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    Pepper Garcia's

    3.4 (114 reviews)
    ModerateMexican
    Open 11:00 am - 8:30 pm

    Pepper Garcia's Photos

    PEPPER GARCIA'S ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for kids
    Happy hour specials

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    Irma C.

    Service is ridiculous. I'm at the bar. They tell me I need to wait 10 mins for the bartender to get there. Why don't they find out when their rush hour is going to be. 2nd I order a shrimp cocktail, for the first time I get it in a soup cup. Etsy restaurant doesn't have water bottle

    The service and ambiance are wonderful which is why this is so disappointing to write that this is the most mid Mexican food I've ever had in California. The chimichanga was soggy and not fried properly or for long enough and there was nothing special about the taste, just very average. The salsa also feels the same way, not super tasteful, just average

    Happy Customer T.

    Just a quick hop from Lompoc & Vandenberg Space Force Base...this hidden Gem is inside the Santa Maria Airport. Definitely WORTH the stop! Food is HOT & delicious! Never have had a bad meal here! Today lunchtime (Thursday) was extremely busy and only had 2 staff working the floor. Seriously the bartender/waitress was fantastic attitude and attentive. She gets 5 STAR's!! Today there was a HUGE Birthday & graduation groups. I watched the food come out hot to the tables & people smiling. No one was unhappy. Remember to tip your servers!!

    Vangie P.

    We heard about this restaurant from a friend and it's really a diamond in the rough. I don't think a lot of people know about it but it's definitely going to be a weekly visit. Good food overlooking the landing strip at the airport. Great prices too

    One enchilada and tamale plate. Yum!
    Krystle N.

    Wow, what a gem! This place has delicious food and a great ambiance; right at the airport. We got to see a plane take off while we are there. The bar was packed and looked pretty cool. The staff was incredibly friendly and provided excellent customer service which is not to be taken for granted these days. Will definitely be coming back in the future.

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    6 months ago

    My favorite place in town. Great atmosphere, delicious food, nice staff. Save room for the fried ice cream.....bomb

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    2 years ago

    Food is always great. We took take out and it was still awesome. Everyone enjoyed their meals so much.

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    2 years ago

    Great food had the tamale and taco and enchilada combo plate. Would recommend also they have great chips and salsa

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    2 years ago

    Such fabulous chili verde burritos and Albondigas soup. Service is wonderful. I just love this place!

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    5 years ago

    Burritos are massive, I mean as big as my face massive. Service kinda sucks unless you get the right waitress/waiter!

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    Rancho Nipomo Deli & BBQ - Watered down nacho cheese sauce with hard straps of over cooked tri tip

    Rancho Nipomo Deli & BBQ

    4.3(973 reviews)
    6.8 mi
    $$

    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.

    Photos
    Rancho Nipomo Deli & BBQ
    Rancho Nipomo Deli & BBQ - Brisket sandwich

    Brisket sandwich

    Rancho Nipomo Deli & BBQ - Catering Set Up

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    Catering Set Up

    Pepper Garcia's - mexican - Updated May 2026

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