by Nick Coons

Getting a late start on heading up north on Sunday morning, as usual, we made it into Payson around lunch time. Feeling hungry from skipping breakfast, we thought we'd take our chances with Italian. Driving away from Payson's main intersection east on Highway 260, Mario's Family Dining & Lounge was easy to spot.

We were promptly shown to our booth, and our menus and drinks were brought to us. After placing our orders, we gazed around at the quiet and clean but somewhat outdated "70's" feel of the interior. I finished my drink and quietly awaited a refill as our server passed our table by several times. At one point, another server noticed that I had been waiting and took it upon herself to refill my drink, which I appreciated.

The food arrived delicious and piping hot. It was too much too eat, and a larger portion than we had thought from the description of the menu, and we ended up taking the remainder with us.

Most everything about the experience was satisfactory, except that I felt a bit neglected by some of the service we didn't receive, such as checking in to offer more food, drinks, and dessert.

Mario's is located at 600 E. Highway 260 in Payson.

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