Mike's Fish and Chips — Restaurant in Payson

Definitely one of the better decisions we've made while traveling, and this is a place we'll be eating at again. Many times. I had the fish and chips, first time so I wanted to try the basics. The fish was fantastic; delicious, crunchy batter with tender, perfectly cooked fish inside. The chips were crunchy, but fluffy on the inside. Definitely worth the stop for that alone but the menu has so many options that I want to try. it will be a while before I get back to the basics. My family split the fish, shrimp, clams, and oysters. None of them liked the oysters, but fried oysters was a first for all of them. Maybe an acquired taste or maybe they make them wrong here. I don't know so I can't fault the restaurant. They loved everything else which means we'll be back. We received several sauces with our food, all of which were great. We got the standard lemons and malt vinegar, tartar sauce, and a slightly spicy cocktail sauce. Ketchup was available at the pick up counter, which we took advantage of. The sauce situation is my only complaint. There were several signs mentioning that there is a charge for extra sauce, noting which sauces cost what. That's great and I appreciate that information being upfront. However, I saw no signs that said which dishes came with which sauces. I had no way of knowing if I wanted to order extra sauce because I didn't know what sauces I was getting. I will say that we loved all the sauces and had no shortages so it wasn't an issue in the end. it did make ordering a bit confusing and some clarity on the menu would be nice. The way the restaurant works limits the interaction with the staff so I don't have much to say there. They were all extremely competent and did their jobs well. They were nice and polite, so there's not a lot more you could ask for. Personal note, our state has been having a horrible time with fires and people treating our forests poorly. There were a lot of signs in the restaurant with educational information about the current state of things and basic information about how to improve things. I really appreciate a business going out of its way to raise awareness like that. If you like fish and chips, this should be on the top of your list for AZ. I will be stopping in again, I might even make the drive just to...

Honestly, where do I begin?

Maybe I'll start by saying that, growing up in town, I never actually tried to stop by this place because I don't (and kind-of can't) eat fish.

But, come 2021 when I was doing some renovations nearby and got to stop at this place with my family. First time I had actually stopped in. At first, I didn't see anything I could have, despite how good it smelled, but then I came across the classic Corn Dogs w/ Fries (or, ya know, Chips) combo.

And what came out of my mouth when I first took a bite was "Oh my god". It. Was. Delicious. The outer crust was crispy and had great texture and there was next to no oil on it, making it easy to pick up and eat without worry of burns.

Then I got to try the fries and I can't believe how good they were, boasting a nice crunchy, yet soft inside with amazing flavor.

Eventually, I started coming by more and more, getting the same combo just about every time, eventually getting cocktail sauce with it too. And, unlike the certain store brands which taste terrible, Mike's Fish & Chips has a delicious and enjoyable cocktail sauce! It's seriously that good. At some point, I really got to try the burgers.

With that said, the Staff are hard-working and always keeping busy to make a customer's food. I always enjoy talking with the front-people; they are always super friendly and careful with your order.

This place is a must-try if you haven't been by. It is absolutely worth a try, and a true gem...

Lady working today was extremely rude and disrespectful - just see their response below.

First off, the lady (I'm assuming is the owner) is absolutely disgusting - upon entering, she was literally RIGHT outside the business doors smoking a cigarette and didn't greet us or mention she worked there - but, apparently she was livid that my 4 year old had to use their restroom - No one was at the front counter, so there was no one to "ask". Then, upon leaving, she continues to smoke her cigarette and heckles us, calling us RUDE and how dare we use their restroom. We walk off, as I'm not trying to start a confrontation in front of my daughter, and she CONTINUES to heckle at us from a distance, calling us names. It was honestly laughable how mad she was. HOW are you even in business?! If you get this mad at a 4 year old using the restroom, I can not imagine the response you would receive if you don't like her fried fish sticks. I would NEVER recommend this place to ANYONE. Infact, I will make it known to the world that they should never support a business owner with this attitude. I'm so glad they had the response they did, it just proves how awful and disrespectful the owner is. Absolutely absurd and...