Just kind of so-so experience there. I ordered the 1/2 BBQ chicken, my companion decided on just an order of sweet potato fries as her entree. For my dinner item I had picked a couple sides, being coleslaw and a baked potato. The waitress asked if I wanted bacon and cheese on the baked potato, to which I said 'yes', then she also asked about sour cream and chives, to which I also replied 'yes'. The coleslaw was served after about 15 minutes after that, by itself, as an appetizer apparently. About 10 minutes after that, the sweet potato fries were brought to the table. After we polished that off, my entree of the 1/2 chicken was delivered. The chicken meat was dry, especially the chicken breast, but swimming in BBQ sauce. The extra sauce didn't make up for the dryness of the meat. After some thought, I suspected that the offerings of the potato toppings was an upsell. Sure enough, on the check was an additional $1.50 for the bacon and cheese. The dessert was pecan pie but was just so-so as well. Oh, and the trash can, in front of the restaurant, was overflowing with trash. read more

Willow Ranch - "Help Me" cries the trash recepticle. - Barbeque Near Me - Buttonwillow, California

Best milkshake on the road side between LA and SF. Their sandwiches are well served with meat. Also real good dinner atmosphere and nice old school service. Recommended! read more

Stopped here on our way back home due to Yelp. It did not disappoint, food was good, dessert was delicious, and the stubborn mule drink was refreshing and hit the spot! Our server, Alissa made the experience GREAT, thank you!!! I rated this place 4 stars as there is room for improvement, the owner should put a little more TLC and maybe Alissa can help with improvement ideas? She seemed to love her position and the establishment she works for. read more

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This spot is legit! On our way home I'm the I5 we yelped a place to eat! Everything is super fresh, hot and big portions! We ordered the crispy fish & chips (2 really big fish pieces), juicy brisket and baby back ribs smoothed in bbq sauce, Plow boy sandwich, crunchy big wedges of sweet potato fries and omg the onion rings are to die for smothered in ranch! They had indoor and outdoor seating as well and tables were defiantly spaces 6 feet apart! Definitely a great place to stop to eat! read more

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A quick stop on our road trip home and I was pleasantly surprised by both the amazing food and fantastic service!!! The bbq sauce is worth taking a bottle home and both the tri tip and plow boy sandwiches were off the charts!!! Highly recommend!!! read more

A little jewel in off the 5 in Buttonwillow ...... Excellent fresh generous delicious barbecue with all the fixings......best coleslaw and potato salad....even the Garden Burger was delicious. Friendly helpful waitstaff especially Mallela and Abby ......what a hidden treasure ..... read more

4* Willow Ranch Buttonwillow (north of Bakersfield off I-5) Cowboy diner; local favorite; everybody is so friendly Food was good: Burgers and salads Ale (spelling) was one of the best food servers ever; personable, attentive, and anticipated everything Save room for some pie for dessert Great highway stop read more

I was passing through the area on the way to Paso Robles, and hungry. My stomach has a remarkable ability to sniff out a good BBQ joint where ever I go thanks to the cowboy blood surging through my veins (thanks mom & dad). My wife got the Plough Boy Sandwich, which was loaded with bacon, pastrami, and tri tip. I have to say, the meat was cooked perfectly, and was well balanced. Each of the meats complimented the others. I got the half rack of baby back ribs, which were juicy and covered with one of the more unique BBQ sauces I've tasted. Also, special compliments go to the beans. Try them, they aren't an after-thought. They should be center stage read more

Willow Ranch - Plough Boy Sandwich - Barbeque Near Me - Buttonwillow, California

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I can only say that everything we had the privilege of tasting here was delicious!!! I had the tri-tip dinner, a baked potato, cornbread, and coleslaw. Everything is homemade and the love it is made with shines through. It is definitely an elevated diner experience. My baked potato was fluffy, the coleslaw was crisp with the perfect balance of tang and sweetness, and the tri-tip was tender and juicy. The family had a tri-tip sandwich and a burger. The tri-tip sandwich was dressed with a blue-cheese horseradish spread that was bananas!! My son's burger was juicy and cooked to perfection. They fired on all cylinders! Our server was named Stan, he made us feel like family and was very attentive. All of the staff here was smiling and worked together as a team to ensure everyone had what they needed, still, Stan made everything better!! If you want good down-home cooking served by staff who go above and beyond, in a clean and friendly ambience, then come on down!! your expectations will be exceeded! our's certainly were!! Thanks Willow Ranch. We can't wait to stop by again!! read more

We had a wonderful meal. The food, service and drinks were all great! Most certainly worth making a point to eat here. Way prefer this over any other fast food in the area. read more

This is one of my favorite restaurants, food always delicious and Steve is the best server we ever had, he make us feel welcome, we really like this place, rustic and welcoming for big parties or just family read more

Willow Ranch - Barbeque Near Me - Buttonwillow, California

I truly think the drive out to willow ranch was well worth it. The food is amazing. Hometown cooking. Taking it back to the roots. I absolutely love it. The servers are always so sweet and helpful never had a bad time there. read more

Driving from Orange County to No Cal on the 5, we stopped to charge up at an "off the beaten track exit". For some reason we decided to forgo the IHOP down the road for the Willow Ranch.... A great decision!!! A cook who clearly takes pride in their work and a really pleasant server. I ordered the Willow combo which offered a choice of pancake, waffle or French toast and she recommended the latter. The French toast was awesome with a hint of cinnamon. But, the bacon was also outstanding!! Often restaurant bacon is either undercooked or burned beyond recognition. Mine was perfect ...crisp but not burned and Really Tasty!!! Really good food and a great vibe. We loved it! read more

What a wonderful haven from the highway! We enjoyed the food and country diner atmosphere. The restaurant (and restrooms) were spic and span and the service was truly excellent! Order the French Toast if you're a fan...some of the best! read more

The food was good (bbq chicken breast) but the service was pretty slow. Our waitress did apologize for the delay. Didn't make for a very quick business lunch but would Likely return if I'm in the area. read more

TL;DR- definitely worth stopping for. Great food, Great Service, very thorough cleaning On the Road from San Diego to Monterey, my wife and I decided to stop by somewhere to eat. With it being early in the evening, we figured we better stop, because most things will be closed by the time we get to our destination. With a quick search, my wife found this spot. It didn't take long for us to get seated, and our food came out in a respectable amount of time. Wait staff was very welcoming and friendly. My wife ordered the Plow Boy, and I got the DP Beef Sandwich. Both were really good, the meats were cooked very well and the flavors meshed really well. With the Plow Bow, there was a generous serving of different meats that were very tender. The DP Beef was a bit dryer than I would have liked (not overly dry, and not a big deal), but had a great smoked flavor- coupled with their BBQ sauce, it was very good. While we were sitting waiting for our food, there were people leaving and we watched them thoroughly clean their tables, and chairs- and I mean sanitize every nook and cranny- provided the change of our environment, it was good to see that they are doing their due diligence. Before you decide to turn your nose up to the wait times- please be aware that due to COVID, there are extra steps businesses need to take in order to accommodate people- so recent reviews who are complaining about wait times- you need to knock it off, Objectively speaking- they are complying with health standards, and potentially running on less staff. They preformed well given the circumstances Overall it was a pleasant experience, I'm sure we will be back in the future read more

Willow Ranch - Plow Boy - Barbeque Near Me - Buttonwillow, California

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We stumbled upon this restaurant while driving from Los Angeles to Sacramento. We ordered the BBQ tri tip sandwich and pulled pork sandwich. Both were delicious and meat was very flavorful and juicy. Our only regret was that we didn't ask for enough BBQ sauce for our take out order. The portions of meat are generous and placed in the French roll without BBQ sauce already added to the meat. The sauce comes on the side to add as much or as little as you like. We were asked if you would like more BBQ sauce than the 2 ramekins added into our order. Having never been here before, we said no thinking that 2 sides of sauce would be plenty. In reality, the pulled pork sandwich could have used 3 sides to give it a nice saucy flavor, and the tri-tip 2 sides. This is on us though. They asked, we declined. Overall, a tasty meal and we will definitely be making this an occasional stop on our frequent trips through the area. read more

The food was amazing and the staff were friendly. Very clean and their bbq sauce was delicious, we bought 2 bottles that's how yummy it is. Would definitely come back. read more

BEST. BARBECUE. SAUCE I've ever had!!!!!!! I have done several cross-country trips and eaten barbecue all over the south, and I am astounded to find the best barbecue here in in the middle of nowhere in California! They have beef ribs (my favorite!), which are hard to find, and they were quite meaty, too. The meal came with a big salad with very tasty vinaigrette dressing and a dinner roll. The cole slaw was pretty good and chili beans were ok. But the sides don't matter, it's the meat and sauce that are critical. I only wish they had a branch in San Jose, where I live! I brought home two bottles of their barbecue sauce and enough leftovers for another meal. They don't skimp on portions here. I was overwhelmed with the amount of food I had. We were here for lunch. Lots of parking in their lot. Service was really good and the restaurant looks good inside and out. There's a diner-type counter, booths and tables. It's a big place. I loved the big statue of a cow when you walk in and another smaller one of a pig wearing an apron and carrying a tray of their BBQ sauce was adorable! Now any time I'm driving up or down I-5 I know where to go to eat. A barbecue oasis in the middle of a food desert. I wish I had found this place sooner!!! Highly recommended!!!! I'd give it 100 stars if I could. Yummmmm! read more

Tasty bbq at reasonable prices. A great family pitstop on a long drive. Had the ribs and the nachos and were pleased with both. read more

I really look forward to this local treasure on the 5 to/from LA, it was never cheap compared to the fast-food alternatives but *so* worth it because the quality has been head-and-shoulders above anything else along that stretch of road. I won't say the food's not good but today I paid $20 (including tax and tip) for a *half* deep pit salad that consisted of some iceburg lettuce, three thin slices of tomato, some chopped canned black olives, and half a cup of chicken. The veggies were room temperature, pretty inexcusable. The menu said there would also be shredded cheese, carrots, red onion, and a side of salsa. Maybe supplies of certain items are problematic, but there was no mention of this to me as I picked up my food. The chicken tasted good, but overall the value wasn't there, disappointing. This is not the Willow Ranch I've known and loved for years! I'm always seeking healthy-ish meal options when traveling and I hope this was just an off day. For comparison, just down the road the Santa Fe chicken salad from Bravo Farms is $15 and the ingredients are higher quality. read more

Willow Ranch - Deep Pit Salad (half), with chicken. - Barbeque Near Me - Buttonwillow, California

Stopped here on our way to Joshua tree, Food was good, ambience was super cozy and clean but the service was exceptional!! The waitresses were all so nice and accommodating! I would come back just to hang out with the waitresses lol! read more

The combo is enough for 2 adults. We had brisket and trị tip it was delicious and generous portions. We could cut the brisket with our fork very tender. read more

Best BBQ service and sauce hands down, we were so pleasantly surprised. I will definitely be back The tri tip, hot link and pulled pork was delicious read more

Food that's gone means that food was good right! Service was great, the waiter was really nice and attentive, reminds me of a small town diner thats been around for years! Great breakfast place to stop by if you are on a long journey! read more

Great Beef Ribs. Good service you get your money worth here. Good spot to pull off I5 and eat. read more

Willow Ranch - And the pies and sundaes. - Barbeque Near Me - Buttonwillow, California

Great BBQ! Friendly service! Very glad I decided to stop while driving from San Francisco to Los Angeles.

We stopped in for a quick bite on our drive. Food was excellent. Soup and since we ordered fried food, our waiter gave us a taste of their meats. Excellent cocktails. Wonderful service. Than you Sullivan! You are the best! read more

I've been stopping here for 30+ years and have never been disappointed. Today, I had biscuits and gravy. Either take the meal off the menu or upgrade your recipe. Bland and flavor less, almost nasty. Tabasco did not help. Biscuits were dry with hard edges. A packaged gravy must have other items added to make it worth eating. Sausage is a start, with butter, chicken base, salt and pepper, etc. I hope you adjust and make this dish equal to your other good food! The customers would appreciate it. read more

As you can tell I love BBQ and this is another 5 star review. I got the double meat brisket and ribs and it was top notch. Too bad I travel through Buttonwillow once a year because I'd be here much more. read more

The restaurant has the look of a country style diner, squeaky clean and that includes the restroom. The service is attentive, they never miss a customer queue, help is friendly, efficient and the prices are very good. The food was served very quickly, my flat Iron steak was 10 Ounces and thick, cooked rare and seasoned very well. Had an upscale taste to the steak. Salad was very fresh, mashed potatoes were very good. Worth a try as the food was surprisingly excellent. read more

Gem in the desert! Traveling long distances by car has become a connect the tuck stop, culinary wasteland of fast food chains, gas station convenience stores and Starbucks. Willow Ranch, in Buttonwillow CA is an exception! Family run for years, the original owner's daughter still works there. Maybe the best corn beef hash I've ever had, and they make and sell their own BBQ sauce. We were there for breakfast, I may need to time it to have dinner on my next trip. read more

My family and i stopped at this local diner for our second time on our way to LA. The food was wonderful. I ordered the patty melt today and it was the best patty melt I've ever had. The beef was juicy and greasy and the best comfort food for a long drive. The servers are attentive and quick and although they were out of peanut butter cream pie this time around, they promised us they would have it on our ride back next Thursday. The interior is original and old fashioned, perfect for enjoying delicious diner food! read more

We recently visited this restaurant on Dec 23. There were 6 meals ordered. 2 were burgers with fries and they were big and delicious. Chicken salad was delicious as well. The tri tip salad was good aside from the stingy portion of tri tip which had good flavor but was very dry and chewy. The other 2 meals were the grilled chicken plates. They looked like kid's meals. The chicken breast was flat as a pancake and the side of mashed potatoes may as well been served in a condiment cup. The other side was a bowl of potato soup and it looked like white water. We also tried the potato salad and there was a strong mustard flavor and was left uneaten. I would recommend this place for burgers but that's about it. The service was great. The prices are way too high for what you get. We won't be eating here again. read more

BBQ aficionados would like Willow Ranch BBQ just off the I 5 at the Buttonwillow exit. The simple juicy brisket and shredded beef sandwiches were delicious and came with a nice side of sauce, fries and a crunchy pickle. Overheard they're also known for many other tasty meat, pork, chicken options. For this patron it made an amazing dinner for watching a local dirt track event where the headlights rose out of the dusty curve and the background of the setting sun. Thanks for the good service. Love how sunsets and sandwiches go hand in hand. I'll be sure to get my next order to go. read more

Very fast and good breakfast Tri-tip, Blt sandwich the fries are so good & crisp. Hot link was tasty too. We will be back next time. The best French fries too!!! Very nice service they very friendly too. And big plus for me. read more

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Wish I could do zero stars, sadly one is the lowest it goes. Visited Willow Ranch February 18th and ordered a hamburger. Upon receiving my hamburger I cut it in half and was greeted with a cut up latex glove in the burger. I told my server about it and she then accused me of putting the latex glove in it myself which I did not do. Luckily, my coworkers were there with me and told her I did not. She then told me the cooks in the back wear these gloves. The manager came and apologized and said I should be receiving a gift card in the mail which I do not see the point in that because I will never be returning. It's been about 3 weeks and I have yet to hear anything back from the manager or receive anything in the mail. Very disappointed in this establishment. read more

Willow Ranch - Burger with latex - Barbeque Near Me - Buttonwillow, California

It looked promising at the start since it was quite busy. That ended soon after as the food took a lot longer than expected (more than 30 min). We ordered a sandwich and salad. The pulled pork tasted like liquid smoke was added. The tri-tip did not have any bbq flavor. read more

I really appreciate the effort of Mandy, the owner, to address a concern that I raised in a previous review. Upon visiting again, everything had been resolved as much as possible in this rural area. The food and service was outstanding, as always. Their deep roots in Buttonwillow are apparent by all the locals who come there. Even The Mayor, who used to come to Bakersfield to play hardball with his skilled friends and dominate the Men's Adult Baseball League at the old Bakersfield Dodgers facility and Riverview Park in Oildale , including my team, can be seen there often! These Buttonwillow Boys represent a hardworking town that sustains the Central Valley with outstanding produce, beef, and more. It's all here at Willow Ranch! Check out the photos, decor, and locals to gain a rural feel on your way to points North and South on Interstate 5. Super clean restrooms with accessibility for those of us who can't play baseball anymore! If you have time, be sure to take a short drive to the actual town of Buttonwillow and go a little further to see The Buttonwillow Tree. read more

Staff is very friendly. Food is good and served hot. Portions are more on the larger side.