10/10 start to finish! Visiting from Phoenix we decided to go here, last time we tried el rodeo and we 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 :) read more

We love coming here whenever we visit. The Indian fry bread with the ground meat is just amazing. 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. read more

Had dinner here Saturday night and ate on the patio. They brought chips and salsa right away which was nice. We got the guacamole and it needed more salt but was decent. I got the spinach enchiladas with chicken which came with rice and beans. I didn't love the rice flavoring but the enchiladas were delicious. The service was great. read more

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What can I say? This place delivers! Great drinks, great food, excellent service! I came here with my caving group today and we were a party of ten around 2pm. The place was packed as everyone knows this spot is good! We only waited 10 minutes and then sat down. Service was great and the complimentary chips and salsa always appreciated. I ordered one of the specials which was the fish burrito (I had this exactly one year ago when I came with my caving group) and it was again delicious! My only gripe is that I dont enjoy black beans in this style, not the restaurant's fault, but I should have asked if I could have something else instead. I also had a jalapeño spicy margaritas and it was delicious, well made and a pretty big size. We had a great time here and definitely will come back! This is one of the best spots in Payson, don't miss out! read more

El Rancho Restaurant - Fish burrito is excellent! Get it! - Mexican Near Me - Payson, Arizona

Robert our waiter was excellent! The food was great. Salsa was wonderful!!! So glad we stopped on taco Tuesday!! read more

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Stayed in Payson for a training, my coworker raved about this place. Walked in & were seated immediately on a Sunday evening. Space was roomy, dated decore and crowded entry area but clean and decent. Chips & salsa were so good! I asked & it seems they do sell pints of salsa to take home. Service was quick, kind, helpful. Food was out fairly quick and hot. I tried the street carne asada tacos with only rice on side. The flavor was amazing! Serving size was more than adequate. I will visit the next time I'm in Payson. read more

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3.5 stars Service was great and the food was good--just not amazing. We did like that they offer a senior menu with supposedly smaller portions, but honestly the plates still looked pretty big, just at a cheaper price. The inside was comfortable--maybe a tad rundown--but definitely not bad. I got the smothered chicken breast off the senior menu, and it was actually a pretty large portion with good flavor. We also ordered the smothered senior burrito with shredded beef. It was quite big as well, though the beef was a bit overcooked. The salsa was tasty and the chips came out nice and warm. Overall, solid place with good service, decent food, and generous portions. read more

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I had a great experience here! I sat at the bar which had great service and got the Spicy Chicken Quesadilla. The flavors were amazing! I will definitely be returning when I come up this way. read more

Tired after a mountain hike, we decided to go to the Payson area to explore. We wandered into El Rancho and walked right into the bar. The busy bartender greeted us but didn't give us the lay of the land for a few minutes. He, then, said that we could wander around and decide where to sit. The restaurant was at the back and there was a covered patio on the side. Once seated in the restaurant, a very personable waitress named Tasha brought tortillas, salsa, and waters for us. We ordered an appetizer and main course which didn't take long to arrive. The El Rancho Sampler was delicious but my least favorite were the mini tacos. They were an Americanized version of the Mexican taco. However, the Chili Relleno was superb. I would have preferred to give this establishment a 4.5 instead of a 4 but there were not options for that. The service was impeccable. The ambiance quite authentic Mexican. read more

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In Payson, it's really hard to find GOOD Mexican food... El Rancho delivers every time! Coming from the Valley, we were very nervous to try to Mexican restaurants up here. We've tried El Rodeo (eh), La Sierra (most disappointing Mexican food I've ever had in my life) but El Rancho.. is AMAZING!! I really appreciate they have authentic flavors! read more

My husband has been trying to take me there for at least 35 years but I just didn't want to go, not sure why just feeling. We had gone to Payson for our 50th Anniversary so I thought ok this will make him happy. However the food had NO FLAVOR whatsoever so bland it was not good at all. The table salsa was more tomato & cilantro than chili. No kick to it. I had a senior plate Navajo Taco with shredded beef, it was mostly covered with lettuce and cheese. Both my husband and I weren't feeling well all night afterwards not sick but knew it had upset both of our stomach's. Yeah won't be going back again. read more

ROBERT!! You were amazing, the service and your attitude truly left a mark. we appreciate you. The food... ammmmazing! Wow. The Queso loco was soo tasty & great portion size. Great happy hour deals as well. 6$ margaritas & cheap tacos! Also delicious. We will be back & definitely recommend. read more

Stopped in for lunch on a road trip with my dog. I ordered the shredded beef taco plate lunch special. The tacos were delicious. Good flavored shredded beef and all the toppings were so fresh and tasty. I usually dont like restaurant rice but the rice was so good!! The bartender was telling me the beans and rice is a 50 year old recipe. And they only close twice a year but someone has to go in to start the beans for the next day. Pretty cool share! The back patio is dog friendly. Just go through the cantina and let the friendly bar tender know you have a dog. I will be back. Great service, fresh and flavorful food, and super dog friendly! Win win read more

El Rancho Restaurant - Taco plate lunch special. I usually dont like restaurant rice but the rice was so good!! - Mexican Near Me - Payson, Arizona

Best Mexican food!! Make sure you order the cheese crisp. Visiting from Nevada we went three times it was so good. We ordered a different item every visit. Loved all of them. read more

El Rancho Restaurant - Enchilada and taco plate - Mexican Near Me - Payson, Arizona

The food here is always wonderful, and I've been a regular customer for a while. However, my most recent experience was disappointing. I usually place my orders over the phone, but this time I used DoorDash to have my food ready at a specific time. When I picked it up, I realized I had accidentally ordered the wrong item. I called the restaurant simply to understand the difference between what I ordered and what I usually get, so I could avoid making the same mistake in the future. Instead of helping, I was repeatedly told to contact DoorDash. I wasn't asking for a refund or anything related to the order itself. I just wanted them to look up my usual order using my phone number. Unfortunately, my request wasn't acknowledged, and the response I received felt dismissive. A little more attention and willingness to listen would have made a big difference. Overall, I'm very disappointed with how this situation was handled. read more

Food is always amazing, love the environment, and the staff is always incredibly friendly. Never had an issue or a negative experience here.

'Food was delicious and service was great. Love the salsa that is always put on the table as soon as you sit down. The booths are comfortable and the waitstaff are always friendly. read more

The food here is good. I've had tacos, fajitas, and cheesecrisp. Next time I'll order the Mexican pizza.

This is some of the best Mexican food I've had in a very long time. Absolutely awesome service, food is A+, and their margaritas are right on the money. Cool little bar attached as well. read more

El Rancho Restaurant - Pork Chimi Con Queso = AMAZING! (also, the black beans are incredible) - Mexican Near Me - Payson, Arizona

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Monday has an all you care to eat taco / tostada special for $14.00, normql plates are 13.50 so this is the best deal!

I ate lunch in-house today (cheese rellano & cheese enchilada). 2/3 through my meal I became violently sick in the restaurant restroom. I advised the waitress and she said "it couldn't be our fault. Our food is perfected daily". - yet in addition to becoming sick while I ate, I have been sick a 3 times once I arrived home. I was in great health prior to entering the restaurant - it's clearly something I ate read more

I love this place every time we come into town. Coming or going, we have to stop by. And the breakfast per years are to die for. They serve big portions great flavor. Highly recommend this place, people are friendly.The place is clean read more

I went to El Rancho once in my life with my whole family. It was easily by far, by that one experience, the worst restaurant I've ever went to. The bean and cheese burrito somehow popped in your mouth from the air inside, which isn't normal for food. The beans were cold, and tasted dirty, with a bad texture. Some of the drinks were the wrong drinks, and there was an obvious flavor of dish soap, ruining the beverage inside. Maybe it's because we had a big family, but the service was terrible. And the restaurant was dirty. read more

I've been stopping here for years whenever I pass through Payson. Every single time it's packed full of customers. Friendly service, nice shaded dog friendly patio and good Mexican food. The Baja enchiladas were delicious. Full of flavor with a delicious jalapeño crème sauce. Will definitely be back next time through Payson. read more

El Rancho Restaurant - Baja Enchilada - Mexican Near Me - Payson, Arizona

The food here used to be pretty decent, and we would always stop by on our way out of town on roadtrips, but the last several times the food and service has been subpar. Not sure why everyone thinks this is great mexican food, some items are ok but other items miss the mark on flavor. Also some of the staff have attitude like we're lucky to be here at their wonderful establishment. Ambiance is ok, very dated decor and furnishings. Overall an extremely mediocre experience. We decided to skip El Rancho the last time through town, and had far superior food and ambiance at El Rodeo, just down the road. read more

We were a big group and Denny's won't take us so we called this place and they had availability. We were hungry so food was good. We ate a lot of chips and salsa. Literally got stuffed on that. I got carne asada tacos. They were good. The rice was kinda stuck to the plate. They refill your chips and salsa quick. read more

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From the beginning Dani made us feel at home! Food is delicious and reasonably priced! Super fast service, in the cantina! Highly recommend read more

El Rancho Restaurant - Green Chili rellano with a Cheese Enchilada - Mexican Near Me - Payson, Arizona

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This was one if the best restaurants I've been too in a long time. The service was superb & fast. The food absolutely great tasting and portion was huge. read more

Been coming here for years on the way into or out of Pine. The food and service are always top notch. Usually we're coming in on a busy holiday weekend but everyone is always friendly and it seems to always have a bunch of local regulars at the bar. They are also dog friendly on their patio and now have fans and a cooler. You just need to walk through the front to the side patio. This most recent time I got a burrito with red and green sauce. Everything was super filling and delicious. The free chips and salsa are also always quality. read more

El Rancho Restaurant - Burrito - red and green sauce - Mexican Near Me - Payson, Arizona

The portion sizes are huge and we can always get a seat in the cantina when the restaurant is super busy. The hot sauce is great on the chicken tacos. read more

El Rancho Restaurant - Cantina atmosphere - Mexican Near Me - Payson, Arizona

Second time here, and wow! The service is on point, from the moment you walk in to the time you leave. Literally all of the girls are I. The best moods and have awesome energy. Both had combos (2 items with rice abs beans $13.50), and everything was just wonderful. The free chips and salsa are super, and the extra spicy salsa is also smoky and fabulous. Our server was AUTUMN- and she was just delightful. Also it should be noted that there is a separate Vegetarian menu upon request, how cool for non-carnivores! Great ambiance, and fast service on a busy Sunday at lunchtime! Keep up the great work all. read more

El Rancho Restaurant - Bean burrito Baja enchilada sauce, bean tostada - Mexican Near Me - Payson, Arizona

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If you are on the fence about what Mexican Restaurant to choose do yourself a favor & pick El Rancho! We used the star system instead of the crowd. My opinion all the other Mexican restaurant in town should be closed because the food is delicious at El Ranco. Robert our waiter was top notch & gave me everything I wanted just how I wanted it! Bam I am so stuffed but I can't wait to go back. Great atmosphere & parking. Zero complaints read more

We stopped here after driving down Payson and this place was packed in the parking lot so we thought it was going to be a good option. I did enjoy the old style family Mexican feel and the free chips and salsa but nothing was overwhelmingly great. We sat in a booth that was near the bar and they do have an outside patio for dogs. The wait staff seemed unhappy, not just ours but everyone. We started with the quesso fundido which wasn't even hot, it was mildly warm. It was also already setting the cheese was not creamy and easy to dip. The flavor was boring and tasted like from a can. I did like the soft type chips it did come with. The salsa wasn't great. The chips and salsa came with a chunky pico like salsa that had peppers and tomatoes but was very tomato based and no flavor or spice. They also gave a hot sauce which was disgusting. For lunch I had the tacos one shrimp and one mahi mahi. Both were grilled and the chipotle sauce on top was delicious. I really enjoyed the shrimp and mahi mahi as well, the tacos were pretty good and a decent size. The rice and beans were also good. The actual meal was overall delicious. My husband had the Quesso Pollo which came with the same queso. The chicken chunks were seasoned and they were large, there was also nothing else in the burrito. The queso was again not great. Rice and beans are good. Overall would go somewhere else next time in town. read more

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Excellent service, good food but poor checkout. They have no sign explaining the 3% up charge for paying with credit card. waitress didn't inform us, entrance didn't have a posted sign & it was no where to be found on the menu. I found out when I asked about the wrong charges for everything on my receipt. Very poor customer service! read more

You've been going there for years. Service excellent, food excellent.!!!! every time we come to payson we make sure that we stop there for lunch. read more

Let's start with their chips and salsa. I was impressed that as soon as they sat us down, not a minute later they brought us chips and salsa and they brought two options! Mild and hot. We started off by ordering the cheese crips and it arrived very quickly. The staff gets an A+ on speed of service that's for sure and the food was also really good. My hubby and I ordered combos with beans and rice. He got an enchilada and a crispy ground beef taco. I got the ground beef taco and the beef was seasoned to perfection! Overall I enjoyed our dinner and would definitely recommend. read more

El Rancho Restaurant - Ground beef taco combo - Mexican Near Me - Payson, Arizona

Greasssssssy.........Service is great. 15 years ago this place had great Mexican food but something happened in the interim. Boy Payson is running out of places to eat out. Try La Sierra great mex and premier service. read more

We stopped in El Rancho the night of 4th of July. It was very busy and they were closing early - but we got a seat in a matter of minutes. The service was FAST! I grabbed a Navajo taco with shredded chicken. It was a large portion! Easily two people could have shared this one meal. 3 stars because the food was a bit tasteless. While the Navajo taco was perfectly fried, the food really didn't taste like much. Our service was quick and friendly, we were checked on multiple times while eating. I'd come back and try something else next time! read more

More like El Wrongo! We came for breakfast and was seated immediately. Pretty average amount of people. Complimentary chips and salsa were provided. Plus! Our server was very friendly and attentive. Meal prices were decent. I ordered the breakfast tacos with country potatoes. It took about 5-10 minutes before our meals came out. As hungry as I was I didn't even noticed my order until midway....hey these aren't tacos! Instead I got a sausage omelette with hash browns and toast. The original order came with two tacos and rice/beans. Instead of wasting food, I ate it. At check out I let the cashier about my wrong order and she took it off the bill. The staff were very understanding and I was satisfied. Not sure where the mix up was but I probably won't come back again. read more

El Rancho Restaurant - Not breakfast tacos - Mexican Near Me - Payson, Arizona

Everything here truly pissed me off. Chips tastes like the oil it was cooked in was way too dirty. Plates too hot to even touch. Salsa sucks. Feel bad bc the service and employees are great. Everything else sucks. read more