Good, but not great. Definitely the best restaurant in miles, but not the best BBQ I have ever had. Brisket tasted good, but was very fatty ... Pork ribs were great, lots of meat, but not as "smokey" as I like. Big portions, reasonably priced, good for kids .... Really friendly people. 90 percent of the vehicles in the parking lot were pickups ... read more

Willow Ranch - Pork Ribs were great - Barbeque Near Me - Buttonwillow, California

Saw this pop up on my phone so i decided to stop by because I was craving some Q... Ordered the Full Rack of Baby Back ribs Ribs were HUGE for baby backs, really meaty and tasty with just the right amount of char. Homemade mashed potatoes were really homemade as evident by the amount of chunks and lumps of potatoes...which i really liked. Did not have dessert as I was running a bit behind schedule. Will be making another stop in the future...also bought a bottle of BBQ sauce to take home read more

Not sure how this place gets any stars. We had high hopes based on the reviews! We went in at the tail end of a relatively busy Saturday night so it took a while to get our food, which wasn't a big deal. By a long time I mean - well over an hour with two ancy kids waiting to eat. So we were hoping the food would be amazing to compensate! Nope. The kids meals were sub part (granted, most kids meals are microwaved pizza etc so that is pretty stabdard). But the glaring faults were that my mother's chicken was overcooked tot he point it being dry, despite being dark meat. The famous "beans" are revolting. They have ground meat in them that is boiled and horrid and the sauce is peppery and tastes burnt. The worst part was my steak. I ordered it medium rare and it was well done. It was grey inside and mealy and the outside was charred. When our server finally made it round again I pointed out the issue with my steak and she said "yeah, sorry. We've been trying to get him to stop doing that". And that was it. We had ordered a to go order for a party back at the hotel and they brought it early. Then when we got the check we waited for them to come take the payment for 30 minutes. OUR DIRTY SALAD PLATES and regular plates WERE STILL ON THE TABLE and our drinks had never been refilled. Nothing had been ckeared. We sat there with dirty dishes for half an hour with our to go order getting colder. We finally went to find someone so we could pay. (And by this time the place was empty. Not busy at all) So when we went to pay (Almost $100 for 3 adults and 2 kids) we told the "manager" who wasn't really a manager just a lead server (on a Saturday night no real manager?). She just said "Ok. So what do you want? ". At that point the server started chiming in and arguing with us as well. Meanwhile, the "manager" TOOK my mom's card and ran it! THEN said..."I gave you your discount. 50% off of the steak." And went to hand the card back to my mom. I said..."Mom just call your credit card company and dispute the charge completely. She just ran your card without your permission. And $11 off is ridiculous. The ruined two people's meals - the two most expensive meals." The "manager" huffed and said "Then I'd have to do a refund and run her card again!". My mom said she'd wait and for me to go load the kids in the car (by now dinner had taken over 2 hours). So I did. Apparently when I left, the "manager" was complaining to my mom how NORMALLY they wouldn't refund me since I did eat the steak. #1. I had no choice. We didn't have time to wait another hour for another meal. I didn't want to eat it. It was grainy and flavor less besides the char. I had tow douse it with A1 to choke it down. #2. I told the waitress when I had only taken a bite or two. #3. Since when is it OK to be rude and talk sh!t about a customer? She's lucky I WASN'T still there. This place is only in business because it is in the middle of of a wasteland and people are held hostage here with no other options besides fast food. I would GLADLY have opted for a Super Star in exchange for that "steak" and experience. And that statement is as true as it is pathetic. Save your money and the trouble and have a $5 burger. You will be vastly more satisfied with the meal. Please see pics for my "steak". read more

Willow Ranch - My "medium rare" "steak" was watery, cooked well done with chunks of garlic all over it. - Barbeque Near Me - Buttonwillow, California

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While driving along I-5, there are many dining options along the way. Having exhausted my appetite for Kettleman City fast food options, I tried looking for a fresh venue. I decided to try out Willow Ranch in Buttonwillow, CA, based off some solid yelp suggestions. BBQ sounded really good after a 3 hour drive, and I hadn't had ribs in too long. I got there around 9 PM so the restaurant wasn't too packed. There were plenty of TVs, and a couple of guys at the bar in the back were jeering at the football game. Other than that, the place had the feel of a cozy truck stop. It was quiet, comfortable, and the staff was nice, though not as attentive as I would've liked considering how slow that night was. I decided to order a half rack of ribs, which came with a half corn on the cob, fries, bread, baked beans, and small soup. Some of the items could be substituted for a side salad or mashed potatoes. The ribs were mediocre, but there was so much food, I didn't mind. My friend ordered the tri-tip and brisket and we shared a little. The brisket was phenomenal. If I ever find myself in the area, I would definitely be willing to give this place another shot and explore their menu further. Summary: Location: 4 Staff: 4 Food: 4 (ribs 3, brisket 5, sides 4) Note: Bathrooms needed serious cleaning. The men's room seemed to be designed for basketball players, and should get some adjusting. read more

Willow Ranch - Yes, that is a half-rack of ribs... Willow Ranch - Barbeque Near Me - Buttonwillow, California

The food was good but unfortunately the atmosphere ruined the experience. During my time here there were male employees seated at the bar (in their work uniforms even!) making extremely inappropriate sexual remarks towards a female employee. When I first arrived they were having a political discussion with a customer which I also felt was inappropriate. I also did not receive prompt service; I waited for a while for the server to return but had to get up and ask for the check. I did not feel like Willow Ranch was a welcoming environment and will not consider returning. read more

Overall, this place is definitely a good alternative to all the fast food places along the 5 between Los Angeles and Sacramento, but our family did not feel it lived up to the 4 star review on Yelp. I'm not sure how it got the 4 stars, though it may simply be in comparison to the other places around it, but unfortunately overall I think a solid 3 is more appropriate. For a BBQ place, I assumed the ribs would be good, but it took a little effort cutting through them with a steak knife, and I'm not used to this at all the BBQ places we go to in the San Diego are where the meat is almost falling off the bone. The taste was good though, but other dishes like the Tri Tip salad had tough meat as well according to my wife, though the amount of food given was generous. There were many choices on the menu, and overall the staff seemed pleasant though I can't say the service was 4 star. I would recommend this place as one of the only good alternatives to the fast food places around, and overall it's a fair restaurant, but not the 4 star place we were expecting from the the average Yelp review, at least on the day we went. read more

There are not a whole lot of decent options when making the drive between LA and SF. You have the national fast food joints and the truck stops. Willow Ranch is one of the few decent alternatives. It's kinda old school/dated but the service is fine and the food decent. If you want to sit down, relax, and "get away" from the I5 monotony, check this place out! read more

Want to Buttonwillow Ca for a transaction and our meeting place was a gas station on the Buttonwillow exit. Ate lunch here coz this was just beside the gas station. WOW!!!! Everything I ordered was excellent!!! My wife got the tri-tip salad and I had the half rack of nancy back ribs. Chile was awesome, close slaw and potato salad was the bomb! Even their dinner rolls oozed with flavor. I had to bring another order of the baby back ribs home to my daughter and bought their bbq sauce. If you're ever going to San Francisco or Sacramento, you should take the Buttonwillow exit and grab a bite to eat. You won't regret it read more

This is a nice alternative to the otherwise unbroken string of chain restaurants lining the I-5. The bbq isn't super special, but not bad. The vegetable soup is quite good. It's chock full of vegetables that have been cooked down to make the broth flavorful. We shared a combination plate of beef ribs, pork ribs, and hot links. The pork ribs were dry. The beef ribs were fine, but not special. The hot links were also fine - about what you expect for hot links. The platter came with corn, baked beans, bread, fries and soup. It is more than enough for two people to share. Service was very friendly. read more

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Perfect break for a long road trip. Air-conditioning, great service and excellent BBQ sauce, I'm in. The kids (older teens), split a full rack of baby back ribs ($22). It came with choice of starch, chili beans, corn, soup or salad and a roll. The ribs were super meaty and smokey. The four of us enjoyed them immensely. Husband ordered the spare rib special ($10.95). it came with scalloped potatoes, baked beans and cornbread. The ribs (4) were large and even meatier than the baby back. The corn bread was ultra moist and delicious and not of the sweet variety. I ordered the tri-tip sandwich. I requested corn instead of the choice of starch and got it, no problem. The tri tip was served dry in the sandwich with a side of BBQ sauce and it was excellent with or without the sauce. The corn was sweet and juicy and served with real butter. The drinks (soda, iced tea, etc.) are ridiculously large and mine was only half gone when I was done. Thank you Willow Ranch, for the hearty meal and lovely break from the road. read more

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This was a long time ago but based on the more recent reviews it seems to be still as good. It was probably around 2010. I'm from Pennsylvania and I found a reasonable priced Sprinter in Rossville, CA. The plan was to meet with a friend who would together with me drive the van back. But not until he went for business down to LA. The next day after pick up we drove south on I 5. When we saw the sign for food we pulled off the exit and stopped at Willow Ranch. Neither of us were expecting anything. We set down at the bar and a few booths down from us there was the Sheriff with his deputies. This added to the Mayberry small town feel. But my oh my, I had a brisket with mash potatoes and corn. I forgot what my friend had. Not knowing what the cooks name is on the Food Network. A woman who visits at times hole in the wall places only to experience phenomenal food. Rachel something. It was exactly one of these moments. Even ten years later I still think of this place. I may never have a chance to go there again. But if I ever do, I'll make it a point to stop there. It's THAT good!!! read more

We live in the Bay area and our grand kids live in Santa Ana , So we are up-and-down highway 5 quite often. We never failed to stop at a Willow Ranch. The beef ribs are my fav, and the brisket is "cut with a fork" tender. If you are driving I-5, this is a must stop, if you are driving 99, you went the wrong way! PS. Good gas $$ nearby also. read more

It was 8:50pm at night and we were starving. We wanted a decent meal that wasn't fast food. We decided to stop by here because of the yelp reviews. They were closing soon, but welcomed us anyways. Per the suggestion of our pregnant waitress, I ordered the three item combo of trip tip, brisket, and bbq chicken. The food was moist and not too fatty. My gf ordered a full rack of pork baby back ribs. These ribs are definitely meatier than ribs I'v had elsewhere. The bbq sauce they slathered all over the meat was heavenly. You can see the garlic and onion pieces in it. Each meal came with a salad, bread, corn, and potatoes. The sides were standard in taste. The service that night was great. They gave us such large cups, refills weren't necessary. The waitress even packed extra sauce for our to go order but we ended up buying a whole bottle of the sauce. read more

Willow Ranch - Combo dinner! - Barbeque Near Me - Buttonwillow, California

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Stopped in cuz we didn't want fast food. I love BBQ so imagine my delight when I pulled up and saw it was a BBQ joint! I had the Brisket dinner with the Chicken Enchilada soup. It was all really good! The brisket was super tasty with just the right amount of "marbling" (aka fat). It came with corn, beans and a roll for $15. Seems like a reasonable deal. The other dish was a "pit" salad with chicken for $12.99. Once again, it was very good with the raspberry dressing on the side. We were seated right away when we walked in. It took a while for our order to get taken, but then everything came quickly and we were checked up on a few times. Overall it was reasonable service. One last thing was the iced tea. They give you a "Texas sized" glass! This is especially great when it's over 100 degrees outside! Overall this place makes my bookmark list. I'll look for it again when I head down to LA. read more

Willow Ranch - Brisket Dinner for $14.99. Everything on this plate was really good! - Barbeque Near Me - Buttonwillow, California

Roadside BBQ place in between LA and San Francisco. Very friendly and attentive staff that will take care of you from the time you sit down. For a roadside joint the food is very good and they have a wide range to choose from. read more

The restaurant was open on Easter Day, such a pleasant respite. Delicious fresh homemade food. I had ground round steak. Steak was good, and rice pilaf and vegetables that came with were fresh and tasted very good! Highly recommend chicken and dumplings soup as well. Service was fast and courteous. Excellent restaurant, located conveniently by I5. read more

Very nice service and clean restrooms - it went downhill from there: cheapest ingredients possible not well prepared. Chicken (BBQ) tasted old, bagged salad drenched in "just o.k." Ranch dressing. We avoided Popeye's trying to save calories - that was a fail! (My wife had the fried chicken salad and thought it was pretty good...) read more

Got the tri-tip and baked potato. the tri-tip dipped in beans was so good! My potato was top notch as well! The service was good and we didn't try dessert but it looked amazing on the table next to us. read more

Dolores gave the best service anyone could ever ask for. Truly good food on the side of the highway. Driving back from SF was a great stop on the 5 freeway. Many Gluten-free options too! read more

Stopped for gas and seen a sign for the best bbq and had to find it. We ended up here and we were not disappointed!!!! We usually always stop at Harris Ranch when we go from Oakland to LA. This is our new stop! Great service and best tri tip sandwich I have eaten!!!! Thank you read more

We were driving to Anaheim from San Francisco and were getting hungry, so my sister's bf looked on Yelp to see what restaurants were nearby where we were on I-5. Apparently Willow Ranch had the best reviews so we pulled off at the Buttonwillow exit and tried to find it, but couldn't, so we decided we'd just get back on I-5 and stop at the next food stop. Well, it turns out Willow Ranch was at the next food stop. Weird. Anyway, we walked in and it was fairly empty. It's got an old saloon kind of feel to it. Yes, it's filled with mostly Caucasian people, but you have to realize where this restaurant is located. However, there was a huge table right next to the front door seated with a big Asian family. We were seated right away at a booth and, let me tell you, the seats in the booth were so much fun. I am giving it an extra star just for the booth. They're really bouncy. I slid in first and then A plopped down next to me and nearly bounced me right off the seat. It turns out that every movement one of us made bounced the other one on the seat. It was hilarious. Of course, my sister thought we were extremely embarassing. As for food, I ordered the Barbecue Shredded Chicken sandwich with fries and lemonade. The lemonade was huge. They come in these gigantic cups that must be two cups combined. If you're really thirsty, order something to drink here and that will quench your thirst in a jiffy. I actually thought my chicken was going to be barbecued, but it just comes with a side of barbecue sauce. That was a little disappointing. The sandwich itself was okay though. The barbecue sauce was a little sweet. I liked the fries. They have this paprika seasoning on it that makes it really tasty. We also had an order of the Wings of Fire. I don't know what kind of fire it was, but the wings weren't spicy at all. They were still super tasty though. Tips: You have to pay up front at the counter, not at the table. The bathroom was super stenchiriferous. Oh. My. Stars. I had to hold my breath or I'd pass out from the smell. But then again, I almost passed out from holding my breath too. read more

Willow Ranch - Barbeque Near Me - Buttonwillow, California

Good food with huge portions. It's worth the stop on your drive along the 5 Freeway.

I guess this place is popular cause everyone talks about it at track. Came here with some friends after a track event at Buttonwillow plus we were staying at the Motel 6. I ordered the Rib Eye Steak I asked the waiter on how their steaks are cooked so then I got a stupid answer of "medium rare" Steak was a tab bit over cooked for "medium rare" my friends NY was medium and it looked "medium rare" lol EITHER WAY. The steak is on the salty side, I had to take some bites of the mashed potatoes and beans to try to kill the salty taste. Mashed potatoes seemed on the older side as if they been sitting out too long. Dinner roll/bread was drier than the dirt outside, good thing they supplied butter. The beans weren't bad. Tri Tip was pretty good. Beef ribs were okay, it is a mission to take the meat off, if there's a next time I'd get the pork ribs. Services was okay, waiter never even came back after she took our order to check up, there was this girl (younger than the rest) that did check up on us to see if we were doing good with our food. Its highly doubtful I'll come back, I rather hit up the fast food places and save me money for gas on the track lol read more

Willow Ranch - Ribeye steak with sides. - Barbeque Near Me - Buttonwillow, California

When I use to consult for Companies in Kern county, I would always make it a habit to stop by Willow Ranch for lunch. The shredded BBQ chicken was my usual and my buddy had the sword fish which he would rave about. That was over a decade ago. This establishment is now under new management and the swordfish plate is no longer there. I took my family there while heading home from a trip to Pasadena. I had my usual but my mom wanted fish so she had the fish and chips. The chicken was what I remembered. The fish on the other hand was typical of frozen cod in a bag from local grocery store. What was worse was the fish was still cold when my mom got into it. Our server who was great, gave her the bbq sliders which to replace the fish. read more

Its dinner menu starts around 4pm. We stopped by on a late Saturday afternoon for a very late lunch/early dinner. We walked in very hungry. I had a cup of vegetable soup and it was very good with lots of veggie and not salty. My beef ribs were absolutely finger linking good. The fries were a bit thick since I preferred shoe string fries. Our waitress refilled my drink. Our apple pie ala mide was delicious. FYI, it has a clean women's restroom. This is a great pit stop along the I-5. We will definitely come back in the future. read more

Easy pick up call order when I'm driving down the 5 good options and nice welcoming service can't beat the staffs attention

We stopped here for lunch on the drive home from LA to the Bay Area. Hands down one of the best meals I've ever had. I ordered the brisket sandwich with blue cheese, my husband had the French dip, and my son had the cheeseburger sliders. All the meat was very juicy and perfectly cooked. The fries were so crispy and flavorful, and upgrading to mashed potatoes and gravy was a perfect addition to my brisket. My son's sliders were the perfect size and even had a crispy cheese skirt! The service was amazing and very fast. We were seated for lunch immediately. The food came out in less than 10 minutes and the servers were on top of refills and checking in on us. We ended up buying a bottle of the delicious bbq sauce. The worst part of the entire experience was when the meal ended and we realized it would be a few months before we could return! read more

Delicious food, friendly service! Chicken and beef in our burgers were well-prepared and fresh, bacon was perfectly crisp, and my friend is still talking about how great the cherry pie was! Would definitely recommend this place as a meal stop on a road trip. Check out the giant steer statue and old jail while you're in town. read more

Amazing....best beef ribs I have ever had! This is a wonderful family focused restaurant. Fresh pies knocked out of the park. If you don't stop before or after the grapevine, you are really missing out. read more

We stopped here for a late lunch on our drive back home from SoCal. A lot in the menu made it a tad overwhelming to decide what to order .... and most of the choices felt hearty and heavy - which we didn't want given the driving we still had to do. Fred ordered a burger and it was pretty standard. I ordered the french dip sandwich which was average. Not a whole lot of flavor in the meat or the dipping juice. While this was still a better alternative to Denny's ... I probably wouldn't stop here again. read more

We come here for local race events. The BBQ sauce is really good so we always buy one to take home. The place is clean, waits are short, and the staff is friendly. What I have ordered: Country-Fried Steak Tender Certified Angus Beef breaded and fried, served with plenty of real, country-style gravy. $9.99 BBQ chicken is seasoned with our special spice blend and grilled to perfection, then topped with our homemade BBQ sauce. 1/4 Chicken $10.99 Sides: Mashed Potatoes, Roll, Fries Chardonnay It is a great place to stop in and dine if you are in the area for sure don't let the location stop you from stopping in :) read more

This is one of the few restaurants in the Buttonwillow here. I came here twice, actually two nights in a row. The food is pretty good here. Well the side salad is okay, steamed veggies. but hey it's a steak/bbq place anyways, you come here for the meat. I've had the pork ribs, the half rack is a pretty good portion. I also had the chicken, it's nothing too special, not to many special seasonings. I think I've found my spot! read more

Willow Ranch - Barbeque Near Me - Buttonwillow, California

Excellent change of pace from fast food and standard truckstop fare. Plenty of truck parking next door and across the street. Cozy and vintage, the food is awesome! They are open for breakfast, but honestly, I would wait until lunchtime before ordering ribs... For dinner, I ordered the Two Meat platter with tri tip and baby back ribs which are their two top sellers. The sauce is sweet and smokey. Honestly, the meat wasn't as tender as I was expecting, but I'm not sure if I am applying Texas standards to California cuisine. The french fries are good, but hubby said either the mashed potatoes or the gravy covering them was rancid. He also said the rolls were stale. The salad was fresh, (they also have soup, but it was 95° out and hot soup really didn't appeal) the menu has lots more things I want to explore (like the burgers) so we will definitely be back. Looking forward to it! read more

Willow Ranch - Two meat platter (tri tip and baby back ribs) with french fries. - Barbeque Near Me - Buttonwillow, California

Amazing BBQ great price great service an excellent road trip stop i will be coming here on the next trip

First visit, I had baby back ribs. I had my mind set for that melt in your mouth meat. Unfortunately it wasn't that. Not sure if it was old or just not cooked well but it was okay. Nothing special. Second visit, I had the gilled salmon, too fishy and cooked outside cold inside. Didnt finish it. Gagging. Service was good. I like the bbq sauce. read more

Willow Ranch - Pork Baby Back Ribs. Meh - Barbeque Near Me - Buttonwillow, California

Definitely worth the drive from Bakersfield. The restaurant was clean and cozy. Or waiter was so friendly, nice and made sure our drinks were always full. The food was absolutely delicious, and we will be back. read more

Decided to go to Willow Ranch since it has been awhile. They have patio dining since dining room is closed once again due to virus. The patio is so very nice. I ordered the deep pit salad, and my husband ordered their burger and onion rings. Must say the food was awesome along with super great service! We decided we will definitely be back, good food, good service and patio dining when you just need to get out! read more

Cozy roadside diner. Solid breakfast and lunch food. Nothing spectacular, but great service and decent food at a good price! read more

Willow Ranch - Counter style - Barbeque Near Me - Buttonwillow, California

Best country fried steak I can remember. Great country menu. Everything homemade including salad dressings. Amazing milkshakes! Super nice service. Family friendly. Update 1: Best soft scramble eggs and steak I can recalls having in years. Update 2: Could not wait to stop here again. So happy I am eating lunch 3 hours late just to eat here. The red bean and sausage soup was amazing, and I don't typically order soup anywhere because most places don't wow me with their soups. Can't wait for the country fried steak. read more

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Great dinner. Had the salads that had bbq beef on them. Onion rings were fresh and homemade. Tried the thirsty birdie cocktail different but went down easy! Not a cheap restaurant, but very good food and good portions. The desserts were also good portions. Would go back when traveling on I5! read more