Spent the day in Santa Barbara celebrating a friend's birthday and happened to stop into Best BBQ…read more-- easily one of the highlights of the trip. The service and food were both outstanding. Jenny was our server, and she was absolutely fantastic. Friendly, attentive, and just a joy to interact with. Able was working the grill, and you could taste the skill and care in every bite. This spot instantly became a new favorite. Next time I'm in Santa Barbara, Best BBQ will be my first stop. And one more time -- Happy Belated Birthday to Jenny! June babies really are the best.

Tried one of the most talked about BBQ spots in Santa Barbara and ordered the 2 meat combo with tri…read moretip and beef rib. It came with a huge chunk of bread, baked beans, and two sides. We went with double macaroni salad. The tri tip ended up being our favorite. It was juicy, tender, and packed with smoky flavor. We were actually more excited for the beef rib, hoping it would be super juicy and fall off the bone tender, but it didn't quite hit that expectation. It was still flavorful, just a little tougher than we hoped. The half and half sauce also had more spice than we personally prefer. The baked beans were delicious and paired really well with the meats. The only side that fell a little flat for us was the macaroni salad because it could definitely use a bit more flavor and dressing. Also taking off one star because the silver skin on the ribs should've been removed for a cleaner bite. That said, for the portion size and quality of food, the price was honestly very affordable. You definitely get a lot of food for what you pay for, which makes it a great BBQ spot if you're hungry and want something satisfying without spending too much. Overall, still a solid BBQ stop in Santa Barbara and definitely worth trying if you're craving smoked meats.

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 is 19th century Americana being a stage coach stop established in 1868. This…read morerough wood hewn complex of buildings is set among tall trees fronting a winding country road at San Marcos Pass. Inside is rustic, rural with wagon wheel chandelier, river rock fireplace, vintage photos, taxidermied animal heads and antlers. Outdoor picnic table dining under shaded trees is another alternative. The Old Place in Cornell in the Agoura Hills seems like a doppelgänger alternative which is way closer to L.A. if driving 3 hours with present day high fuel costs is a consideration. 1) Original Cold Spring Tri-Tip Sandwich: Cold Spring Tavern takes pride in thick cut Tri-Tip which makes it tough, fibrous, too chewy. So I had to cut up the well aged meat thinner to break up the fibers to soften and make it more pleasing. Marinating with red wine, black pepper, garlic will subtly tenderize the beef as well as adding more complex flavours. Cooked to medium, which means a little pink in the middle, was fine, but I was surprised there was so very little oak smoke scent to this bbq'ed meat. Maybe adding a touch of heavily scented mesquite would make for better aromatics. ¡Don't char the buns! I noticed some of the Yelp photos showed black marks, but turned out fine. Overall, a very bland, unimpressive sandwich. Had to add more house bbq sauce to put more punch to this sandwich. 1a) House made bar-b-q sauce was dark, reddish brown. Tomato, treacle, sweet-sour with a pronounced smoke essence which was good since the meat didn't have much smokiness. Apple Horseradish was refreshing, faintly fruity, slight edge of aromatic pungency. Famous Beer Batter Onion Rings $2.50 extra: Big mistake. The crust is extra thick, too bready, and overfried so the batter is tough and hard. I tapped my fork against an Onion ring, and it made a hard, thud-like sound! 2) Chili Sampler $23.00 a) Cold Spring Chili: Ground sirloin, tomato, chilies, pinto beans, cheese, onion, crackers. Chewy, starchy Pinto beans. Bit of chile piquancy, sweet sour finish. Gastrique from the tomato. Possibly grassy, oily bay leaf. Beefy Sirloin is rough ground. b) Wild Game Black Bean: Venison, rabbit, buffalo, black beans, chilies, cheese, sour cream. Small, chewy black beans and extra smokey cumin adds a pronounced earthiness. Non-tomato sauce based. Agrodolce/sweet-sour. Nice rough ground or fibrous meats. c) Chili Verde: Pork, chicken, chilies, onion, tomato, cheese, sour cream. Chunks of chewy pork, shredded chicken breast. Good dose of mouth warming chile piquancy and slow burning kick. Sourness from stewed tomato, meaty Umami with a green poblano scent. May be the least simmered to preserve elements of "freshness". Paired with a leathery, snappy flour tortilla. 1-2a) Having to drive, only Iced Tea. For pairing, Beer would do a good job. Maybe a Hazy IPA might do. 3) Jack Daniel's Pecan Pie $12.00 Good home style, compressed rustic crust absorbing some of the sweet, plush, soft filling that is not cloyingly sweet like most pecan pies, but subtle to let the bourbon woodiness, caramelized char, vanilla flavours to shine through. It somehow reminded me of eating Jello Butterscotch Pudding of my youth. Tons of candied Pecans studded on top of this satisfying pie. You have to get the Chili Sampler. Tri-Tip sandwich is not really exceptional. Our waiter was friendly, knew when to intervene in a good way. Cold Spring Tavern is worth the stop if only to enjoy its bucolic surroundings and some grub in a historic setting. 4- stars

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 .

Super disappointing. We split brisket, ribs, and slaw. All of it was aggressively "mid", as the…read morekids say, and now I'm out like 35 bucks. ribs were the best part and admittedly kept us energized for a while after. But there was nothing special about the way it was made and my gf couldn't even eat the brisket due to the consistency of it. I could taste the profit margins with each bite. The best summary of it - later in the day a friend asked "how was it?" and we kind of looked at each other with quiet disappointment. On the bright side, this may have been the catalyst I needed to actual try being a pescatarian.

Highly recommend if you're looking for a healthy meal option. I ordered takeout to enjoy at natural…read morehistory museum.

Actually devastating because there is no dessert on the menu. That is my only complaint…read more After a long day at work, we were grateful such savory restaurant was open so late. We got there around 9 and there was a decent amount of families having late night dinners like us. I only got tri tip because I wasn't that hungry but it was tasty, so juicy and flavorful I kept eating it. Presentation was simply uniform in shape and color. Love the grill marks. I also got pink lemonade. Classic. Guac tasted quite oily. Needs more salt. The burrito was certainly a two meal kind of dish. Pretty giant. Love the salsa bar. I would love to learn how to make the marinated onions. I could eat bucket fulls of it if I had the capacity.

Amazing food and great people. They definitely know their way around the BBQ. I highly recommend…read moreOak & Fire for any event!

For the tri tip bbq sandwich which has house coleslaw and fried onion strings. It was good! The bbq…read moresauce and with the coleslaw, meat, and the fried onion strings was a tasteful combination. i wish the seats were in the shade, especially since it was a pop-up. It was a hot summer day. The wait wasn't long but would have liked to enjoy the sandwich with some sun coverage.

Love Soul Food! @soulbitesrestaurants is sooooo sooo good! My baby sister and I stopped by. The…read moreowner, Stirling is the nicest man. The food he serves is a 5/5. I tried the cracklings ( not pictured), Johnny Sticks , mac n cheese, perfectly cooked fried chicken and potato salad.... all outstanding!!! I will be back for their RnB brunch! That's my jam as a 90s girl! Who doesn't love RnB and amazing food !? Um? Thank you, Imo for influencing me! Great spot. Def check them out! Located in SB. Cool locally owned spot. Chill vibes !

I didn't get the name of the proprietor who was so absolutely cool and lovely, and prepared me…read morethree fried chicken legs for midday meal to go to satisfy my craving for proper fried chicken legs. Thank you! This is the place for Soul food. I look forward to trying the sides. And dining in. But during a workday needed to scoot. So glad they're there. Good food! Eat here!

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.

Everything was very tasty. We got the pork ribs plate, the pork belly tips, and the brisket and…read moreSanta Maria tri tip. The potato salad and cole slaw were delicious as well and tasted homemade, like grandma's potato salad. My kids enjoyed the ribs and pork belly especially, and the arcade games in the back. This was a fun and chill local spot for BBQ. The restaurant itself was very clean and well maintained. You can tell they take pride in their barbeque.

The crappiest HALF-FAT BRISQUET served a la carte to go..retaurant had only had 2 people dining…read morein... 7/30/25. You people have some nerve sending that out.. waited 2 years to give you another chance..NEVER AGAIN. Order your food without them smothering it in sauce and see what you get. ---Texan who knows

Delicious! Yummy! Scrumptious! Good service! Good music! Left no crumbs! Absolutely demolished like…read morea HOUNDDOG

Great service! Good food & love the music. They have lots of options and side dishes. Food came out…read morefast

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!

Love the old school vibe here. Service was great. The beef rib and homemade peach pie were…read moredelicious.