We go to Buttonwillow twice a year in March for the track there and that's the only reason! But now every time we have to go down or up 5 we will stop at the Willow Ranch BBQ! Bill had a rib-eye that was big and juicy and I had the Deep Pit Beef that was smoky, lean and pulled just perfectly. I didn't even need the sweet bbq sauce that I asked to be on the side. I'm an on the side person and I like a vinegar bbq sauce, but I did taste it and it was delicious. A little ramekin of beans comes with the dinners, and neither of us ate those because there is so much food. Don't be fooled by the location or the look of the outside of this little gem. Go in and have some good old home-style cookin' and some dang good bbq. There was a table of 8 locals there and they all had the pork ribs and if the locals go there just to have those ribs, they must be good. I just didn't want to work that hard after being at the track all day! I saw a Fred Flintstone rack of beef ribs go by us that I'll have to try in two weeks when we go back for the races. They have a combo plate where you can pick 2 meats - can't wait! read more

Stopped on our way up to sf. Had the brisket. Very tasty. Ambiance was even better. Felt like I was back in the Midwest. Also, they apparently have a calendar that features who I can only assume are their employees. A must have stocking stuffer this holiday season. read more

What a nice surprise on a recent trip to LA. The pot roast was really good and the chicken enchilada soup was really yummy. My new favorite place to stop on I-5. read more

Normally we have a great experience here but yesterday was so terrible that we had to walk out after waiting for 30 minutes without our order being taken. Who knows how much longer we would waited if we didn't leave. Unfortunately because of this I can only give one star. read more

Great find on the 5 stopped for lunch.. didn't want fast food .. great food ,great service and a wide variety on the menu .. will be back for sure . read more

If I were to compare this with other offerings along the I-5, my rating would go up to a 5. This is a great option for people stopping along the 5, who want something more than burgers and french fries. It has a homey charm, in a truck-stop kind of way. The food is good - not amazing, but well worth the stop. I was especially impressed with the cole slaw. And, they have huge refillable cokes if you're needing a caffeine refuel. read more

On our way back from an LA trip, we stopped by at Dennis for lunch. My daughter saw Willow Ranch across the street and we decided to try this place instead. We were all so amazed at how great the food was! Simply delish! Prices are reasonable. Best place to get a decent meal if you are in for a long drive like we did LAX to SFO. I highly recommend this place and will surely make this meal stop when we do our road trips. read more

I don't know how these folks do it, but they know their BBQ.....my family loves this place. We drive 30 miles 3-4 times a month and always have the best meals. Consistent, friendly service, and great food keeps us coming back. Keep up the good work! read more

For me I give this place a five star, I thought the food was good, tasty, wasn't dry like chicken typically is, I ordered the BBQ half chicken dinner. It was served up with a roll, mash potatoes and gravy. Also came with a small dinner salad and baked beans, the bake beans wasn't really all that great, the flavor just wasn't there for me. They could do better with it if they worked on it. The BBQ sauce I thought has a lot of flavor to it, as my my fingers will attest to that, I'm still licking them the day after, hahahaha. I'm gonna go back for sure as I have the time along the way, I'm a trucker, so we don't often get a chance to sit down and have a good meal everywhere we go, I'm greatful to be able to have this right across the street from the truck stop. I've had their Hot links before, they're tasty, and not real spicy. The sell their sauce. They've got Hot and Mild. There isn't anything around for miles that'll beat this place, if there is let me know, service was just fine, no complaints. Friendly atmosphere, they got a saloon if that's your desire to have adult beverages. Miserable people are difficult to please so ignore the 1-3 star reviews they weren't written by people who actually ate there, they're "drive-by" yelpers who like to give out bad reviews having never eaten there. People really exaggerate about waiting times and food quality, it's there way of cooking food if you don't like it go somewhere else and leave the best parts for the rest of us. read more

Willow Ranch hit the spot. Great Service and a yummy breakfast on the way home...I love these little diners off the 5 fwy!!!!

We were hungry and missed the prior in and out and decided to stop by. Really old timey feel and food much more reasonable and better than harris ranch (and I've tried HR multiple times). Reviews are right - brisket is extremely tender and definitely worth ordering. Also got the small tri tip salad which was solid but next time I would go with a salad and choose the brisket as the meat vs tri tip We also got the ribs which were also tasty. Kids meals were kids meals and yes - the pizza was microwaved but still strangely tasty. Bathrooms are small but modern and clean. Good stop and will stop by again! read more

When your hungry and there isn't much around, we stopped off this exit and came upon Willow Ranch. At first I was kind of skepticle since there were only 4 cars in the parking lot around noon and I knew most of them had to be the workers. So we go inside and I see 2 people inside. Ok maybe it is just slow due to the economy. This place looks like an old restaurant back in time. Nice and western like, with old signs on the wall. I'm looking through the menu and what do I see buy Chicken fried steak. And anyone that knows me, knows if there is chicken fried steak, I have to try it once. Well this place did it well and it was tender. Not only that the other dishes we order was good too. The waiter was very fast and courteous and within an hour the place had another 20 people. One thing that also perked my ears, was that someone placed an order for 45 sandwiches and I knew then this place had to be good. They actually made 45 sandwiches in about 20 minutes and had it out the door. read more

Nice size pieces. Friendly service. Best stop in Buttonwillow of all the choices. Off the main drag. I think more locals here.

Great stop with kids on I-5. Plow-boy sandwich was amazing, wife loved the french dip, and kids full of ribs on their faces. We'll stop again! read more

The service was very good and the food was excellent I would recommend if you're driving on the five freeway north or south definitely stop there for dinner or lunch read more

Bomb place to come and eat BBQ . Service was awesome. LOVE this place must come again.

We stopped here on a recent trip, and liked it well enough to stop again on our way back. It's where the locals eat, usually a good sign. They specialize in barbecue, but are willing to accommodate special diets, and offer a varied menu. Service was very good, even on a busy Saturday night. read more

Amazing family style BBQ. Loved everything about the place. The food was mind blowing and the staff was friendly, nice and overall great! Will come back for sure! read more

We stayed in Buttonwillow on the way home from Las Vegas; the clerk at the Red Roof Inn ($52 a night for a king size bed) recommended Willow Ranch and we loved it. One of the best meals we've had in a long time, wish there was one near our house. The service was very good and the waitress apologized for arriving at our table after a four or five minute wait. I thought I'd be the first to review it, glad to see a few others have found this great road trip stop. read more

Amazing restaurant must stop by and try the BBQ sauce! Absolutely phenomenal service will definitely come back.

Great food here but our server Blanca made our meal even better with her smile and friendly attitude. New Years Day and she was so pleasant it made us even happier we stopped there. read more

Traveling between northern CA and southern CA on the 5 you'll inevitably stop for a meal. There are of course the usual fast food options, but we're so glad we found this place. Returning home from our trip , the family was hungry and it was getting close to 9pm! Without anything decent in sight, we found Willow Ranch. It was near closing time since I saw they were beginning to clean and place chairs up on the tables. Thinking they were going to turn us away, we got ready to head back out to the car, instead they welcomed us and immediately sat us down. We're a family with kids, 11, 8, and 2! We ordered the 3 item BBQ platter and tri tip salad. The entire family was happy with the food and the service was great! Did I say that this was a place right off the I-5? Thanks Steven for a great meal and look forward to seeing you next year! Visiting Santa Monica anytime soon? Let me know... read more

Delicious place with large menu options. BBQ food was great and service was also great. I would definitely be back.

Not sure why this place has such good reviews? My family and I stopped in while travelling north and this place is below average. First we were seated at a plastic fold out table that was obviously very used and did not have a tablecloth or placemats on it, it was a textured plastic and I could not stop thinking about what was in all those little cracks and crevices. We ordered the hot wings to start and they were delivered cold in the middle, they were totally undercooked and the skin was slimey. It appeared that nothing was homemade, simply frozen and heated, or from a can. I ordered the chicken salad sandwhich and it was more mayo than chicken, only taste was mayo and the bread was a basic prepackaged french roll..yuck. On a positive note, the fries were good. My son ordered the kids cheeseburger which looked like a hockey puck and the cheese wasn't melted. The sirloin steak ordered by my huband was "ok" to quote him. My daughter was the only one who really enjoyed her meal which was the kid ribs and fries. I recomend u drive right by on ur next trip up or down I-5, not worth the stop at all. read more

Pulled pork sandwich was GREAT! I'd get that again! Onion rings were standard- nothing special but not bad. Beef ribs were exceptional. Bring your dog, as they have an outside, dog-friendly patio!! I have it at 4 stars for terrible service. Actually it was just the waitress, the runners were good.. read more

This was place was ok. I was a little worried since it is in a truck stop area. Needed a break. Food was decent. Service was good. Forgot we are in a 'fly' area so I did see some flies near our table. Apparently the chicken (fried) is frozen and not fresh. Not sure why since it is a farm area. I was also surprised about how busy it got around 6pm. If I was on another road trip and needed a break (san fran - orange county), I would be ok with stopping here. Change of pace from fast food. read more

First time here and will definitely be back! Found this diner through Yelp as we were traveling and needed a place to eat. Stopped for lunch... Plow Boy sandwich was devoured by my husband... highly recommend it! I had the California Chicken Burger... delicious! ! Ordered the garlic fries of which I didn't care for... to oily for my taste. A shake for the road and we were ready to roll again. read more

The brisket and chicken was ok, but the ribs were terrible. A below average place. Not again.

love there rib eye stake we drive here twice month the people are great yummmmmmmmmmmmmm !!!!

Very nice family diner. People were friendly, and service was excellent. Food was very good, and fairly priced for the ample portions.

Service was excellent and the food better than most barbecue places. An unexpected highway treat.

The food here sure beats the fast food nearby. The place was jammed at lunch, but the service was fairly prompt and the ice tea big and cold. I had the tri tip sandwich, which was somewhat a disappointment. There was hardly any smoke or open fire flavor and the sauce, while flavorful, was too sweet for my personal taste. Will I come again? Sure as there is no other "real food" in Buttonwillow. read more

I have not found another place who does bbq beef ribs as good as this place. The kitchen can get backed up sometimes but please try to be patient. The barbecue sauce is the best I've ever tasted and nothing else can compare to it. I don't usually write reviews but I will for willow ranch I've been coming here for years and the food is always consistently good read more

Went to this place since it was recommended by family so decided to give it a try with some relatives. My mother-in-law ordered the ribs and I had a chance to try it. It was very tasty and moist. On the other hand, I ordered the French dip with onion rings. The French dip was extremely salty and couldn't eat it. I had my husband try it and he confirmed it was too salty for his taste as well. I informed the waiter immediately and he suggested that I try the tri-tip sandwich but he came back to say the chef said it has the same seasoning so I would probably not like it. In the end , I had to pay for meaI I couldn't eat . The waiter apologized and said the restaurant only gave a $2 discount for a meal that was discarded. It cost me $10 for a throw-away sandwich. The chef and management should have tried it. I'm sure they would have agreed with my husband and I. The restaurant costumer service was so disappointing. I would have talked to the manager but I was traveling with a group of relatives and didn't want to keep them waiting. read more

Good food, simple menu - i guess there specialty is bbq, but i ordered sandwich and salad which was nice and fresh. Wait staff, friendly and accomodating. read more

Amazing BBQ - the best we had ever tried! We had the brisket, beef ribs, and chicken - all were excellent, especially the brisket. Such a pleasant surprise to find such a fun, typical American restaurant (complete with counter and stools) in the middle of nowhere off the I-5 between LA and San Francisco. Plan to stop here for dinner or lunch if you are on this freeway! read more

I was up here on Election Day. My friend & I thought we would eat at the Denny's here (EEEEWWWWWW) or the Indian place (they were closed for Election Day) but I spotted this place across the street & it looked like a spot to try out. The temperature inside was a little too warm, but my cheeseburger was cooked to absolute perfection and the patties were big and inexpensive, as well as perfectly fresh. read more

On a VERY long drive home from SF to OC we stopped in for dinner. Did not want the only other options along that 9 hour drive in traffic, which were all fast food. The Willow Ranch was a welcome site and did not dissapoint. The food was fresh and plentiful and the service and so great and fast. Husband had the brisket dinner and I had the chicken. The BBQ sauce was delicious. Highly recommend for anyone that wants to sit down quielty and quickly and have a home coooked meal. Very nice people too! read more

One of very few decent eateries on the long, barren stretch of I-5 through the San Joaquin Valley. The pork ribs were cooked perfectly, topped with an excellent BBQ sauce. The slaw was also quite good. Unfortunately, the other sides, FF, corn-on-the-cob, BBQ beans & roll were uninspiring, but I went for the ribs so was happy. Will definitely make this a regular stop when traveling between LA & SF. read more

100% improvement on the food and the salad bar everything was so fresh the waiter was very nice and accommodating