The Best Central Coast Barbecue Spots, According to Eater Editors
The Central Coast of California is the center of Santa Maria-style barbecue, which focuses on flame-licked tri-tip. The cut of meat is so ubiquitous here that tri-tip has become indelibly tied to Santa Maria barbecue. In other styles like Texas, brisket tends to reign, but here in California, thanks to a long tradition of ranchero culture, tri-tip was cooked slowly over red oak. Today, the low sirloin cut is still considered fairly affordable and lacks a ton of fat or collagen, making it easy to cook for large groups.
Another noteworthy difference of Santa Maria or Central Coast barbecue is that steaks and other cuts are cooked on large pit grills with direct heat instead of other types of American barbecue that use low-and-slow smoke and heat to cook. Either way, expect juicy, sauce-coated barbecue along the California coast.
In this update of the Central Coast barbecue guide, Wildwood Kitchen, F.Mclintock's Saloon, Tanner Jack's, and Scotty's BBQ have been removed due to closure. At the same time, the lauded Texas-style Priedite Barbecue and Oxnard's CJ's BBQ Smokehouse, which recently expanded to a new location in San Luis Obispo, have been added.
Matthew Kang is a barbecue aficionado who has made treks to Texas, Memphis, and other parts of the country in search of the best smoked and grilled meats around. He hosted his bachelor party in Austin about a decade ago and gathered 16 friends for a long, barbecue-filled weekend. He's not averse to waking up at the crack of dawn on Saturdays for Snow's in Lexington, Texas, or waiting in line at the excellent Moo's Craft Barbecue in Los Angeles. For this update alone, he drove up and down the Central Coast in a single day in search of great barbecue. Read More
A Buellton institution just off the highway (and a much easier drive than the family-owned original in Casmalia, a town just north of Vanderberg Space Force Base), the Hitching Post II is where locals mix with tourists over grilled steaks that come with classic sides like baked potato, rice pilaf, or French fries. Interestingly enough, there isn't any tri-tip on this menu, so Hitching Post calls their style 'West Coast BBQ,' instead of the more familiar Santa Maria-style. Popularized in the movie Sideways , the grill is on full display in the dining room, albeit behind glass, while the bar on the opposite side of the place lets folks play out their own cinematic wine dreams. The restaurant also produces many of its own wine bottles, which are worth trying.
Nick Priedite started smoking meats after college and working as a bar director at Santa Barbara institution the Lark. Then he started traveling the country, hosting barbecue pop-ups before acquiring a massive smoker. He and partner Brendan Dwan teamed up with Santa Ynez restaurant group Companion Hospitality by chef Daisy Ryan and Greg Ryan, opening Priedite Barbecue behind Bodega in the town of Los Alamos. The breezy, outdoor space recalls Austin, Texas, but brings you back to California with its lingering Mediterranean aromas of bay laurel, sage, and olive trees. Open weekdays serving a smaller menu of tacos and serving its full array of barbecue on Saturdays, Priedite draws long lines and often sells of out of its smoky, Texas-style brisket, tender smoke-ringed ribs, and pulled pork. The Cali-Mex influence comes from floppy flour tortillas and some of the best ranch beans anywhere. Be sure to go early and be prepared to wait on Saturdays, when lines are the fiercest.
A classy take on ranchero barbecue, Far West is an Orcutt institution that seamlessly combines grilled meats like tri-tip, ribs, and pork chops with upscale sides like prosciutto-wrapped jalapeños. The interior is decorated, as one would imagine, like a Western-style institution, featuring high ceiling, striking art work, and big, plush booths. The baby back ribs are a must order-covered in a sweet citrus sherry wine glaze and boasting nice oak char marks.
Placed right in the heart of Santa Maria, this classic steakhouse boasts a wide menu of Santa Maria-style barbecue cooked in an oak pit. Most of the cuts are familiar steakhouse chops like filet mignon, rib-eye, and New York strip, though, of course, Santa Maria's iconic tri-tip is one of the restaurant's most popular orders. Other meats extend to chicken, pork ribs, and even sweet breads for the more adventurous diners. One of the best parts of the experience is checking out the grill, which opens up into the dining room through a glass window.
Rancho Nipomo Deli and BBQ
Featuring a huge outdoor area and Mexican-inflected flavors, Rancho Nipomo Deli and BBQ is a beloved institution in the city just north of Santa Maria. For lunch, there are reasonably-priced tri-tip, pulled pork, and brisket sandwiches modestly coated in barbecue sauce. Fajitas-style carne asada or grilled chicken comes with Spanish rice and a choice of black, pinto, or refried beans while the chile relleno and burritos reinforce the California Mexican flavors.
Arguably the most beloved steakhouse in the area, Jocko's features an adjustable wood-fired grill where a blazing red oak charcoal fire sits under big, juicy chops of beef. Named after a town ancestor named Ralph 'Jocko' Knotts from the late 1800s and early 1900s, Jocko's took over its current space in the 1950s with Mexican dishes and grilled meats. Other than classic steaks like rib-eye, filet mignon, and New York strip, Jocko's grills up lamb chops, linguica sausage, sweetbreads, spare ribs, chicken, and salmon, which means the menu will please virtually everyone. If looking for something more modest, the cheeseburgers, grilled over the same fire, are also fantastic.
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Opened by chef Brian Appiano, who came to the Central Coast to attend college at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Ribline features award-winning beef and pork baby back ribs cooked over red oak wood fire and covered in a sweet but balanced barbecue sauce. Of course, like any Central Coast barbecue, there's tri-tip prepared into sandwiches or served in thick slices with sides.
Black-owned barbecue destination CJ's in Oxnard opened just a few months ago in this prime San Luis Obispo corner, serving saucy ribs, juicy chopped tri-tip sandwiches, and a mean side of macaroni and cheese for the historic downtown. On the outside, CJ's calls itself Southern or Texas-style barbecue, but the tri-tip is still excellent. The digs here in San Luis Obispo are comfortable and cheerful, with wide windows and televisions over the bar showing sporting events.
This budding chain of Santa Maria-style barbecue restaurants has outlets in San Luis Obispo, Bakersfield, Fresno, and Cambria, serving tri-tip sandwiches on French rolls, shredded pork, barbecue chicken, burgers, and hot dogs to big, loud crowds. At its San Luis Obispo flagship, expect large lunch crowds downing pints of local craft beer and spread out over a massive covered patio.
Black-owned barbecue destination CJ's in Oxnard opened just a few months ago in this prime San Luis Obispo corner, serving saucy ribs, juicy chopped tri-tip sandwiches, and a mean side of macaroni and cheese for the historic downtown. On the outside, CJ's calls itself Southern or Texas-style barbecue, but the tri-tip is still excellent. The digs here in San Luis Obispo are comfortable and cheerful, with wide windows and televisions over the bar showing sporting events.
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A Buellton institution just off the highway (and a much easier drive than the family-owned original in Casmalia, a town just north of Vanderberg Space Force Base), the Hitching Post II is where locals mix with tourists over grilled steaks that come with classic sides like baked potato, rice pilaf, or French fries. Interestingly enough, there isn't any tri-tip on this menu, so Hitching Post calls their style 'West Coast BBQ,' instead of the more familiar Santa Maria-style. Popularized in the movie Sideways , the grill is on full display in the dining room, albeit behind glass, while the bar on the opposite side of the place lets folks play out their own cinematic wine dreams. The restaurant also produces many of its own wine bottles, which are worth trying.
Nick Priedite started smoking meats after college and working as a bar director at Santa Barbara institution the Lark. Then he started traveling the country, hosting barbecue pop-ups before acquiring a massive smoker. He and partner Brendan Dwan teamed up with Santa Ynez restaurant group Companion Hospitality by chef Daisy Ryan and Greg Ryan, opening Priedite Barbecue behind Bodega in the town of Los Alamos. The breezy, outdoor space recalls Austin, Texas, but brings you back to California with its lingering Mediterranean aromas of bay laurel, sage, and olive trees. Open weekdays serving a smaller menu of tacos and serving its full array of barbecue on Saturdays, Priedite draws long lines and often sells of out of its smoky, Texas-style brisket, tender smoke-ringed ribs, and pulled pork. The Cali-Mex influence comes from floppy flour tortillas and some of the best ranch beans anywhere. Be sure to go early and be prepared to wait on Saturdays, when lines are the fiercest.
A classy take on ranchero barbecue, Far West is an Orcutt institution that seamlessly combines grilled meats like tri-tip, ribs, and pork chops with upscale sides like prosciutto-wrapped jalapeños. The interior is decorated, as one would imagine, like a Western-style institution, featuring high ceiling, striking art work, and big, plush booths. The baby back ribs are a must order-covered in a sweet citrus sherry wine glaze and boasting nice oak char marks.
Placed right in the heart of Santa Maria, this classic steakhouse boasts a wide menu of Santa Maria-style barbecue cooked in an oak pit. Most of the cuts are familiar steakhouse chops like filet mignon, rib-eye, and New York strip, though, of course, Santa Maria's iconic tri-tip is one of the restaurant's most popular orders. Other meats extend to chicken, pork ribs, and even sweet breads for the more adventurous diners. One of the best parts of the experience is checking out the grill, which opens up into the dining room through a glass window.
Featuring a huge outdoor area and Mexican-inflected flavors, Rancho Nipomo Deli and BBQ is a beloved institution in the city just north of Santa Maria. For lunch, there are reasonably-priced tri-tip, pulled pork, and brisket sandwiches modestly coated in barbecue sauce. Fajitas-style carne asada or grilled chicken comes with Spanish rice and a choice of black, pinto, or refried beans while the chile relleno and burritos reinforce the California Mexican flavors.
Arguably the most beloved steakhouse in the area, Jocko's features an adjustable wood-fired grill where a blazing red oak charcoal fire sits under big, juicy chops of beef. Named after a town ancestor named Ralph 'Jocko' Knotts from the late 1800s and early 1900s, Jocko's took over its current space in the 1950s with Mexican dishes and grilled meats. Other than classic steaks like rib-eye, filet mignon, and New York strip, Jocko's grills up lamb chops, linguica sausage, sweetbreads, spare ribs, chicken, and salmon, which means the menu will please virtually everyone. If looking for something more modest, the cheeseburgers, grilled over the same fire, are also fantastic.
Opened by chef Brian Appiano, who came to the Central Coast to attend college at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Ribline features award-winning beef and pork baby back ribs cooked over red oak wood fire and covered in a sweet but balanced barbecue sauce. Of course, like any Central Coast barbecue, there's tri-tip prepared into sandwiches or served in thick slices with sides. Open in Google Maps
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Black-owned barbecue destination CJ's in Oxnard opened just a few months ago in this prime San Luis Obispo corner, serving saucy ribs, juicy chopped tri-tip sandwiches, and a mean side of macaroni and cheese for the historic downtown. On the outside, CJ's calls itself Southern or Texas-style barbecue, but the tri-tip is still excellent. The digs here in San Luis Obispo are comfortable and cheerful, with wide windows and televisions over the bar showing sporting events. Open in Google Maps
Foursquare
This budding chain of Santa Maria-style barbecue restaurants has outlets in San Luis Obispo, Bakersfield, Fresno, and Cambria, serving tri-tip sandwiches on French rolls, shredded pork, barbecue chicken, burgers, and hot dogs to big, loud crowds. At its San Luis Obispo flagship, expect large lunch crowds downing pints of local craft beer and spread out over a massive covered patio.
Black-owned barbecue destination CJ's in Oxnard opened just a few months ago in this prime San Luis Obispo corner, serving saucy ribs, juicy chopped tri-tip sandwiches, and a mean side of macaroni and cheese for the historic downtown. On the outside, CJ's calls itself Southern or Texas-style barbecue, but the tri-tip is still excellent. The digs here in San Luis Obispo are comfortable and cheerful, with wide windows and televisions over the bar showing sporting events.
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