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    CJ's BBQ

    4.5 (77 reviews)

    CJ's BBQ Photos

    CJ'S BBQ ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Dogs allowed
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - CJ's BBQ

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    Blackened Cod, corn bread, coleslaw
    Lynn U.

    Walking in my family was greeted by friendly faces and lively blues music. Really feeling the southern down home vibes. The aroma of BBQ got me so excited for what was to come. We ordered tri-tip plate with macaroni and chili, grilled cod with baked beans and potato salad, and blackened cod with corn bread and coleslaw. Berry cobbler for dessert. I was fortunate to try everything. First tray the tri-tip is amazing, tender, well seasoned, perfect. The Smokey BBQ sauce they serve with it, amazing! Best BBQ I've had in a long while. The chili, best chili! If it hasn't won an award it needs to! The Mac was overcooked not much there. Second tray baked fish flaky and grilled to perfection, baked beans delicious all you would want from baked beans sweet & savory, the potato salad some potatoes were a little hard but a great classic taste to any BBQ. Last tray I ordered the blackened cod, great taste again grilled to perfection. The fish is served with tartar sauce. The coleslaw was delicious and fresh complimented the fish very well. The cornbread is fantastic, slightly sweet and moist. For dessert we tried their berry cobbler, served warm it is thick very rich in flavor. Everything tastes freshly made in house I really appreciate the details I will definitely be back! This is my go to for BBQ on the central coast!!!!! Our server is such an amazing phenomenon, a mind reader for never having to ask for anything, totally on top of everything! Seriously I barely had time to think for spicy BBQ sauce here he comes to drop it off. Moments like this were repeated throughout our visit. My family just laughed at me they know how I ask for things all the time, so big thanks to you! Food 9.99/10 Service 11/10 Ambience 10/10

    Sides: Mac & cheese and potato salad
    Priscilla W.

    I was very excited to see a new BBQ place open up where Mo's used to be and even more thrilled when I saw they offered beef ribs. Today I had a chance to call in a take out order. The woman who answered the phone was very friendly. She took down my order and estimated a 25 minute wait time. When I arrived, the order was ready to go! Everyone working there seemed happy and helpful. There was plenty of seating inside and they were playing blues which lent itself to the overall southern BBQ vibe. As far as I could tell, there wasn't any outdoor seating. When I got home, I was eager to try the beef ribs first since that was what initially attracted me here. These might be the best beef ribs in the city. They were meaty and tender with a hint of smoke and great BBQ sauce. I would score these above F. McClintocks and Ribline which is saying something because their ribs are great too. The hot wings were decent. Better than the local pizza places' hot wings (kind of a low bar to be honest) but not as good as Buffalo Wild Wings or Wingstop. I had mixed feelings about the sides. The mac & cheese was honestly what brought the score down from five stars to four stars. Sadly, it was bland and dry. Unless they do some major revisions to the recipe, I won't be ordering this again. However, the potato salad was good. It was creamy, tangy, and just a hint of sweetness. It tasted a lot fresher than the mac & cheese. I'm happy we have another option and style of BBQ in town and I will return again to try some of their other offerings!

    BBQ Tritip and sides. Soooo good.
    Teshia R.

    This is our second visit. The first time was carry out so we decided to eat in this time. I'm so glad we did! Blues on the speakers, sports on the tvs, and brews on tap. We've tried the tri-tip, blackened catfish, ribs, and rib tips. Yum! The sides are tasty, too. Try the house made potato chips. They're magnificent! Next time I'll leave room for dessert! The owners are kind and bbq aficionados and prices were more than reasonable for the area. We will definitely be back.

    Tri-tip crazy good...
    Julia S.

    This place is the bomb...ribs, tri-tip and pilled porks are excellent...awesome customer service and the country music add a perfect ambiance. Definitely would come back and recommend this place to others....

    Delicious tri tip, mac and cheese, and plenty of fries!
    Sean S.

    Very relaxed atmosphere with Jazz and Blues playing in the background. The tri tip was delicious. They serve very healthy portions. We had a very large party and they served us very quickly. We'll be back!

    Best potato skins I've ever had!
    Jill M.

    Let's first talk about the amazing folks running CJs!!! Attentive, kind, joyful, welcoming laughter, genuine!!!!!! I wasn't sure about the Blood Orange beer and they let me have a small taste to see if I liked it! It was delightful. The variety of BBQ sauces were tasty, the ribs delicious & the Dr. Pepper for my teenage daughter was a must have:) it was a lovely space with opened windows letting in the fresh air of San Luis!

    Best cold schooner in Town!
    Jerry R.

    We stumbled on this gem by accident on our way to Cal Poly Slo and let me tell you it was the best BBQ ever! The food, music selection and the ultra friendly customer service are nothing short of spectacular I recommend you start off with Bourbon wings they are fire! We also had tri tip, chili beans, ribs, fried potato chips, corn bread and everything was delicious. Of course I can't leave out the super cold beer in a schooner to wash it all down. CJ's is our must stop spot every time we go up to slo.

    First part of menu
    Loren L.

    I was so excited to see there was a new bbq restaurant in SLO. We had the pork ribs, beef ribs and chicken. And, for sides we had the cole slaw, collard greens and corn bread. They were out of hush puppies which I had heard were good. The meats were smoked to perfection. However, the sauce had almost no flavor and the greens were super bland. The cole slaw was also bland but it was crunchy and had the faint taste of pineapple, which I liked. I also thought the cornbread was good. It was moist and baked to perfection. If you can't handle spice this is the place for you. Unfortunately, I don't think I will be going back. I do wish him much success!! Who knows maybe it was an off day....

    Fresh warm hush puppies
    Eric B.

    I can describe this place in one word and 2 letters, and that is Authentic af! Wow, great tasting food and unlike anything in SLO. Gumbo was amazing, baby back ribs "falling off the bone" tender (my gf quote). Service was great and fast, ambience was nice and perfect music for the food and vibes. We will be returning because they have such a variety and it all looks amazing. Thanks again CJ we'll be back PS don't forget the hush puppies

    My boyfriend and I were in SLO for the day so we decided to go and check CJ's out on a Sunday at 6pm. Not packed at all. The waitress was an absolute doll. She was super super sweet one of the best waitresses my boyfriend and I have ever had. (very bummed I can't remember her name, started with an S) Would honestly just be back for her amazing service. We COMPLETELY cleared out our tray of food. The candied yams were so delicious as well as the beans. Everything about this restaurant was great, from the music to the food.

    Half a rack of ribs with chili and fries for the sides. And a huge beer.

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    1 year ago

    amazing BBQ and hospitality! We had 1 lbs tri tip, macNcheese and corn bread - very delicious! The service is 5 of 5.

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    Ask the Community - CJ's BBQ

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    I can definitely see why this place is so popular. The service is fast, straightforward, and the…read morefood gives you a lot for the price. We ordered the famous tri-tip sandwich, the Firebird, and a half-and-half basket of fries and onion rings. To be honest, we were both a little disappointed by the tri-tip sandwich. They give you a generous amount of meat, but the flavor was milder than expected, and the meat itself was slightly tough, which made the sandwich less enjoyable overall. The Firebird, on the other hand, was unexpectedly delicious. It is basically two chicken tenders in sandwich form, but the fresh toppings and Thousand Island dressing brought everything together perfectly. The true star, though, was the fries and onion rings. Seriously, just get them. We had not planned to order them, but the cashier convinced us and guaranteed we would not regret it--and he was absolutely right. The fries were definitely on the salty side, but in the best possible way. The onion rings were my personal favorite and easily the winner of the meal. What's not to like?--great value, quick service, and comfort food done right.

    Hands down the best pulled pork I've had…read more Can't speak to ambience because I got it to go, however it was bustling in there! I particularly appreciate that I can get the pork in a to go cup, instead of buying a sandwich and throwing the bread away.

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    Old Slo BBQ - pork sandwich  ポークサンド

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    My in-laws have the SLO Eats app and Old SLO BBQ is on the list so we decided to go there to take…read moreadvantage of the great deals(buy one get one free or free side with purchase). Inside they have an arcade machine, TVs playing sports, and a self serve beer station. We did ToGo and my wife LOvED her burger. The sweet potato fries were the star of the show. My tri tip sandy contained HUGe slices of meat and they took into consideration my dairy allergy by not putting butter on the bread. The regular fries I wouldn't get again. I still think if you are in SLO and want a tri tip sandy you need to go to Firestone. If the line is too long or not close by; then would hit up Old SLO BBQ which is also more affordable(especially with the SLO Eats app which you can get a 2 week free trial). I'm not affiliated with SLOEats, but I really do think it is worth the download.

    Visited this place based on some of the reviews and even a local recommendation and let me say I…read morewas deeply disappointed. I will start my review like this. When the garlic bread is the best part of the meal in bbq restaurant you know the bbq needs improvement. I'm from Texas so I know what bbq should be and taste like. The ribs were fatty and hard to eat with the amount of fat and what appeared not to be cooked all the way. The beans were basically like they opened a can of pork and beans and added a little bit spices and tried to make them like chili beans and that was a fail in my eyes. The service was rather dry by the gentleman at the counter and the ambiance was nice with a good indoor/outdoor set up they have. I certainly will not eat here again and honestly don't know how others eat the ribs. Unless it was a bad day, but this bbq is just not for me knowing what true bbq should really be

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    I've been here a couple times now and truly the name is how the place is. You really only get a…read moreTASTE of how the different menu items will taste like but I personally am still hungry after I leave. I would recommend someone with a slightly over average to larger stomach to get a quad instead of a trio and that may satiate you, otherwise if not, this is not the place for you. For people that enjoy eating smaller meals or are indecisive about what to get, I would highly recommend this place! Other than that, though, the place is very clean with a cute slightly rustic modern aesthetic going on and the food is all really good! I got a truffle burger, Mac and cheese with chorizo, and Brussel sprouts with bleu cheese and mushrooms! The menu is a little on the pricier side for what you're getting but always worth a taste and try!

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