We enjoyed Easter Sunday breakfast at Crosswinds. Breakfast is served all day. 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. read more

We stopped in after hearing they had great food and were excited to give it a try. The setting is definitely a highlight -- it's really cool getting to watch the planes land and take off while you eat. Our server was very nice and provided friendly service. As for the food, it was a bit hit or miss. The bacon was delicious, but the chicken fried steak left a lot to be desired. It had a very flour-heavy taste and not much flavor overall. I wouldn't order that again. The French toast was pretty good, though nothing especially memorable. We grabbed a few pies to go and are looking forward to trying them. I'll update my review once we've had a chance to taste those. Overall, I wouldn't say the food was "great," but the unique airport atmosphere and good service made it a decent experience. read more

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Never 5 stars....always room for improvement... Was in Payson for a dump run and wound up at Crosswinds! NO mistake! This place is good to say the least. Very unassuming, located at the Payson airstrip (WHO KNEW???). Parking is ok, handicapped is located in a weird spot and should be in the main parking but hey. Food was good down home cooking. French toast was good with real maple syrup and butter. Eggs nicely seasoned and honestly one of the best eggs, outside my own hen eggs, that I've had in a restaurant. Sausage patties were nicely seasoned and tasty. While there I saw two planes and a helicopter fly in and land...AMAZING!!!!! It's just such a nice little cafe with a lot of history, so if you're in town, make the exception. Located off airport road about 1 mile off Highway 87! Our server Gina, was lovely and friendly! Sorry no food pics...I was starving read more

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Very nice restaurant located right along the air strip. The staff is friendly and the food is actually very good. Get ready for a little bit of a wait. The bathrooms are just one holers, bummer. read more

The food at this place is your regular breakfast food. But the experience and the service is what makes this place special. The kids absolutely loved it and my daughter loved seeing the planes land and take off. The servers are great and ready to help even if they are not your server. We will definitely go back when we are in town! read more

Crosswinds Restaurant - Payson Airport - American Near Me - Payson, Arizona

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Typical diner inside. Waitstaff are pleasant and efficient. The nice thing about is the view of the Mogollon rim, which is tremendous. Since it's at an airport you often get to see plane taking off and landing. Food is usually quite good. It's a bit on the pricier side of things. For a black and blue burger plate and two omelette plates it was a few dollars north of $70 before tip. When I'm in town I make it a point to go there. read more

Sunday six of us went up to Crosswinds for breakfast from MESA area little chilly ride but still a beautiful ride 25 minute wait but worth every minute a couple of us had steak and eggs chicken fried steak pancakes kind of a mixture of everything and service was awesome. Food was delicious what more can he ask for watched a couple planes come in and out that's gotta be the best place to go in Payson. owner is always nice. Will be back. I forgot to take a picture of that delicious steak next time. read more

So keep in mind..it's Payson. There isn't a whoooole lot of gormet food options, but this one of my favorites here. I usually just get the 2 egg breakfast, but last time I got the chicken blt salad and it was so good! Everything was really fresh, chicken was great. It's a little, casual place- really good pies you can tae home too! read more

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The food was amazing and the pie is most notable. Wonderful environment and service. Love watching the planes

This is my family's go-to breakfast and lunch place. Back in 2019 they went through a rough patch and we quit going, but for the past 3 years they have been, in our opinion, by far the best all-around Cafe in Payson. Judging by the factbthat they are never not busy, we are not alone. I just wish they would bring back the Eggs Benedict. And use better bread. read more

All meals are slightly more pricey than surrounding restaurants, but very reasonable within the price range. About $14 per meal. Their dessert cakes are very popular too. Very kind and friendly people working on site, if you ask, they will share many cool sites in town. Be sure to check airplane models if you like aviation related things. Very cool stuffs on the ceiling. Love the atmosphere! read more

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Four years and *checks logbook* 14 visits later, Crosswinds is still my favorite airport restaurant and the pies are still fantastic. Beware the biscuits and gravy: the portion sizes are actually twice as listed. I once ordered the double, thinking the biscuits were much smaller. Had to recalculate my w&b before departing after that one. read more

Crosswinds Restaurant - Payson Airport - A double order of biscuits and sausage gravy - FOUR biscuits. - American Near Me - Payson, Arizona

A super cute small diner in Payson! The wait was not too long and our waitress was very friendly! Their food was hearty and big portions. I got an omelette that kept me full all day, which is perfect because we hiked the Tonto bridge after this meal. Lol! Will definitely visit again when in the area next, try to get a window seat so you can watch the planes take off! read more

Crosswinds Restaurant - Payson Airport - American Near Me - Payson, Arizona

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Charming small town restaurant at the Payson airport. The service was quick and friendly. The food is home style goodness. The restaurant theme is aircraft with windows looking out to the airstrip. read more

I was worried this place (food) would be mediocre. I wanted to try it out for a long time because of the airplanes and views...... but the menu just screams basic. BUT IT WAS DELICIOUS It was busy when we went it. Took about 20 mins to get a table. Busy is a good sign. They serve breakfast all day and we were both really pleased with our meal. With the omelettes you get a choice of potatoes...... we got hash browns. They were pretty basic. My husband got the green chili omelette which he found amazing. He said he felt like he was enjoying a chili Relleno. I had the chili omelette because I wanted to try something different that I've never had before. Who would have thought chili would be good in an omelette? I have had better chili but it was good. Then you get a choice of toast OR A muffin! A big muffin. It was served warm and was so unbelievably good. Delicious delicious delicious. The service was great. Our waitress was amazing. Oh and almost forgot..... the sausage links were HUGE.... Fat guys...... best sausage links I've ever had read more

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This is a great place to grab some breakfast and enjoy an amazing view. The prices are great, the staff is friendly, and the food is super tasty. The hashbrowns were some of the best I have ever tasted.. Stop by for a great meal with a view! read more

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Came for a slice of pie, and stayed for the great service. Definitely a "locals" fav, the place was packed.

Take home a pie, have a great breakfast, unobstructed panorama view of the rim, and pleasant and skillful waitstaff.

Server was excellent. Kitchen was pretty slow, but it was packed. as I am writing this I saw a server come back saying their table left without a word and they wasted a bunch of food. I don't blame them. Food was pretty bland anyway. 3 stars. read more

Good service. Excellent food. Best view of all the restaurants in the area. We went for breakfast and it was delicious. Service was friendly and speedy. read more

Great food, excellent service and the best pie I've ever eaten while watching private planes take off and land​

It was smelly and snuffy inside. While the food wasn't bad it wasn't anything special. Definitely not homemade. The Pie was good. The server didn't really come back to check on us and we had to go get our own check. read more

Breakfast all day (with generous portions!), a wide selection of homemade pies, amd a a side of planes taking off and landing. This is a cute little diner with an aviation theme. We had the sweetest waitress. Prices were reasonable. Saw a family land just to have brunch, then take off again - and I can see why one would do this! read more

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My veggie omelette was SO good and the views were stellar! The whole family loved watching the planes out the window.

We flew in to Payson to enjoy a small bite to eat for breakfast, and it was certainly a fun experience. The interior decorations are true to the name of the place - lots of little model planes hanging around. The service was fast and friendly. The menu selection is expected for a breakfast place, and everything was cooked well. It's a comfy little spot, and after hearing about it from a few friends of ours, I'm glad we took a moment to stop in. Will certainly be back, see you soon Payson! read more

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I had a grilled ham and cheese. It came with fries. It was so good but I could not finish it all my friend had a delicious egg salad sandwich. We had to wait about 20 minutes for them to boil up some eggs. We were not in a hurry. Service was great. It Is at the small airport. We really didn't see too many planes but it is a great place for lunch if you like cafes. read more

Nice restaurant for a little Saturday morning breakfast or lunch. We flew up from the Valley to enjoy a while. We waited about 15 minutes to be seated for our party of two, interesting because a party walked in after us were seated before us. Great views of the runway to see all the other aircraft flying in! read more

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I flew into Payson yesterday to try the restaurant at the airport called Crosswinds. While it doesn't have direct flight line access, it's still pretty easy to go back and forth. The menu was quite extensive covering breakfast and lunch meals. I ordered the Ruben sandwich with fries and a soft drink. The drink was refilled without asking. The fries were crispy and flavorful. The Ruben was cooked well and the service was excellent even though the restaurant was packed. I spotted a refrigerated case filled with pies on my way out. I got the strawberry rhubarb pie which I found quite tasty. I will be returning read more

Crosswinds Restaurant - Payson Airport - Pie case - American Near Me - Payson, Arizona

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Cute local place with a homely atmosphere. My husband got the chili omelette and that was truly the star of the show. My green chili omelette was fine and the biscuits and gravy were really cakey and dense. Wait staff was so sweet to our 11 month old son and very inviting. read more

Wow. This unassuming little diner has something special and I can't quite put my finger on it. My pilot cousin flew us to Payson, AZ from Scottsdale in Phoenix. I imagined the highlight of the trip would be the flight, but the restaurant certainly rivaled it. It's designed to serve the tiny airstrip (hence the aviation name), but anyone would love it. It's classic diner - laminated menus, pies for sale, local advertisements on the menu, and sweet older waiters who exude friendliness. I figured the food (classic diner food) would be good, but I didn't expect it to be FANTASTIC. And it was!! It was a chilly day, so I ordered the Navigator Burger (bacon and cheese) with fries. My brother and I were feeling cheeky, so we decided to split an order of pancakes. What do they do to this food?!?! I've had burgers before, I've had pancakes before, but there is something exceptional about this place. The burgers were cooked well-done, yet the delicious char on the outside - I should've asked what their secret is. What was it that made this burger different? I couldn't tell you! Only that it's one of the better burgers I think I've ever had. The pancakes are massive and, frankly, perfect. They are soft, buttery, just the right amount of sweet, warm and fluffy. I could hardly stop shoving them down. There's something special about this place. I walked in with mild expectations, but I was blown away by the quality of their home-town service and exceptional cooking. They have a whole variety of homemade pies they sell by the slice or the whole, and we were quick to grab one for our family back in Scottsdale. read more

Crosswinds Restaurant - Payson Airport - Navigator Burger, Pancakes - American Near Me - Payson, Arizona

By far one of the best airport cafe's/restauants out there. This hidden gem is tucked away on the north side of town, on airport property, I think, with easy access from the runway aircraft parking area for Payson (KPAN). Incredible value and good tasting food. The servers are polite and very accommodating with your requests. This is what restaurants should be. Take the kids, get a window seat, and enjoy watching the airplanes too. read more

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My wife and I had breakfast here. I ordered the Spanish omelette and asked if I could sub jalapeño instead of onion. I was told yes. When our food came out the amount of hash browns was so so small. It would have been like 5 bites. When I got the bill they had charged me a dollar for the jalapeños that I was told I could sub. I talked to the owner. This is small minded business . Don't insult the customer with buckle and dimming. read more

Best onions I have ever eaten, that batter was so flavorful and crispy. The bacon was cooked to perfection, a crunch with every bite. To top it off that banana cream pie was so smooth and melted in my mouth. Would recommend 10/10. read more

Crosswinds Restaurant - Payson Airport - Navigator burger with onion rings - American Near Me - Payson, Arizona

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Best chicken fried steak sandwich and in biscuits and gracy! Views of Payson Airport are spectacular as is the staff, food quality and prices! read more

The waitresses were great! Liked the collection of airplanes hanging from the ceiling. Loved the Cranberry Orange muffins and the Orchard pie was absolutely amazing!!! read more

Great food great service everyone was so friendly It's the place to be as everyone was there

So after living up here for over seven years....we finally went to get breakfast here !! I knew the airport would be fun - as all airports are to me ( my first flight overseas was May 1956 ) - and hopefully to see some planes come and go. We saw some but because of too hot temperatures and, maybe, because it was mid-week, only three were 'in action'; on the flip side...I saw people walking out of the checkpoint on the tarmac and go over the side where there was nothing to see but some rocks and dry grass..and raise up a woman who had deplaned and fallen off the tarmac She got up with some help and seemed to be alright, but I couldn't figure how she'd ended up down there from exiting the plane - glad she's ok though! The Crosswinds is small-ish, I couldn't tell how many tables over in the back, with basic diner furnishings and 4-person tables arranged so they can be pushed together. I love aviation, airport, planes and pilots (I must be a weirdo, everybody else seems to hate airports), the smell of aircraft fuel, the promise of travel. The service was fine, but I'm sorry I didn't catch any staff names; at times a little slow or looking for things to do, but lovely, friendly ladies presiding over the rush. Reading the reviews made me expect a 'finer' experience food-wise, so there was some let down there but we still enjoyed the experience and will go back again. I ordered the Combo: 2 eggs, a ham steak and french toast - eggs were over easy and good, with a nice liquid yolk, the french toast needed a touch of salt (yes, most sweets need a little salt to enhance flavors) and 30 seconds more in the pan to get a bit of scorched bead. Not so good : I'm sorry to report the maple syrup was way! too !! watery!!! and it had little flavor to boot. Definitely not good to pour on pancakes/french toast. The people there for lunch were mostly older and a family with a couple kids next to our table, with nary a tweenie or teen in sight, making it quieter than restaurants with noise all over... and tv ...and music! Growing up in Europe where restaurants are made for chatting and enjoying the food, here in the US the constant noise levels are grating and unnecessary in an eating environment. We're definitely going back to Crosswinds to try out some other foods - chicken fried steak maybe? - and I do want to try some of the pies!!! Thank you to the ladies that brought our food over and for giving me a new addition to my food travels read more

The restaurant was sooo busy and food came out looking great and yet it was lukewarm, but still delicious. The pie was to die for. Best pie I have had on a long long time. We usually don't get pie but heard it was great. It was. Next time I would buy the whole pie and take it home as one slice is $5.30 or a whole pie is around $15 so......buy the whole damn pie it's worth the price!! The food was excellent. Due to the lukewarm temperature of our meals I felt it was 4 stars but I guarantee if it was hot it would have gotten 5 stars. Atmosphere is cool because of the airplanes hanging from ceiling, and the runway outside your view at the Payson Municipal Airport and surrounding countryside is gorgeous. All in all worth the trip. I heard the breakfast items are excellent as well and they close at 3pm most days so get there early. read more

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I had been wanting to try this place for quite a while. My normal go-to was closed unexpectedly so what better excuse. That being said, should have come here sooner. Parking lot was fairly full so didn't know what kind of wait to expect but I was hungry. I was solo so zero wait and had a hot coffee on my table before I even got my jacket off. Service was fast and friendly and the food was bomb, great view as well. Will definitely be back. read more

Crosswinds Restaurant - Payson Airport - View from table - beautiful - American Near Me - Payson, Arizona

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We have been going to Crosswinds Restaurant for a couple of decades. It is always a great experience!! The food is inexpensive, and the portions are fair or huge!! We LOVE watching the airplanes arrive and depart!! That is part of the magic and the experience! Well...just know that apparently when it is hot outside, there will not be airplane action. There were ZERO arrivals or departures during our 90 minute visit. I didn't know that most airplanes don't have air conditioning, but I was advised that is a big factor in low traffic! When we visited a couple of days ago, we were expecting to see airplanes!! It was okay and forgivable under the circumstances! The food was great for the price!! I'm kind of stuck on the open-faced turkey sandwich served with mashed potatoes and gravy. Three of the guys ordered hamburgers and the burgers are huge!! One teen ordered the spaghetti, and I was surprised at the portion and the fact that the teen ate almost all of it!! It would have been four meals for me!! We missed watching the airplanes arrive and take off, but we enjoyed our visit!!! We will continue to return over and over!!! read more