It was awesome and great tasting the St. Louis pork ribs and brisket I bought but it would be nice if the portions were doubled....just a suggestion for the price I paid for the two item combo but I will still be back to buy these great tasting barbecues....the staff was awesome as well. read more

So, I went to the other one in Pleasant Hill and I wasn't that excited about the food, I believe I gave it a 3 stars. I thought I'd give it another chance and try this one in Martinez to see if it was better. I ordered the brisket, ribs, mac & cheese, and the beans. I think all the meat was cooked the day before because the coloration of the meat, no smoke ring, and the flavor was lacking. The Mac n cheese was not bad lacking just a little flavor. The beans were hard and missing good flavor. People who know bbq would want better. read more

Unfortunately was just not impressed with this place. I've always heard such good things about their pleasant hill location so have been meaning to try the Martinez location since it took over the location of the previous bbq spot that was there. The bacon wrapped jalapeno popper sounds amazing but fell flat. Bacon looked crispy but that was only on the outside. The cream cheese mixture filling had no flavor and unfortunately the whole thing just tasted like smoke, couldn't even taste the jalapeno. No mild heat to it at all to remind you that you were infact eating a jalapeno. Tri tip sandwich.... this could only be considered a sandwich to the basic degree in the fact that it was literally only plain tri tip between pieces of hoagie bread. The tri tip was smoked well done. My personal preference is more on the rare side. Bread was fresh and soft. Bbq sauce was on the side in two 2oz containers which was probably the best thing out of this entire order. Bbq sauce had a great flavor, was thick and a wonderful kick of spice. I smothered my sandwich in this too bring it some flavor and wetness to the otherwise very dry bbq. The mac and cheese could have been amazing but also was not. Rotini spiral noodles caught up all of the cheesy goodness and you could see pepper in the cheese sauce but again..... no flavor. Cheese sauce was at least thick and smooth and clung to the tender pasta but that was the only upside. If you like everything aside from the sides tasting like pure smoke then this is your place. I will be venturing out for my bbq needs else where. read more

An excellent spot for lunch, AND my best dining-during-COVID experience to date! A group of friends gathered for an early Saturday lunch at Slow Hand, and were absolutely treated like royalty! The gent behind the register took great care of us, offered a couple freebie items in gratitude for our patronage, and just went above and beyond to thank us for visiting. Their cozy back patio was perfect for our group of 4 adults and 2 kids. Under umbrella shade, we had a perfect dining spot. I ordered their loaded fries with pulled pork, which I dressed up with cheese sauce, sour cream and green onions. A small side of mac n cheese was the most delicious thing I've eaten in quite some time! And the day wasn't complete without a hibiscus cider to wash the eats down. I definitely want to return to try their ribs, and this rather legendary maple bacon cake I've heard about! Thank you for taking such good care of us, and making us feel so safe and welcome. read more

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not from this area and feeling so welcomed !amazing food and service!! extremely clean and friendly staff!! 10/10 all around

Food was excellent! Service was excellent! Must order for us, the wings!!! Fall off the bone tender and had great flavor from the rub! Loaded baked potato is my go to with brisket! Yum! Will be returning ! read more

This bbq spot came highly recommended. Luckily, my wife and I were impressed and pleased! Great small town vibe and restaurant, with photos throughout the building of older Martinez. The service was phenomenal, as I was given good a la carte meat recommendations. The beer selection was good and prices for food and beers were both reasonable. Despite being told twenty-twenty five minutes, our food was brought out so fast I couldn't even finish my pint! My wife loved both types of ribs, the Tri tip, and the corn beef brisket. I liked all of the above, but also enjoyed the beef brisket and how spicy the hot links were. The rolls and both types of bbq sauce included were a great touch. I chose this place to see if I would be taking my dad here next time we grab a bite.. you can bank on the fact I will be back! read more

Ordered the brisket, the bbq chicken, the bbq beans, and tried 2/3 sauces. The meats were good, tasty, not too Smokey, had a good bite to them with just under fall off the bone texture. The sauces is where I feel these really fell flat. The mild had zero kick, and the sweet sauce.... was just that. Both a little plain. The bbq beans were ok, and just left a lot to be desired. I do think this place deserves a chance, and so I do want to try the ribs, the Mac and cheese that a lot of reviews talk about. We'll be hitting this place up after a little break from bbq... not something we can eat too often read more

I'm really into BBQ and I've tried all the BBQ joints in the area. I used to go to Lucille's a lot. I still go to sauced frequently but ever since I've tried slow hand BBQ it's been my go to BBQ joint in the area. I've tried both locations and enjoyed both. Slow hand has very good BBQ and are much more reasonably priced than the other joints in the area. Give Slow Hand a try if you haven't already! You won't be disappointed. read more

One of the best spots in Martinez! Josh is a super friendly guy. We come in weekly and his customer service is amazing! All the employees are amazing at this location. Teri Ann is also so amazing all the times we have come in! Employees is what makes this place amazing and food is always so good! read more

This place had great service so I gave them 2 extra stars but the food was not something I'll be returning for. The bbq sauce is vinegar based and I just don't fully understand why. read more

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While the food is ok, what really keeps me coming back is the exceptional customer service from the girl working the register. She assisted me in choosing my meal, informed me about the complimentary drinks, and even brought my order to me when it was ready. Her outstanding service made a lasting impression. read more

Great food! And great customer service!!!!! The amount of food was enough to keep a party of 6 happy, including my 5 year old son who is very picky. We have leftovers and even reheated, the food is delicious! We will definitely be back! 10/10 read more

Top notch service at this spot. And the food is 2nd to None. Here i had a succulent 1/2 pund rib eye steak. With a filling baked potatoes topped with so rich sour cream, and the sauce. And the staff led by maneger is top notch. read more

Slow Hand BBQ - Rib eye, slaw and baked potato. - Barbeque Near Me - Martinez, California

This is the best brisket I've had since moving to CA. When I ordered, I said, if there is a choice between fatty and lean, I want fatty. They did have that choice and asked if I wanted sauce. god no. We ordered one pound of that plus corn on the cob, slaw, and some things for the kid. All were very good. One pound was a little much for 2 adults, I would order 3/4 next time. Maybe even less and try something else, but I will always order the brisket. The draft beer list was great and my wife had a hazy, lower ABV pale ale that was so good she had a second. You can order small or large, which looked like a ten vs 16 oz glass. I had a tall pils. The servers were all friendly and nice. We sat in the backyard, you order inside and pay, then they bring it out to you. We sat at picnic tables with umbrellas. It was not crowded, it was probably early on a Sunday, but the well spaced out tables were starting to fill up. It was a beautiful day, we stayed longer than usual to enjoy it. Martinez was a fun visit. I took Amtrak from Jack London Square which was a pretty 40 minute ride along the coast. From the Martinez station the area is fully walkable. There was a Farmers market on Sunday, there are parks, recreation and a brewery with a tap room, many businesses. I'll come here again and I will finish the trip at Slow Hand every time! read more

Slow Hand BBQ - Common sense sign, nice outdoor patio with seating - Barbeque Near Me - Martinez, California

I have to say that I only write reviews if the place is very good or something was very wrong. Went there today and ordered to go. I ordered the bbq for 2 meal and some corned beef and a brisket Philly sandwich. I drove home to Vallejo from Martinez and opened up our bag and could not believe my eyes when I saw how small the portions of meat were. The meat in the one sandwich was more meat than in the bbq for 2 package. I was told we would get rolls and there were none. I can't believe that after spending $89 that is all the meat we got. What we did get was tasty however, I am still hungry because I let my family have the little meat that was there. SMH read more

We had baby back ribs and bacon wrapped jalapeños. Sweet potato tots Very delicious and very nice staff. Will come back when in town

I came here to pick up my lunch. It was a good service, the gentleman behind the cashier even offered me a free fountain drink, But, when I got home, and found out someone left spilled BBQ sauce in the bag without the sauce container, meaning someone knew about this and removed the container but decided to leave it as it was. I wasn't even mad over petty stuff, Long short story, I called them back and a gentleman answered it, explained it to him and his response was nobody would do that Then he was telling me to stop yelling and he just hung up the phone call on me. That is so unprofessional. So I decided to call them back and asked to speak to the manager, She answered it and just told me to calm down and she just hung up the call too. Regardless of how good your food is, with that service, I definitely won't come back. read more

We go here quite a bit. Last visit was to order food to serve for my birthday. They forgot my hot links, but they were nice enough to correct their mistake. I really appreciate that about this place. That's why I love supporting local businesses. The staff is beyond nice! The food speaks for itself. read more

Slow Hand BBQ - Jalapeño with Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Jalapenos - Barbeque Near Me - Martinez, California

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Absolutely love this place! No matter which one you go to, either Martinez or Pleasant Hill. The staff is wonderful, the food is so good! In Martinez they had live music... king tritone! I love them guys. Also if you ever meet the female owner, well she super cute besides being cute, so helpful, loves to get to know you and so good with people. I believe her staff learns a lot from her. Have to try this place some time in your life. read more

Found this place through yelp and I am so glad we did! When you enter and smell that yummy bbq i knee we were in the right place! We were greeted promptly by a super friendly employee who helped us with the menu. It's a bit overwhelming since you want to eat it all!! We has the brisket and baby back ribs with tots and the German potato salad. Both the brisket abs ribs were smokey and tender. The tots were also very good. The German potato Salad was not my favorite. It lacked flavor and was too heavy on the vinegar for me. Unfortunately they were out of the bread pudding..but next time. We will be back for sure. read more

Wow! A Smokey delicious gem on Main Street in Martinez. Great menu- excellent selection of smoked meats with yummy sides including warm German potato salad which was solid. Interesting beer menu and a few good looking desserts including "Maple Bacon Love Cake". Will DEFINITELY be back- my brisket was juice, super tender and had perfect seasoned bark. read more

Slow Hand BBQ - Beer menu/ some wines - Barbeque Near Me - Martinez, California

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Wow oh wow!! Strolling thru town trying to decide where to eat lunch. Yelp is out dated with their seating situation, and when we saw indoor seating was going on we went in. I got the smoked tri-tip for $13.50, come with a side and fountain drink. What a deal. The sandwich was the best tri-tip I have had ever!! The roll was fresh and you add your own sauce at the table. I would drive from Sac to eat here again. So good. read more

The BBQ was really good. The ribs were tender and smoky. I especially liked the stuffed jalapeños. What I liked best was the excellent local beer selection. And the staff was really nice. read more

We came with a large group of people and we was well taken care of. Maddie was absolutely amazing. Very kind and helpful. She gave us a great customer service experience. I was very satisfied with the experience along with the amazing food too. read more

We stopped by and picked up lunch from Slow Hand BBQ the other day and were huge fans of their brisket! We ordered Brisket, Tri Tip and St. Louis Ribs. Definitely recommend getting their "juicy" Brisket which was really tender. Their Tri Tip was pretty good as well and the St. Louis Ribs were great. I'm always worried that the ribs are dry but theirs definitely was moist and tender. They provide two sauces and my favorite was the red/spicy one! read more

Very disappointing...lots to choose from, though I opted for what I was craving, a burger & fries. My beloved and friends had a few different menu items: The "Pit Burger" from the menu was not cooked as requested, medium rare, it was well done. It was dry, tasteless, and the beef was some of the worst ground beef I have ever tasted. Thick, sure...however, their "Pit Burger" is the pits. The beef had zero seasoning, no salt, not even pepper...it was like what eating a giant sponge, would be like, but not spongy... The accompanying BBQ sauce that came with 'the pits' burger has the flavor of paint, and very runny. Gross. The sweet onions are haaaaarible with this burger...yuck. These are not Walla Walls sweet onions, no idea what kind of onions they are, they were not naturally sweet, they are gross, and overly sweet as if had added sugar, and unappetizing. Whatever they do to them, STOP DOING IT...the poor onions are crying out, "ABUSE!" My tastebuds were too. The brioche bun was not fresh either, and that lost points too. Stale brioche is pathetic... The fries...no flavor, and barely any actual potato flavor, go figure - probably frozen bulk stocked fries, sitting in a freezer waiting to be liberated, but wish they had never, ever been plucked from their warm, cozy soil and original state... they are definitely not freshly made French fries...potato imposters...it was like eating an entire "AI" meal...artificial, with no intelligent preparation, or skill involved in it's cooking. My beloved said the Tri-tip was cooked to being dried out from having sat around, and we were there just 45 minutes after opening...it was re-heated Tri-tip...the ribs were more dry than tender, not juicy, not flavorful. Also tasted like re-heated ribs. Didn't use the sauces, too much sugar, and were gross. The Mac & Cheese used fairly decent cheese...nothing fantastic...had the flavor of possible Gruyere, two people in the group ordered this. The Warm German Potato salad was on the vinegary side, not all that balanced, but had decent flavor. Not all that impressive. The Tri-tip sandwich was just alright...nothing to write home about, in fact, home would make a better meal all together. Skip this place. read more

Great atmosphere. Speedy service. Everyone that worked there was super nice and informative. My friend and i shared the Q-for-2. We picked brisket & chicken for our meats, and the Mac n' cheese and corn for the sides. The brisket melted in your mouth! Absolutely delicious. The chicken was equally delicious. The only thing that didn't "wow" me- was the corn. I will definitely be back!! read more

The place is actually great and good food. I'm just tired of doing take out and them forgetting stuff. The place is not cheap, so I drive across town, pay premium prices and then we don't even get everything we order. read more

We placed an internet order to pick up, a big eyes plate for 3. St Louis ribs & 2 smoked corned beef. Sides were Mac and Cheese, German potato salad and coleslaw. The order was ready and super easy to pick up. The ribs fall off the bone tender. The corned beef was very good, however for our tastes it needed more smoke. The sides were above average but not special. We also ordered some smoked stuffed Jalapenos. They were delicious, but again "where's the smoke?" Overall a decent spot for Q in a pinch, but they need to up the smoke to elevate this to a 5 star joint. read more

You know you've been to a good BBQ place when you leave still smelling like BBQ. We got the pork sliders with a side of fries, and a tri-tip sandwich with a side of Mac and cheese. Everything was very good and their BBQ sauce (we got the mild) was so flavorful. We enjoyed our meal very much! We will definitely be back to try other things! read more

Slow Hand BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Martinez, California

Thank you Slow Hand for making me a brisket fan! After several recommendations from trusted foodies, I finally gave them a try and I wasn't disappointed. The brisket is already tender, flavorful and the best part - NOT DRY - but they even give you a "juicy" option! Yes please! It's all about the meat here, the side are all kinda meh. The brisket, baby back ribs and hot links are all consistently excellent, so Slow Hand has become one of my go-to's when I want to feed a hungry crowd. read more

Really good food. I ordered a brisket sandwich and boy was there a lot of meat unlike (kinders) I would definitely recommend this place I ordered on door dash and they gave me silverware and plenty of napkins and I don't have to ask which made me worried because I didn't ask for napkins. And there bbq sauce is good kind of reminds me of Barney's hickory pits bbq sauce. I will definitely becoming back here for more of those hearty plates read more

Always a great meal at SH - we love the corned beef and the wings. Ordering online is easy too

This spot has been a number of BBQ spots over the years We both had sandwiches and they have an apparent good knowledge of smoke and BBQ and the food was definitely delicious read more

The staff is always very friendly and welcoming. Their food is amazing, my favorite is their brisket and baby back ribs!

Slowhand has recently become a favorite, they have a lovely patio that was the first place we ate when outdoor dining started again. Their brisket is my favorite, my husband enjoys the burger. They make yummy sweet potato tots that I lot up with lots of different delights. They have gone out of their way to make us feel welcome whenever we have come to eat, and Dan was super helpful with a catering order. They are great read more

I use to come every Sunday for the Big Daddy beef rib but I don't know what happened and I wouldn't call it inflation but the Big Daddy beef rib went from 24.99 to 32.99! The same gos for their whole menu man this sucks! read more

The corn beef sandwich was awesome. It wasn't too fatty and the mustard sauce was just right. Hubby had the brisket and loved it. This is our go to spot in Martinez. We just walk a couple of blocks for a picnic in the park. read more

We were happy to find this place. We ordered the brisket sandwich plate, smoked corned beef, coleslaw, and mac and cheese. Everything was great and I would recommend. Initially thought I wouldn't like the coleslaw. It's a non cream slaw, vinegar based which I normally love but it looked plain. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it. We will be back, want to try the beans. Also they gave the option on the brisket to get it lean or 'juicy'. Loved that because I dislike really fatty cuts of meat so the lean was what I got, and loved it. read more

Slow Hand BBQ - 2 meals. Corned beef and slaw/ Brisket sandwich and slaw. With side of mac - Barbeque Near Me - Martinez, California