Checked in today for lunch. My son and daughter asked me where I wanted to eat and I said, CJ's Last Chance Diner. My son and I got the Tri-Tip sandwich and my daughter got her usual, Tri-Tip salad. We really enjoy their food, service, and down home, country atmosphere. We've been going to CJ's for the last 15 years or so we have become good friends with Rebecca, the manager, she's been the one constant there since we've been going. Thank you for your great food and service. read more

See all

CJ's is worth stopping in! Love the vibe in this place and always cheery staff! Reading the signs and one fun thing is look for the pic of the rabbit! Every time we go it's delicious and we can say whatever you try will be yummy! Pastrami was my go to but I've been trying to stray from my standards and explore menus - pulled pork is delicious! The wraps are wonderful and man gotta always love the sweet potato fries! read more

We [a family member and I] would always pass by it, wondering what it would be like to actually eat there. Then one day we actually stopped by and ate there. Inside is rather rustic and has a country vibe, which I don't mind at all. I actually liked it a lot. Staff was friendly and quick to take your order. It smelled of delicious smoked meat inside, making me feel even hungrier than I already was. Sadly, the burger I had ordered, was just okay. I didn't find it to be spectacular or anything to write home about. read more

Very casual, warm and friendly.. Always good food, but too often I forget to go or reccommend this hole in the wall gem.

Cool little place! Had lunch here with a colleague. Place was decked out with Christmas decor! We ordered the cowboy burger and the pulled pork! It's was delicious! Can beat the price of $7.99 for burgers and meal with soda and fries for $11.99! Love this place. Highly recommended! read more

Last Friday, we came by to rent a storage unit and ended up staying for a late lunch at CJ's. What a hidden gem in north Chico! It's no frills counter service, with a large dining room, and open kitchen. I appreciate being able to see the clean kitchen & prep area with my own eyes. I ordered a grilled chicken salad - it was huge, overflowing with tons of fresh toppings. The staff was hustling through a rush, and yet they were all so attentive and nice. CJ's is a Pepsi establishment, which makes my Diet Coke loving heart a little sad... but the food more than makes up for it. Now I need to time my storage unit runs around lunch hour so I can work my way through the menu! A burger will be next :) read more

Really good food. I had the beef dip sandwich and it was certainly big enough to share. Really generous portions of beef and the dip was perfect. Yes, I'll be back. read more

Legit. I'm a man who loves to eat and smoke meats. I'm a retired food scientist chef of 20 years. I've worked at the French laundry for a little bit. I've made 9000 meals daily for about 3 years. This place has perfect cut red onions nice and thin, crunchy pickles sliced thin to add salt and flavor but not too much. The cjs sausage is a masterpiece. Ranch is fresh made. They even make a pot of fresh brewed tea for iced tea. Great country music playing. read more

CJ's Last Chance Diner - Piles of tri tip sandwich - Barbeque Near Me - Chico, California

Pastrami sandwich. Yum. Fresh. Cheese bread loaf for bread. Tomato, lettuce, provolone cheese. The pastrami was a little greasy so the bread did become somewhat soggy but it still tasted great! Soda fountain with Pepsi. The inside of this place is super cute decorated like a farm house and the staff was wonderful. Don't be deceived by the outside look this place is great inside and food was good. read more

The smoky burger was excellent! The service is friendly and fast, and the restaurant is a nice clean Homie feeling place. I just wish the fries were bigger, lol. read more

Food is fresh and awesome. Prices are very good. Was driving through but will stop again for sure. I had a pastrami sandwich. It was so good

I usually get a burger, which is pretty good but today I had a tri tip sandwich with sweet potato fries. Spectacular!

Amazing food and good service very nice ambience enjoyed the dinner very fresh and home style cooking no preserved stuff tossed on a grill or fryer highly recommend it read more

We had the tritip sandwich and we requested au jus with it. Delicious! The cheese bread was great and held up nicely to the au jus. Tritip was tender and tasty. We will be going back to try pulled pork and other menu items. read more

Excellent service, GREAT food! You guys are AMAZING! First time in Chico and loved it, thanks CJ's! 5 starts read more

This is by far, the best barbecue in town. Hands down. We had the chopped chicken sandwich, which was topped with coleslaw, it was really, really great. The seasoning on the chicken is divine! The pork tacos though... It's all about that pulled pork! This guy totally knows what's up. He smokes his meats on site with mesquite, makes his own rubs and sauces, and everything I have tasted so far is excellent! Onion rings, sweet potato fries... Also great! I can't say enough good things about the food and the service was right on, too. Great people! Great food! Now all I need to figure out is when I can get here next! It's well worth the short drive. read more

This burger/fries officianado tried CJ's for the first time, visiting from up north. The restaurant is very clean and non cluttered. They cook the food in plain view and I liked it. The cook works hard and clean. I had the Western burger w/fries. BTW, I saw a few other menu items and they looked very tasty. First the good... the burger was well sized, but not too big. I usually don't like house bbq sauce, but theirs was tangy and I liked it very well. The burger didn't start dripping and the bun stayed together until the last few bites- very pleased. The fries are the thinner variety. They were not too greasy, but due to their size they cool quickly and are cold half way thru. A minor annoyance. Although only $.50, I've never had to pay for water before. Odd. The service is good and prices average. I would return. read more

Best chicken burger ever! The bathroom's were clean, as was the whole restaurant. Definitly would recommend.

I set myself down at the bar, I had to ask for a menu, No hello, no can I get you some water or coffee. I asked what time they closed because I felt as if they were mad that I showed up right before closing. It was 2:30 pm and they close at 4:00 pm. Horrible service and the prices were in the range of Sacramento. I really hope it wasn't the owner that was there. read more

Went here for dinner. We passed by a bunch but never really realized it was there. I got a tri tip sandwich and my husband got the cow pie. Also sweet potato fries Both were amazing and probably the best sweet potato fries I've ever had. The place was decorated really nicely and music was great too. The people working there were very nice, they thanked us a few times. Great food, great environment and nice people. Will stop by when in the area again! read more

I go here about twice a month, they know you by name, and know what you like. When I go in, its always "Hey Kevin" and it makes you feel appreciated. But enough of that, I love the beef dip with au jous , also onion rings with the CJ Sauce.. Love this place read more

For what it is, this is a nice little place to stop for lunch or bring your mom. Clean tables, good prices & nice staff. Kitschy farmhouse decor and pretty painted murals, which i personally find cute. Now down to facts. I ordered the peanut butter burger on a whim, and to my surprisingly loved it. The patty is well seasoned and thick and obviously hand shaped (saw girls in back) the bun was toasted and soft, toppings are perfect because they let you build your own toppings at the topping bar. Sweet potato fries were yummy and the bbq and cjs sauce were pretty good too. read more

I was craving some good BBQ - not grilled meats, but real smoked tender goodness. Ribs in particular sounded great... I checked out Yelp and decided to try CJ's. The smoky aroma hit me as soon as I walked in! :) The place was pretty empty when I got there around mid-afternoon and I was surprised that it was half market and half restaurant. The decor is cute and country-looking though and very clean. I asked about ribs and was informed that they only have them on Fridays and Saturdays and you better come early or they may run out. I put that in my memory bank and decided on what to order. I picked the pulled pork sandwich which I thought would also quell my craving for BBQ. It came with coleslaw and I also added an order of fries and an Arizona Iced Tea which added up to $11. (See photo 6) I sat at the bar while my meal was prepared. To my amazement, they got a plastic bag of meat from the refrigerator and took out a portion to heat up on the grill. They sauced it and put it on a toasted, store-bought bun. A pretty tiny serving of coleslaw and my fries accompanied my sandwich of a very cute country-style plate. The amount of meat on the sandwich was not generous. I went to the condiment bar and picked out some pickles and tomatoes and extra sauce. The bar was not in the best shape and the tomatoes were mushy and the sauces had "stuff" in them from previous users. I decided to keep an open mind and give this sandwich a shot. The meat tasted very smoky which I liked. The texture was strange to me, as it was very wet from the heat-up, but was definitely cooked well. Not over-cooked or under-cooked in my opinion. Unfortunately, all of the "wetness" made the bottom bun pretty soggy, which was disappointing. The coleslaw was different and tasty - not a mayo based slaw, but a tangy vinaigrette style. The fries were shoestring and tasted good. The service was friendly and helpful. That smoky aroma I had noticed was from pork being smoked. Apparently, they only smoke it on certain days of the week. Based on the limited choices in Chico for good BBQ, I would come back to CJ's again sometime. I would really like to try some "fresh" BBQ here and think I will come back for the ribs on a Friday or Saturday. read more

CJ's Last Chance Diner - Interior of market/restaurant - Barbeque Near Me - Chico, California

See all

Pretty darn good! Smoked meats get in my belly!!! I friggin love this place, awesome food and service!!

I've been here a few times now and I've ordered something different each time (chicken wrap, turkey club, western burger). Everything I had was properly portioned, affordable, and delicious. The staff is very kind and friendly and the restaurant is clean including the restrooms. read more

Whatta gem outside of chico for BBQ! I got the beed dip aka the french dip. Definitely recommend because you can taste the freshness of the meat along with the gooey freshly made pepper jack cheese! My gf got the peanut butter burger and liked it however thought the ratio of meat to pb was over powering. I thought the burger bar was cool because you can create all the toppings after they give you your burger. Cute dinner with a home vibe read more

Comfort food!!! Salad was surprisingly better than sit down restos. Grilled chicken sandwich was yummy too. Nice cozy service. Don't forget to tip good! Will definitely come back read more

We come here often especially after working outside because we can come here all grubby. The tri tip is great. My favorite thing though is the sweet potato fries! I just wish the portion was a little bigger. Ha. We also love that they have diet mountain dew on tap! Great place to stop! read more

While this may not be the typical way a restaurant is set up, it is delightful. This is a place one seeks out. A place you relax in. A place you enjoy your company as well as your meal. You may quibble about one thing or another, however, you will find an abundance of indulgences to satisfy the grub hound in you. Last chance will defiantly not be my last time. read more

CJ's Last Chance Diner - Barbeque Near Me - Chico, California

See all

Excellent hot pastrami. Fresh and perfectly prepared. Friendly service, too. read more

CJ's Last Chance Diner - Barbeque Near Me - Chico, California

my husband and I like to stop by this hwy 99 favorite. I am a sucker for beer battered onion rings so they get brownie points for that. They also make a booomb diggity blue cheese bacon burger. Service is always prompt and friendly and the decor is very homey you feel like your on the farm without the smell of cow pies. Oh! They also have a catering truck that comes out sometimes near my work. OMG it blows kinders out of the water. I get the BBQ chicken sandwich with cheddar and it knocks my socks off every fricken time. read more

Wow wow great food the tri tip is a 10 and the fries are amazing love this place also great service . There is only one thing I hate about it is that it closes at 4pm other wise I would eat there everyday read more

Great BBQ and a very friendly atmosphere. Even the three kids with us, all 5 or under, enjoyed their food.

Yummmmm! I had the pulled pork sandwich here last week and ~ I'm still dreaming about it ~ It was smoky and tender and just gosh dang delicious!! We spoke with the BBQ man himself and he said it's his own recipe and it takes two days to smoke/prepare and it is 100% worth it. (The lady who didn't like the pulled pork posted her review almost 3 years ago, so keep in mind that surely lots has changed since then!) I've also had their ribs from Ike's Smokehouse food truck and just...omg...I can die now because best ribs ever !!! Take away: come here and get the BBQ, you will not regret it. :) read more

Stopped in with my boys for a quick bite. We walked out very satified. Great burgers hands down!

I made account just to say how Delicious the food is. Got to have the pulled pork sandwich. If you get it from the food truck it will come with little onion crisps. If you go up the 99 north for about five mins and go to the building location it will come with a onion ring either way it's still delicious. Hands down best bbq in chico ca. read more

CJ's Last Chance Diner - the front of the restaurant - Barbeque Near Me - Chico, California

Great food and excellent customer service. The fries are delicious and always perfectly cooked. Would highly recommend the pulled pork wrap!

Came on my lunch time was promptly greeted upon arrival. I am one to take my time looking at the menu didn't feel rushed what so ever menu is just the right amount not over whelming I picked the jalapeño burger it was cooked to my liking fries were also great got the sweet potato ones (highly recommended) and the ability to put my own topping on is great over all one of the better places I've been to give them your business!! read more

CJ's has genuine diner ambiance: stained and mottled cement floors, an open kitchen, and friendly people to serve you. I ordered the pulled pork sandwich, which was smoky, juicy, very salty, and minimal considering the price I paid. My wife ordered a grilled chicken hoyasin salad which she watched being prepared bare handed by the guy who took our money. She was so concerned that she asked him if he washed his hands before making the salad. He assured her that he did. Nonetheless, it is disconcerting to see a food handler working without gloves. The salad was small, and contained romaine, mandarin oranges, slivered almonds, a teaspoon of feta cheese. The chicken was nicely grilled. My wife told me the hoyasin dressing was tasty but extremely salty. read more

First time here and was very excited to eat here. First impression was a cute place. We had no clue if we should sit down or order. 4 waitresses were siting down chatting away when 1 finally turned around and said let me give you a menu. We ordered a pulled pork wrap and a tri tip sandwich. Look good at first but the smell was off and once I took a bite the meat tasted old after being reheated and dry, never had pull pork like that. Now the tri tip sandwich tasted the same but if you drown the sandwich in bbq sauce it tastes decent. I tipped 6 bucks and paid over 45 bucks for bad service,bad food, hard fries and to top it off I got food poisoning! Never again will I return. read more