Amazing place to eat in the middle of nowhere. Great service. Great prices. Nice cold ac

What the damn hell. Did not expect this quality place in this desert. It's like finding a diner on the ocean. Food was delicious and good quality. Burger, soup, and brisket were stellar. Good flavor and texture. Mashed potatoes were meh, chicken wings also meh. Service was friendly but not super attentive. Pretty clean as well. Definitely coming here again next time I'm in the area read more

Great BBQ stop on your road trip! Service was excellent: very warm, friendly and attentive. The food was amazing as well. We got a full rack of ribs; they were flavorful, meaty and juicy. Really great. House salad was fresh, and refreshing. The BBQ sauce was tasty and quite interesting. It had onions in it, which was a nice surprise. It was very nicely sweet and tangy. The free small cup of chili was really good too. I'd definitely come back! read more

First time visit, food was very good.my husband ordered a 3 meat combo to sample the tri-tip, hot links and ribs. The bbq sauce smothered on alm the meat was tangy & sweet. I had the onion rings and philly cheesteak. It was good. read more

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what a surprise great bbq clean restaurant and the special added attraction was ate wonderful delightful server ruth just a reminder the party of four you took are pictures and great chicken tortilla soup we love star read more

I came here for breakfast and had the French toast. Like most other reviewers have already said, it was surprisingly delicious for such a remote location. The staff was extremely kind and attentive. No complaints at all -- this will be my go-to pit stop from now on! read more

Willow Ranch - French toast - Barbeque Near Me - Buttonwillow, California

Super clean. Like unexpectedly clean! We stopped by because our toddlers were getting restless on the road. It's family friendly! The service was great. The food was delicious. We got the turkey melt, the Philly and some kids meals. I'm relieved we came here while on our road trip. You never know what you're going to get on the road and this place was just a breath of fresh air. read more

We stopped by to grab dinner while traveling through California off I-5 by Buttonwillow. I'm always a little leery about BBQ out west. I just think I'm biased to BBQ on the East coast. This place proved me wrong! It was great! My husband got the combo plate with the brisket, chicken and kielbasa. I ordered the tri tip sandwich with the sweet potato fries because the fries looked amazing in the photos. I modified my order because I enjoy savory sweet potatoes, so I got the garlic added them. They were EVERYTHING I hoped they would be. Our waiter offered us some sweet potato fries with maple syrup and it was like eating desert. The BBQ had a great char and it was juicy. The chicken was tender and delicious. It was a lot of food. We ended up taking to go boxes. This will be a spot we will frequent when we travel through here for sure in the future. Oh. Almost forgot about the atmosphere of the place. It was kind of slow but, I think it was because it was a holiday weekend. The music was good, they had the good oldies, upbeat, clean bathrooms too. I'd like to come back one evening and have a cocktail with my meal and see how the place is at night. If we do come back at night I'll definitely update my review. read more

Great food, great service! This place is the spot! We ordered ribs, tri tip, fish n chips (fries are crispy n fresh), plow boy with brisket, pastrami, bacon and jalapeño! Finished it off with coconut cream pie, peanut butter cream pie and peach cobbler! What a great ending! The server Abbie met all our expectations while being patient, prompt and always checking in on us! Thank you Btw the food looked so delish that we didn't give any thought to taking photos ;) read more

We stopped by for breakfast on the way from Northern California to Southern California. Willow Ranch popped up on a search and had great Yelp reviews. My friend got the chicken fried steak breakfast and it looked like it was enough food for a family of 5. He did manage to polish it off himself and said it was fantastic. I got the breakfast burrito and subbed for tri-tip. The tri-tip was good enough but If you do your own cooking/grilling/smoking of tri-tip, you might not be impressed. It was good not great. Next time, I'll stick with bacon. Regardless, the burrito was very good and I have zero complaints. The server was super friendly and attentive. Kept our cups full and brought our food out as soon as the cooks got done. Their lunch and dinner menus looked incredible as well. We're putting this down as a stop for future trips. read more

Always yummy. So much better and more affordable than Harris Ranch. The barbecue sauce is perfect

Great Tri-tip dinner and Pulled Pork sandwiches. Serving sizes are plentiful. The BBQ is fresh and tasty. The kids menu has a nice variety of non-fried items also. The service was attentive and friendly. There are mostly booths throughout the restaurant with plenty of countertop seating. A nice sit down, full service restaurant in an area with nothing but fast food joints. RV parking in the rear. Minus one star because the AC wasn't on in the restaurant and the ceiling fans weren't keeping it as cool as it should have been. read more

Excellent barbecue, as well as a general menu that covers other dining tastes. The 'Q is the focus, naturally, and the variety is impressive. For example, there's pulled pork, but also pulled chicken and beef. Hard to decide! So we tried their sliders plate, which is a sampler of all three, and they were all very good. Next time, will try ribs or brisket. Ask for extra sauce (complex, smoky and spicy) and leave room for the house made pie. read more

The family and I stopped in at the Willow Ranch yesterday for breakfast on our way up to the Russian River and I'm so glad we did. We arrived around 7:30 and there were probably 4 cars in the parking lot. Looking at Willow Ranch from the outside, it reminded me of an old school, non-pretentious steakhouse. You know, the best kind. Walking in, we were greeted by Amber who was also our server. She said we could sit anywhere so we parked ourselves at a booth next to a window. There were a few other diner who were locals. Amber dropped off some menus and took our drink order. Looking at the menu, it is all comfort food, plus, plus. What caught my eye was the Corned Beef Hash. The Mrs. and I ordered that hash and my daughter ordered the Ranch Benedict. I consider myself a connoisseur of Corned Beef Hash. I've had it in Las Vegas at Mon Ami Gabi, on cruise ships, beachside cafes, and my local greasy spoon coffee shop. When I look at Corned Beef Hash, nay, analyze it, I look at how much seasoning is used on the meat. Too much pepper can take away from the sweetness of the Corned Beef. I also look at the consistency of the Corned Beef. It should be tender, and not stringy and fatty. I usually order Corned Beef Hash with an over medium egg so I look at how the egg interacts with the Corned Beef. It should be a beautiful buttery marriage of texture and flavor. Looking at all of the aforementioned factors, Willow Ranch has the best Corned Beef Hash I've ever had. The meat was beautifully shredded by hand and the seasoning was on point. My eggs were cooked perfectly and melted right into the beef. I also threw the hash browns in which only added to the incredible texture of the dish. Amber stopped by to check on us and I told her it was the best Corned Beef Hash I'd had. You won't see Willow Ranch off the main road through Buttonwillow. It sits off of a side street. I hope to return to Willow Ranch at some point. Their BBQ looks amazing. read more

Willow Ranch - Willow Ranch's Corned Beef Hash - Barbeque Near Me - Buttonwillow, California

Buttonwillow/ Bakersfield is usually my default pitstop as I am traveling up and down the 5. On my way going north, I stopped by Starbucks and spent over $12 on coffee and a nasty sandwich, but spotted Willow Ranch as I started the drive north again. I made a mental note that I have to come check out this spot on the way back to LA. So, instead of stopping at Starbucks for another coffee break, I pulled up to Willow Ranch and walked into a family style/ Denny's type of restaurant by the side of the freeway. Nothing was written on the "Today's Special" Chalkboard, but seeing the great reviews on Yelp, I decided to give this a try. Service was friendly, and there are lots of items to choose from. Prices were reasonable and the servings were huge! Okay. So the food is not 5 stars, but given the fact that I am in the middle of no where and being served hot food with reasonable prices, this place deserve 4 stars from me. And yes... I will be visiting Willow Ranch again the next time I come to this part of town. read more

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This place used to a four to Five star joint from what all the time truckers tell me but it has been under New Management for about two years. This will be my second time trying it . Let me talk about the customer service. I would give the customer service and front line staffs five stars off top . Very friendly and welcoming. The restaurant decor is date and old but gives it that small town middle of nowhere character. With saying that this the middle of nowhere that's one of my main reasons I give them three stars they are good for the area not a lot to pick from. The food is not bad and the bbq sauce is okay so that helps a lot. The food portion size is trucker friendly. Chicken was plain but moist. The Brisket was dry and the Beef ribs you how that goes little to no meat but not bad. Beans are made with beef not a lot favor. read more

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Tri-tip sandwich is amazing. They make their own BBQ sauce which is even better. Nice servers and family feel to the restaurant.

Delicious food and great service. A very friendly small town restaurant that is casual and good for groups. They serve great meats and the side dishes are well prepared too. read more

Service was great but my chicken fried steak wasn't all that good. It was humongous but the gravy had no flavor. Ot felt like a big blob of corn starch. read more

Made the drive to give this place a shot and let me tell you it was worth it. We showed up just before 4pm for an early dinner. At this point the place was pretty much empty. A couple other people inside was all. Service was great. Our waitress was eager to serve. We ordered a few drinks which were tasty. We ordered our food and honestly come out pretty fast. By then more people started showing up and more servers. This tells me we beat the dinner rush. I order ed the ribeye wife ordered the fish and chips and our boy ordered the tritip sandwich. Let me tell you everything came out perfect. My boy loved the tritip and the homemade bbq sauce. The steak was perfect. The fish was amazing and the starter salad with what looked like homemade thousand hit the spot.. we will definitely make the trip again. read more

Willow Ranch - Ribeye baked potato and fried shrimp - Barbeque Near Me - Buttonwillow, California

I ordered several dishes here and was not particularly impressed with any of them. It was decent though. The service was good though.

I was pleasantly surprised by this place! Super clean restaurant and friendly staff. We ordered the 2 meat combo, (brisket and chicken 1/4) salad and fries. The ranch dressing is on point! Tastes like they make it here (delicious) The side of beans that comes with the meal was to die for! So Flavorful! Whenever I eat at a place that specializes in BBQ, I always get the sauce on the side so I can really taste the meat flavors. Their BBQ sauce is EXCELLENT! All the flavors were there on the meats. However, I think the brisket, although moist is heated on the flat top grill which definitely toughened it a bit. The chicken was flask fried to reheat, but like I said earlier, the flavors were all there and so good! I think I would make the brisket a dinner only item so it can be served fresh. Hubby & I really enjoyed this place a lot! I'm so glad we stopped in! read more

This place is a hidden gem on highway 5! I've had the barbecue, which is good, but the BLT is probably the best BLT I've had in ages. Thick cut bacon, fresh tomatoes & lettuce on lightly toasted white bread. Absolutely fantastic. The peach cobbler is great too. The service is quite friendly and there are plenty of comfy booths too! read more

Its incredible to me how bad our food was. The reviews sent me here and I highly regret it. McDonalds would have been so much better and I dont even eat Mcdonalds. Also our food took forever. Overall experience was disappointing. The bathrooms were clean though and staff was nice. read more

Great place, great service by Mariela and the server. Food fresh and fast. Way better than box chain places and plenty of seating

Nice little diner with good food options. My friend ordered the Plow Boy sandwich with garlic fries and I got the 8oz sirloin. I also ordered the Thirsty Bird cocktail which wasn't bad but I personally may not like the Jameson Whiskey. All the food was fast and delicious, friendly service, good place to stop on a long drive. read more

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Exceptional service: staff was genuinely welcoming and prompt in seating us and tending to our table. Steven was by far the most warm and attentive waiter my family has ever experienced. Fabulous Food: we ordered four different entrees and all were fresh and flavorful. The meats were perfectly cooked (not soggy or fatty) and the dressings and bbq sauce were delicious. Highly recommend the beef bbq nacho appetizer-they truly nailed it with all the fixings that should be on nachos. Portion sizes were just right. Well done Willow Ranch--we will see you on our next road trip. read more

Oh, this place is an absolute must whenever we make our way to LA or head back to the Bay Area. Trust me, you won't find a tastier Tri Tip sandwich anywhere else. We usually swing by during lunchtime, but we've been itching to try out their dinner menu too; it's just as tempting as the rest of their offerings. Can't resist the allure of this joint! read more

What a great way to end our vacation! I had the sliders and Jim had the Nachos! The food was awesome and the service, from the gal who took our drink orders to the server who took our food orders was great! I loved the bbq steakhouse atmosphere! The bbq sauce was like no other, soooooooooo good! Thank you for a lovely dinner! read more

Great place for a quick lunch or dinner off the i5 great steak and the restaurant is cool as well... service is great lots of parking prices are reasonable!!! read more

-Service is slow -Meats wayyyy too dry (we tried deep pit beef, pulled pork, pulled chicken and beef rib. Beef rib has a good Smokey flavor (just a bit dry). If you like your meat with a lot of bbq sauce, then it might be ok) +Good flavors +Big portions, lots of meat +Plow boy sandwich was pretty good - brisket wasn't as dry as the other meats. read more

I wanted to update my review from my follow-up dinner experience. The steaks here are very good. They offer a Ribeye, New York, and a Hanger Steak. The cuts are tender and well prepared, meaning their chef has a great skill in getting the right temperature. I am impressed in both taste and quality. I addition, it is always a good sign when they get the Country Gravy right! read more

I'd have to call this place a hidden gem. You'd think all that existed in Buttonwillow were gas stations and fast food... but then there's Willow Ranch. We pulled up on a drive from San Francisco to LA, super tired and hungry. You open the door and you feel like you're in another era, in a far away town. The employees are so sweet and friendly, which is a great welcome. Nice, clean atmosphere and cute diner-esque decor. We got the pulled pork sandwich and beef brisket on our first visit. DELICIOUS. The bbq sauce is so good. Meat just falls apart. You barely have to chew. On my second visit a few months later, my friend got the pulled pork (can't say no to that) and I tried their chicken nachos. They definitely were not as good as the meat sandwiches, but still yummy and SUPER huge. Enough for 3 people, easy. Please don't skip this place if you're in town, or driving my favourite LA-Bay route on the 5. It's so worth it! Yes, they have clean bathrooms and they do have lots of parking :) read more

Willow Ranch - Barbeque Near Me - Buttonwillow, California

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This is the type of place you'll stop at when you're on a road trip. Plenty of parking, strong a/c, decent menu, usually quiet, reasonably priced, etc. There breakfast menus looks nice, but their burgers and fries are greasy and may hurt your stomach. It was pretty slow when we arrived, but ordering still took a lil while. read more

I've been coming to Willow Ranch for years , this place has really good comfort food and awesome service. I'll drive from Bakersfield just to get their fried chicken it's delicious and the bbq sauce is house made super good. I've had their steaks in the past and they're really good as well. Their bbq isn't to bad either on this particular visit the ribs we're lacking a bit of seasoning but they were good, and the brisket was nice and tender. This definitely is family favorite for us and don't mind making the trip to Buttonwillow for some good ole fashion comfort food. Pre pandemic they also had the bar open nothing big but a nice little watering hole off the I-5. My kids love the burgers from here and their menu is pretty big there's a bit of something for everyone. The menu items can get a bit pricey depending on what you order but the portions are big. Don't forget to get the sweet tea its pretty darn good and pick up a bottle of their Bbq sauce to go you won't be disappointed. read more

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Service is great, food was excellent ambiance is always relaxing and chill. Great place for drinks and their house beers are excellent

The Plow Boy lived up to the hype. The brisket and pastrami were so good, I'm excited to try them on their own next time. The tortilla soup tasted like it literally came straight out of a can. read more

Stopped in for lunch on our way from LA to San Francisco. What a great find! Service was super friendly and the food was actually delicious. I don't recall exactly what we got, but I believe I got the pulled pork, and it was great! I believe my boyfriend got the "plow boy," and he really liked it as well. The sides were also good, and prices were fair as well. Parking was also super easy. Highly recommended if you're in the mood for a little BBQ and are in the area. read more

Worst beef ribs I've had. This is a BBQ place! The meat was not tender, did not fall off the bones...was tough and just not good! read more

Willow Ranch - Worst beef ribs I've had. - Barbeque Near Me - Buttonwillow, California

Great restaurant to stop while traveling. Great food and service, clean bathrooms too!