Mountainaire Tavern

Ambiance: small rustic country/​townie bar. Mounted dear heads, MGD signs, dudes in cowboy hats and a pool table. This is a townie bar through and through.
Food/​Drink: Good selection of burgers. Also serves up some good chili, soups and grilled fish. The green chili potato soup was excellent as are the fried potatoes.
Service: Friendly and relaxed
Overall: If your capable and comfortable dropping in on country/​townie bar this place hits the spot.

Karmen was the best part of my experience. Greeted me right when I walked in for breakfast. Got me a water and offered coffee right away. Upsold me to a Spanish coffee with a lil Kahlua. She suggested some popular breakfast choices and I went with the Take 2. Great food, great service, great prices. Was a great stop.

Stopped on our way to Flagstaff. Good food, friendly people. Excellent waitstaff Shirleen was terrific. Exterior belies the quality of the experience
We will come here again.

Unfortunately, there is nothing special about the Tavern except it’s the only place at exit 333 that isn’t Subway. The food is expensive classic bar food and the drinks are just like every other hole in the wall bar that you’ve ever visited. They also have a pool table that is usually open, a juke box with 70s-​90s classics, and a pleasant patio with horseshoes and space to bring your own corn hole game if you’re interested in tossing bags. If football is your thing, don’t expect to watch your team even though they have a couple TVs. The Tavern only accept cash but «generously» offers an ATM with a $ 2 fee so you can pay your bill. They do have brunch which is nice if you’re local and DO NOT want to drive to flag so you can elbow your way into crowded restaurants full of Phoenicians. Despite the fact they have four tables or so for family dining, I would skip it and go to town for another family restaurant option. If it’s just you and your boys ready for some drinks, head on down to Mountainaire Tavern. All in all, this place is exactly what it’s intended to be: a mountain bar with plenty of booze and some food options.

This tavern has been here forever, and not much changes. Cold beer, friendly folk and rustic charm.

It is bar food nothing more nothing less — it used to be great food but now it is only marginal bar food.

Read the reviews so decided to try it out. Excellent burgers and potato fries; friendly staff; fun, local atmosphere. Pool table and horseshoes while you wait. Chill out!

Excellent food and service! I had a mushroom burger last week. It was so good I had to go back this week for more. The fried potatoes are an excellent side dish — much better than fries. Also they have very good craft brews on tap. The atmosphere is very country/​western. Not fancy would be an understatement. Don’t mind a cluttered, cabin atmosphere and come as you are. If you have spent much time south of Flagstaff you know how hard it is to get good food and service. Don’t forget to tip the servers well because they deserve it. Mountainaire Tavern is a breath of fresh air in the Munds Park/​Kachina Village/​Mountainaire area with offerings that will keep me coming back, even if it means driving past several of the other local watering holes/​restaurants.

I love this little laid back treasure within the woods. The staff is always nice, helpful, and prompt. They make the best Bloody Mary– a must have for a weekend breakfast. I have been here many times, to eat breakfast, dinner, and to have a few beers (and they have a great selection). I was really surprised the first time I had breakfast here, huge helpings and the food was amazing. They make a greatest BLT and their pizza is to die for!

We just left the Mountainaire Tavern very disappointed. We have been there many times before but NEVER had an experience like this. There was my family of three and 3 others at the bar (not busy at all). After 45 minutes, the waitress told us she forgot to put our order in. Once we got our meals, it was NOT worth the wait. My husdand had to get up 3 times to ask for coffee, his eggs had to be redone since they were not done the way he ordered, my daughter’s eggs were over done but she decided just not to eat them, my chili tasted like ketchup with beans and a little bit of meat but the WORST part was the conversation the bartender/​waitress was having about her past problems with bedbugs! I had to stop her in the middle of her conversation because it was making me disgusted to the point that I lost my appetite and waited for my husband and daughter in the car. We drove from Phoenix to eat here and it’s a shame that I will not go back to this restaurant that I have been going to for over a decade because of this experience.

Our pancakes were raw. The food was cold. They were smoking weed outside… Not a place to eat.

I’m almost reticent to review this place since I’d rather people don’t realize how awesome this place is. The bartenders are no nonsense pros. Toni, Amy, Andy, and the rest are amazing. If Jodi is cooking order anything and you’ll be a happy camper. Prices are reasonable, food is deceptively fantastic (the wing sauce is the best ever had), service is appropriately local flavored (don’t walk in and order a BS shot, you’ll be laughed out the bar), the local usual suspects are colorful and entertaining. I couldn’t design a better place within walking distance of my house!

Nice greasy spoon. Yummy breakfast! Worth the drive. It is really 1.5 mi off the 17, not 1 mile so don’t get discouraged, keep driving. Oh, and there is a cash only policy. The ATM inside charges big fees, so stop somewhere else first for cash. Slow service is quaint and very small town feeling… no rushing here!

We came here hoping for a quick breakfast. There was only one other person in the entire place and it 35 minutes to make 2 omelets, 1 pancake and an order of biscuits and gravy. The food was not worth the wait. The omelet was bland. Biscuits were like nothing I have ever seen before and the pancake tasted like it had been sitting out for a week. Would not recommend the food. Take the extra 10 minutes and drive into town.

This place is great! Everything on the menu is good, if not great.
Good service. Laid back atmosphere. Cold bottles of beer.
Jukebox to play your favorite tunes. You can’t go wrong here.

I live in the neighborhood and this place is a gem. Not to mention, who doesn’t want a bar within stumbling distance of their house that serves burgers and the like as well? I’ll be sorely disappointed if this place ever goes out of business. It’s not fancy, there are no frills. They serve burgers and the typical pub grub (good breakfast on Sundays), they serve drinks at the bar. The place is darkish but cozy. No bones: it’s a dive. That’s why we like it. The locals who show up for a drink at 10 am in the morning are part of the scenery. What you see is what you get and if you ask anyone in Mountainaire, they’d say they love the place too.
There’s a reason it’s hidden so far back in the woods. :]

We stopped in on December 23^rd 2013 on our way to our cabin rental in kachina village and wow I am glad we did.
The other members of our party wanted to go to sub way which is the other side of the highway but I persuaded them to go here.
Upon arrival we were put off by people smoking up at the bar and I almost walked out as we have 3 children and one of them is a baby, but hubby sat over the back side of the eating area and we couldn’t smell the smoke over there so we decided to stay.
However I don’t think smoking should be allowed where food is been served it’s very off putting. (That’s why I gave this establishment 4 stars instead of 5)
Now onto the food I ordered a baked potato with a side bowl of chilli which was amazing (I am fussy with chilli) and my husband ordered pastrami sandwich which was delicious. For the children we got nuggets and apple sauce which were standard and the other members in our party got a burger and another pastrami sandwich everyone was very happy with there food.
The server was friendly but not over the top, good service with a smile. She did short change me by $ 10 but soon corrected it when I pointed it out and I have no reason to believe she did that on purpose, also they only accept cash here which luckily we had.
We would definitely return here, good home cooked food for a reasonable price.

I have been a patron of the Mountainaire Tavern since July 27, 1991. Why do I remember that date? It was our second night in Flagstaff. We had moved from Baton Rouge. We paid all of the deposits for water, electric, phone ect that day. We went to the bank to which we had electronically transferred our money. They could not find our money!!! 35,000 dollars. We did not have any credit cards and only $ 9.00 in cash. So what does this have to do with the Tavern? It was not far from our house, so we decided to try it out. We ordered a beer each and one order of french fries. The waitress commented on our somewhat strange order. We told her our story. She responded, «Honey, you order anything you want from the menu. When your money comes in just stop by and pay up.
We are in our 22^nd year of eating at the Tavern. The burgers are great. I love the potato fries. This is a great place for breakfast. In fact, the Tavern makes a down home, fully satisfying breakfast.
Service is pretty good and the staff is friendly.
The Tavern is a warm and rustic place. I would not characterize the Tavern as a dive, it is more on the level of a roadhouse type bar and restaurant.
During the summer there is often music on the patio. If you are looking for 5 star dinning you should probably look elsewhere. If you want good, food in a rustic setting, come on by.

Surprisingly enough, this local watering hole does a pretty good job of transforming itself into a breakfast café in the wee hours of the morning. When my husband and I stopped in here on our way out of Flagstaff, there were a few families out for their Sunday morning family breakfast. We enjoyed a hearty and tasty breakfast with great service and decent coffee. He was very happy they had steak and eggs on the menu and I thought their pancakes were pretty good, too.
By the time we were leaving, a few day-​drinkers had shown up and were sitting at the bar. You don’t see that at your everyday greasy spoon but hey, I don’t judge. There aren’t many options in the immediate area so they are worth a try for breakfast, a bbq dinner… or a cold brewski!

This place is a nice little gem in the woods, and not too far from the highway.
They make solid, freshly-​made food. The menu consists of standard tavern fair, but it’s all well-​prepared. The pizzas are nice, but fried fish and breakfast are where they really shine.
As far as the services goes, the staff consists of bunch a of sweet ladies, who certainly wouldn’t take any crap either. However, the kitchen can get backed up when it’s busy, and you might have to be patient for your food.
Inside, it’s rustic and comfortable. There’s a pool table and an internet jukebox.
Outside, there is a large, back yard type area, full of trees and wildflowers. Great for enjoying the gorgeous weather, having a beer, and playing some horse shoes.
Drinks-​wise, the selection is pretty limited. All the basics are covered. On tap, there are usually two big national domestics, plus two locals.
Take note (s)! They only take cash. Though there is an ATM for the forgetful and unprepared.