If you're looking for a true taste of Arizona history, character, and downright great food, Dirtwater Springs is an absolute must-visit. Walking through the doors feels like stepping into an Old West ghost town saloon, complete with authentic antiques, historic relics, rustic wood floors, and enough character to keep you exploring long after you've finished your meal. The building and its legendary atmosphere have made it a local favorite for decades, and it's even gained a reputation among paranormal enthusiasts as one of Arizona's haunted destinations. Now let's talk about the food. The Bison Burger was one of the most delicious burgers I've ever had--perfectly cooked, flavorful, and worth the trip all by itself. The menu is packed with hearty Southwestern and American favorites that fit the Old West setting perfectly. What really makes Dirtwater Springs special, though, is the people. The bartenders and servers bring just the right mix of sass, humor, and genuine hospitality. Expect some playful sarcasm, plenty of laughs, and a welcoming atmosphere that makes you feel like a regular, even on your first visit. Whether you're coming for the history, the ghost stories, the amazing burgers, or just a fun and unique Arizona experience, Dirtwater Springs delivers. Come hungry, stay awhile, and don't be surprised if you find yourself planning your next visit before you've even left the parking lot. Highly recommended! read more

Dirtwater Springs - OLD NEWSPAPER CLIPPING FROM 1919 FOUND INSIDE - American Near Me - Apache Junction, Arizona

Great food. I had a baked potato and French onion soup. Note. The French onion soup is tasty. Made with croutons instead of a piece of thick toast. It was very good. The potato was so big I could not finish the soup and a container was offered by our waitress. Hubby had a bacon cheeseburger with fries. He liked the pickle on top of his bun. Thought it was a nice playful touch. Our waitress was attentive with drinks. What we didn't care for. The food took forever. A party of five seated after us was served before us. I understand when things go wrong or take longer. Please tell your diners why there is a hold up. I'd much prefer that than. Itching and watch people who arrived after us being served before us with similar dishes I might add. When in the area I may try again. The place has a cute country theme. However, I will probably try another establishment before I come back. If I could give 3.5 I would. They deserve that. read more

Dirtwater Springs - French onion aoup - American Near Me - Apache Junction, Arizona

Some things were great: burger/sandwiches, our server Jen L., good local brews on tap (Kilt Lifter from Four Peaks Brewery), lots of parking in the lot, loved the "cowboy" vibe Some things not great: fries (yuck), the dirty stinky patio area in back. This used to be our must-go to stop along the Apache Trail but next time we just might have to look for a cleaner patio area to dine and enjoy an outside brew read more

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We order the brisket and the cut fries. The brisket was dry and the fries were old. My guest and I did not eat the fries and regret eating the meat and the slaw because my guest is not feeling very well this morning because they were up all night with stomach problems.Iris was the only server and was being stretched so thin that she was not able to get back to her tables that were in need if service in a timely manner. Iris was very kind and did the best she could do but because the place felt old and dirty, and the food was not fresh we will not be back. read more

We used to go here often but it has been awhile. The food is pretty good, I had the prime rib sandwich. It was good but a little bland. Some of the other food was good and some not so great. The patio wasn't as nice as it used to be. I did enjoy the Kilt Lifter amber. read more

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The hamburger bun fell apart and the burger was a mess to eat. The fruit dish had a few dry blueberries and 3 thin slices of strawberry and a few green grapes. The fish was small filets, 1/4" at one end to 1" at the other, 1" wide and all you tasted was the breading. The fries were just warm and limp and tasteless. Don't even bother. read more

Nasty food. Dark seating area. Drinks taste funny. Paid for a pizza got a microwave pizza. Brisket sandwich was burnt tasting. Did I say Nasty food? Gross.. read more

Took forever to get food. Food comes and the bread/ buns were all dried out like crouton. Asked if they had a new cook as we have always been delicious . Was told " we have a skeleton crew". Don't recommend and won't come back. read more

The good: large menu with many choices, neat vibe in this very old building that has been well taken care of. Our meals were well prepared and tasty and fair priced. The bad: service was very mixed up, we sat for a very long time before our orders for drinks and dinner were taken, other people came in and were seated, served food and drinks right away. Not sure what the problem was but I will be back as I loved the food and the vibe of this old but well cared for restaurant. read more

The food was subpar: Half the people at our table didn't care for what they got. The water had a bad taste. So much so, that it was pretty much undrinkable. I have some concerns about the cleanliness: We found a fly in a salad, the men's bathroom had an overpowering odor of urine, and between the booths needed to cleaned. Service was fair in that the server never came back to offer drink refills. read more

The service was great ambience just like a western barbecue grill food was okay would recommend

I just finished eating Thanksgiving dinner here and it was aaaaamazing!!! I chose the turkey dinner which came with turkey, real mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, stuffing, cranberry sauce, rolls, soup or salad (I chose the salad) and a choice of pie. I chose the pumpkin pie. Everything tasted like it was made by my mom in her own kitchen. It was all you can eat too. Imagine that! So I HAD to get another plate of deliciousness. Our server Heidi was awesome! She was so accommodating and on top of things. The staff clearing the dirty plates were also on top of it. The atmosphere was very rustic with a western theme. I also ordered a pumpkin pie martini. Yes, I said pumpkin pie martini and it was delicious!! I can't say enough good things about this restaurant. 5 stars on everything!! read more

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Food wasn't even luke warm.. service was slow. It took them an hour and a half, to make three entrées. They were out of everything that we asked for. By the way, there was only one other couple and two men drinking at the bar while we were at the establishment no reason for them to be that slow and to serve cold food. I won't be gone there again. read more

Ordered two orders of brisket after waiting for one hour for our order to be taken. We had multiple servers attending to us, one of the bar hands came back to explain there was no brisket. Changed order to sirloin, was thin and cold, asked to have it remade. They microwaved the whole plate. My cheesy Mac was greasy and the bread was extremely toasted, honestly unnecessary with the mac unless to sop up the grease. The ambiance in the back patio needs a definite touch up as well. read more

Dirtwater Springs - American Near Me - Apache Junction, Arizona

We enjoy Dirtwater during the cooler season. We always Oder their Rybeyes which are good. Servers are always friendly and the Ambiance is Country Western 100%.! Check out their entertainment schedule, grab a table and enjoy live entertainment too. read more

I've visited this established several times over the last ten years, normally it is pretty good comfort food. Something changed this year. The first visit I ordered chicken fried steak, the gravy was on the runny side and the coating had a strange texture. I left a third of the steak uneaten. During the night I was sick to my stomach. Not exactly blaming the meal, but it was a strong coincidence. I was back this weekend, celebrating a friend's birthday. I ordered prime rib, bake potato and a salad along with a bar drink. The drink was spot on, after a short wait my meal arrived before the salad. Waitress said she forgot. Anyway, the prime rib was very fatty and the outside of the steak was cold with the center barely warm. Obviously, these are heat and serve pieces of meat they microwave. I sent it back for it to return just slightly warmer. Waitress suggested I dip each bite into the au jus to help warm it up. I like to enjoy the flavor of the meat not the au jus. The potato had an ample amount of butter and sour cream but wasn't very hot. I only ate half of my meal and brought the rest home for a hot beef sandwich. I won't be returning. read more

Slow..... I t took 25 minutes to get our food. My hashbrowns were barely warm and a little bit too greasy. The classic Benedict was pretty good. The waitress was very busy, but she never came back to refill my husband's coffee cup until we were done with breakfast. Hubby said it tasted like mud. We will not be returning. read more

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2 piece fish was a fish patty and one fish stick. Cole slaw not cold and milky like. Drink pop was $4.00 each. Will not go back again!

Been wanting to come here for a while, so I took the recommendations of friends and went for it. Nice rustic place with downhome hospitality. Good place for dinner, lunch, watch a sporting event on the tvs, or just unwind with a drink after a busy workday. I ordered chips and guac and a taco salad, plus an iced tea for my meal. The salad was the perfect portion size and accompanied with the chips and guac, I did not leave still hungry. My waitress kept checking in on me and I really appreciated her service and attention to detail, plus she was very nice. I HIGHLY recommend the taco salad. VERY good! It comes with a side of guacamole, sour cream, & salsa. Unfortunately I did not get pix of the decor but will next time. Enjoy my food pux in the meantime. read more

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The food service was super slow 5 00 PM TUESDAY. Guest at two other tables. 48 minutes for dry mac & cheese, brisket in tinny bits 1/4 x 1/4 inch., maybe 1 Tablespoon full. Left 3/4 of my meal. It needs a major redo on the booths. Dropped my phone under the table .... super scary with all the icky stuff on it! read more

Food tastes like leftovers. Fries seemed like they were from the day before. French dip was very dry. Corned beef was from a roll of lunch meat. There wasn't any cheese on the Philly and they said it was inside the meat. Same with the peppers and onions. Food was not even worth the time. read more

This place is a great spot for breakfast as well as a solid dive bar. The staff is attentive and great overall. I'm reluctant to even call it a dive bar - it's really more of an old school restaurant and bar. Nice beer garden too. read more

What a wonderful experience family members recommended! From fun drinks like Mermaid Water, to a delicious salmon dinner or even fried chicken. The salmon was delicate and gently flavorful, and the chicken came home for another dinner. The service was great, and the atmosphere casual. Theoretically a great place to take a young family. read more

The food was delicious. The service was even better! My bartenders Chloe and Alyssa went above and beyond. 100/10 recommend stopping by. The old western ambiance was totally a vibe. I've been going here since I was a child (25 years ago), and the child mindset has been the same. Old and nostalgic yet updated and modern enough to satisfy the strictest food critique standards. If you want an old Apache Junction vibe with modern day service, this is the place. It's a family owned restaurant that really puts customers first. Would. Recommend, if you want drinks and food. read more

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I've been going to Dirtwater Springs in Apache Junction for almost 40 years. There's been a few times it wasn't at its best but that's true everywhere. I was very excited when I went in for lunch yesterday. The owners have listened to their customers and are making positive changes. Reorganization and new staff. The fun part was seeing the servers dressed in old west wear! I will definitely be going more often. The food was excellent! Thank you for a great experience!​ read more

SUPER small fries portions...insane for the price. Back patio is dirty and super run down and smells like puke. We won't be back

Took 10 minutes to get coffee, another 20 to be served. I ordered coffee which was never asked for a refill until we received our bill. I said no thanks and wasn't happy with coffee and waitress said we don't serve bad coffee. Bad service and took way to long for the few people who were waiting as well. Just a wrong attitude as a server. For the record, the coffee was not that good. read more

I thought by the interior vibe and customers should have matched up instead i got impatient bras, slow service, small portions and high prices for what quality your getting. It was my first visit to this place. i live in the area and won't take a chance for another let down. read more

We ate here a couple times before and the food was ok. We tried the fish fry today and was so disappointed we got two tiny pieces of fish and a few fries it was like getting a kids meal for $15 and the coleslaw and tartar sauce had no taste. read more

Wow, this place has gone downhill since coming here earlier in 2024 Over the years Dirtwater was our goto place for overall decent food and experience. Well, last night changed our minds and we will not be coming back. Both our meals were pretty lame. My father had the brisket, salad and coleslaw. First off, they brought fries instead of the coleslaw, the fries were lukewarm, and in a very small portion. Even worse was the brisket, it was hardly warm and almost half of it was fat. Eventually, they brought him coleslaw. My meal was the Fish fry, including fries. Again, very small portion of fries, The fish was undercooked and almost pinkish. I do hope dirtwater is paying attn, and will improve their food and services. read more

I am not too sure what happened, but after being one our my family's favorite stops in AJ, Dirtwater is just not what it used to be. On our last visit, we finally decided it was a no from here on out. My dad's eggs AND bacon were undercooked, and he had to send the bacon back. Also undercooked were the fries accompanying mine and my mom's burgers. The fries were so undercooked that I briefly wondered if they were safe to eat. I had a veggie burger (Beyond I think) that was decent, but I was the only person at our table who thought the entree was decent. All in all, this place has old school local charm, but something is going wrong in the kitchen, which is a shame. For that reason, I am blending my reviews from old and newer experiences. Plus, they have a surprisingly righteous cocktail menu! read more

We went for lunch after a hike in the Superstitions and it was wonderful. Loved the 'Arizona' western decor. Food and service were great. We will be back!! read more

Over the last few years, I've visited this restaurant about a dozen times. I was extremely impressed with their Easter menu in 2020 (picture included). Sometimes the service can be slow with refills, and the establishment definitely needs to be remodeled. Overall, it's a decent meal and do keep an eye out for the specials they have as I usually enjoy those over the menu. read more

Dirtwater Springs - Easter special via delivery. - American Near Me - Apache Junction, Arizona

Rude employees. Rude manager. Horrible, unfriendly service. Bartenders stood around talking gossip and were seemingly very offput by the fact I existed and asked for a drink after 15 minutes listening to them gossip at the bartop , which I asked for very politely. Cute ambiance but everything else there was absolutely atrocious. Hard NOPE!!! read more

This place was very good. We liked the idea of stopping in at a diner of some type but had no idea what was inside. Not much in the front area but a few tables and a bar. We assumed the biggest part of the dining room was in back. We were seated in front and our waitress was right there with menus. The menu had quite a few items we would have been interested in but had to settle for one each. My husband did the chicken fried steak. It was huge and served with fresh mashed potatoes. I ordered the liver & onions. The serving was two big pieces of liver, asparagus and real potatoes. Again, everything was delicious. Our server, Mel, was top notch and speedy. If we were hanging around the area, we would definitely be returning. Great stop! read more

Dirtwater Springs - Chicken fried steak - American Near Me - Apache Junction, Arizona

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Amazing food amazing service. Will be back. Live music while we ate lunch on a Saturday. Drinks were perfect.

I used to enjoy D S in the past, especially their fries and onion rings. So since I was going to watch the first NASCAR race of the season, I decided to treat myself with a delivered meal. First off I always use Uber Eats but they claimed the restaurant was closed. Could NOT find confirmation on the net. So I opened GrubHub and was able to place an order thru them. The delivery guy tried to scam me by texting me for me to give him my code b4 he even showed up at the door. Then when I got my food, nothing was hot. No excuse cuz I live quite close so would not have had time to cool down. And my treat was to order baby back ribs. Mistake. They obviously were not freshly made. And whenever they Did make them, they were overdone. Same with the onion rings which I paid extra for. The salad was okay, but nothing to write home about. When I pay over $40 for a meal for one, I expect the cook to have some pride in what he/she sends out. read more

Absolutely the best fish fry(cod) I've had in the valley. Very fresh and lightly breaded. Their Cole slaw excellent also. The wonderful friendly service made for a most enjoyable meal. read more

I had a Chicken Fried Steak. Good price and good service. I liked the older, rustic look of the restaurant. Like stepping back in time. But the chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes was fairly good but way too salty. (the gravy?) read more

Went to get Breakfast this morning and had a horrible experience with our waitress Teresa P. I asked 1st thing if the water was filtered. I don't like water that taste like nasty well water which in Arizona you have to watch out for. Most restaurants have filtered water. Teresa say well I suppose it is it isn't out of the faucet it comes out of the bar hose tapper. I knew that's not filtered but I said OK I will try it and could you also please bring me some lemon in a separate bowl on the side. I got lemon. In the glass. So we order I ordered the breakfast bowl and I went right down the list exactly what I was supposed to tell her as far as my order goes. My one choice for the meat, the 2 choices for veggie and how I wanted my eggs. My husband then started telling her his order and she says wait a minute I am still on hers. The only thing she had written down was my meat choice. Didn't think it was that difficult but oh well I repeated my order. She left. I took a drink of my water and spit it out. I had my husband try it. He said that's disgusting. He thought, and I totally agreed it was like the ice was nasty. He said it's like when an ice machine has mold in it. He went up to the bar and spoke with the owner. He expressed what he thought to the owner and she said no it's a brand new ice machine it's just how our water taste. Then tells him most people don't like it..... Hmmm wouldn't that be a problem you would want to correct ? My husband returns to the table. We were expecting either the owner or Teresa to ask if we wanted something else. We were not offered anything else as a replacement. Luckily my husband did have coffee besides his water. I only ordered the water. His coffee was fine. Huh. No ice in coffee. Food comes. Before Teresa left the table I asked if I could get some extra napkins and my husband asked for syrup for his pancakes. She made a loud sigh in disgust like we were putting her out. I guess it was too much to ask. I will say the Food was good. Thankfully we didn't need anything else from Teresa through out the meal. I had to ask a gentleman working there for a to go box. Teresa never came back until she brought the bill and informed us she was the cashier as well. Ah OK. If that was a hint about her tip. At this point her lack of service had already decided her tip. I got a phone call and my husband was finishing his coffee and apparently we had sat longer than Teresa thought we should have and she comes back to our table and picks up the bill and asks did I already cash you out? Seriously?? Translated did you get my tip yet? Explain that however you feel but I am sorry that was just totally rude and unexceptable in my book. She was the rudest worst waitress we have had in a very long time. We wondered a few weeks ago in going past several times why Dirtwater hasn't been as busy as they were last year. I guess I know why now. There's been several reviews that aren't the best now too. So just a warning move to a different table if you get Teresa and I guess the name is fitting because their water taste like dirt. We won't be back. read more