CJ’s BBQ Smokehouse

Everything was great. The server and manager were on top of things and friendly, the food tasted great, and the blues music was a nice backdrop to this Texas smokehouse. When it comes to sides, the fries and candied yams were our tables favorite. The cornbread can feed a family of four, so be ready for a Texas sized serving if you go that route.

We were in the area. Wanted BBQ and this one stood out because menu seemed kid friendly, our toddler is picky. They were slow on a Thursday night 5:30pm ish. My husband and I shared a tri tip plate with 2 sides. And my toddler got corn dog and the Mac n cheese. We got lemonade for her. Didn’t realize the mason jar was HUGE! So def not kid sized. I wish they had more kid sized options for drinks. Food was amazing! The fries, the tri tip the red onions and pickles(I’m usually not a pickle person). The Mac was okay. My toddler wasn’t too fond of it either. My only tiny gripe was I wish they had sun shades. There were only few places we could sit because the sun was too bright. But other than that the servers were great and great food.

After visiting again for the gumbo I was even more disappointed. $30 for a bowl of gumbo and there were three tiny crab knuckles. Are you kidding me?! Update: They added some lunch specials, decent price for a sandwich and their fries are still good. The gumbo (or whatever the soup was) was good, but really doesn't need king crab. If it didn't have king crab and was maybe a third less in price I'd get it regularly. It also had some shrimp shells left the soup which is something to fix I guess. Old: This place was expensive and had mediocre food. The pulled pork sandwich had some of the driest pulled pork I've ever tasted and cost $20?! At least the fries were good... The pork ribs tasted fine, but half of them didn't even fall off the bone. Really it was just the BBQ sauce carrying the dish. The sides were awful, the mac and cheese was totally broken up and the collard greens tasted like they'd been sitting in plain water for a day. $28 for just pork ribs though? I think they've got a lot to figure out and the prices need to come down. This is a BBQ place with the same atmosphere as Mo's before it, not a nice sit down restaurant.

Omg...this place has some bomb bbq. My wife had their Beef Ribs and they fell the bone so easily. I had the Pork Rib Ends and man... they were like candy. It's such an amazing, s weet BBQ. The tri-tip practically melted in your mouth. The service was great. Very friendly people, including CJ himself. This is definitely a new favorite place. I want to come back to try their fish, chicken sandwich, and hamburger.

Hi Everyone, We had lunch at CJs today. If I could give it a number rating it would be 4.5/10. Our server was a young gal and super nice. I’d say service was a solid 10/10. Atmosphere was inviting and the restaurant itself was clean. It was not busy when we went. The food is where it disappointed. The gumbo, it sounded good but maybe that was my mistake getting gumbo at a bbq joint. The seafood smell was overbearing. I’ve had some good seafood gumbo in the past and none had as well like to call it a “morro bay” smell. If you have been to morro bay you definitely know what smell I’m talking about. The taste was average. Nothing to be excited about. For $18 the size and quality was not worth it. Tiana’s place in Disneyland has more flavor and worth every dollar. I did appreciate the variety of items in the gumbo. There was chicken, crab, sausage, and shrimp. The gumbo was 2/10. The beef ribs were cold. I even asked the server if it was customary to serve cold ribs since it was our first time here and it was just weird the ribs were cold. Not even the bbq sauce was warmed up. The meat was soft but not fall off the bone. I can appreciate a decently cooked beef rib. The sauce was good, sweet but not too sweet. The rib would have been a solid 8/10 if it was hot, however the lack of warmth gives the rib a rating 5/10. Our sides for the ribs were Mac and cheese and potato salad. The Mac and cheese 2/10 it had nice texture but no flavor. It was cheese and noodles. I will say the Mac and cheese was warmer than the ribs! The potato salad was decent a solid 4/10z My daughter got the corn dog and French fries. It was your typical corn dog with steak fries HOWEVER the steak fries was hot temperature wise and crispy. Overall we probably won’t return since the quality wasn’t great for the price we paid. I know this place just opened so I hope the owners take this a genuine feedback and not a bash on their place. Attached is a picture of the ribs, gumbo and our receipt for proof of purchase.

We ordered baby back and tri-tip. While tasty, I was ultimately disappointed that they came pre-sauced (sauce was available on the side). I did mention this to the staff and apparently sauce or no sauce is an option. I don't know if this was stated on the menu or not. Since sauced is an option, I'm unsure why unsauced isn't the default. In addition to the meats, I enjoyed the mac and cheese (perhaps the best I've had at a BBQ restaurant) and the corn bread. The corn beard was moist and delicious. I would visit again and get the meats without sauce.

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!

We were greeted warmly and welcomed to sit anywhere we wanted. Our server was friendly and efficient. I got the two meat plate with baby back ribs & a beef rib. The texture for both ribs was just right. Very impressive. I also loved the candied yams. I will definitely eat here again.

I went to CJs last Saturday after PolyCon. That's going to be a new tradition. I wasn't going to eat, just have a glass of wine but the smell of the BBQ that hit me when I opened the door made me think "I've gotta try something" and it was absolutely worth it! Luckily circumstances played out in my favor so I got to try a sampling of Tri-tip, beef ribs, and pork ribs. The beef rib was my favorite but all the food was outstanding. The overall experience was amazing to. Very friendly staff, everything was clean, and the atmosphere was classy. I love CJs and I'd recommended to all the meat eaters in the SLO area. I understand they have a restaurant in Oxnard too. So now I know where to stop on my way to Los Angeles.

Walking into the brand new CJ's BBQ in SLO I was excited to try the ribs. It was nice being greeted by friendly waitresses who promptly took my order. 1/2 rack of ribs arrived along with the choice of 2 sides. I picked potato salad and corn bread off the "sensational sides" part of the menu. You can also order burgers that come w fries or you can substitute for one of the 6oz. Sides. There's fried catfish by the pound (super popular or the ever famous "Mama's Seafood from 'Nawleens' the food is amazing. You can get a pulled pork, pastrami or Tri-tip sandwich. The owner learned from his parents and it shows as the pies are made fresh along with everything on the menu. For the non-meat orders there's a vegetable veggie burger or a vegetable sandwich. Happy hour is Tuesday-Friday 3-6pm so stop in and get some down home cooking. $$$$ is my only concern as a dinner for 5 is going to be pricey. Overall: A

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

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....

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.

My boyfriend and I were in SLO for the day so we decided to go and check CJ's out on a Sunday at 6pm. Not packed at all. The waitress was an absolute doll. She was super super sweet one of the best waitresses my boyfriend and I have ever had. (very bummed I can't remember her name, started with an S) Would honestly just be back for her amazing service. We COMPLETELY cleared out our tray of food. The candied yams were so delicious as well as the beans. Everything about this restaurant was great, from the music to the food.

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!

We stopped in a few days ago for the first time to get some ribs. our server was pleasant and stopped by several times to see if there was anything we needed. Our order was Amazing. The Baby Back Ribs were the thick kind where the extra meat on the ribs has not been trimmed off. The slow roast resulted in a crispy layer on the outdide and a tender inside. The fries were perfectly cooked to a golden finish that was crispy and not oily. It was served nice and hot. Their homemade sauces are great. We will be back again to try more menu selections. Definitely recommend this place.

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!

Went to CJ's for the first time for a birthday dinner. Ordered the tri tip sandwich with mac n cheese. The tri tip sandwich was really good and cooked to perfection, bbq sauce was great. I think they really need to work on their sides. mac n cheese was pretty bland and oily with the cheese being a gummy texture. the baked beans and cornbread my friend got were very mediocre with the beans definitely being bushes baked beans from a can. The restaurant was clean, but, lacked any ventilation or fans, making it very warm in there on an August afternoon. For the price, I don't think I'd go back but definitely not the worst place to eat in SLO.

Best Southern homemade BBQ!!! First time trying this place and asked the server what they recommended and they said everything was good and he wasn't lying! From the Bourbon Wings, TriTip, Chili Beans, Mac & Cheese, Corn Bread and topped it off with their chocolate ice cream brownie!!! We couldn't get enough and went back the next day! They have excellent customer service and if you're lucky enough to meet the owner Chris,he has that southern hospitality!!! And almost forgot to mention his ice cold beers! Food and hospitality don't get better than this! They have TVs all around making a perfect place for a cold beer and to watch sports games! We will definitely be stopping by when we are in town visiting our daughter in college!

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

Pretty disappointing. Ate here for lunch today. Ordered 1/2 lb tri tip, baked beans, coleslaw and corn bread. Wanted to order beef brisket - said they don't carry that. Never heard of a bbq place not carrying that staple. The tri tip had no flavor, I don't think was even cooked on a smoker but in an over. Was overcooked and smothered in bbq sauce. Weird. The corn bread had no flavor either and overcooked and dried out. Beans and coleslaw were good.

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!

Waitress was super sweet. Food was ok. The ribs were good, fries good, candied yams not as great, Mac and cheese is boiled noodles and cheese on it with zero flavor, salmon was good just not a lot of flavor.

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....

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.

Tried to get lunch today but the doors were locked. Monday should be there only day closed and today is Tuesday with no sign or reason why. I would hope since they just opened the business you would be more honest with your new patrons. Especially with Mcclintock's reopening and Gold Land Bbq doing their expansion good luck

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

Excellent. 3rd time here...tried Tri-Trip sandwich, burger, wings. Best in town. Beer ice cold. Don't wait to support this business. We need this here! TV set up is great to catch a game.

This was our first time here, and overall, it was a very good experience. The baby back ribs were excellent, as was the cornbread and peach cobbler. My husband had the hot link sandwich, which he said lacked flavor. The collard greens were not to his liking. Next time, he will try something different. The establishment was clean and inviting, the wait staff was friendly and efficient. The owner was too! We will be back.

Awful pulled pork sandwich. Overly sauced. No other ingredients but pulled pork, sauce and bread. Just bland pork(only had a couple pieces of gristle). No hint of smoke in the food or in the establishment. Service was good. Fries were mediocre.

Tried to get in to a more established BBQ joint, but the lines and wait were way too long, so we walked a bit over to the newly opened CJ's BBQ, and what a great choice that turned out to be. The pastrami (unusual for a southern BBQ spot) was terrific, as were the tie-tip, hush puppies, and skins (get them with meat.... You won't regret it...). We couldn't be happier, and I really hope this place succeeds - we'll be back next trip up here...

The food was so good! My family was greeted quickly and kindly, and the owner even stopped by our table to see how we were doing. Don't skip the tri tip and the cornbread!! Next time I'm in slo I'm definitely coming back!

My husband went to Cal Poly years ago so we came up for the long weekend with our young family for a visit. We have two littles, ages 2 and 8 months so we are constantly looking for a quick option to get settled for food. To our surprise, Cj's had some space around dinner time. We got in no problem and were met by "Cj" himself. All I have to say is THE FOOD IS SOME OF THE BEST I've ever had. I've lived in the south, I'm from Chicago- Cj's BBQ is phenomenal and I cannot wait for more people to discover it for themselves. Good luck to you Cj!!

The food is awesome sauce so good that I can't even explain it like the people are so nice there and the food is literally heaven like you don't understand literally heaven Like the location is perfect like I'm pretty sure they're only four months in and it's so beautiful there and today they just had their ribbon cut awesome sauce

Went back to CJ's on a day they're supposed to be open and the place was locked and bolted. Can only assume they've gone out of business (even though their website says they're still open). Too bad, I liked this place on my first visit and was looking forward to eating there again. RIP CJ's.

I eat here weekly. Great smoked meats and the sides are primo (corn bread, chili and mac are my faves). Owner is always working and super cool. Nothing else like it in town.

Finally got to try this spot and was not disappointed! The food was great (the cornbread is a must-try side, came out nice and warm and you get a very generous piece) and the service was amazing - the two servers working when I went were so sweet and helpful. Looking forward to coming back to try more!

Got the fried fish (cod) and fries with a side salad. Hella good food and friendly service.

Service was excellent!! Super helpful Great food!! Best bbq sauce!! Great atmosphere!!

I had high hopes for this place. Customer service was terrible. The servers were nice. We were sat down with no menus. It was a long time until someone asked us if we needed some. I'm guessing it was the owner, maybe the manager? But even then, it took a while for him to come back. He was talking it up with a friend. Once we had our menus, it was another long wait. Our waitress was talking it up with the owner/manager over by the kitchen. The Tri Tip sandwich was just ok. Mac n cheese was basic. The fries were good, seasoned well. Overall was not happy with the service. There were only seven customers and four of them were already eating. I paid for an hour parking and we shared the sandwich, and had 5mins left.

amazing BBQ and hospitality! We had 1 lbs tri tip, macNcheese and corn bread - very delicious! The service is 5 of 5.

I ordered the baby back ribs with a side of macaroni and BBQ beans. Everything was DELICIOUS! The macaroni was extra cheesy. I will absolutely be returning!

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

This was out first time at CJ's. The BBQ and sides were so yummy. My husband had the pork ribs and I had the beef ribs. Both were great! I was especially fond of the corn bread! Our daughter had the tri tip sandwich. It was so good she didn't want to share!We will be going back! Thanks to Mark and the CJ's crew for a fun and delicious Saturday night!

I have eaten at every BBQ joint in the area and CJ's does it right. The ribs and tri tips are unbelievable. The sauce, the sides, the meat was all on point. If you want the real-deal hit CJ's. Everyone else is in the area are faking it. The service was perfect, not too nosey, not too far away. CJ was roaming the restaurant making sure everyone was having a good time. My new favorite in SLO.

This is a very good BBQ restaurant. We were impressed by the bbq and the sides. Sauce is good and service excellent. Thanks, Chris and Mark for bringing authentic bbq back to SLO

We're so glad we tried this wonderful new BBQ place! The people were friendly and welcoming, the music was top-notch, prices were reasonable, portions were large and the food was delicious! Loved the nice big water glasses too. My favorite was the vinegary potato salad! Yum!

Great new spot! Tri tip is great and the sides are some of the best I've had in town for bbq joints. Atmosphere is great and the staff was friendly!

Fantastic new BBQ spot in SLO! Ribs were outstanding. Meat just fell off the bone. BBQ sauce is amazing.

Service was amazing. The barbecue is great. The barbecue sauce they use is awesome coleslaw mac & cheese cornbread was all good. The owner is a great guy. The ambience is good and the music is great too.

CJ can cook! We got a tri-tip sandwich, chicken, hush puppies and gumbo and they were all fantastic. The BBQ sauce is delicious and the tri-tip was so tender. Gumbo is packed with seafood and delicious. Probably the best BBQ I've had in CA. The ambiance is clean and casual, and the service warm and friendly. Will definitely be back next time we are in SLO.

Best burger I've ever had! I can't wait to go back! I'm not a huge bbq person but really enjoyed the simple burger which was perfectly cooked.

First time at this new restaurant. Was lively and crowded Saturday night. Great service. Food delivered very quick. Great menu. Friendly staff. Reasonable prices. Had pulled pork sandwich. Lots of food. Not too spicy. Could have had a tad more smoky flavor and BBQ sauce, a tad I said. Single toilet men's restroom could be an issue. Yes I'll be back.

The food is soooo good. We went there a couple weeks ago and it was such a good change up in our usual restaurant rotation. Everyone was super friendly and food was out really quick. Please go try their tri tip and corn bread! This is a must try!

In CJ's we're all FAM!!! Went there tonight and I can't believe how amazing the food was!! The owner stopped by our table and talked about his dream to open this restaurant and how long he's been making his secret BBQ. I had the tri-tip meal and it was beyond amazing!! Tri-Tip had a very nice smoke ring with a nice smooth smokey flavor, leaving a southern flavor in your mouth! You can't beat it! Tri-Tip melt in your mouth and is not chewy or dry, like many of the places here. I've tried BBQ in Texas and Georgia and this is by far the BEST!! I forgot to take a photo when my food came out, because I was so excited to eat it, hence the missing food from my plate! If you're in SLO and want some REAL BBQ, stop by CJ's BBQ!! You won't regret it!

The chicken photo is not CJS's wings. It was a mistake and can't take it out. Babyback ribs were tender but needed to be cooked with salt, Fried catfish, candied yams, and collard greens. Fish fried perfectly, but it needed salt, collard greens were cooked tender except it lacked flavor (vinegar & salt), the yams were mashed sweet potatoes... I was looking forward to some marshmallows on top. I had takeout so I called 25 minutes before I arrived I still had to wait 15 minutes. Honestly, the fish is damn good but my peoples are from the south and this restaurant should cooked like it's repping the south not the SLO locals. But I will be returning. DONT BE AFRAID OF FLAVOR!

I went here for the first time. There are very few meat places now on the central coast. I have eaten at some other spots in San Luis Obispo and there is a reason they are no longer in business. I tried the tri-tip dish and it was delicious. The service was outstanding and the overall atmosphere was great. It's nice to see a company that cares for its customers. Hey Ribline, take some notes! The only knock was it could use some better heating but other than that, keep up the great work!