The Best Places To Sample California's Deliciously Traditional Santa Maria-Style Barbecue

Santa Maria-style barbecue dates back to the mid-19th century, when settlers in rancheros throughout the Santa Maria Valley roasted sirloin over red oak fire. A century later, in the 1950s, Santa Maria Market owner Bob Schutz introduced a new icon to the style with tri-tip steak, a small, triangular sirloin cut that's lean yet tender and flavorful.

Since then, tri-tip steak has come to define Santa Maria barbecue for many. However, there's more to the regional style than just tri-tip, and it reflects the fresh, agricultural abundance of the Santa Maria Valley along California's central coast, near some of California's most underrated vineyards. Tri-tip steak is often served with beans — typically pinquito beans — tomato salsa, and salad dressed with either vinaigrette, French dressing, or blue cheese dressing.

Today, delicious Santa Maria barbecue can be found throughout the valley. If you're new to the area, dropping by, or just cruising along the California coast, here are the best towns to visit if you want to sample the best of Santa Maria-style barbecue.

Paso Robles

Paso Robles is a small city about 25 miles from the coast (which is one of America's lesser-known wine regions). The city hosts over 40,000 acres of vineyards growing some 40 varieties of wine, including cabernet sauvignon, merlot, zinfandel and Rhone blends.

Many of these wines make great pairings for Paso Robles' excellent barbecue restaurants, chief among which is Jeffry's Wine Country BBQ. Open since 2018, this downtown favorite is the brainchild of Jeff Wiesinger, an award-winning chef who specializes in "wine country comfort food," according to the restaurant's website. That means delicious smoked tri-tip served with premium local wine in a soothing California courtyard. The full menu includes burgers, tacos, pulled pork, brisket, ribs, and a selection of local, national, and international beers.

For something cheap, quick, and delicious, drop by Cregor's Liquor & Deli. This modest store off 6th Street has hundreds of positive Google reviews that reserve special praise for the tri-tip sandwiches, which are reportedly on-point and pretty easy on the wallet.

San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo is a small city known for affluence, college life, coastal scenery, and the kitschy Madonna Inn. It's also a hotspot for Santa Maria barbecue. We can personally attest to the quality of The Rib Line, a strip mall joint that does everything well, from ribs and pulled pork to brisket, burgers, and — of course — tri-tip. If you have an especially large appetite, try the Brahma Bull Challenge, in which participants try to finish a 2-foot, 4-pound tri-tip sandwich in under 90 minutes. If you beat the record, you'll not only skip the bill but win $1,000 and free lunch every Friday — until someone else breaks your record.

Another highlight in San Luis Obispo is Old Slo BBQ, which adheres closely to the barbecue traditions of Santa Maria. All of Old Slo's meat is grilled over a red oak barbecue, and owner Matt Pearce ensures that his restaurant's sides only use organic, locally sourced vegetables. These sides include apple cucumber coleslaw, southwest quinoa salad, and strawberry field salad. Tripadvisor reviewers rave about Old Slo's respect for Santa Maria traditions and the quality of its tri-tip sandwiches, regarded by some customers as the best they've ever had.

Pismo Beach

Two standout barbecue restaurants in Pismo Beach — one of America's best coastal cities — are Mo's SmokeHouse and Hoagies Sandwiches & Grill. Mo's menu covers swathes of the United States with Memphis pork ribs, Louisiana hot links, and the Carolina burger. The sauce-heavy dishes are loved by hundreds of Tripadvisor reviewers, though they're not Santa Maria-style barbecue. The chefs at Mo's, however, do excel at all things tri-tip, especially the sandwich, which comes up again and again in positive customer reviews.

Hoagies Sandwiches & Grill, meanwhile, puts a few interesting twists on the tri-tip staple. The Cali Cheesesteak pairs Californian tri-tip with the grilled onions, bell peppers, provolone cheese and French roll of a classic Philly cheesesteak (one of the best things you can't skip on a trip to Philadelphia). Tri-tip beef also finds its way into tacos, wraps, salads, and soup at Hoagies, which is one of the best places for a quick bite in Pismo Beach.

Nipomo

Jocko's Steakhouse has been a local favorite in Nipomo for generations. The landmark opened in 1925 as "Jocko's Cage," which served as a gambling saloon until 1956, when Fred Knotts (son of the saloon's namesake, Ralph "Jocko" Knotts) reopened the establishment as a restaurant and weekend barbecue spot, capitalizing on the rise of tri-tip steak as a staple of Santa Maria barbecue. Since then, Jocko's has become a pilgrimage for those seeking juicy, tender tri-tip in the Nipomo-Santa Maria area.

Another popular Nipomo spot is Rancho Nipomo BBQ, located just off Route 101. While it may not be to the taste of a Santa Maria purist, with its slow-smoked pork and beef from across the United States, Rancho is still an excellent place for red oak smoked tri-tip. Over 100 reviews on Google extoll Rancho's tri-tip, suggesting that Santa Maria's barbecue principles are still taken seriously at this easygoing eatery.

Santa Maria

It should come as no surprise that Santa Maria is the best place to sample Santa Maria-style barbecue. The city is home to several veteran institutions such as Shaw's Steakhouse, a stalwart of the Santa Maria style since 1953. Shaw's is one of the best places for tri-tip beef seasoned with garlic, salt, and pepper. You can also get ribeye and top block, if you wish. The sides are straight out of the Santa Maria stylebook, too, with fresh salad, garlic bread, and pinquito beans. Shaw's may appear unassuming on the outside, but the interior is comfy and old-fashioned with exposed brick, wooden beams, rustic furniture, and murals depicting traditional agricultural life.

There's a similar vibe down the road at the Swiss Cottage, with classic charm dating back to 1941 and a family kitchen serving steak, chicken breast, pork chops, lamb, baby back ribs, and numerous other hearty dishes. Just southwest of Santa Maria in the old cowtown of Casmalia is The Hitching Post, another important historic venue. The Ostini family opened the restaurant back in 1952, occupying an early 20th-century building with old west trappings. The beef, pork, and poultry are the subjects of many 5-star Google reviews, and The Los Angeles Times considers the restaurant's fries "glorious."

Methodology

In ranking the best places for Santa Maria-style barbecue, we chose towns rather than single establishments. This way, we could recommend a greater number of restaurants — from take-out to premium steak houses — and present a clearer sense of geography across the Santa Maria Valley. In developing our recommendations, we drew from our own experiences and consulted the website for the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce. We also considered customer reviews across various platforms, including Google and Tripadvisor.

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