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Breakwater Barbecue

4.4 (440 reviews)
Closed 12:00 pm - 9:00 PM
Updated 1 week ago

Order Breakwater Barbecue Takeout or Delivery

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BREAKWATER BARBECUE ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Moderate noise
Good for kids
Happy hour specials

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Recommended Reviews - Breakwater Barbecue

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Outside
Raymond G.

Great bbq spot with a nice sized parking lot. The staff there are friendly and fast, and it was very cozy inside. The food is amazing! The brisket melts before you even chew it. The ribs can be pulled off the bone with a piece of their tallow cooked tortillas. What impressed me is that everything seems to be hand made in house, the sauces, pickles, sausage, tortillas. Everything was delicious, it wasn't just the meat.

Texas sheet cake
Lynnelle E.

Finally, went to the new location and it's nice. It's bigger and has plenty of parking. The food is just as delicious as I remember. My only request is, they need to bring the beef rib back. I heard it's been a while since it's been back.

Pulled pork
Janet T.

I was in town and wanted to get some brisket from here. I decided to try the salad this time and it did not disappoint. Fresh lettuce and crunchy croutons with the addition of the brisket was perfect. I didn't want anything too heavy, so the salad was a great option for me. When I am in town, I would get food here. Service is fine and plenty of seats inside and outside the place.

Brisket melt
Nina L.

Made our way to Breakwater on our last trip to half moon bay. They moved locations since our last visit. It was way busier this time but it was also a holiday weekend and a gorgeous day. The outdoor patio is still dog friendly. The food is still great and are big portions. I had a brisket sandwich with a small side of chili. My husband had a brisket melt. Both delicious and filling.

Fred T.

It was the okayest of times it was the worst of times...... Dickens aside, that sums up our experience here. Backwater has been on our to visit list for a while now and since we were at the nurseries there (post pumpkin festival madness we took the opportunity to stop by. Nice big space and the staff was friend and on point. The draft I ordered was served in a cold glass and was tasty. The food..... Brisket Bahn Mi: Okay I know Bahn Mi at a BBQ place but hey it was on the menu and it was a mess. This just did not work. Way too much mayonnaise, and while the description did not claim the cucumber and carrots were pickled, had they been, it may have helped things. Good burnt ends are glorious but these look like they had trimmed a regular slice and then griddled them. They had a really overly tough mouthfeel and required a fair amount of chewing to get through. Baja Fish Tacos: The cod was well fried, moist and tasty. The aioli added a bit of heat and richness, but the slaw just did not work. The slaw was super bland and it one noted these tacos in a subtraction by addition way. Its a pity as again the fish was great but it desperately needed a acidic element to it like say pickled onions. The Burger: The burger was actually really good and makes the top 15 at #12. The meat was tasty and well seasoned. The chopped brisket on the top added a nice element and I wanted more of it. The caramelized onions added a nice sweet element to it. The fixing were fresh and the bun while soft held up. It was a well executed burger Potato Salad: Its was good. I normally prefer a chunky style but this one had good flavor and was quite good. unlike the slaw it seemed to be well seasoned Because we did not get the brisket I will defer a BBQ ranking despite the disappointing burnt ends. There is plenty of parking and there is a proper intersection at the junction which can be an issue on Hwy 1. Burger and BBQ standings 1) The Office Burger - Fathers Office - Los Angeles, CA 2) The Best Damn Cheeseburger - 4505 Burger and BBQ, San Francisco, CA 3) Burger - Moo's Craft BBQ- Los Angeles, CA 4) Tie: Ed's Favorite, King City Grill, King City, CA 4) Tie: Bacon Cheeseburger - Cafe Arbor, Stanford, CA 6) The Big Boy, Big Boy, Indian Springs, NV 7) The Hot Farmer, The Barn, Half Moon Bay, CA 8) The C&H Burger, Clove and Hoof, Oakland, CA 9) Cheese Burger, Sketchers Food Spot, Gardenia, CA 10) Burger, Dad's Luncheonette, Half Moon Bay, CA 11) Single Burger, Paper Plate, Long Island City, NY 12) Breakwater Burger, Breakwater BBQ, El Granada, CA RIP Golden State - Los Angeles, CA LOCOL - Oakland, CA Dan Gordons - Palo Alto, CA Inaugural BBQ Rankings: 1 - Moo's Craft BBQ - Los Angeles, CA 2- 4505 Burgers & BBQ - San Francisco, CA 3 - Salinas City BBQ - Salinas, CA 4 - Chicken In A Barrel - Kapaa, HI 5 - Kinder's Meats Deli BBQ - Walnut Creek, CA 6 - Mighty Quinn's Barbeque - West Village, NY 7 - Armadillo Willy's BBQ, Los Altos, CA RIP Texas Smokehouse BBQ - San Jose, CA Horn BBQ - Oakland, CA

Ridiculously large brisket sandwich
Kit W.

The Bay Area tends to be a wasteland of bbq. What should be reasonably priced accessible food is either not done well or stratospherically expensive. Breakwater is definitely not cheap but it was pretty good. I felt like both the potato salad and the Cole slaw could use a bit of salt, an my brisket was not bad. And not bad brisket is something not many places can claim - a lot of the bbq places in the Bay Area pass off way worse. After seeing them, the brisket sandwich was the way to go - I think they heaped on as much or more meat on the bun (one of our party's sandwich was ridiculously large) and you got both buns rather than one slice.

A little bit of everything! Chili fries, brisket, ribs, beef rib, and cornbread
Angela C.

To my surprise Half Moon Bay has a BBQ gem!! Breakwater is the real deal!! Tender Smokey bbq and fantastic portions!! Brisket is the absolute best! Ribs are delicious and they have giant beef ribs that are quite expensive but! Worth it!! The sausage has cheese in them. I'm not a fan of sausage with cheese inside but I loved them! The corn bread is addicting as well as their house made pickles The chili was on the lighter side which I really enjoyed. The BBQ sauce wasn't for me. It was a bit watery. But the service and location was great. This will now be my go to spot for BBQ. I highly recommend this place. Trust me, GO! Next time I'll take it to go and picnic on the beach Keep up the great work!!

Inside
Ranjan P.

Not for us. This is a ballyhooed place, a ton of hype and I was at the minimum, expecting it to be edible, which it was not--we left 99.9% of all the food on the table and went to eat elsewhere on the coast. Everything was lackluster: the ribs very dry and fatty, the two sauces not flavorful, the 'beans and greens' not smoky, the Mac n cheese was decent as was their apple slaw, with some tang. The potato salad was good with big chunks of potato but I was craving more complexity, e.g. celery and/or red onion or dill or pepper ... maybe a vinegar base, just more. The inside is noisy and clang, lots of big screen tv's at the bar, cold gusts of wind galling from outside, biting frigid air on the patio. Their special sausage on a bun with sauerkraut was okay, but I barely bit into it when decided that the taste wasn't worth the meat consumption. The cornbread dry and dense, not the moist airy consistency I'd imagined. I don't understand why and how this place has a Michelin star?! How? Who's giving g out these stars? The customer service is fantastic, attentive and in the ball friendly. They have a lot for free parking. This is their new location, having moved from their other rinky dink place. If you end up liking the food, the prices are good.

Food Menu August 2025
Andrea Z.

Visited on a Sunday afternoon around 2pm, restaurant was was very busy. Most tables were taken but the line to order was fairly short about 2-3 other parties ahead of me. Order at the counter and drinks are served shortly after, a table number is provided and food is brought to your seat when ready which took about 10 minutes for my order. Drinks: draft beers, wine, and non-alcoholic options are availible. Brooklyn Brewery Brown Ale - pretty good, nice malty flavor, balanced not too heavy, complimented the BBQ well Food: Birria Brisket Tacos - came with two large tacos per order along with a little bowl of consume to dip as well as lime, tacos were filled with smokey tender brisket which had a nice peppery crust, lots of cheese, diced white onion and cilantro, these were pretty greasy but overall had a great taste, wish this came with a bit more of a BBQ sauce flavor but they do have some availible that you can add Service was fine, pretty standard fast casual style just order are delivered to your table, but expect to pick up everything else you need, water, napkins, condiments, etc. Overall enjoyed Backwater BBQ, a great casual spot to get BBQ. Liked that they had a nice variety of options at various price point. Would definitely come back to try other items on the menu.

Owen K.

Fantastic BBQ! Love their new location with more seating and parking. The pulled pork sandwich, brisket, and Texas sheet cake are particularly good. The burnt ends, pork, and brisket were all tender and juicy with good smoke flavor.

Texas Trinity $65
Kate O.

It was my first time trying Texas-style barbecue, and it was definitely a different experience. The brisket was flavorful, portions were generous, and the sides were solid. The vibe is casual and the staff are friendly.

The building that houses the restaurant!
Sharan P.

We visited the new location in El Granada and ordered take out. It took about 15 minutes to receive our food upon ordering. There's some seating available but the location has more potential for additional seating. The benches, tables and floor look unfinished or incomplete. This is our 3rd visit to Breakwater and first time at the new location. We are noticing inconsistency with the quality of the same dishes (our favorites) & their popular choices. The most consistent has been the brisket sandwich for us. I do not recommend the fish taco and banh mi. The fish taco lacked flavor and the banh mi was too spicy and the meat was dry (I personally like spicy food and this was beyond what I enjoy).

Brisket Tray with sides of Mac and Cheese and Chili, + 1 House Smoked Link

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1 month ago

Food was tasty and will return to try the tacos. The day I went they had a band and a fundraiser so the ambiance was great.

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Ask the Community - Breakwater Barbecue

Is there outdoor seating where dogs are allowed?

yes, there is outdoor seating where dogs are allowed. I have bought my dog there before.

Does the outdoor section have heaters?

No it does not

What kind of oils does your kitchen use?

Beef tallow, and canola

Will you be open Friday, day after Thanksgiving?

They'll be closed that day. Holiday hours are posted on their website https://www.breakwaterbbq.com/contact

View All 6 Questions

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Breakwater Barbecue - bbq - Updated June 2026

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