Food is always very tasty Ribs and brisket are favorites Can't go wrong with any of the sides My wife loves the beans Service is good and very friendly Ambiance is typical restaurant style but the smell of BBQ IS lovely i read more

08.05.23 - Thought I'd give this place a try, seen it from across the street while dinning for lunch @ Wence's rest.. Ordered a 2 piece combo half baby back & half pork ribs n brisket, when I got home I was excited to see my dinner, I opened the container & it looked very disappointing for $38. The brisket is just dry shreds w/2 small chunks & the ribs didn't look appetizing either, haven't even ate it for dinner yet and it's dinner time I'm so disgusted. The 2 sides my picks macaroni/potato salad will last longer than the amount of meat I got. I won't be going back. 2 stars for cashier very nice.. read more

Slow Hand BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Pleasant Hill, California

If there's a better BBQ place in the Bay Area, I really want to know because right now this one takes the cake as reigning champ. Tender meat, great sauces, and reasonable prices. My favorite thing here is their slow roasted beef rib. It came recommended by one of the workers and I'm glad I took their word for it. This thing is HUGE and just melts in your mouth. While their coleslaw boasts a unique twist resembling salsa, I lean towards a more traditional coleslaw, though I can imagine others enjoying it. I do also wish they had an extra spicy bbq sauce option for those that want to kick things up a notch. To top it off, sometimes they even have live music, which is always a huge plus in my book. On a scale of 1 to 10, I gave this place a 9/10. Def has my stamp of approval! read more

Another great restaurant checked off my list! The inside of Slow Hand BBQ is nice & roomy. They also keep it very clean. The staff is super friendly and helpful. They have free unlimited fountain drinks! The prices are also GREAT for a BBQ spot! Even better, the BBQ is delicious! Meats: We got the 8 piece Smoked Jerk Rub Wings, Baby Back Ribs, and Tri Tip Sandwich. The smoked wings easily earned a spot in my top 3 wings! The rub is sooo flavorful and they are so perfectly cooked. The smoked flavor plus the jerk rub make it a deliciously seasoned wing, and they are moist and juicy on the inside. I did not even need BBQ sauce with these. That's how you know it's good! 10/10 on the wings! The baby back ribs were also a hit! Both delicious with or without BBQ sauce. They are large, meaty, and smoked to perfection. I give the ribs a 9/10! Last is the tri-tip sandwich. We didn't actually eat this as a sandwich, but pulled the tri-tip out and ate it separate from the bread. They put plenty of meat in that bad boy! And just like the other meats, it is smoked to perfection and so tasty. The tri-tip did come to us a bit cold but that didn't bother us. Sides: We got the mac & cheese and BBQ beans. This is where Slow Hand lost a star. The sides were very disappointing. They do give you a great portion, but the flavor lacks big time. The BBQ beans are very sweet and there isn't actually many beans in there. It's a lot of sauce. I do think it has potential to be great if they up the amount of beans and cut down the sweetness (& maybe add some spice!) The same goes for the mac & cheese - it's mainly a lot of cheese sauce and not enough noodles (and i'm never one to complain about too much cheese, lol!) I don't really know how they can fix the flavor here though. I really think they should go back to the drawing board with this one. Mac & cheese is a very popular side dish and can make or break many customers' chances to come back. I LOVED the meats here, the ambiance, and the friendly staff! What would keep me from being a regular here is definitely the side dishes. Hopefully they can make some changes & improve them! read more

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We got this delivered. It arrived hot and in good shape. Looked to be the makings of a very nice meal. Well... if you love vinegar and ketchup then you've come to the right place! I guess this is an attempt at Carolina style BBQ, with a heavy reliance on vinegar and no real smoke flavor to speak of. Their website says they use California oak wood for smoking. No idea why. They could just boil the pork in unsalted water and get the same flavor/texture. Seriously though, if you poured a bottle of white vinegar and half a bottle of ketchup on a slow cooker pork roast recipe, you'd be 92% the way here. Their mac n cheese was oily and tasted more like milk than cheese. No idea what's going on with that. Maybe they used a really light cheese and accidently added too much milk to the mix... the end result was a pretty bland and greasy mess though. Oh the beans... what a sad state I've come to. It's like eating a can of pork n' beans with a big squirt of ketchup on top. Sickeningly sweet and tomato-y. Another way to describe the flavor would be a jar of Ragu spaghetti sauce with beans plunked in followed by a half pound of sugar. Not good. TL;DR: We didn't like it at all. read more

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Brisket sandwich lean.... Oh my gosh. It's unbelievably good. This place is the REAL DEAL. read more

I've heard amazing things about this place until we got our DoorDash order. The portions are extremely small!! Do not order the Big Eyes unless you're feeding a party of two tops! We've spent $80 on food. read more

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Great bbq and beer! Place was packed- seating can be hard to come by. It was still too chilly to sit outside.

Can't go wrong if you're craving for some down home bbq. I for one don't want to get disappointed. My husband has a smoker and we do all our smoked or bbq meats here at home. It was about 7 in the evening on Saturday night and decided to stop by. We were greeted by a quite pleasant young man, wish I would've gotten his name. He was able to help us through the menu and made some of his personal favorites, the prime rib being his choice. So we're definitely going to be coming in here to check that out. We had 1/2 a rack Of the Saint Louis ribs, and 1/2 a pound of juicy brisket. The ribs were very nice and tender and perfectly smoked. The brisket was quite tasty and juicy, not dry at all. The sauces that came with the smoked meats were also quite tasty. Just enough tang and gave it extra flavor. My favorite was the dark bbq sauce. Very satisfied with our order. read more

Slow Hand BBQ - St. Louis Ribs, juicy brisket - Barbeque Near Me - Pleasant Hill, California

I've been wanting to try this place for years now, the reviews are really good. I walked in... had a hazy IPA, super good, while I was waiting for my family's food to be cooked. . . I was a little bit disappointed they were missing eight pieces of jerk chicken to go. We are literally calling them right now 3 to 4 to 5 times in a row, no answer. We just left a message/voicemail. Maybe if you see this, please call me, not sure where the eight pieces of jerk chicken are now, but I'll call back again. 408-460-1841. read more

Slow Hand BBQ - They left a sticker for me to eat - Barbeque Near Me - Pleasant Hill, California

Came here on a Sunday afternoon and there was plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. Parking lot is small, but you can park on the street. We ordered a 1lb of brisket with a side of picnic potato salad and Mac & cheese. The brisket was nice and tender, but didn't have much flavor alone. The BBQ sauce on the side went really well with it, there was regular and spicy(not too hot), spicy being my favorite. The potato salad was really good and the Mac & cheese was good enough. I would love to try other items on their menu next time. Overall was a nice experience! Staff was friendly too. read more

Slow Hand BBQ - Potato Salad Mac & Cheese Brisket - Barbeque Near Me - Pleasant Hill, California

Had been there shortly after they opened and didn't Yelp them, what was I thinking? But glad I didn't because the food quality and taste is significantly better. Decent selection of draft beers but the food knocks it out of the park. Pulled pork sliders had a nice sauce, not sloppy and not dry. Loads of blue cheese on the chicken sliders (I think that's what they were!) Made them super tasty. Brisket sandwich was a good size and the meat was done to perfection. Beans were rich and hearty, super filling. Fries were thin and crispy. Mac n cheese - definitely worth it, real cheese, not the boxed cr*p you find at other places. We also had a key lime pie with house made whipped - super delicious. Prices are reasonable for good bbq and service was fast, given that the place was busy. Definitely coming back! read more

Slow Hand BBQ - Great grub! XL Mac n Cheese, pulled pork sliders, fries, beans, chicken/blue cheese slider and the silver wrap - yea, Brisket Sandwich! - Barbeque Near Me - Pleasant Hill, California

Yummy yummy Bbq! Will definitely become a regular here. We came on Saturday evening an hour before they closed and it was crowded but not too crowded. We ordered 1/2 lbs of brisket, 1/2 rack of baby back ribs, hot links and a small side of cole slaw. The meats were all very tender and smoky, really loved them, we even ordered another 1/4 lb of brisket. Will definitely be back, probably on Sunday for their special beef ribs! read more

Slow Hand BBQ - Baby back ribs, brisket, hot links, cole slaw - Barbeque Near Me - Pleasant Hill, California

This bbq shop is ok. The portions are small and everything is vinegar based. I typically like a vinegar based style bbq but something was lacking in flavor. You order and pay for your food at the counter. I love this as it makes it easy for people to split the bill etc. I appreciate the accessibility! They deliver the food to your table on a tray. I got the baby back ribs (4) plate with a side of mac and cheese. This comes with a drink and bread rolls as well. The Mac and cheese was super soupy and bland. The rolls were tasty typical rolls (Hawaiian rolls I believe). The sauces were so so. The ribs had decent flavor but a lot less meat on the bone. I was pretty shocked at the portions. I don't think I'd be back unless things changed in flavor and portion. read more

Slow Hand BBQ - Baby back ribs plate with mac and cheese - Barbeque Near Me - Pleasant Hill, California

Stopped in while in the area , as had bookmarked on Yelp . The staff was great , nice place and location , sanitizing between customers. We enjoyed beer and wine while waiting on our to go order . Everything was delicious , our family loved it like we did . The brisket and ribs are delightful and the bbq beans with prices of brisket was delicious. read more

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It was quick to get in, order and get our food. The person at the order counter helped us understand the menu as well as tell us how their coleslaw is different before we ordered it. The food was very good...lots of hickory flavor came through. The brisket was moist...to the point of disintegrating, so that depends upon personal preference. The portion of the brisket was rather small though. The 1/2 chicken was moist and delicious. The bread was just a piece of a dinner roll and was disappointing. The coleslaw was vinegar based and crunchy. Very refreshing. The beans had its own taste but nothing inspiring. In summary, a decent bbq place, but slightly more expensive than others. read more

Was looking forward to this but the meat was super dry. And i ordered coleslaw but they gave me super vinegary cabbage.

this place definitely deserves 5 stars, brisket and ribs were pulled apart tender. Service was excellent, has a great vibe inside. Definitely will be coming back here again. and dont forget to try them tator tots with the chipotle sauce read more

Slow Hand BBQ - 3 meat combo with a side of brisket nachos - Barbeque Near Me - Pleasant Hill, California

Both the Pleasant Hill and Martinez locations are excellent. Down home BBQ, ribs, brisket side delicious. Not at all fancy, grab a beer and Q and listen to funky music... a treat! read more

It was alright. Has a fun, cozy vibe in the restaurant-- which is unassuming from the outside. But they need to rework the BBQ menu. Brisket is similar to that of Jerky. Baked beans aren't anything to rave about. Not much flavor. Ribs are tough-- They're bbq sauces are very sweet. A little too sweet. Cole Slaw was the best thing we had. Pulled pork 7/10. Service was great! Nice people. The bbq just needs tending too read more

Disappointing to say the least. I seriously tried to like this bbq, but at the end of the day... the taste buds don't lie. The food was overpriced, non-filling, and average at best. Okay, I'm being too damn kind right now because I still wished that I loved it. To be honest, this bbq was just hella bland! Been wanting to try this place for the last few years based on their rave reviews and recommendations from the locals. I finally got a chance to stop by and decided to order their baby back ribs plate with mac and cheese, bbq baked beans, and a roll. First of all, the portion sizes for their plates are small! I received the tiniest little baby back ribs and the side of beans that came with the plate was small too. I actually had to add a side of mac for $4 because I knew that one side probably wouldn't have filled me up. Even after eating everything and spending almost $20 on this meal alone, I was still left hungry. To top it off, most of what I received was bland. The ribs weren't tender and lacked heavily in seasoning and the mac and cheese ,although creamy, was in desperate need of some salt. They threw in one Hawaiian roll that I could have purchased a pack of at Foodmaxx for $2. The baked beans were pretty good, but not good enough to save this meal. This meal costed me upwards of $20 and had nothing to show for it. Although it wasn't good, I still ate it. I was hangry and Mama always told me not to waste food, especially when I'm the one that's paying for it. And I was still hangry after I ate it! The worst! This was a big fail. No fault against the friendly staff, but this food was seriously lacking. Probably wouldn't come back again... well, at least not for another rib plate. read more

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Excellent flavors. The ribs and sides are fantastic. They are very gluten aware and the meats and sauces are gluten free. A few sides have gluten but are labeled as such. Friendly great vibes. Made our Super Bowl party! read more

After not eating here for quite a while after some bad experiences, I decided to give it another try. Glad I did, as the bbq I had was quite good and they fixed many of the prior issues I had with them. We had the full rack of St. Louis ribs, 1 lbs of brisket, hot links, mac and cheese, and coleslaw. All 3 meats were good, my favorite being the brisket. Wasn't dry at all, very tender and a good mix of lean and fat. Ribs were pretty good, had a nice flavor though not quite as tender. Hot links were very hot. Side were good too, I enjoyed the mac and cheese especially because it was creamy and not dried out. I'm glad they fixed the consistency of their bbq sauces. It used to be extremely watery, now its a little thicker like normal bbq sauce. read more

First time visit and they didn't let me down. Picked up to go and staff was friendly. Ordered the Philly sandwich and nachos. Well made with great cuts. Flavor wasn't overpowering. Ordered two orders of tots. One was regular and the other crispy. I recommend crispy and if you really want to enjoy, eat there before they get soggy. I will return. read more

Upon arrival it looked like an ok place to eat not too many people dining outside. Usually thats a big indicator. Ive never really heard any buzz about the place. Tbh with ya elle elluh? Idk her name she was cool. Had great service the customer service was on point. As far as the food goes the fries i dont think you really wanna get em if your eating at a barbecue place you go there for barbecue not Mcdonalds fries. The food was okay you wouldn't be wowed the sauces ur gonna need to ask for them or you wont get them (atleast that happened to me), if they came with sides it would be better. Definitely need to step up their game read more

This place has become a regular for us now. We go straight for the full rack of St. Louis Ribs ($30) and have enough for 4 servings of mouth-watering, fall off the bone, juicy ribs. The smokey flavor is enough to get you riled up, but pair it with their BBQ sauces -- that's a match made in heaven! Shoutout to whoever picked up the phone to take our order because they used "Miss" with every line and I loved it. read more

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The food was good but the price was expensive. Also, not that much brisket but the Reuben sandwich was good. The sides was okay nothing too special on the Mac and cheese side. https://youtu.be/myPppVZthM0 read more

Slow Hand BBQ - Reuben sandwich - Barbeque Near Me - Pleasant Hill, California

It's just yummy and I love it so thankful for a real bbq joint and they are always nice too and the meats are just so perfect

WOW, amazing food! Husband has been going here a lot and loves it. I went with him on Sunday so he could have a huge beef rib that he said was excellent. It's only a Sunday option. I had the best Rueben, the corned beef was nice and lean, lots of meat too. I liked the cured red sauerkraut instead of just sauerkraut because it didn't make the bread soggy. It's topped with melted Swiss cheese on the best marble rye. Every meal we saw them bringing out of the kitchen looked delicious too. Friendly, helpful staff, especially Dean and Madison! Even the owner, Dan, stopped by to see how everything was. Want to go back for the prime rib on Fridays. They even had Pliney the Elder in a bottle and Blind Pig IPA on tap. Restaurant is nice and lots of tv's too. It's not noisy even with the baseball games on. Highly recommend! We visited the Pleasant Hill location. read more

This place is great very nice cashier and the food is off the charts awesome. Me and wife shared a three meat and was enough for both us read more

Slow Hand BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Pleasant Hill, California

Outside of Texas, Slow Hand BBQ is my favorite bbq joint. Bold words, especially when you consider that Back Forty is down the street. Fall-off the bone baby back ribs. Brisket, on point - juicy, good smoke ring. Not a huge fan of hot links but I liked it. Sweet potato tots are bomb. The real winner here is the Mac n Cheese. Creamy but not too heavy. Sharp white cheddar flavor with lot of black pepper. The BBQ sauce through me for a loop. Very liquid-y. Not my favorite bbq sauce but I think it goes well with the meat selection. read more

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uh..... one of the best BBQ place in the bay area! I live live in pleasanton, so for me to drive all the way to walnut creek for this, u can just tell how good this place is. no dine in, so we order a few meats and did outdoor dining. the service was excellent, staff was friendly and the food came pretty quick. their hot link was delicious- had a good kick to it. all the others (baby back ribs, tri tips, and brisket) were all just as good. definitely ordered too much for two people, so end up packing the left over food home and it still taste good the next day. read more

Slow Hand BBQ - Hot Links, Beef Brisket, Baby Back Ribs, beef Tri Tip - Barbeque Near Me - Pleasant Hill, California

Very disappointing. Was looking forward to trying this spot but the food was not up to par. The brisket was the worst of what we ordered. Super dry and inedible (had to throw it out). Wings and sides were so so. Fries were probably the highlight, which isn't saying much for a bbq spot. I responded to the online survey noting this experience but no one followed up. Usually a satisfied customer at a restaurant is a good thing. Major bummer. read more

Slow Hand BBQ - Brisket was super dry and inedible - Barbeque Near Me - Pleasant Hill, California

This place never misses. The food is always consistent and even when they're busy the service is really good too. The manager Marcus is awesome, met him last time I was in there. Only con would be that I wish they had more channels to choose from when it comes to watching a games there. During the football season it was pretty limited as to what you could watch. But overall this is a great establishment from the top down read more

Fantastic, legit BBQ joint - among the best in the Bay Area. Excellent variety of cuts and sides to boot. Where else can you get smoked corned beef, for example?! I only wish that their Sunday Big Daddy BBQ beef rib could be a daily affair - would gnaw on that brontosaurus rib all week long! read more

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First time eating here! Got take out of the tri tip, brisket and ribs. tri tip and brisket are my favvvv! The meat was moist and the bbq sauce is soooo delicious! Enjoyed my experience there! Will definitely come back! read more

Food is excellent. Used to dislike their sides but last time I went they were good. I believe there may be newer owners. If you want some bbq head on over to them and belly up. read more

Delicious! Great atmosphere, the employees were delightful and very attentive asking us continually how we're doing or if we need anything! Which is wonderful to experience these days. We'll be back for sure, employees suggested snacks, and what goes well together and very friendly! Keep it up! read more

Keeping it short and sweet. Had the brisket sandwich today. Best one I've ever had. Lots of meat, juicy and full of flavor. Comes just meat and soft roll. So good, I ordered another to go for my boys to try. Staff was friendly and all smiles. Sandwich came with a fountain drink for about $16 which I thought was a great value. Nice sit down environment. My buddy got the corned beef Reuben and loved it too. Can't wait to go back. read more

I love these guys!! I'll start by saying they are not the best BBQ I've ever had. After visiting places like Kansas City and Texas, that will be a really hard feat to accomplish. That being said, their BBQ is SOLID! I've had their brisket mainly, and it is melt in your mouth tender, and extremely fairly priced. Their variety of sauces are great too. The sides could be a little more flavorful- the baked potato was enormous but was lacking in seasoning, it was a little bland. The baked beans are tasty but sometimes overly sweet. Their Mac and cheese is great. Overall this is a really solid bbq place to have out here in CoCo County. I'm glad to have them (plus side too, they deliver through DoorDash!) and I'll continue to frequent them! read more