"This family-owned eatery got its start as a saloon in 1925, when Ralph “Jocko” Knotts ran the joint with his business partner “Bull” Tognazzini. At the end of the 1940s, the family expanded the business to a barbecue restaurant. The new generation continues to serve Santa Maria-style barbecue cooked over the signature red oak coals. Locals top their steak with Jocko’s housemade, Santa Maria-style salsa. The grilled artichoke is a favorite, along with the steak burger, made with beef that’s ground in-house from the restaurant’s aged hand-cut steaks." - Natalie Zimmerman