I shouldn't even give a star because I didn't have the privilege of trying the food. I had an important work meeting at Cabrillo College and needed lunch delivered for us. I picked this place because of their easy online ordering system. I didn't know it was door dash, otherwise I would have picked somewhere else. Our admin assistant placed the order and didn't think anything of it. The day of, the door dash driver was lost and wouldn't answer my call. Then someone from Door Dash calls and tells me the driver doesn't speak English. He wouldn't give me details as to where the driver was and after a frustrating back and forth, he tells me my order is canceled and hangs up. NO FOOD, no nothing! I called Aptos St and after putting me on hold, basically told me tough luck and that I would be refunded. She told me a manager would call me, but I never received a call. This was a $100+ order. Deeply disappointed to say the least, and extremely embarrassed that I had to hold a lunch meeting without food. read more

Stopped by on a Monday for lunch and there was no wait. I went with the gaucho sandwich which is brisket, provolone and peppers on toasted bread and chimichurri sauce. The meat was tasty, the sauce was definitely not chimichurri. The regular size is just enough and I have a small appetite so I would recommend a large if you're actually hungry. I was very disappointed in the portion size for my side Mac and cheese. It didn't even fill to the top line in the little paper bowl. My husband got two sides and they were but full so I guess it depends on who makes your order. He was happy enough with the tri tip he got. The beers on tap are great. I got a tasty guava sour and I really like that they offer a taste before you commit. All the beers are the same price so you can pay with your food before going to grab a beer. The outside patio is very dog and kid friendly and there's a corn hole set up. I can see this place being very popular when it's hot out. Overall food was good though but I'd like the portion to be just a bit bigger given the prices. parking was easy in their private lot. read more

Aptos St BBQ - Gaucho sandwich with Mac and cheese and the tri tip with Mac and cheese and beans - Barbeque Near Me - Aptos, California

Boo, drove all the way here for the Gaucho Sandwich only to find out they don't have it because they have no chimichurri sauce. Like, really?? read more

Very disappointed. Placed an online order for three no meat breakfast tacos. Got home, realized they had given me brisket. Called back, luckily, we live close by. I was told to come back for my order and this is what I was given. Much to my dismay I asked the staff what this was??? A conversation in the back ensued in Spanish and they told me to wait a few minutes. A few moments later, they come back, handing me three separate tortillas. Extremely rude kitchen staff specifically the Hispanic lady rolling her eyes, refusing to make my order properly. Pretty sure this is YOUR fault ma'am. Pretty crazy considering how overpriced this place already is. Most locals stay away because we know better. Lots of better options in town. read more

Aptos St BBQ - Build Your Own Breakfast Tacos??! - Barbeque Near Me - Aptos, California

If there's a bbq place around I gotta try it. Tri-Tip is my favorite food so i have to order it if they have it. It was a 9oz portion with 2 sides and bread was a hefty lunch but after a workout it was definitely needed. The tri tip was smoked very well with a nice smoky flavor but it was kinda fatty which is unusual for a leaner cut of meat. The Mac & cheese was good but nothing special. The beans were amazing and had a nice kick! I always try the sauces as well if they're house made and they offered 2: spicy & original. The spicy was my favorite of the two but they both were very flavorful and not overwhelming. Thick and tasty. The spicy was good and not too spicy. If you're in the Santa Cruz area you should definitely check this place out! read more

Aptos St BBQ - Tri tip, Mac and cheese, beans - Barbeque Near Me - Aptos, California

Aptos BBQ did our company appreciation lunch (Sutter Health)! Food was GREAT! Love the brisket & chicken! I also eat at their other location in Carmel at the Crossroads. Food is consistently GREAT! Bravo to the team!! read more

Really good bbq. Hard to say anything else. It's a Local place and I'm glad I tried it out. Cool vibe, live music and just great food. We got ribs and the yummy sides of beans, a macaroni side. And the bread! The garlic bread and corn bread and all the bread. Soo good. Only issue for my first time was not enough inside dining when this random awful cold rainy weather is happening. But can't wait to go back when the weathers better and enjoy more bbq with alot with outside seating, live music and just an amazing chill vibe w everyone. read more

Aptos St BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Aptos, California

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Saw add on facebook and decided to try the place. Awesome food and service. Easy access and along the bike lane. Manager was great!!

I just recently went to Aptos bbq and had a large trip tip sandwich with a side of coleslaw. tri tip was so tender! Will be bringing my family to try this place. Can't wait to be back again! read more

Aptos St BBQ - Tri Tip Sandwich - Barbeque Near Me - Aptos, California

Best bbq I've ever had and a great atmosphere. The staff was so friendly and so helpful. The burnt ends were to die for! I'll definitely be returning! read more

Aptos St BBQ - Amazing burnt ends - Barbeque Near Me - Aptos, California

The staff is hilarious and super cool people, and food is more than great as well. Highly recommend stopping by if you're in town. read more

Aptos St BBQ - BBQ Spud - Barbeque Near Me - Aptos, California

THIS place has very tasty bbq food located in Aptos. I tried the ribs which was very tender and delicious. The garlic bread and cornbread is amazing. The service here is amazing. Come early before the meat runs out!! read more

So I ended up going with the bbq beef sandwich which is super good and the bbq sauce is amazing, but that's really the only thing I liked, as a table all the sides were super mid, especially the corn bread which was such a let down. The Mac and cheese was whatever wouldn't really get it again and the salads are the same. I would honestly just stick to the meats and not even bother with a side read more

Aptos St BBQ - Bbq beef sandwich Cornbread - Barbeque Near Me - Aptos, California

Awesome bbq along with great sides. Brisket was moist and had a lot of flavor. I'd put it up there with some of the best that I have had. Nice craft beer menu as well. Staff were nice and friendly. Definitely will be back whenever I am in town! read more

Such a great find after we found ourselves in the area. Got a pulled pork meal and a tri-tip sandwich (sides: mac n cheese, potato salad, cole slaw). So much food for what I thought were great and reasonable prices. The best part was enjoying the bbq with the live music! Will definitely make a point to come back if I'm in this city again. read more

Aptos St BBQ - Pulled pork meal with potato salad and Cole slaw (front), tritip sandwich with mac n cheese (back) - Barbeque Near Me - Aptos, California

We had awesome BBQ at Aptos BBQ. Visiting here for a ukulele festival at the KOA. Sorry we missed the jazz performance! Nice vibes at this place. Great service, yummy food. I especially loved the corn bread and brisket. My daughter had the chicken, which was good too. You won't be disappointed. Go on Saturday to hear live music! read more

Atmosphere is great. Sodas are a fun local brand. The live music has been fantastic both times. The staff is friendly. The bathrooms are clean. Parking is easy when it's not too busy. The prices are normal California BBQ prices. The food is lackluster. Beans are decent. Mac and cheese is flavorless the cornbread is dry and flavorless. Not sure how but they seem to over salt everything and undersmoke everything. I see smoke billowing out of their smoker. Not sure how the flavor isn't getting in to the meat. The food will 100% disappoint you. I tried the tritip, brisket, pulled Pork and chicken and they were all disappointing. The hotlinks were decent. Can't speak for the ribs. Will still probably go back as we didn't get sick and the atmosphere is fun. Please fix the food. read more

After the sticker shock, at least the food is good. We ordered the 4 meat combo. We ordered two portions of the pork ribs, brisket, tri tip. The ribs each portion was only equal to two small ribs. See picture. The tray is only a quarter sheet pan. The sides were 5oz each (sauce cups). The brisket was fatty and tender. Tri tip was nice. The ribs were really small and didn't have much meat on it and was on the drier side. All were nice and smokey. We also ordered the C Mac salad. It was refreshing next to a lot of meat. All in all a decent meal but quite expensive. We've had just as good and the price is more fair from the Bay Area. read more

Aptos St BBQ - C Mac berry bleu salad with spicy chicken - Barbeque Near Me - Aptos, California

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Was looking for a BBQ spot near the beach. Found this little gem! I'm kinda a BBQ snob. This place hit the mark! I judge a place by its brisket. The brisket was juicy and flavorful. The tri-tip was tasty. It was a little salty for me, but my tastebuds were enjoying it. The ribs were spot on. I would put these ribs at competition level. Mac and cheese was good. So was the potato salad. The restaurant has a nice interior. It looks like they have a nice beer line up. The beer would go great with the salty meats. I would come back here the next time l. I am adding this to my places to share! read more

Delicious! Aptos doesn't have too much but this place had a lot of reviews so I figured it just be good. I signed up for their rewards program a couple days before my birthday, and on the day of my birthday, they sent a $15 off coupon. Fantastic! Do this if you plan on eating there! Even if you don't, start earning points so you can get a discount on a future visit. I ordered the Gaucho sandwich and a side of Mac and cheese. The sandwich was great. Cheesy, hot (despite waiting a couple minutes to take some pictures), and flavorful. The bbq sauces were good as well. I know some reviewers complained about the bread used but I had no issues with the bread. It held its own and wasn't a soggy sloppy mess. I didn't really get any garlic taste from it though. Mac and cheese was ok, nothing special or crazy, out of all the sides it's still probably what I would choose again, unless they ever add French fries to the menu. Will come back next time I'm in town! read more

This is the 2nd year that we have used Aptos BBQ for our company BBQ. They really make ordering online easy. I got feedback within the hour of my request. The staff is very friendly and polite and answered all questions I had. My food was delivered on time very warm and each tray is labeled. They provide all the serving and eating utensils plus the plates and napkins. We have about 54 people at my company and we ordered two of the Reunion packages and it was plenty of food. A lot of us took plates home because there was so much. Anyways I would definitely consider these guys for your party. Thanks again Aptos BBQ for helping us to put on another great company Summer BBQ. Sincerely C Jacobs Spectra Mat Inc. read more

I ordered "The Onion" dinner. It was amazing. I had 10 guests: everyone loved the food and we have enough leftover for another meal I am so grateful for the delicious food and helpful courteous service read more

Today I ordered the regular BBQ Chicken Sandwich ($15.50 excl tax + tip) for dinner. The size of the sandwich I received was almost laughable - served on a small bread roll wrapped in tinfoil - it's what I would barely consider a half sandwich. When I unwrapped it the amount of meat on the sandwich was very very conservative. The food itself tasted great. Grilled bbq chicken is delicious and the potato salad side was excellent. Service was very good - server delivered me my order curbside and even ran back in to get me some extra napkins and a complimentary extra bbq sauce. After eating this order I had to go back out to get another dinner. If you eat here, you just gotta order double, or be prepared to be hungry afterwards. read more

I was having coffee at Cat & Cloud nearby with my boyfriend and decided to check this place out since it was almost lunch time. The smell of smoked meats got stronger as we got closer. We saw someone checking on the smoker and a giant pile of wood, so we felt like we were in for a treat. We ordered one regular sized brisket plate ($17.75) to share, it came with two sides and a slice of corn bread. We chose potato salad and mac & cheese. The brisket was tender, juicy, and had a nice smoke ring. We thought the bark was a bit too salty on its own, but the brisket was balanced when eaten all together. They had regular bbq and spicy bbq sauces on the side. I'm not the biggest bbq sauce fan but I thought they were perfectly fine. They were appropriately tangy and sweet. The potato salad was one of the better potato salads I've eaten out, it tasted fresh and had a pleasant acidity. The mac & cheese tasted like garlic alfredo, which was tasty but it didn't feel like a mac & cheese. The slice of corn bread came griddled with a pat of butter and honey packet on the side. It wasn't dry or overly sweet. We liked how it was slightly crisp and enjoyed it with our brisket . I liked it much more than the plain sandwich bread slices you get at some other barbecue places. Overall, Aptos St BBQ is a solid place and I'd definitely come back if I was in the area. I thought portions were fine (I've definitely had unsatisfactory portions at other bbq places) but recommend getting the larger plate if you want to share it with someone. We were fine sharing the regular plate this time since I didn't feel like eating much. We came on Sunday and it was getting busy around 11:30 am, so I also recommend coming a bit earlier if you don't mind having an early lunch. read more

Aptos St BBQ - Brisket - Barbeque Near Me - Aptos, California

Not my first time here, nor will it be my last time here. There are SO many things on their menu that I want to try. The first time I was here they had run out of brisket, so I had a pulled pork sandwich. It was excellent. This time they had brisket and I had the regular brisket sandwich with a side of coleslaw. The sandwich is simple: bread, brisket, bbq sauce. Excellent. The coleslaw was too my liking.....light dressing and cabbage. That was it! Next time it will be the boneless pork rib sandwich. And try out the other sides! This is a must do if you're in the area. read more

For California, great BBQ! Brisket, ribs, burnt ends, all on point! Good selection of beer read more

The food is amazing, beer cold, service is spot on. Be a good person and go here for BBQ. Spend your hard earned money!

Where can you find the most amazing barbecue featuring Local LIVE Music EVERY evening of the WEEK??? Great family- friendly vibe and bonus, all the staff are extremely accommodating and so knowledgeable on their AWESOME Beer selections! read more

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Our go-to for whenever we are in Aptos. The 2-meat combo is always enough food for two to share. Amazing beer selection too.

COULD NOT HAVE BEEN BETTER. Their as always fabulous food delivered on time to my house with napkins, cutlery, even TONGS FOR SERVING. Everything was hot. I will be using them for future events. read more

Ate here after an eight mile hike in the redwoods and it was bliss. The brisket sandwich was so tender and amazing, the mac and cheese was great, the ribs were all eaten, the berry cobbler was a must. Would come again! Lots of seating indoors and outdoors, and a live band when we went. Awesome atmosphere and service. read more

Honestly, this is one of the best BBQ places in the Bay Area. Their meats definitely have that WOW factor! I love how welcoming the staff is here. It feels like they genuinely want you to feel comfortable and enjoy some great BBQ. We've ordered takeout and dined in many times, and I've always appreciated the consistency of the food. The quality of the meat is top-notch, with a perfect smoky flavor and tenderness. Their brisket is the best -- a great balance of lean and fatty cuts, crispy edges, and juicy, flavorful meat that falls apart beautifully. The tri-tip is also moist and cooked to perfection, though you can definitely notice the difference in tenderness between the two cuts of beef. The ribs are meaty, perfectly cooked, and have a wonderful smoky flavor. They shouldn't fall off the bone on their own, but they come off easily -- exactly how ribs should be. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. The pulled BBQ pork melts in your mouth, incredibly moist and perfectly smoked. One thing to note: items tend to run out early, so it's a good idea to call or order ahead! read more

Just FYI, here is my $7 hotlink. With tax and tip who knows what I am in to this little thing for. The pic is untouched, no bread no sides included. Food here is good but has become waaay too expensive. This hotlink actually angered me. Shrinkflation to the extreme. read more

Aptos St BBQ - $7 Hotlink - Barbeque Near Me - Aptos, California

We had the three meat plate with burnt ends, pulled pork, and brisket. We chose potato salad and beans for the side and every plate comes with a choice of garlic bread or cornbread. We had the delicious cornbread. While everything was tasty, the hands down favorite meat was the burnt ends. Absolutely fantastic! read more

Aptos St BBQ - Three meat plate: brisket, burnt ends, and pulled pork. Sides: cornbread, Potato Salad, and beans. - Barbeque Near Me - Aptos, California

Met a friend for lunch. Ordered the chicken plate with mac and bean sides and cornbread. Was not asked what part of the chicken I preferred and I forgot to request breast. Got the plate and it was not hot out of the oven. I was given a leg. My friend went and asked if I could have a breast. They did give me one free of charge. The cornbread flavor was grease so I asked for garlic bread. That was no better. I have to say I will not eat there again. Not sure if there are different owners.... Not sure if the owner or manager was sitting up front, on speakerphone so everyone can hear. It was annoying to say the least. read more

The brisket is to die for! It's a good thing I don't live closer. I'd go broke eating there.

The food was so amazing here. I would highly recommend if you like barbecue. My favorite things would have to be the burnt ends and the garlic bread. So good! One of the best barbecue places I have ever been. read more

Aptos St BBQ is a fantastic spot for barbecue in the Aptos area. Whether you're looking for a lively outdoor seating or a cool live band to jam to while you enjoy your bbq, there's something here for everyone. The selection is awesome. They offer sandwiches, various cuts of meats, salad-not to mention their fabulous sides. Prices are pretty reasonable compared to a lot of barbecue joints in the Bay Area. * Gaucho sandwich- basically the best bbq sandwich you could ask for. So it's two garlic breads stacked with melty fatty, meaty brisket, layered in provolone cheese and topped off with chimichurri sauce. The bread was *chefs kiss* so soft and fluffy, with a toasty outer edge. The flavors topped off with some sweet bbq sauce is perfection. * Corn bread was the best cornbread I've had in a long time. The slice was thin but the edges were toasted and buttery. The corn bread was slightly grainy with a strong corn flavor. The corn bread is amazing with a drizzle of honey. * Mac and cheese was super simple style mac and cheese. Pasta was cooked well and the cheese flavor was apparent but not overwhelmingly cheesy nor bold in any flavor. Its good if you're looking for something simple but I prefer more depth so I added barbecue sauce and it was immensely better. I would probably skip this next time. * Potato salad was incredibly refreshing and light with a strong mustard flavor. The herbs and seasonings shine beautifully in this dish. The potato was so creamy and delicate. * Tritip was decent. The cut we received was on the leaner side so it was a bit tough. The meat tasted more like roast beef to me. It had that soft chewy texture and lacked much smokiness. I would skip next time. Service was friendly. You can order at the counter, enter your phone number so they can text you when the food is ready. Theres a counter for utensils, napkins, and various condiments. I would say definitely come for the Gaucho sandwich and the cornbread alone! The sides are all great in their own way. Price was very reasonable although the portion was much smaller than I had anticipated. Either way, we spent about $35 for two people and left with full bellies. Next time I'd save room for dessert because that bread pudding looked absolutely heavenly with a side of icecream. read more

Aptos St BBQ - Gaucho sandwich and plate of tritip - Barbeque Near Me - Aptos, California

Long overdue review...! Stopped in for a cold adult beverage (barely pop)... and couldn't help but notice the smoke wafting around the parking lot as we walked into the joint. Wound up staying for lunch. Anyone remember the cartoon show "The Flintstones"? Recall the huge rib thrown on the Flintstonemobile, causing it to nearly tip over? Well, their ribs are a bit smaller, but not by much. I mean, you could mount one of these bones in a doorway and do chin-ups... their BEEF rib is a monster, and, yes, you order them one-at-a-time. A real monument to excess. Had the BBQ Beef rib (yes, just one!), some tri-tip, beans, potato salad, and cole slaw. Their barbecue sauce has some attitude to it... so good, you'll be tempted to lick your plate. Yes, it's that good. Try the beers they have on tap. The service is great. read more

The catering staff did a beautiful job! Everything was carefully and deliciously prepared down to the last detail. My family enjoyed every bite! The best part was all the lovely leftovers to enjoy! Well done Aptos St BBQ!! Thank you!! read more