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    Rancho Nipomo Deli & BBQ

    4.3 (990 reviews)
    Closed • 11:30 am - 9:00 pm
    Updated 3 months ago

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    RANCHO NIPOMO DELI & BBQ ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Rancho Nipomo Deli & BBQ

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    Central Coast Smoking Combo
    Melissa F.

    It's as good as we had hoped. They were mentioned as one of five BBQ spots to try in the Santa Maria Valley. One places their order at the counter, they give you your number and bring food out to you. There were lots of people picking placing orders to go. My husband saved a table for us while I placed our order, cuz it was busy and didn't want to take our food home. They also have seating inside and out and a cantina for adult beverages. I've wanted to come in for a while, we wanted to arrive hungry . Delicious bbq. We ordered the platter w all the meat and ordered sides, under $100 bucks, yes, it's worth it.

    Nacho El Super Chicken
    Bryce S.

    Located a little past the speedway, on Cuyama Ln, right off the freeway, is Rancho Nipomo. The parking is mostly street and a little lot. They have inside and large outside sitting. The service is you go up, order, take a number, and pick your table. They bring your food out. I got the Nacho El Super. The nacho cheese tasted like Que Bueno, the chips were ok (bag) and toppings were ok. The chicken wasn't anything crazy either. Hence, 3 star.

    Condiments from the self-serve bar
    Carlos C.

    If you're driving near Nipomo, you have to stop at this place. They offer a large menu of BBQ options, including the area‑famous tri‑tip sandwich. There's also a full bar where you can order local brews, plus a self‑serve condiment bar to customize your meal. The staff was friendly and quick to bring out our food. Seating is plentiful both indoors and outside, with umbrellas for shade. Parking is easy, with spots on the street and in the lot next door. The architecture and décor give the whole place a charming old‑Spanish feel. The food was incredible and will definitely bring us back. The Emmit BBQ Bacon Burger was our favorite. The thick bacon was cooked perfectly, and the onion ring added a great crunch. The patty was cooked medium‑well and packed with flavor. This is one of the best burgers we've ever had. The tri‑tip sandwich was also great. We loved its simplicity and the moist, tender meat with very little fat. The locally made bun really elevated it. They serve BBQ sauce on the side, which paired nicely with the tri‑tip. The 50/50 basket is huge--we didn't expect so much food, but we weren't complaining. The onion rings were excellent. This will be a must‑stop on every trip down to SoCal from now on.

    Bobby D.

    For our leisurely drive from San Diego to San Francisco, my wife had plotted several stops of cities she thought would be fun places to stop to break up our almost 8 hour drive. My wife is an amazing trip planner and she chose stops in Santa Barbara, Solvang, Santa Maria, Carmel, and Monterey. I'm a foodie and once my life pahtner told me about Santa Maria being known for their style of BBQ, I was looking forward to our stop in Santa Maria and grubbing on Santa Maria style BBQ. After checking the different BBQ restaurants on Yelp and factoring in our timeline, I selected Rancho Nipomo Deli & BBQ as the joint that we would experience Santa Maria BBQ. Tri-tip BBQ is the preferred meat choice, but Rancho Nipomo's version was okay and tasty. I enjoyed their chicken BBQ chicken and their chili beans were extremely memorable. Eating inside the restaurant was a little frustrating, but the customer service from their staff was much appreciated. Rancho Nipomo is located on the 101 freeway specifically off of Exit 175 and on Cuyama Lane. It's a short distance from the exit off of the 101, so this restaurant is a convenient stop if you're pressed for time. There were other BBQ restaurants in Santa Maria, but the other restaurants didn't open until 4pm and we didn't have the luxury of waiting around. Rancho Nipomo is located across from 805 Barbecue Brand restaurant and it's diagonal from Taqueria Los Quates. There is some parking in front of the restaurant, but it's mainly street parking. Rancho Nipomo is a spacious restaurant with plenty of indoor seating and there's plenty of covered umbrella outdoor seating. We ate inside and had to battle disruptive flies, so I recommend you eat outside. I recommend that management keep their doors closed to keep these pests out. There are large screen televisions to watch sports and there was a stage where bands play music on certain days. I liked the decor inside with a mural of Mexican cowboys, the California Republic homage above the tvs, the faux Gold Rush saloon as the backdrop of the stage, the Indian statues, and the decorative old school chandelier. The young lady behind the register provided exemplary customer service, other staff I interacted with were friendly, and I love that they honor Veterans like me with a free fountain drink. Besides Santa Maria-style BBQ, Rancho Nipomo serves Mexican food that incorporates BBQ; it serves burgers, sandwiches, and hot dogs; it serves munchies; it serves salads, and you can satisfy your sweet tooth with their desserts. I honestly did not know the city of Santa Maria had their own style of BBQ, so I was really looking forward to tasting what that style of BBQ tastes like. After perusing their menu, I decided to order their Central Coast Smokin' Combo because it had two different types of meats. This combo comes with a 1/4 BBQ Chicken, 1/2 lb Smoked Tri-Tip, Spanish Rice, West Coast Chili Beans, and two flour tortillas. It was a good amount of food because I had part of my chicken and tri-tip as leftovers, which was a yummy late night snack on our trip. I was looking forward to eating the tri-tip, but even though it ate well with the tortillas, I thought it was dry and underwhelming. The highlights for me were the chicken, the chili beans, and the rice. The chicken was cooked perfectly, it was tender, seasoned really well, and it tasted great by itself or in a tortilla. The chili beans were mind blowing, savory, addicting, and I wished there was more. Combining either BBQ meat with the chili beans and rice inside a tortilla made for a delectable bite. Make sure to grab all of their complimentary salsas to add some spice to your BBQ. My wife ordered The Cali Cheese Steak Sandwich, which comes with smoked tri-tip ends, Monterey Jack cheese, bell peppers, and grilled onion all encompassed in a fresh toasted Telera bun. Sincerely, one of the best cheese steak sandwiches I've ever eaten and I didn't eat it until I had it as a late night snack. We also ordered their fries, which were seasoned and delicious. Rancho Nipomo Deli & BBQ is a must visit if you want to indulge in Santa Maria-style BBQ. Their tri-tip was okay, but I highly recommend their BBQ chicken and their West Coast chili beans. If you're planning to order a sandwich, a Must Order is their Cali Cheese Steak sandwich.

    Concert Tonight..!!!
    Michael H.

    At Rancho Nipomo Again Hanging Out With Our Friends Gonna Get Our Party On..!! There's A Lil Concert Going On Tonight. $10 A Ticket. Haven't Heard These Guys Before. Hopefully It's A Good Turnout And Good Show..!!!

    Eugene O.

    Next time I'm in the Santa Maria area, I'm coming back to this place. The food is fantastic. Yes, the food may take a little time to come out, but it's worth it. This is not the type of place you come to just to grab a quick bite. You come here with family and friends to have a great time. It has a chill rustic/Western vibe. I like that they let the air in from the outside. I got a few things off the menu. The highlight was Emmitt's bbq bacon burger. I especially enjoyed the smoked thick cut bacon inside the burger. They should serve that stuff as a side. I could just eat the bacon! I also had the fries, tortilla chips with guacamole ,and churros with a chocolate dip sauce. Everything was great. One thing I wish I knew before I ordered the food was the amount of food I was going to get. The chips, fries and churros are shareable. You can share them with at least 3 people.

    Menu
    Brisa B.

    One of my favorite places to get tri-tip on the Central Coast. I do wish the sandwich had either a bit more meat or slightly smaller bread, but it's still a solid choice. They often have live music and occasionally karaoke, though I'm not sure of the exact schedule. The servers are always quick with our food, and unless there's a big line, you can expect your order within about 20 minutes.

    Tri tip "Do The Tri-Tip" Dip
    Kelly K.

    First time visit. Got the tri tip sandwich with dip for $18.95. The roll was nicely toasted. However, the meat was warmed up and very dry and chewy/tough. The most disappointing tri tip sandwich I have ever had. And for the price, it was even more disappointing as it was one of the most expensive.

    Inside
    Kyle V.

    Great bbq spot amongst a drought of good restaurants. Great atmosphere! A large beer selection and people seem to really enjoy working there. I got the beef brisket and it was tasty, good BBQ sauce too. I would come back if I was in town again

    Pork ribs - whole
    Channary V.

    We had a long road to go before hitting LA, so We stopped by here for their sandwich and we stayed for the surprisingly tender pork ribs! The bar had some good draft beers to go with the meat, it's just so good! The staffs are amazing too, he ran out to bring us our phone when we forgot before we left for our rest of the road. Whatever his name is, thank you so much!

    Robbin M.

    Definitely go for the full rack of ribs. Comes with delicious side of beans, rice bread, and Mac salad. We got a full rack of ribs with the thought that we will take any leftovers home. Everything was so delicious and worth the wait. We ate it oh all and licked the plate clean.

    Exterior doesn't prepare you :)
    Jasmine L.

    This place is a VIBE! It's unexpected but in the best way. The food was delicious and flavorful. The staff were super nice and explained all of our options. They went out of their way to make us feel welcomed. Great start to a mini vacation.

    Lunch

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    16 days ago

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    4 months ago

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    8 days ago

    I'm not a big fan of the seating and it was hot the day we went. Nonetheless, the food was good.

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    7 months ago

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    25 days ago

    Great little spot. Love the live music when they have it. Favorites are the Tri tip sandwich and pulled pork. So good!!

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    1 year ago

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    9 months ago

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    1 year ago

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    2 months ago

    Great food ready right away for pick up nothing was missing in our order which sometimes items are missing in other food locations

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    1 year ago

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    7 months ago

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    30 days ago

    Food is aways good. The service is friendly aways with a smile. The restaurant I is clean. It you want real Mexican food this is your place.

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    1 year ago

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    4 months ago

    Really good food, we had the BBQ . Huge portions. Live music in a cute setting! Easy parking.

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    6 months ago

    Amazing food and atmosphere. Tri tip sandwiches are big and filling. Burgers and nachos were also delicious

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    Rancho Nipomo Deli & BBQ - bbq - Updated September 2026

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