Knotty Pine Cafe

Please verify whether this business exists and if it does not, close the page. It appears that The Knotty Pine has been closed, sold, or renamed to The Piñon Café —

Displeased that I was forced to give a rating in order to post this caveat.

I chose this place after reading reviews about the Bee Line Café. I had a hankering for chicken friend steak and mashed potatoes and one review said Knotty Pine’s were better. Plus Bee Line didn’t accept cards and that was all I had. The food was exactly what you’d expect from your grandma’s kitchen. Their chicken friend steak with mashed potatoes was way above average, average being Cracker Barrel level. The waitresses were accommodating and welcomed you as soon as you walked in. It was a quick visit because I was on lunch and my food came out fast. The diner itself was quaint and simple. They even had their own merchandise, you know a place must be famous for good reason if they have merch.

I can’t believe all the 1 and 2 star reviews :(
We thought this place was great ! Stopped here before heading to Tonto park … So good and huge portions. Love the cute dinner atmosphere. We tried to come back same day for dinner and they were closed :(
We will eat here everytime for now on when we visit this part of AZ !!

I took a Harley ride on Saturday to Payson to have breakfast. We stopped here for breakfast and will not return. I ordered the eggs and hamburger patty plate. The eggs were dry and hard and the patty was a patty that you would buy at Walmart. Seriously? This place is really bad. Save your money and enjoy a better meal at McDonalds…

Visited 7÷21÷13 while in town for an event.
Was disappointed they were out of the Chicken Fried steak for breakfast!
I ended up with Omelet. It was nothing special. Hash browns were not very fresh. Small order of side bacon. And it was tough to get a refill of coffee.
I can see where this might be an attraction for people passing by. The atmosphere is pleasant. Old style building with a small/​old town feel.
Will look to some other locations next time in town to compare.

A very typical breakfast place. Has all the basics on the menu. Not bad in any way, but not special.
Food was good, but not great. Service was good: Order, bring food and check. Breakfast on the road means I want the check ASAP. That was a highlight.
I had the chicken fried steak, which was better than the one I had at the Bee Line Café the last time I was in Payson (I only eat them on road trips).
My daughter had scrambled eggs and pancakes. The eggs were not well scrambled leaving yellow and white streaks, which wouldn’t be a problem for me, but my 3 year old wouldn’t eat them. I know it is a small thing, but how hard is it to stir the eggs up a little before cooking?
«What are these daddy?»
«Scrambled eggs.»
«No, scrambled eggs are lellow»
«touché.»

I have a hard time rating this place, as I have only eaten breakfast here a few times, which having breakfast is more or less the same experience anywhere but both times my Over-​medium eggs were WAY undercooked and the orange juice tasted funky. It has gotten progressively worse each time so next time I am driving through Payson I doubt I stop here. Lunch and dinner may be another experience but even a basic breakfast here is meh.

Parking out front. Simple, straightforward place, good service, good pricing, middle of the road food, excellent pies.

This place was alright. We stopped in on our way back from rim for our camping trip. Food was pretty good. Our service /​waitress was kinda rude /​abrupt though. The hostess was awesome however!
The parking lot is kinda small, especially if you’re pulling a trailer.

The food here was pretty average. Everything was well prepared but just a little bland. Even the pie was just a-​ok. But the service was friendly and prompt. It is a no-​frills mom-​and-​pop joint but still worth a stop if you are looking for a decent breakfast on your way in or out of town.

Solid breakfast fare. Friendly service. Less than hearty portions. About half of what I’d expect at a local breakfast diner.

Ordered a chili open faced hamburger, the chili was awesome, as well as the hamburger, but the fries left a lot to be desired. Went with a large group, everyone else seemed to enjoy their lunches. I would go back.

Used to really look forward to coming to this place every time we visit Payson or drive though on our way to Colorado. Would come for the pancakes at breakfast. Last time we went the waitress (lady in her 50’s maybe) was so rude. Really THE WORST service I have ever had at a restaurant. I will never go back.

Traveling through Arizona I read some good reviews for this restaurant and a friend recommended it so I stopped in to try it. It was after the lunch rush so maybe everyone was just tired but the service was pretty bad and the food just average in my opinion. Watched a waitress drop the bin of rolled silverware on the ground and just picked it up and put it back in the bin. Ick! The burger was recommended to me but I tried the hot dog. Guess I should have done the burger. Unimpressive overall and just too dirty for my comfort.

This is one of my favorite places to stop for a bite on my way home from the Mogollon Rim. A couple weeks ago, I stopped in and had the special chili burger with a side of navy bean soup. Didn’t need to stop for gas the whole way home ;), plus I felt that my appetite was totally sated…
Sad to say I’ve never tried the pies yet, but this is definitely a great place to stop in for hearty diner fare.

I think I was led astray by the 4 star reviews, this just isn’t four star material. Knotty Pine has location going for it, as well as pies, but the food just wasn’t there.
I had honey fried chicken with fries and beans. I like rustic, stick to your ribs fare and thought this would be a safe choice. The crust was good, but the chicken inside was cold, leading me to believe I was eating yesterday’s fried chicken, no good. The fries were severely undercooked and the salad that came with the meal? The tomatoes had that rubbery, been sitting cut all day taste. Gonna venture a guess and say that I don’t think anyone who works there eats the side salads.
The intention is there, and on a good day, you might be able to get a good burger or slice of pie here, but next time I’m in Payson, I’m gonna look elsewhere. Maybe they need a bit of an outsider touch. Watch a couple of seasons of «Kitchen Nightmares» and then try to look at your place that way Knotty.
P. S. The lady said the bathrooms were basically beyond repair.

I’m hungry. I’m driving through what looks to be the first actual city in hours. The people I’m with want breakfast and they don’t care it’s 1:30 in the afternoon. The first place we stop at is called Café and they aren’t serving breakfast– we’re directed to Knotty Pine Café. At first glance this place looks like nothing more than a hole in the wall surrounded by suburban sprawl. A Chili’s is across the street and a Denny’s is down the road. And this is exactly why the Knotty Pine looks promising.
I’m never opposed to the holes in wall because it usually places like this that do it right– cheap prices, good portions and great service to boot. And I was correct… of course. Sure, it’s a little dirty, but the place just smells like delicious food. I ended up ordering the chili topped with cheese. And mind you, this is some hearty chili– it’s not too spicy, but it has just enough kick so that I don’t need to taint it with Tabasco sauce. The omelet’s looked really good and even though I’ve never had biscuits and gravy, I had some food envy when I saw the heaping pile of carbs in front of my friend.
Knotty Pine Café is a great local spot if you’re traveling through Arizona and looking for a place to grab some grub.

This place is cute for a small town diner/​café. Very small and tight parking out front, its a small place with the wood walls with quirky little saying signs.
Beware of the booths if there are 4 of you to sit there. They are old and sink in if there are two in one seat… use the chairs instead. Would have been good if there was only one to a seat. We actually moved to a table, which was fine with them.
Good service, GOOD coffee. They refilled my coffee like 3 – 4 times, and it was never empty.
I ordered a green chili and cheese omelet with fruit (instead of bread) on the side. It was VERY good and very filling. I enjoyed it greatly. Not so much food that you leave a ton left, it’s just perfect.
Others in my party had a southwestern omelet (4stars as well), the french toast (which with the way it smelled, it made my mouth water!!), and another had two biscuits and gravy. All of us liked our fare very much and it was cheap… each couple had a bill less than $ 15 for their breakfast and the coffee.
This café also bakes pies… coconut cream pies, strawberry, rhubarb… I SO WISH I could have tried some pie. Unfortunately, the diet doesn’t allow for that right now, but oh, we go camping up there all the time, when I’m allowed to have some pie, I’m getting some dang pie! They were putting them away in front of us in the fridge they keep them in and they were piled high with the cream! I had to use a napkin because I was salivating so much.
I will update once I have a piece of their pie. :)
Which means… I am definitely going back. :)

This restaurant is a nice small town diner with standard fare. I had the egg salad sandwich with fries; my girlfriend had the chili; and her daughter had grilled cheese w/​macaroni and cheese. The egg salad was very tasty, as were the other meals. We split a piece of fresh baked Dutch apple pie with a drizzle of caramel on top. It also was good, but very rich. This is not a restaurant that is going to wow your tastebuds with creative new takes on recipes. I would say that it is a good safe bet for a meal though and that is saying a lot for a restaurant in Payson. The total bill for two adults and one child with a desert was $ 18.80.
We regularly travel through the town en route to Window Rock. Until eating a the Knotty Pine yesterday, we were convinced that there was not any good restaurant fare between Payson and Gallup, particularly for vegetarians. [The Knotty Pine does not have a tremendous amount of vegetarian fare, but lacto-​ovos will find a few options — egg salad sandwich, grilled cheese, a couple different salads, and all day breakfast fare] We have had a series of terrible dining experiences in Payson and we had pretty much resigned ourselves to stopping at Chili’s if we had to eat in town. Neither of us likes supporting chain restaurants. Luckily, we will not have to do that after discovering the Knotty Pine Café. We will definately go back to the Knotty Pine.
In actuality, I probably would have given this restaurant three stars instead of four if it was located any place other than Payson, but since it is in Payson, my dining expectations were lower. The previous review complained about the bathrooms. They were satisfactory when I went there and they had soap, which is more than can be said for some of the restaurants on the stretch of road between Payson and Gallup. If you want good diner food and are in Payson, the Knotty Pine is worth your while.

The husband and I went on a day trip today that took us through Payson. We originally thought we’d have lunch, but he wanted breakfast and when we saw the sign at the Knotty Pine that said breakfast anytime we thought what the heck.
First, the service was excellent, but that was it. We both ordered omelets with home fries and toast. I had sourdough and he had rye. Both breads were basically the same. The omelets, not so good. I make better omelets and mine are nothing to brag about. At least the home fries were okay.
The place in general needs an Extreme Restaurant Makeover. It’s very dirty and don’t even bother visiting the restrooms, you’ll need a shower afterwards.
We should have known better. So when you’re in Payson, the Knotty Pine is Notty the place to eat.