La Sierra

We were very disappointed in this restaurant after reading the Unilocal reviews. We walked in and were ignored for about 10 minutes. After seating is, it took another 15 minutes for someone to greet us with water and chips/​salsa. Then another 10 minutes to take our order. The food was just average, nothing special at all.
We felt they were very understaffed and lack customer service skills. Next time we are ever visiting Payson, we will stick to El Rancho.

We walked in and were ignored for a long time. As others came in after us I guess they decided they had to acknowledge all of us. They seemed like it was a bother to seat us. After a while a guy came to take our drink order. As it took so long and we had plenty of time to go over the menu we ordered our food too. The padrone margarita was good, but at $ 9.50 it should be. The house margarita was watered down and I dont think there was any tequila in it at all.
The food came crazy fast and we were warned about the hot plates. Yes they plates were hot but the food on them was luke warm. The food was average at best, very bland, I would say microwave quality. It was about 45 minutes before we saw any wait staff again. We were done a long time until we could flag down someone to get our bill.
On a scale of 1 to 10 the service was a 1 and the food was a 5 at best. Dinner for 2 was $ 40.00, I will never go back.

Best Mexican restaurant I have tried in Payson. Chips and salsa are delicious and plates proportions are very well served.

So amazingly good. Every time we come here to camp, we stop in and eat. Great everytime. Very authentic, Texmex style food. Chip and salsa are great. Staff is so nice. I love it here.

Came here for mine and my dad’s birthday… got to wear Sombreros lol. It was awesome and the food was wonderful.

Favorite Mexican food restaurant in Payson. To me, it’s the most authentic Mexican food joint in town. Prices are reasonable and the staff is friendly and helpful

Took family here early in October for dinner. I had the carne asada which was a little dried out but tasty. (Not many cooks know how to properly cook this without drying it out). Daughters & wife had Chimichangas. They all enjoyed them. Décor is colorful and warm. All in all a good eating experience. Has the typical Mexican fare.

Warm inviting interior. The Carne asada tacos were great. Love the chilli sauce served with. Bean and rice really good. I’ll come back when we pass this way again.

Had dinner here with my wife during a day trip to Payson based on the recommendation of some locals. Nothing special here. Just the usual rather bland Americanized Mex fare. It reminded us of another Northern Arizona chain called Plaza Bonita which we like for a simple Mexican fix. I had their Chile Rellano which I always order to compare. Theirs was pretty good because it was not smothered in some creamy heavy cheese sauce. My wife wasn’t too impressed with her cheese enchilada and bean burrito. The service was average. Prices fair.

Not my first visit here, but this was interesting. We were sat at our table the back then forgot about for close to 20 mins. Finally we were noticed and our order was took, it didn’t take too long to get the food out, but the tacos I ordered were over cooked and fatty; beans and rice were perfect, but by that time I didn’t want to stay any longer.
Most of my other visits here have been good, and if things improve I will gladly change the review to reflect that.

Like this restaurant. Lunch and dinner available. Their taco salad is great. Cheese enchilladas good. Chips and salsa yummy. Good prices, reasonable. Do not go if in a hurry as service varies, and nothing is quick. Have had to go to front to get check more than once. That said, is pleasant atmosphere, casual. Fun to go with friends to sit for a bit and catch up.

I was taking a staycation just me and my boyfriend, and we love Mexican food and the first place we saw was la Sierra. So we went inside and we weren’t even greeted. When we tried to get someone’s attention they ignored us and one of the poor waiters that was already busy had to help us instead. When we got seated we had about 6 different people help us, we had no idea who to tip. And when we got our food it was quite bland /​: when we got the check, it took about 5 minutes to cash out because yet again the front had been neglected. And when we did check out, the waiter took 2 dollars out of our change, so we decided not to tip anybody. Beautiful decorations inside, but need to work on service mainly.

Love this restraunt we try to stop by here when we pass through payson. I love their vegetarian tostada. And they are always friendly

My family and I were heading home after camping all weekend and decided to stop at this restaurant, unfortunately the experience was not good. We were not greeted with courtesy it seemed as if our party of 11 was an inconvenience to the staff and after seeing most of the employees bothered by our large group we decided to go elsewhere. Can’t rate the food but the service was just not good at all.

Really enjoyed lunch here. I had a Carne Asada burrito and it was pretty tasty. Service was fast and the price can’t be beat! I will definitely make this a regular stop up and down the hill. Oh, the spicy salsa is the real deal!!!

Average Mexican shop, better than expected for the location, but overall nothing to write home about. Chips and salsa were pretty good, although the salsa was a bit on the watery side. I had the chile relleno and enchilada plate– the enchilada was good, but the chile relleno was heavier and greasier than usual, and sat pretty heavy in my stomach. Beans and rice were standard. Service was okay, everyone was pleasant, décor was bright and warm, prices were reasonable, parking was no problem at all. This isn’t the place I’d choose to rush back to next time I’m in Payson, but it wasn’t too bad.

Great food and service. Try the cerviche tostadas! Carne Asada is yummy too. Favorite place to eat when in Payson.

My husband, 2 kids and I decide to eat here because of the good reviews on Unilocal.
The front area is a little awkward. We are standing there, halfway between the entrance and an oddly placed hostess stand, attempting to be seated for a good 5 – 10 minutes. Wasn’t too busy.
After being sat, the server was friendly, got our orders and all was well.
Now, my husband has a GPS tracker and had to check it to make sure, but we ended up sitting in this restaurant for 54 minutes without being served our food.
This is all while juggling a 4 and 5 year old. At minute 50 or so my husband had to wave down the server who stated that our order ticket fell behind the counter.
I guess this all could be an honest mistake but by that time we were spent, the kids were done, we left $ 5 and walked out of there.
Bad way to start our little vacation.

Decided to check this place out after reading reviews while on a road trip.
The aesthetics of the place was very unique, definitely had the authentic Mexican feel to it, even down the the light sounds of Spanish music in the background.
We were seated very quickly despite it being busy, and they were quick to bring some chips and salsa as well as our drinks. I asked what they had on draft and I don’t think the server understood me. So, I am pretty sure they don’t have draft beer here, but they have a decent selection of bottled beers. The margarita was made a little on the weak side as well, but still flavorful.
The food came out in an average amount of time, and the server did a good job in warning us of the hot plates. I ordered one of the combination plates with a burrito and quesadilla. The main meal (burrito and quesadilla) was average at best, but I was a big fan of the rice and beans, very authentic tasting and a great addition to the overall meal, especially when I added some salsa and hot sauce to it.
Overall this is a decent little Mexican place to check out, especially if you are visiting or passing through Payson.

Honestly, I saw a picture of this huge steak on Unilocal on my phone and went without reading the reviews. After hiking for too long and having a nice time at the local coffee shop I was ready to eat my arm. I’m a big guy and was convinced I probably wouldn’t be satisfied with that so steak was also on my mind.
I went there a little before 5p and there weren’t that many people there. I was seated in a comfortable booth with the draft on The TV. They turned the TV down at someone’s request but it still worked.
I received a nice big basket of fresh chips and salsa. I’m from Tucson so I’m used to hotter salsa but it was still good… very fresh. I ordered the steak from the picture and asked for some adaptations to the sides because of my food allergies. They accommodated me and kept filling my water as I waited maybe 15 – 20 min for my food. The waiter even came to apologize for my wait and I think I may have looked at him like he was crazy.
My food was delicious. It was just basic, standard Mexican food. It tasted like the type of food I ate growing up at my Mexican friends’ houses. I swear someone’s nana could have been back there making it. It just felt like a family/​small town restaurant. It was satisfying, especially for a lone traveler like myself. They remodeled and it looked nice inside. The ambiance was definitely one that reflected a feeling of family.
As the hour progressed, the place got crowded. There were many locals there. Even as they got busier, they made sure I had my water, cleared the table and took my money.
I left completely satisfied and would come back next time I’m coming through town.