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    Best BBQ Santa Barbara

    3.9 (132 reviews)
    ModerateBarbeque
    Open 10:30 am - 8:00 pm

    Order Best BBQ Santa Barbara Takeout or Delivery

    Best BBQ Santa Barbara Photos

    BEST BBQ SANTA BARBARA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Happy hour specials
    Dogs allowed
    Outdoor seating

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    Reviews With Photos - Best BBQ Santa Barbara

    2 meat combo perfect for 2 people.
    Annie P.

    The food was 10/10 and the staff was amazing. The place itself was super clean and fresh. I will definitely be back again!

    Entrance of State St
    Lance B.

    I actually stumbled upon this location on a recent visit to Santa Barbara while strolling down State St. I really liked it; nothing fancy and really no frills. You order up at the counter and grab it when it's ready. It was a one man show the day I was there , even though it was not busy the employee still had to hustle. If you want good tasting BBQ and you go in not expecting a 5 star situation then I think you will really enjoy it. I have no reason not to rate 5 stars; BBQ Tri- Tip was tasty, the steamed veges were as equally good and the service was fine.

    Great smoked meat
    John T.

    It's nice to have a great BBQ spot in the center of downtown State Street! The meats I had were delicious and perfectly smoked. I'm particular, the tri-tip, chicken, and hot links were excellent! The service was great with one of the owners personally tending to our table. Definitely a great place to try out!

    beef ribs woth colelaw and beans
    Myra V.

    Food Servings in SB is huge and the prices are great. This bbque place i found here on Yelp is pretty good. At first we are reluctant coz they are not as busy as the other restaurants in the area and the trolley guys said he has not found a good bbque place in the area. We almost change our mind eating bbque but we have been eating seafood since we came. Im glad we did try. The service is great and we saw them grilling their meat inside. What's great is that they don't mix the bbque sauce on the meat. You are able to taste the meat and not the sauce. The side sweet beans is good and veggies are fresh. Typical bbque place ambience. Lots of seating inside the restaurant, clean and cozy. I recommend this place if you are in the area craving for some bbque. You can share 1 order if you are not a big eater.

    Joe F.

    The food had a great flavor. I had the tri-tip and chicken bowl, that also came with rice and beans. The tri-tip and chicken was chopped up places over the rice and beans. The tri-tip and chicken was moist and had a great smokey flavor. They have 3 different BBQ sauces. I had the 50/50 which was hot and sweet. It was very good! They also serve alcohol, fountain drinks, and bottled drinks The service was great. I got a little bit of a break down of what I was ordering. Their menu is simple and easy to order from. The smell of hickory smoke when you walk in!!! The ambiance is simple with wood tables and chairs. They have TVs and photos on the walls. I will definitely eat here again and try other items on their menu. You will have to try it for yourself in order to form your own opinion.

    Sosa J.

    Best BBQ in Santa Barbara is a winner! The five meat platter was packed with smoky flavor and perfectly cooked. A cold Chief Peak beer on draft was the perfect pairing, and football on the big screens made the experience even better. Definitely worth a visit! Check out my visit @sosalicious805 https://www.instagram.com/reel/DEguyw8xaLK/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

    Menu
    Tan P.

    We were in Santa Barbara visiting the zoo and wanted to stroll along State Street when we stumbled into this familiar BBQ restaurant. This is an expansion of Best BBQ from Santa Paula. The meat quality is similar as well as their famous hot BBQ sauce. My child really liked their baked beans, too. The service was quick because it was not busy at all. I was able to order takeout by simply walking in and was out the door within 10-15 minutes. The meats all traveled well and tasted delicious at home. The restaurant is very spacious and clean, as well as accessible from State Street. I really hope the foot traffic increases and no they get more customers. Would hate to see a great bbq franchise close because of lack of marketing and promoting.

    Chicken & Tri-Tip Combo
    Alyssa A.

    We've tried their location in Santa Paula, so while we were in Santa Barbara, decided to give their SB location a try! Enjoyed the feel of this restaurant - super open space with plenty of seating. You can even watch them cooking the meats through a window. Generous portion sizes for their 2 meat combos. Got chicken and tri-tip with potato salad, mac salad, chili beans, and two slices of bread - perfect for making your own sandwich if you desire! Chicken was moist and flavorful. Tri Tip was a bit dry, but the BBQ sauce helped make up for that. Bread was toasted just right with that crisp on the outside. They also have a little bar area serving some local beers. Didn't try while we were here, but sometimes it's nice to have a beer with your dinner! Still like their Santa Paula location a bit better, but nice to see them branching out and spreading their BBQ!

    Cold Beers  on tap ! Big cold  Scooners !

    Always the BEST BBQ ! The place is always nice & clean with lots of seating along with great friendly service ! I'll have to add more pics next time couldn't wait to eat ! Enjoy !

    Chili beans and potato salad
    Mike H.

    Was walking by and seen the happy hour special. 10 dollar sandwich. Got the beef was a big sandwich with lots of meat. Did the half and half bbq sauce half mild, half spicy. Still very spicy, next time I am getting the mild. Meat was tender but dry. Definitely needed to add sauce. Service was stellar, friendly and attentive. I came right before 5pm so just made the happy hour pricing. Sides: the chili beans were good. Potato salad, not the style I like. Think they use sweet pickles in it. So not a fan. For the price you got a lot of good food.

    5 meats
    S W.

    I need to start by writing, "I miss Woody's BBQ". If that was still around, there is more argument on who can claim "Best BBQ". Anyway, this place was the first place I saw when I walked from a parking lot to Paseo Nuevo on State Street. The smell of freshly BBQ'ing meats drew me in. The menu is a bit limited, compared to Woody's and some other BBQ restaurants. There are choices of meat with 2 sides, a bowl with rice and said meats, or a sandwich with said meats. There are 5 types of meat. I wanted to try them all so I ordered the 5 meat platter, which consisted of Chicken, Tritip, Beef Rib, Pork Rib, and pork Hot Links with 2 sides and bread. In my opinion the weakest part of the entree were the beef rib, which was a bit tough and anorexic, and the tri tip, which I really had a real challenge to chew. I really enjoyed the chicken, which I was served the dark meat, the beans, and the potato salad, and the hot links,, which for some reason had more flavor when it was cold. I think flavor-wise everything is fine, they just need to have more control on cooking the red meats. The manager was manning the register that day. He was really nice and answered any questions and help with any thing I needed, like a box, and that is saying a lot because he was also busy fulfilling online orders. I think this place is good for BBQ and I would come back again.

    Chicken Tri-tip bean & rice bowl $15
    L M.

    Good bbq restaurant in Santa Barbara Main Street. First time here and the staff was knowledgeable and friendly. They do offer a small selection of beer & wine. The Restaurant and bathrooms were very clean. The food was pretty good, my favorite was the tri-tip meat. I was disappointed with the pork ribs though, they were tough not fall of the bone. The sides were all very good.

    Pork ribs, chicken, Cole slaw and pasta salad
    Vanessa D.

    I almost walked right past this place downtown! It's located across from Paseo Nuevo. There is a lot more seating inside than what I thought and you can see them BBQing while you wait for your food. I got the two meat combo with chicken, pork ribs, macaroni salad, coleslaw and mild sauce. The chicken and ribs were great dipped in the sauce! The macaroni salad and Cole slaw were good (not standout amazing). I have to say that I got a lot of food and there was a great array of drinks to choose from.

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    5 months ago

    Very delicious! Not a lot of variety but a great choice if you like Tri Tip sandwiches. Large space and kind service!

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    5 months ago

    Good food , filling and good customer service , will be back soon. Potato salad was yummy and so was the pasta

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    5 months ago

    Great service, waited about 2 minutes for the food. Meat was tender and the sauce was incredible. 5 stars

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    Cold Spring Tavern

    Cold Spring Tavern

    4.3
    (1.5k reviews)
    10.8 mi
    $$

    I'll update this review one day when I come back for the food!…read more Stopped by on our way home from Solvang. My dad and I have always talked about going here and since I was nearby on my honeymoon decided to make a trip to check it out. The parking is insane but I'm glad we decided to stop anyway. They have a tiny lot mostly for motorcycles so cars/trucks/suvs park along the side of the windy 2 lane mountain road! Make sure to slow way down when getting close as there are cars and people along both sides of the road. We grabbed a couple drinks and walked around to see all the old buildings. If you like history this is the place for you! The owners were collectors of old buildings and old items that are all over the property. It's a pretty big space too. The food all smelled so good. They have a restaurant on site with table service and full menu, and a small stand serving up freshly grilled tri tip sandwiches that looked amazing. There was live music so we just say around for a while enjoying the ambiance. The drinks are strong, staff is super nice, and it feels like stepping back in time. I'll be back for some food soon!

    Cold Spring Tavern has been serving travelers since it began as a stagecoach stop in 1865. The…read morelocation is absolutely stunning, under a grove of tall trees and by a stream. The menu is a bit hit and miss. I'd recommend the chili sampler, which features their Wild Game, Chile Verde, and Cold Spring chilis. I did try the tri-tip sandwich, but found the meat tough and gristly. I'd stick with the chili. Service was extremely prompt and friendly. Prices seemed reasonable considering the inflation that has continued unabated. Free parking on the street (be careful as it's a two-lane highway). Final verdict? It's a worthwhile stop to relive history and have lunch in a gorgeous setting.

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    Inside the restaurant
    Chili sampler
    Chili sampler
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    Shalhoob's Funk Zone Patio

    Shalhoob's Funk Zone Patio

    4.3
    (701 reviews)
    0.5 mi
    $$

    I'm a first timer here ! Excited…read more I got the Santa barber burger with a side of fries , and a Arnold Palmer drink Fries , and loaded nachos , and the ribs are very tasty . There is a lot of parking available next to the outside seating . Great customer service, very nice and welcoming sat us right away , not waiting time , they assisted us with cleaning the table's Clean environment, very bright , tv outside and the water jug if you need water all near by . They have shakes and smoothies choices of strawberries, mango and banana , also chocolate and cookies N Cream . They have heat warmers outside if needed . Well recommended to friends and family Definitely will be returning back here when I'm around the city .

    Stopped by this place on a recent visit to Santa Barbara…read more Not a lot of positive to say, but not bad enough to give it one star. That's for the worst of the worst. There was an indoor area, and we didn't know at the time, but there are separate outdoor waiter service areas and counter service. We did counter service. There were two people at registers. There was literally no one in front of us and no marked nor even obvious line area. Naturally we stand a few feet in front of one of the registers waiting for her to say, "can I help you" before we move to. Instead the woman (to make it worse, I think she was the patio manager because she was older than the others and seemed to be doing more things than just working a register) gives us the, "I need you to wait in the line area over there" and points to a barrel with no indication that it's a line. You know like the old David Spade skit. This already left a bad taste in my mouth because again there was no line marked, no one waiting, and it's not like we got up in her space or were being pushy. She was just power tripping. To make it worse, we came here because they literally have "full bar" painted on the outside of the building, and the other places around are mostly wine bars or beer gardens. BUT (keep reading)... One of the young people working calls us from the "line of just us" to help us (because of course the other woman wasn't going to). They have 3 specialty margaritas listed. I ask if I can just get a "regular margarita". She says "no because they only sell pre-made drinks". Uh, what about the FULL BAR? Then we sit down. They have a few long picnic bench style tables. They all had a party at them but they were big so we asked a group if we could share the opposite end. The other customers were cool and had no problem with it. BUT... There were no napkins nor condiments. When our food arrived, it was mediocre. We left unhappy but didn't make a fuss. As we were leaving, the power tripping woman thanked us for coming as if she hadn't just been a total B to us for no reason.

    Photos
    Family style
    Family style
    Tri-tip Chili
    Tri-tip Chili
    1/2 lb Tri-Tip w/ side of fries and Mac & Cheese

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    1/2 lb Tri-Tip w/ side of fries and Mac & Cheese
    Mylestone BBQ

    Mylestone BBQ

    4.8
    (18 reviews)
    10.2 mi

    My friends and I stopped by here as we were waiting for our car to be inspected for a flat tire…read moreafter our camping trip. That flat tire was definitely a blessing in disguise because without it, we wouldn't have found this incredible spot! This place is located in a business complex, and from the outside, it looks like a quaint little place, but the moment you walk in, it is HUGE! Tons of seating, a pool table, and outdoor patio. It's even dog friendly! Such a hidden gem. Not only that, but the food was INCREDIBLE! We tried everything on the menu, and we were all blown away. Each of my friends had a different favorite, which means that there's something for everyone, and I'm still drooling just thinking about it. Haha It's hard to pick favorites, but I especially loved the ribs and tri tip sandwich. The staff was SUPER friendly and took their time explaining the menu to us. They made us feel like close friends rather than customers. It's been awhile since I left a review for anything, but I knew I needed to give this place one because they deserve all the hype. I'll definitely make my way down here next time I am in the Santa Barbara area.

    Really good bbq. I had the tri tip sando, pork spare ribs and esquite. The meat was smoked really…read morewell, tender and still really juicy and Smokey. Located in The Draughtsman brewery in Goleta, the vibe is really cool and good beers on tap. Charles, the owner is really friendly and takes care of you. He's got some good bbq sauces and hot sauce is banging.

    Photos
    Chicken leg quarter and a pint for lunch
    Chicken leg quarter and a pint for lunch
    Homemade Bourbon Crème brûlée pairs nicely with Draughtsmen Star Pine wine
    Homemade Bourbon Crème brûlée pairs nicely with Draughtsmen Star Pine wine
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    Timber's Roadhouse

    Timber's Roadhouse

    3.9
    (238 reviews)
    11.5 mi
    $$

    My family recently hosted a rehearsal party on Friday night. The bridal party was a little late so…read morewe appreciated the kitchen, trying to catch up and making sure everyone has serve served before the bar and the kitchen were closed. The biggest highlight revolved around the staff working so hard making sure everything was cleared for us as well as making sure if any food orders were missing or there was someone missing their food. I ordered the chicken sandwich and I was absolutely blown away by how large it was and how flavorful their steak fries were. I'll have to try ther barbecue the next time I'm around!

    Disappointing experience at a place we've loved for years. My partner and I have been regulars at…read moreTimbers Roadhouse for years, stopping by 4-5 times annually whenever we pass through Goleta. This visit was unfortunately our worst experience there by far. It was the first time we'd sat in the dining room instead of the bar. It was early - around 5:00. The happy hour buffalo chicken sliders and Brussels sprouts were good. However, things went downhill with our entrees. My tri-tip dinner (ordered medium rare) arrived as two thin slices of medium rare covering three slices of gray, well-done meat underneath. It was tough and tasted old - it seemed like the kitchen was trying to hide poor quality, overcooked meat. My partner's ribeye was cooked to the right temperature but extremely gristly - only about half of the twelve ounces was actually edible. When I sent my tri-tip back, our server (who was genuinely trying to help) returned to say they were out of tri-tip and a new one would take 45 minutes. By then my partner was halfway through his steak. I asked to just have the meat removed and I'd just eat my sides. Here's where it went from bad to worse: the manager (owner's daughter) charged us $7 each for the sides as "à la carte" items and argued when I explained I only ate them because that's all I had. She eventually offered 50% off the entrée but her confrontational attitude made things worse. The owner was more understanding when we escalated it to her, but the damage was done. Our server did her best in a tough situation - the issues were with the kitchen and management's handling of the problem. Really heartbroken about this experience at a place we've loved. We'll probably try again someday but will stick to burgers and salads at the bar.

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    Beautiful bar
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    Barbareño

    Barbareño

    4.4
    (639 reviews)
    0.3 mi
    $$$

    Barbareño is a well-known spot in SB serving up beautifully presented farm to table Central Coast…read morecuisine. Reservations are highly recommended here, so plan accordingly. Wifey and I stopped by for dinner with reservations and were seated inside upon arrival. They have an elegant dimly lit ambiance with seating inside or outside on their patio. We ended up getting a spread consisting of the Ranchero Scotch Eggs, Hope Ranch Mussels, Especial, and the Chicken & Ranch. Everything was delicious and we thoroughly enjoyed our meal!

    If I could give this place 40 stars, I would! Every single thing we ordered absolutely melted in…read moreour mouths. The flash-fried ricotta dumplings were incredible. They were perfectly crispy without being greasy at all, and the sauce was so delicious you'll want to lick the plate clean. We also had the tagliatelle with mushrooms, and it was absolutely to die for. It was rich, flavorful, perfectly cooked, and every bite was better than the last. The smoked barbecue platter was unbelievable. The meat was so tender it literally melted in your mouth, with incredible smoky flavor in every bite. Even the burger was outstanding. It's rare to find a restaurant where every single dish is a hit, but this place absolutely delivered. To top it all off, the service was exceptional. Everyone was warm, attentive, and made the entire experience feel special. This was honestly one of the best meals I've ever had. If I could give this place 40 stars, I would. They deserve a Michelin star, and I can't wait to come back!

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    Beers

    Best BBQ Santa Barbara - bbq - Updated July 2026

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