Gerardo’s Firewood Cafe

Had lunch here: Ziti with homemade sausage and the chicken sandwich for hubby. Excellent in taste and value. Great service!

OMG it’s mind blowing good!
We stopped here after a hike at the Tonto National Bridge. The service was great and I would consider one of the better Italian restaurant in this state! The price is good for the quality of food they provide. Try the sandwiches! SO good, especially the Italiano. Their dessert is delicious as well. We even got their homemade salad dressing to go.
We’ll be back again. YUM

I stopped over for lunch after visiting some of the natural parks close by. This is darn good for the area and I’m so glad I found it. Homemade style Italian food made with some thought… not gourmet but I appreciate everything from the service to the food. After stopping in a few places within 30 mins of here, don’t waste your time, you are not going to find any better than this

The service was excellent and the food was very good — a bit pricey, but we’ll still go back, so I guess it was worth it.

What a find in Payson! Polite, attentive servers, even during a lunch rush on Saturday. Water and beverages quickly. I too was not overwhelmed with the bread, but it was ok; spill a little balsamic vinegar and olive oil on a plate for dipping and it was fine. Ordered the Cioppino-​it was not listed on the menu, but written on a ‘specials’ sign in the front as you walk in. It is worth asking for; rich red sauce, lots of clams, mussels, calamari and fish, I almost licked the bowl! My companion had the brick oven pizza and from someone who has spent a lot of time in Italy, it got a solid thumbs up. Great place for lunch or dinner, but if you enjoy it as much as I did, you will need a nap afterwards.

I used Unilocal to find Gerardo’s in Payson, AZ. Our waitress looked familiar, turns out she is a distant niece of Danny Thomas and cousin of Marlo Thomas… had a glass of Merlot, antipasto salad, chockful of Italian meats, artichokes and olives… lighly brushed garlic rolls with seasoning. A bottle of Corto olive oil and balsamic vinegar at the table, my new butter!
My friend had a cheese, meat and olive plate. We split a delicious, crunchy coated, cannoli with chocolate chips… A very attentive and pleasant staff and a nice ending to a cool 59 degree day in Payson, AZ.
We also got 10% off the bill for checking in…

Stopped here for lunch today on the way to Flagstaff. Ordered the traditional spaghetti and meatballs. The pasta was done absolutely perfect. Sauce and meatballs were good.
Nice baked bread with the oil and vinegar.
Service was very attentive and quick.
F

The first time we came here, it was outstanding. Not as much today. We made a special trip to come get lunch for Valentines Day. Very disappointing. Wait staff was slow, food was under seasoned and it was a total disappointment. We will try it once more but won’t make a special trip.

Yum. Homemade bread. Yummy cheese crisp on my salad. Excellent pizza and Tiramisu to die for. Great friendly service too.

I love this restaurant. Everything is fresh and service is great. It reminds me of my favorite place on the east coast where I was raised. Is comfortable, family friendly and a warm atmosphere. The pizza is wonderful, and one of my favs is the eggplant parm. You will not be disappointed. I bring visitors here, as well as go frequently with local residents.

What a great little Italian restaurant! The pizza was perfectly done, the eggplant parm was flavorful. Definitely one of the better spots in Payson! Try not to gorge yourself on the warm bread :)

At the advice of other Unilocal reviews we decided to try this place for dinner over New Years holiday weekend. We ordered from the specials board a meatball appetizer. 4 decent sized homemade meatballs, sauce mozzarella cheese and 4 pieces of garlic toast. Very very tasty. We were impressed with the sauce, large chunks of garlic and fresh basil.
I ordered from the specials. The Lobster Mac and cheese (very creamy, bacony and delicious wow!) My significant other had the baked ziti with sausage. The sauce was fabulous (creamy red) he said that was the best Italian food he’s had EVER. Both meals included a salad and they were fresh and the dressing good. The service was very attentive and friendly. We had leftovers and no room for dessert, so we will definitely be back to try one!

Fantastico! Family owned. I eat at some upscale Italian restaurants in LA and NY and was very surprised when we stopped here for lunch on our family trip.
Cold salad plates and pasta cooked Al dente. Try the Insalate Toscano, Eggplant Parmigiana, spaghetti agilio et olio (oil and garlic ordered off menu).
Kids finished entire pizza. Tiramisu was divine and presentation was very nice. Pistachio Gelato was excellent!
Bravo Gerardo’s!

The Ciopino was on par with some of the best Atlantic and Eastern Seaboard fish restaurants, including McGuire Pub in Pensacola.
People were superbly pro and kind. Take on chance. on Gerardos when visiting Payson, AZ

Came here not quite knowing to expect. The service was friendly and very helpful. Smiles were abundant and food was fantastic. Definitely a great choice.
They gave bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Not the best bread I have had, but still good; soft and fresh cooked with herbs and butter.
I ordered the baked Ziti with homemade sausage. It came out piping hot and bubbling. Taste of the cheese, sausage, and sauce blended very well together.

Came in on Sunday afternoon after a hike nearby. We all ordered lunch, I got the eggplant parm, and my other 2 friends got the lasagna and the penne arrabiata. Everyone, myself included, really enjoyed the food.
The sauce was VERY simple, but I liked the flavor. There were some sweet, whole stewed tomatoes in with the sauce as well, which I liked and I thought the presentation was unique and cool (unlike any way I have seen eggplant parm presented). They have a few thick cut slices of eggplant breaded in panko, and then stacked up with the mozzarella cheese and basil kind of «pinwheel» on top. Was pretty and I liked that it being served this way, kept the eggplant crispy. There were 2 stacks of the eggplant and it was served on top of the sauce. HUGE portions for it being lunch. ($ 9.99 for the Eggplant) Definitely felt I got my money’s worth, and had to take half of it to go. Service was friendly.
With that said, it was SLOW… very slow service. Other than that it was a great experience and I would for sure go back.

Let’s talk about Gerardo’s. First, I somehow was deceived by fellow Unilocalers who are normally trustworthy. Perhaps this rating should only be taken in context of other food nearby, not food in general. I’m not a Payson regular but I’ve been through a few times. I do however eat often and generally know what is good and what is not so good.
Don’t get me wrong, the service and cleanliness is as good as you’d hope for in a small town restaurant. It’s clean, people are very friendly and open, staff is responsive and polite. Those areas are good. But I don’t go to a restaurant for cleanliness and politeness. We came to eat.
I ordered spaghetti and meatballs. My wife and our friends ordered pizzas. I’ve literally never had more bland spaghetti sauce. Including late nights in college with warmed sauce out of a jar. Flavorless, oddly bright red, little to no seasoning, whole cloves of garlic… people this isn’t how sauce should be. The meatballs. Oh the meatballs. I wrongly assumed that a ball of ground meat would remain relatively soft after cooking. But no. I’ve had many steaks that melt in your mouth better than these little tough balls. And for $ 15, laughably bad value. This is a 5.99 plate .
The pizza was not great either. Again, bland, too simple, little flavor, over priced. The place is warm and cozy and friendly and has pretty terrible food.

We were hiking in the area on a Sunday afternoon and stopped there for lunch. We found this place on Unilocal (it had great ratings) and called to confirm it was dog friendly. We were not allowed to bring dogs inside but the staff set up our large group of hikers and dogs on the patio. The first thing they did-​brought water for the dogs. It was greatly appreciated:)
Oh, a parton leaving the restaurant assured us the place is just amazing. Great first impression I would say!
And then there was delicious food and good service. Made my day:)

Being in the area for some photo shoot outing, as soon as I gained my cell signal back, I started looking for a place to eat on Unilocal.This restaurant came up on my search as #1. Since we both like Italian, after reading some reviews on Unilocal about this restaurant, I didn’t look any further.
I like the way it was decorated inside, creating a nice ambiance.
Service was excellent, very friendly and fast.
The food I had was more than I expected for the location but after a half way through my meal, I became full. Very generous portion size. Come hungry.

Delicious food, pleasant service and super cute Italian décor — a bar all in brick, a partially open kitchen, a tempting dessert cooler, and even a dog-​friendly patio.
We shared the baked ziti, which was lovely. It came out of the oven still bubbling, and the tomato sauce and cheese flavors really made the dish. The pasta itself was nothing special, which was fine. Note: there’s a $ 3 split plate charge, but that’s only if the chefs put it on two plates — if you just get an extra plate, it’s waived.
We each started with a side salad — the ziti came with one, and we ordered another. It was super simple — just iceberg and spinach mix with a single tomato, but the lettuce was very fresh and the balsamic dressing was very nice, so it was yummy. We were also served plenty of delicious hot bread (perfect for dipping in olive oil and balsamic vinegar — bottles on the table).
This place might be 4 stars in Scottsdale, but in Payson, it’s closer to 6! We’ll definitely be back!