There was seating inside and out. I decided to try an omelette with ham, mushrooms and peppers. It came with a biscuit and choice of potatoes. My husband ordered the biscuits and gravy meal. Everything was delicious and our food came out fast. The biscuit was warm and fluffy and biscuits and gravy were so good.

The Pleasing Palate

4.4

(8 reviews)

Cool little diner in the area, a small seated counter with a handful of booths and tables. This…read moreeatery is a freestanding part of the Pleasant Valley Inn complex. I ate here a couple differents days and at different times and each time my meal was made to order with care and thought. The owner is hands on and she will most likely be the one preparing your food. Its obvious, at least to me, that Marla cares about her customers and the foods she serves. The meal I enjoyed here was prepared fresh and made to order. Good comfort food is here and if you happen to see it open, worth a stop and support. The restaurant runs short week hours and is not open every day. But when she is open the food is consistent and good. 4 Stars a solid little eatery with good comfort food 00867

I was out on a day drive romping around a few backroads and we passed through Young on our journey…read more We stopped at The Pleasing Palate to grab lunch and it was well worth the stop. There was a small seating area outside which was pet friendly. That spot was taken by a family so we ate inside at the bar top. The place was clean and smelled fresh. We were greeted promptly when we came in and we were attended to quickly. After looking over the menu we ordered and our food came up very quickly thereafter. It was fresh and very tasty! I had a chicken bacon avocado sandwich with fries and my travel partner had a burger and fries. Both of us were pleased. Turns out the woman (Marla) that greeted us and served us was also the owner of the restaurant and the motel. She was extremely personable and it was a pleasure to chat with her. I definitely would recommend this little gem if you are traveling through or camping nearby! Quality service and food .... you can't beat that!

The Pinon Cafe

4.2

(380 reviews)

Wow, this was a fantastic family diner! This is one of those true country diners and you can feel…read moreit through the faith-based decorations, wood interior, and staff. The staff wasn't as upbeat as I would have liked, but the food made up for it. I ordered the Elvis French toast which was peanut butter, chocolate, and banana. 10/10. We also got the Pinon burrito and that was good. It was cool to see all of their Sasquatch merch. We came in without a reservation on a Sunday morning and got seated in about 10 minutes. There is a dedicated parking lot and only indoor seating.

Stopped by on a long bike ride up from Phoenix, through Young, AZ and into Payson. Zero research…read moreor reviews but I sure was pleasantly suprised by the sweet people working here, their warmth and genuine smiles, and amazing service. Hands down the best biscuits and gravy I've ever had and it isn't even close. If you are a fan, make the drive and enjoy. Their Denver omelet was also wonderful and they had solid coffee. Will definitely return any time I am passing through the area.

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4.7

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Best Mexican fast food in Payson. My experience is limited to the drive through. Staff is always…read morecourteous and pleasant. The food is very good. This family loves the rolled tacos, shrimp burrito. We've not been disappointed with our other choices either. We did not care for the churro bites.

What an amazing experience! The beef tacos, rolled tacos, tostada and burrito were so scrumptious!!…read moreThe service was also great and the place is really clean. This was hands down the best Mexican food experience I've had in Arizona in quite some time. We will definitely be back!

El Rancho Restaurant

3.6

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10/10 start to finish! Visiting from Phoenix we decided to go here, last time we tried el rodeo and…read morewe weren't a fan. This place is 3min down the road and really impressed us. The environment felt family oriented and welcoming. The chips and salsa came fast and were deliciously perfect. We ordered a fajita taco salad and chicken fajitas. Both were great along with the lime margaritas! Overall we had such a great experience. Everyone who tended to us was very kind and on top of it all. Definitely make your way here if you're in payson :)

We love coming here whenever we visit. The Indian fry bread with the ground meat is just amazing…read more The service has generally been top notch. The building is old and has weird design choices, such as the location of the sink in the bathrooms and the hallway between bar and main restaurant, but I will continue to come back when I am in town.

Crosswinds Restaurant

4.3

(187 reviews)

We enjoyed Easter Sunday breakfast at Crosswinds. Breakfast is served all day…read more We were seated promptly at a window where we had a great view of the Mogollon Rim and the airport runway, where small planes land and take off. We both had sunny side up eggs, bacon, hash browns, corned beef hash, delicious fluffy pancakes and bottomless coffee. Everything was piping hot and delicious. They also have a full menu for lunch and dinner. The burgers served at the table next to us looked awesome. This place reminded us of a typical diner back east in New Jersey: happy servers, plentiful and delicious hot and fresh food, great coffee and fresh baked home made pie. So if you find yourself in Payson and need a great meal with a family friendly vibe, go to Crosswinds. They have plenty of free parking too.

Ever since I started flight training, I have been told that Payson has great pie. Now that I'm a…read moreprivate pilot, I decided to fly in from Phoenix with my friend for breakfast and pie. We arrived around 7:30am, which was right before it started getting busy. The view is pretty cool. The restaurant is overlooking the runway. After checking in at the front, we were given a table within minutes. Then, our waitress came up and asked us what we wanted to drink. Eventually, we decided what to order and she came back to take our order. The food didn't take long--I'd say about 15 minutes. The food was delicious, to say the least. We both ordered a Western Omelette and shared an order of French Toast. I also took an apple pie and some other baked goods back home with me. The pie was also delicious! The only reason for my 4 stars is because of the service. Some of the employees seemed annoyed to be there and help us. While I understand that the restaurant was busy, you should still maintain composure and try to remain calm under stress. Having worked at a restaurant, I understand the feeling, but you can't let it get to you. Other than that, great little restaurant. I'd come here again.

La Sierra

3.9

(317 reviews)