Wonderfully kitschy, kid-friendly Mining Camp Restaurant is warm enough to melt even the iciest heart. Set at the base of the rugged Superstition Mountains, a few miles beyond Apache Junction, it has been dishing out family-style Western dinners for more than 40 years. Diners sit together at long, picnic-style wooden tables set with metal plates, cups and tumblers while a strolling guitarist plays cowboy tunes. Dinner is all-you-can-eat and reasonably priced; chow down on roast beef, chicken and beef ribs with beans, coleslaw, green beans and potatoes. Wash it down with iced tea or coffee — there’s no alcohol served here.

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