If you're driving near Nipomo, you have to stop at this place. They offer a large menu of BBQ…read moreoptions, including the area‑famous tri‑tip sandwich. There's also a full bar where you can order local brews, plus a self‑serve condiment bar to customize your meal. The staff was friendly and quick to bring out our food. Seating is plentiful both indoors and outside, with umbrellas for shade. Parking is easy, with spots on the street and in the lot next door. The architecture and décor give the whole place a charming old‑Spanish feel. The food was incredible and will definitely bring us back. The Emmit BBQ Bacon Burger was our favorite. The thick bacon was cooked perfectly, and the onion ring added a great crunch. The patty was cooked medium‑well and packed with flavor. This is one of the best burgers we've ever had. The tri‑tip sandwich was also great. We loved its simplicity and the moist, tender meat with very little fat. The locally made bun really elevated it. They serve BBQ sauce on the side, which paired nicely with the tri‑tip. The 50/50 basket is huge--we didn't expect so much food, but we weren't complaining. The onion rings were excellent. This will be a must‑stop on every trip down to SoCal from now on.

For our leisurely drive from San Diego to San Francisco, my wife had plotted several stops of…read morecities she thought would be fun places to stop to break up our almost 8 hour drive. My wife is an amazing trip planner and she chose stops in Santa Barbara, Solvang, Santa Maria, Carmel, and Monterey. I'm a foodie and once my life pahtner told me about Santa Maria being known for their style of BBQ, I was looking forward to our stop in Santa Maria and grubbing on Santa Maria style BBQ. After checking the different BBQ restaurants on Yelp and factoring in our timeline, I selected Rancho Nipomo Deli & BBQ as the joint that we would experience Santa Maria BBQ. Tri-tip BBQ is the preferred meat choice, but Rancho Nipomo's version was okay and tasty. I enjoyed their chicken BBQ chicken and their chili beans were extremely memorable. Eating inside the restaurant was a little frustrating, but the customer service from their staff was much appreciated. Rancho Nipomo is located on the 101 freeway specifically off of Exit 175 and on Cuyama Lane. It's a short distance from the exit off of the 101, so this restaurant is a convenient stop if you're pressed for time. There were other BBQ restaurants in Santa Maria, but the other restaurants didn't open until 4pm and we didn't have the luxury of waiting around. Rancho Nipomo is located across from 805 Barbecue Brand restaurant and it's diagonal from Taqueria Los Quates. There is some parking in front of the restaurant, but it's mainly street parking. Rancho Nipomo is a spacious restaurant with plenty of indoor seating and there's plenty of covered umbrella outdoor seating. We ate inside and had to battle disruptive flies, so I recommend you eat outside. I recommend that management keep their doors closed to keep these pests out. There are large screen televisions to watch sports and there was a stage where bands play music on certain days. I liked the decor inside with a mural of Mexican cowboys, the California Republic homage above the tvs, the faux Gold Rush saloon as the backdrop of the stage, the Indian statues, and the decorative old school chandelier. The young lady behind the register provided exemplary customer service, other staff I interacted with were friendly, and I love that they honor Veterans like me with a free fountain drink. Besides Santa Maria-style BBQ, Rancho Nipomo serves Mexican food that incorporates BBQ; it serves burgers, sandwiches, and hot dogs; it serves munchies; it serves salads, and you can satisfy your sweet tooth with their desserts. I honestly did not know the city of Santa Maria had their own style of BBQ, so I was really looking forward to tasting what that style of BBQ tastes like. After perusing their menu, I decided to order their Central Coast Smokin' Combo because it had two different types of meats. This combo comes with a 1/4 BBQ Chicken, 1/2 lb Smoked Tri-Tip, Spanish Rice, West Coast Chili Beans, and two flour tortillas. It was a good amount of food because I had part of my chicken and tri-tip as leftovers, which was a yummy late night snack on our trip. I was looking forward to eating the tri-tip, but even though it ate well with the tortillas, I thought it was dry and underwhelming. The highlights for me were the chicken, the chili beans, and the rice. The chicken was cooked perfectly, it was tender, seasoned really well, and it tasted great by itself or in a tortilla. The chili beans were mind blowing, savory, addicting, and I wished there was more. Combining either BBQ meat with the chili beans and rice inside a tortilla made for a delectable bite. Make sure to grab all of their complimentary salsas to add some spice to your BBQ. My wife ordered The Cali Cheese Steak Sandwich, which comes with smoked tri-tip ends, Monterey Jack cheese, bell peppers, and grilled onion all encompassed in a fresh toasted Telera bun. Sincerely, one of the best cheese steak sandwiches I've ever eaten and I didn't eat it until I had it as a late night snack. We also ordered their fries, which were seasoned and delicious. Rancho Nipomo Deli & BBQ is a must visit if you want to indulge in Santa Maria-style BBQ. Their tri-tip was okay, but I highly recommend their BBQ chicken and their West Coast chili beans. If you're planning to order a sandwich, a Must Order is their Cali Cheese Steak sandwich.

Jocko's is one of those places that feels like a true hidden gem and a piece of old-school…read moreCalifornia. The atmosphere has that classic charm you don't find much anymore -- nothing flashy, just a real authentic steakhouse feel that makes you feel like you stepped back in time. The staff is super friendly and welcoming, which makes the experience even better. You feel taken care of from the moment you walk in. If you want a true Santa Maria-style steak experience, this is the place. The steaks are cooked over real red oak and have that smoky flavor that's hard to beat. You can tell they've stayed true to what made them famous instead of trying to become some trendy modern restaurant. Great food, great portions, great people, and a place with real character. If you appreciate old-school steakhouses and authentic Santa Maria-style BBQ, Jocko's is worth the trip.

Oh yes. Stumbled upon this iconic restaurant 3years ago. Looks like a biker bar / restaurant. I was…read morewrong.. sorta' Everyone is there for the steaks! Absolutely fantastic. Service is great and such a great atmosphere. Enjoyed their food 3 times now. Never been disappointed. Check them out when in SLO

I eat here once a week and it's fantastic every single time i enjoy the food and the people here.read more

We ate there yesterday on 4/10 it was sooooo Good My western burger was huge my wife's Pastrami…read moreSandwich was huge too worth stopping and trying it out if you Haven't

We were traveling for a youth basketball tournament nearby and the team decided to have lunch…read morehere. Felt a bit bad for the staff it was apparent they are not used to having such a crowd all at once. I think it was literally just our 2 bball teams that took up the whole restaurant for a late lunch. I think there was only 1 person working front of house and 1 in the back. The food came out quite slow. I guess good and bad in that we knew they were freshly cooking each order, but it ended up taking over an hour for our food. I gotta say though, the food was quite good and large portions. I had the BBQ chicken sandwich with side salad. It's apparently a new item. It was quite good both the chicken and the salad. My kid had the chicken and shrimp basket. Good ol fashioned fried foods. My wife and other kid had the pesto chicken pasta and the shrimp Alfredo pasta. Also quite yum. And too large for either of them were able to finish. So leftovers for dinner! Overall would def recommend. Just don't bring 2 whole basketball teams with you.

What a surprise! We stopped for a late lunch after Saturday adventures and had fabulous sandwiches…read more Salads were crisp and fresh and they added tomatoes when I asked. Ranch dressing was not too thin or thick and flavorful. The sandwiches had a generous amount of meat in them. We wanted to try the ice cream bar but it was not open yet. They have a big and creative menu and live music in the evenings.

Went here for lunch last Friday, walked in and was greeted by a friendly worker who asked me if I…read morehad any questions. I ended up ordering a cheeseburger and fries combo. After I paid I sat down and watched a repeat of the Thursday night football game and before Carolina lost again, I was brought my meal, which was very good by the way, and some catsup and ranch condiments. The guy was friendly, as we chatted up the football game, he let me know he was a diehard 49ers fan which if you know can be hard to admit sometimes, but since I'm a fan too, I knew I was in the right place. All kidding aside, The Central Grill is a great place for a meal, the place was clean, the food was good and the staff friendly. Go get you some.

Been there a couple of times I like the nachos and the burgers are good nice clean place younger…read moregroup but they were nice clean. Had a good time but you have to just make sure about karaoke. They have a couple times a week and unfortunately, I'm just type of guy I don't like loud places, but it was fun. And the staff did a very good job serving the food and and caring do I want

Wow I am from chgo Italian beef is one of my fave and they do it right…read moreI felt like I was on Taylor Street with Uncle Tony I can't say enough about the quality. Service was excellent as well U will b glad u went when u go

The owner has no idea when it comes to people waiting for a hot dog and you just bullshitting with…read morethis customer. A couple came in there had no idea what they wanted to order. Literally it took 15 minutes for them to order one hotdog to share. But what the most upsetting was as I was waiting behind them he's talking to the owner about the business, then the owner asked them what are their plans for today, blah blah blah, and I'm waiting patiently to order my one hotdog. Literally took almost 30 minutes from the time that I got there and and only one couple in front of me. If you don't mind waiting 30 minutes for one hotdog and it's not even busy, this is a place to be. I'd rather go to Costco for only $1.50 and receive instant gratification, and that comes with a bottomless fountain drink. Oh, and they're never consistent with their hours of operation.

We love this place. So delicious and nice portions. Love the #14 which is the Katsu Chicken and…read morebeef. Comes with rice and macaroni salad and delicious sauces. Service is nice too. Definitely recommend.

We've been multiple times and I think it's been about a year since we last ordered takeout. We…read morewere very disappointed in the meat portion, especially the ribs. The piece I got was all fat. The macaroni salad lacked flavor. The crab Rangoon was nasty and it's usually my favorite. I think that might be the last time for us.

I'm l lover of game such as venison and wild boar. Both are hard to get. I found a place in Texas…read morewhich has both. I love to support local vendors. We were at a wine pick up in the village and walked by this butcher store. They had wild boar but ground. I asked about wild boar meat for a goulash/stew. I was expecting a response such as we can keep wild boar for you and not grind it for you because most customers like it ground. I also asked about venison. I explained that I have an online source but prefer to buy local. Rather than telling me they could obtain both for us on special order, we were just dismissed. We pay an enormous amount of money for expedited shipping from Texas. And the meat is not cheap. It's just bad business practice not to cater to local patrons when you have access to "exotic meats".

If you are a meat lover like me, Arroyo Grand Meat Co. located in the AG Village, is a total…read moreparadise! I stopped by to check out their selection, and I was pleasantly surprised by the wide variety they had! I ended up grabbing a filet mignon, ribeye, and some of their applewood bacon. All were absolutely delicious once cooked (yay)!! The gentleman working there was super welcoming and took the time to show me everything they had, while answering all of my questions for a good 15 minutes! Love supporting great local businesses like this!

Wow, what an excellent local brewery! Looking for some…read moreevening bite after a late lunch and this place was nearby where we were staying, so gave it a walk to try it. Seemed to close early, 8pm, for a brewery, but I guess it's a quieter area. Arrived past 7, hoping we can still get food and we were still good for food and beer! Ms. Kristie was so efficient and friendly and awesome, hustling back and forth from reception to seating and dropping by to check on all the patrons. Like a one woman show! I went for the Peanut butter falcon since I like a good brown beer. The peanut butter was initially nice, but it kinda became tiring as the sips went along, since peanut butter seemed a bit much over the beer. Got wife the German Pilsner and that was excellent! Smooth with a hint of malty sweetness too! I am thinking maybe the Lawn Order blonde ale is probably going to be great as well, but too full from late lunch to consume more than one. For food, went with the birria melt and the salmon salad. Birria melt had some awesome authentic flavors to it! Kid devoured it with the consomme. I enjoyed a quarter of it, but too full, so worked out perfect since kid didn't want to share more either, lol. Salmon salad was perfect! Pan seared on both side for that wonderful crust yet tender goodness. Salad dressing with cherry and almond slices made this salad so enjoyable while staying lighter. Was not expecting such salmon from a brewery, excellent food here! Locals seem to love this place too until closing time I guess, since a group that seemed to be bar hopping arrived exceited when we got there too:)

Humdinger Brewing is awesome! I got the Smash Burger with those thin, crispy fries--seriously, so…read moregood. My daughter had the Fish & Chips (yep, same amazing fries) and loved it, and my other daughter went for the cheeseburger. Everything was delicious and the portions were HUGE. We ate outside, and there's a ton of seating which made it super chill. Service was quick, prices were fair, and the menu has so many appetizers and tasty-looking dishes that I'm already planning what to try next. Definitely a spot we'll be coming back to!

The best Santa Maria BBQ in Santa Maria? It very well may be…read more The Filipino Community Center opens its doors during the weekends and serves mouthwatering, tender, smoky, and delicious barbecue. If someone visited me, and asked me where to go for signature Santa Maria style barbecue, I'd tell them to go here. Get the tri tip. Get the chicken. Get napkins, because you may cry. This place is like a local secret. We only heard about it through friends and neighbors we know. They have plenty of bench style seating in the community center. Many people just do takeaway. Is it the best? It's a tough call. But if there was a competition, Filipino community center bbq may be best of 3

Very tasty, delicious BBQ…read more I've been a customer for decades. Just wanted to jump on here and spread the word that the BBQ is at the center. Super delicious flavoring, seasoning and the meat was juicy (I ordered the chicken). You can ask for all salad (no rice) or all rice (no salad). The lumpia takes them about 5 minutes to deep fry on the spot to order. The outer wrapping is nice and lightly crspy; very satisfying with an insanely delicious aroma. Soooo good. Inside was corn kernels, carrot, peas, and ground meat. A little hard to find but not really. Just drive on Preisker and it's the driveway entrance after Boomers nextdoor. Directly across from the firestation. Go inside the center to order and get food. Nice friendly staff. Love it! My favorite. I send my my fam that visits from out of town here and they rave about it too.