The Oxbow Saloon, Payson AZ

After a fine meal down the street at Duza’s we walked over to the Oxbow for a nightcap. We found history, great music and an engaging local crowd. A very fun place with nice and normal people. Will always stop when in Payson.

Very grumpy bartender limited drink options. Run Down dirty bathrooms. Surprised they are open at all. Seems like a locals only joint.

Went here after Rodeo night weeks ago and had a blast. Also the owner kept my new leather jacket safe for me after I left it at the bar accidentally. Thank you for the hospitality and great time. Will see you again soon.

Great music and a fun place to dance. Wish someone would update it a tad. Has dance hall next door and great patio area which needs mowing. Will go again!

Country western saloon with the coolest Sunday Jam sessions. Awesome music, friendly crowd, and a great dance floor!

I’m rewriting my review to make it more simplistic - we attempted to go to the Valentine’s Dance that was advertised here and could not gain access to the building. The front door facing the street was locked, so we went to the side where there was a black gate going around the outdoor area and that was also locked. Tried to call, let it ring for quite some time. No answer. So we left, went elsewhere. Maybe there was a specific start time that I’m not aware of and you had to be on time at 5: 30, I’m not sure. But there were definitely sounds of the band and people cheering from the inside.

Great and historical Saloon.
Very eclectic atmosphere right in downtown, on Main St in Payson.
Easy access with plenty of parking.

Do NOT plan to attend the Oxbow Saloon for any important gathering! My wedding dinner reservation was completely ignored by Mary, the owner, and my group of 20 people could not even get into the restaurant for our 5: 00 p.m. Dinner reservation on September 4,2021 because the doors were locked and no one was there. We waited until 5: 15, and the restaurant still had not opened. It took a month of attempts to even make the reservation as no one answers the phone at this restaurant. We had to drive (15 miles from our home) into Payson four separate times to even make the reservation because we had no other choice but to go in person, and even then two different times the doors were locked at a time the website advertises that they are open. I did finally speak to Mary in person two separate times to arrange the reservation for our wedding dinner. She was surly and rude. I asked her twice if I should change our reservation to 6: 00 p.m, as I was concerned we would arrive at 5: 00 to find locked doors. She promised me that 5: 00 p.m. Was fine, and there would be a table ready for us, though she was impatient and sarcastic with me as she spoke. I almost chose another restaurant just because of her poor attitude and unprofessional behavior. But we really wanted to have our guests enjoy this historic saloon. Mary guaranteed that when we came at 5: 00 p.m. That she would have her BBQ menu available to us at that time. But she could not tell us whether there would be a live band or not until 10 days before our dinner reservation. It was a very stressful procedure to even make the reservation. This was all very disappointing and embarrassing in front of our guests during the most important event of our life. Because of the lack of consistency with the website and the actual times this restaurant is open, and because of Mary's gruff attitude and poor business practices, I was so nervous that something would go wrong, so I had made reservations at Rim Country BBQ down the street as a back-up. Our entire wedding party celebration then went to Rim Country BBQ, and they were ready for us, polite, and had wonderful food. After we enjoyed our dinner, some of our wedding guests still wanted to see what the Oxbow Saloon was like, so we went back there for a drink. Mary was near the front door as we entered, and she greeted me, but she did not recognize who I was or acknowledge what had happened. When we sat down, a waitress came over to our table and explained that she was the only one working that evening, and that we should go get our own drinks at the bar if we didn't want to have a long wait. In addition, no paper towels or toilet paper in the dirty bathrooms. I can only imagine how rude and defensive Mary could become if I attempted to speak with her in person about this incident, but I will never go there again. A saloon like this has such potential for the city of Payson, but because of the owner's very poor management of this restaurant, it is doubtful that it will ever be successful.

More of a historic location that was the only upside. You can tell managers/ owners gave up on the place long ago. This place has extremely huge potential if owned by someone who cared. So sad this place in becoming more and more ran down.

I absolutely loved this place had a blast last night beat people here in Payson Mary our bartender was so awesome did karaoke and was so fun coming back for sure thanks for such a fun time at oxbow saloon

What a hoot! I had a blast. Staff was great, cool old place, live music. You've gotta go!

The band was wonderful.
They need to do some deep cleaning. The dishwasher must of been broken. My glass was dirty. They had a lawnmower setting on the floor. My husband said the men's bathroom was gross.
Maybe after they clean up we will be back.

I get it, the charm of the past and the wild west but this place is absolutely a covid hot spot! No one wearing masks and everything is dirty.

Always fun here with friends. Great DJ on Friday nights with lots of great singers.
Great Bartenders!

I have loved this place for many years and am so grateful to Mary for fixing it up again. I cant wait for the rooms to be done, i will definitely line up for a room. Thank you mary for your hard work and dedication in preserving such a beauty

We went there to eat. The menu didn't look appetizing. Only a few things on it and it needed to be printed like they care about what they're serving.

Didnt have ice at first no money in the registers. Poor selection of beers. Owner rather rude

We went to Outdoor Dinner Theater last night. The weather didn't cooperate but we still enjoyed the evening. The owner, Mary jumped through hoops to take care of everyone. The Dinner Theater is relatively a new thing, looking forward to seeing it grow.

Hubby and I love to go relax have a cold drinks and now serving food and its yummy. My favorite is the Angus Burger. Great history here, great atmosphere.