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

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

Dani and Autumn are the best!! I went w/my Dog to watch Gm 1 of the World Series on the Patio and it was the best time!! What I noticed is that everyone there was super chill. People were not in a hurry, friendly and relaxed. The service was great. The food is really good too!! If yr down for a chill time @ a family restaraunt w/great service,..this is the place to go!! read more

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Service gets a solid 7/10 Food gets a zero. I had to put at least 1 star but truly gets none. I would not recommend this place. I had to pick at my food and wasted practically my entire plate. Lesson learned. read more

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

-Service was on point -Did not wait long before items ordered were brought to table -Salsa tasted like Rotel -Food was salty and lacked any depth to its flavor Last time visited was about five years ago and the food has gone downhill IMO read more

Our late lunch entrees were very delicious, served quickly and ample servings The waitress/bartender who waited on us was very inviting, friendly and helpful with making our selections. We ate on the outdoor patio because we brought our dog. The restaurant does more than allow dogs, because it accommodates them with water and treats. read more

El Rancho is a family favorite we've been frequenting for years. Great traditional Sonoran Mexican food, reasonable prices, and fast and friendly service (food always comes out so quickly). You'll love the chips and salsa. If you ask for hot sauce, you'll get an extra kick. The sopapillas are obligatory for us. We like them with powdered sugar and honey. On this last visit, we discovered they have "Taco Tuesday" and lunch specials! read more

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Food: chimichanga was yum. Rice and beans, questionable. Everything was served quick and hot, with a friendly smile. Ambiance: nice PAYING CHECK: ADD 3.5 % for using a CREDIT CARD. The cashier will not tell you this, however it is posted on the counter in a "post," form. So I DID read it and realized that 3.50 was added to my bill. ITS NOT MUCH, but it is 2023, perhaps raise the prices again to cover that ridiculous FEE! Or bite the bullet and pay the fee to have customers HAPPY and not feeling like they are fined for using ELECTRONIC PAYMENT like 99% of us have been doing since 1983. read more

Great place on Hwy 97 in Payson. Friendly staff and excellent food. We travel from Albuquerque to chandler and 87 a lot to visit grandkids. We stop here every time we pass through and are never disappointed. Quest loco is a super chimichanga. Tacos are great and green chili pork is the bomb. read more

Amazing Mexican food in Payson, AZ! Service was extremely fast and friendly. The serving sizes are huge. You get the most bang for your buck. I got the Navajo taco (fry bread) it absolutely hit the spot and we will be returning next time we are in town! read more

El Rancho Restaurant - Navajo Taco - Mexican Near Me - Payson, Arizona

Nice for an early dinner. Clean place, friendly staff. The food is awesome. I had the Mexican Flag Enchiladas and my girl had the Shrimp Fajita Salad. The salsa is amazing and the food was all first rate. read more

I love love love this place!!! The service is always on point! The food is always awesome! I got the green chilie pork burrito and man was it fantastic. I had it enchilada style with green sauce. Man, I couldn't get enough! We have been coming here for 7 years or more and every time we are in Payson this is a must have. read more

El rancho is The Best Restaurant in Payson az! I wrote a review earlier about El rodeo, which Was one of my worst dining experiences ever!, my phone actually autocorrected El rodeo to El rancho. I am eternally sorry El rancho is one of the best restaurants I've ever eaten at everybody there is awesome the food is awesome I never meant to make you all look bad this restaurant is phenomenal please forgive me I didn't proofread what I wrote about El rodeo I just feel terrible. El rancho is the best restaurant in Payson the best food the best service the best ambience! Etc etc etc! read more

Breakfast was certainly a let down at El Rancho. I had a breakfast burro enchilada style and the inside was watery. It made the tortilla soggy and pasty. You couldn't taste any of the ingredients over the overpowering raw jalapeno. There was also no cheese on the inside. I won't come back for breakfast. It was $15 for a breakfast burrito and a diet Coke. read more

El Rancho Restaurant - Breakfast burrito. - Mexican Near Me - Payson, Arizona

I wish we had this restaurant in Colorado where we are visiting from because this place is amazing! The salsa they bring is so good, they give you a chunky medium and a blended hot, The hot one I need the recipe because the seasonings in it just made it through the roof. I had the Queso Loco burrito with carne asada and oh my goodness it was amazing! The meat inside was seasoned like no other I have had and it was the best carne asada I have had. The beans that came with it also had their own uniqueness to them compared to other Mexican restaurants as did the rice. The rice was nice and fluffy and had a great flavor. They weren't blah like they are at most other places. Our server was very nice as well and they got our food out very quick. We went during lunch time and only had to await a few minutes to be seated and it was pretty busy when we were there. If you live in this town or are passing through and want some good food then you need to come here. You will have your socks blow off with how good they are! read more

El Rancho Restaurant - Queso Loco Burrito - Mexican Near Me - Payson, Arizona

Service was quick, but food was not good. Had the large salad but it looked like they put more lettuce than any other salad topping. Also had the carne fries and I think those gave me an upset stomach. read more

I had a pleasant experience dining here. Reasonable prices, excellent wait staff, and comfortable environment where I could sit in the outside patio with my dog since I'm traveling through town this was perfect. Autumn was my server; she was informative, attentive and pleasant to be waited on. I decided to let management know I will be back and even that was a pleasant conversation. Keep up the good work and Thank you again Autumn and Shurie! read more

El Rancho Restaurant - Senior menu Chimichanga - Mexican Near Me - Payson, Arizona

This place has once of the best menudo for miles. Service is alway good. They are away on top of the service asking if we need anything. Oh and I LOVE the sauce they bring to the table with the chips. They are all super tasty! read more

Love their Queso Loco Burro, but everything here is awesome! Nice bar. Staff are great!

Most amazing place for both food & service! I'm a native Arizonan but new to this area as a resident. It's hard to make a change of residence after the loss of your husband. I have found them to have not only wonderful food, but the most caring staff & excellent food on an ongoing basis. I am so grateful to have them to go to as they bring back the best memories for me as I go forward! read more

Sub-par food and lied to me about having a game I was wanting to watch. Definitely won't be back.

Mondays are all you can eat tacos . The ground beef was a little salty greasy, the rice was very bland and not at all authentic it was like they forgot to season it. We had the loco bean dip that was out of this world good . Customer service was great . read more

Update the server was amazing no complaints on that at all. but the manager did write me and needs a lesson in customer service she was awful in how she spoke and tried to make things on me.the food was ok the service was amazing but my experience sucked. And if you have a dog friendly patio with Signs posted that only friendly dogs welcome. Then at least try and make sure that is the case.... I know its a risk bringing a dog anywhere but when there is a dog that has been there and people say is not a good dog . Then someone needs to do somthing about it. When the dog tried to attack mine things could have went a lot differently and im thankful they didn't . So let's not get upset because I left one star because thats all you seem to care about read more

Angela was my server, was able to help me make some decisions on food Very knowledgeable & friendly Followed up regularly to make sure I was good The food was perfect & the presidente margarita was on point ( a bit of a buzz, which is the way they should be) The service strategy this place is using is terrific Very busy Sunday late afternoon/ early evening, large parties & the entire team doing all the seating , set ups , . . . Just amazing! Don't miss out on this places food & service!! read more

Good food and always consistent. Love Taco Tuesdays!!!! What a deal for one dollar! Great service as well. read more

We live in the valley and come here several times a times a year and stay at my brothers cabin. I am a former business owner. The food is real good but the last few times I have been here the hot sauce is not the same. It is very smoky not near as good as the old recipe. What really chaps my hide is when you get your bill on each item there is an up charge from the menu price. Trickery!! I asked about it and they said it's an up charge of 3.5 percent for credit card use. I owned 11 hair salons and we took credit card we never charged extra if a client used a credit card. Also the bank does not charge them 3 .5 percent it's all based on ticket size. My ticket size was much lower than theirs and I was paying like 1.8 percent. Rip off. Dishonest owners cheating people. The best bet is don't charge extra for using a credit card it's the cost of doing business!! If you want to recoup those fees raise everything on the menu the percentage your bank actually charges you and be transparent. Shame on you for cheating honest people. When you pay your employees do you take money out of there check to cover the cost of the check , envelope, and what your accountant charges you. QUIT CHEATING YOUR CUSTOMERS!!! read more

Nice venue, attentive servers, presentable food, just, not much flavor to it. We ordered the mixed platter and it looks great, and all of the items were cooked perfectly. However, if you were blindfolded, you wouldn't know the items you were eating. My recommendation is to request heavy seasoning. That should fix things! read more

Every time we drive through Payson we have to hit up El Rancho. Service is always good and the food is excellent!

Great food and margaritas were awesome. Friendly service staff. Will return Five stars Ground Beef Tacos Cheese Enchiladas. read more

Love the coffee and pastries! Friendly staff and cute atmosphere. Great outdoor area. Perfect place to meet for coffee. A favorite in the community. read more

Stopped by here on the way back from digging for fossils, came by recommendation of a friend from Show Low. They bring two different salsa's out, one is a regular salsa and the other a chipotle. I thought they were both good, then I ordered a chimi and some cheese dip. However, we ordered the cheese dip and then ten minutes later a server comes up and says "so you want cheese dip, right?" Do you know what you want for food? So then they take our dip order again and then our food order and then walk to two other tables to take orders. This means the cheese dip comes out 2 minutes before our meal and the entire time our drinks are sitting empty and the server hasn't checked on the drinks. The cheese dip is melted cheese and I don't think has anything to make it more dip and less just cheese, but had good flavor. The chimi was good, but had. ALOT of burrito and not as much meat. Overall I think the food was 4 but the service was slightly less than 3. read more

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I don't know why people rave about this place- Margaritas are awful, and the food is really salty. Couldn't finish it last time I ate there. The service is usually good. read more

Finally, stopped for lunch on our way home today. Great service, friendly staff service and the food delicious. I had the spinach and chicken enchiladas.... Yummy way to much to eat so will enjoy the rest tomorrow! This will be a regular stop on our way through Payson. read more

Driving through Payson and decided to go based on reviews. We were seated promptly and was happy to see them following all Covid requirements with masks and spacing of tables. Our waiter was very courteous and answered all my questions ( I'm a bit of a Mexican food snob). The bus girl kept our drinks full without having to ask. We started with a cheese crisp with green chili. It was cooked perfectly. My husband ordered the cheese enchiladas with green sauce. I ordered the Queso Loco burrito with chicken. (See picture). Food came out quickly and was delicious. Way more food than I could finish. Only thing that was slightly off for me is the mild salsa is a little too mild. I mixed some of the hot into it and it was perfect. Give them a try. You won't be disappointed!! read more

El Rancho Restaurant - Queso Loco Burrito - Mexican Near Me - Payson, Arizona

It was ok, nothing to write home about, service was alright and the food was more of a Tex-Mex

When your hungry, making your own combination is the best. I like to start with mixing their hot and mild salsa to create a flavorful medium salsa. I wish they added a few more onions, but the freshness can't be beat. I think they make the best Chile Rellenos in the state. Try one and don't hesitate to order desert. The fried ice cream is a great summer treat. read more

A huge thank you to Heather and El Rancho for putting together an amazing dinner for our family of 150 people for a reunion we had at Kohls Ranch. The food was outstanding and extremely well priced! I highly recommend El Rancho for catering. read more

Usually good food. Tonight the food was horrible! There loco bean dip had no flavor. Might be awhile before we order again.

We eat here almost every time we come to Payson. Great food as always and the service is the best. Great people and great food. read more

El Rancho Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Payson, Arizona