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    CJ's BBQ

    4.5 (77 reviews)

    CJ's BBQ Photos

    CJ'S BBQ ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for groups
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - CJ's BBQ

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    Shake
    Teri B.

    We came in for a late night burger, and it was everything we dreamed of. I had the patty melt, and my husband had a shake.

    Blackened Cod, corn bread, coleslaw
    Lynn U.

    Walking in my family was greeted by friendly faces and lively blues music. Really feeling the southern down home vibes. The aroma of BBQ got me so excited for what was to come. We ordered tri-tip plate with macaroni and chili, grilled cod with baked beans and potato salad, and blackened cod with corn bread and coleslaw. Berry cobbler for dessert. I was fortunate to try everything. First tray the tri-tip is amazing, tender, well seasoned, perfect. The Smokey BBQ sauce they serve with it, amazing! Best BBQ I've had in a long while. The chili, best chili! If it hasn't won an award it needs to! The Mac was overcooked not much there. Second tray baked fish flaky and grilled to perfection, baked beans delicious all you would want from baked beans sweet & savory, the potato salad some potatoes were a little hard but a great classic taste to any BBQ. Last tray I ordered the blackened cod, great taste again grilled to perfection. The fish is served with tartar sauce. The coleslaw was delicious and fresh complimented the fish very well. The cornbread is fantastic, slightly sweet and moist. For dessert we tried their berry cobbler, served warm it is thick very rich in flavor. Everything tastes freshly made in house I really appreciate the details I will definitely be back! This is my go to for BBQ on the central coast!!!!! Our server is such an amazing phenomenon, a mind reader for never having to ask for anything, totally on top of everything! Seriously I barely had time to think for spicy BBQ sauce here he comes to drop it off. Moments like this were repeated throughout our visit. My family just laughed at me they know how I ask for things all the time, so big thanks to you! Food 9.99/10 Service 11/10 Ambience 10/10

    Fresh warm hush puppies
    Eric B.

    I can describe this place in one word and 2 letters, and that is Authentic af! Wow, great tasting food and unlike anything in SLO. Gumbo was amazing, baby back ribs "falling off the bone" tender (my gf quote). Service was great and fast, ambience was nice and perfect music for the food and vibes. We will be returning because they have such a variety and it all looks amazing. Thanks again CJ we'll be back PS don't forget the hush puppies

    Sides: Mac & cheese and potato salad
    Priscilla W.

    I was very excited to see a new BBQ place open up where Mo's used to be and even more thrilled when I saw they offered beef ribs. Today I had a chance to call in a take out order. The woman who answered the phone was very friendly. She took down my order and estimated a 25 minute wait time. When I arrived, the order was ready to go! Everyone working there seemed happy and helpful. There was plenty of seating inside and they were playing blues which lent itself to the overall southern BBQ vibe. As far as I could tell, there wasn't any outdoor seating. When I got home, I was eager to try the beef ribs first since that was what initially attracted me here. These might be the best beef ribs in the city. They were meaty and tender with a hint of smoke and great BBQ sauce. I would score these above F. McClintocks and Ribline which is saying something because their ribs are great too. The hot wings were decent. Better than the local pizza places' hot wings (kind of a low bar to be honest) but not as good as Buffalo Wild Wings or Wingstop. I had mixed feelings about the sides. The mac & cheese was honestly what brought the score down from five stars to four stars. Sadly, it was bland and dry. Unless they do some major revisions to the recipe, I won't be ordering this again. However, the potato salad was good. It was creamy, tangy, and just a hint of sweetness. It tasted a lot fresher than the mac & cheese. I'm happy we have another option and style of BBQ in town and I will return again to try some of their other offerings!

    BBQ Tritip and sides. Soooo good.
    Teshia R.

    This is our second visit. The first time was carry out so we decided to eat in this time. I'm so glad we did! Blues on the speakers, sports on the tvs, and brews on tap. We've tried the tri-tip, blackened catfish, ribs, and rib tips. Yum! The sides are tasty, too. Try the house made potato chips. They're magnificent! Next time I'll leave room for dessert! The owners are kind and bbq aficionados and prices were more than reasonable for the area. We will definitely be back.

    Half a rack of ribs with chili and fries for the sides. And a huge beer.
    Rhea Dawn

    It was such a great experience all around! CJ was in the front of the house greeting everyone coming in, he makes you want to come in to his space. The food was very good. At our table we had ribs, burgers, tri tip and pulled pork sandwiches. Everything was so flavorful. The French fries are the best around. And then...he just brought us out some catfish for our table to try. Great place and would highly recommend.

    Tri-tip crazy good...
    Julia S.

    This place is the bomb...ribs, tri-tip and pilled porks are excellent...awesome customer service and the country music add a perfect ambiance. Definitely would come back and recommend this place to others....

    Delicious tri tip, mac and cheese, and plenty of fries!
    Sean S.

    Very relaxed atmosphere with Jazz and Blues playing in the background. The tri tip was delicious. They serve very healthy portions. We had a very large party and they served us very quickly. We'll be back!

    Best potato skins I've ever had!
    Jill M.

    Let's first talk about the amazing folks running CJs!!! Attentive, kind, joyful, welcoming laughter, genuine!!!!!! I wasn't sure about the Blood Orange beer and they let me have a small taste to see if I liked it! It was delightful. The variety of BBQ sauces were tasty, the ribs delicious & the Dr. Pepper for my teenage daughter was a must have:) it was a lovely space with opened windows letting in the fresh air of San Luis!

    Best cold schooner in Town!
    Jerry R.

    We stumbled on this gem by accident on our way to Cal Poly Slo and let me tell you it was the best BBQ ever! The food, music selection and the ultra friendly customer service are nothing short of spectacular I recommend you start off with Bourbon wings they are fire! We also had tri tip, chili beans, ribs, fried potato chips, corn bread and everything was delicious. Of course I can't leave out the super cold beer in a schooner to wash it all down. CJ's is our must stop spot every time we go up to slo.

    First part of menu
    Loren L.

    I was so excited to see there was a new bbq restaurant in SLO. We had the pork ribs, beef ribs and chicken. And, for sides we had the cole slaw, collard greens and corn bread. They were out of hush puppies which I had heard were good. The meats were smoked to perfection. However, the sauce had almost no flavor and the greens were super bland. The cole slaw was also bland but it was crunchy and had the faint taste of pineapple, which I liked. I also thought the cornbread was good. It was moist and baked to perfection. If you can't handle spice this is the place for you. Unfortunately, I don't think I will be going back. I do wish him much success!! Who knows maybe it was an off day....

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    2 years ago

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    1 year ago

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    1 year ago

    Had the most amazing burger, fries and fried catfish tonight. The owner is great. Highly recommend!

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    1 year ago

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    1 year ago

    Authentic BBQ restaurant. The owner and crew were very welcoming. The food is on point!

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    1 year ago

    Solid menu, great service. Welcome addition to the SLO vibe! CJ deserves you stopping by and you won't be sorry!

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    2 years ago

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    1 year ago

    Amazing BBQ! Coming here again! Wonderful food, staff, and extremely clean! Tri tip and fries are amazing!

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    2 years ago

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    1 year ago

    Warm clean atmosphere with great service. Food was excellent. Would highly recommend.

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Baby back ribs were delicious! Fries were great as well, nice mix between steak and breaded fries.

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    Page 2 of 2

    Ask the Community - CJ's BBQ

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    CJ's BBQ - bbq - Updated September 2026

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