Rancho Nipomo BBQ

🎶 Hanging out at Rancho Nipomo on a Saturday while my dad’s band is setting up to play later tonight, and let me tell you—this place feels like a backyard BBQ with all your favorite people. The menu has everything you’d want if you were grilling at home: tri-tip sandwiches, burritos, enchiladas, hot dogs, and more. I went for “The Route 166” Burger—a 1/3 lb of charbroiled beef ground fresh right here, and it was juicy, well-seasoned, and seriously filling in the best way. They’ve got 17 taps of draft beer and Pepsi fountain drinks to keep your thirst in check while you hang out. The vibe? Super laid back and welcoming. The owner, Rich Cowell, is one of the friendliest guys around, and if you want to spark up a conversation with him, just mention fishing—he’ll light up! Our server/bartender Jaime was awesome, quick with the refills, and fun to chat with (bonus: she’s a drummer too!). Prices are totally reasonable, especially for the quality and portion sizes, and honestly, the food tastes worth every penny. If you’re looking for a spot where you can kick back, grab a solid meal, enjoy some live music, and feel like family, Rancho Nipomo is it. Can’t wait to come back for more!

Texas native here! I was referred to this place by a local. Being from Texas I know my tastes may differ but the tri-tip sandwich is pretty good! The toasted bread it’s on makes all the difference as well. They forgot my AuJus sauce so it was a little dry to eat but still delicious. I also got the pulled pork nachos with sour cream and avocado added, a side of fries, a side of ranch and a side of potato salad. The ranch was unidentifiable taste wise. It really didn’t taste like ranch at all and I didn’t care for the flavor. The fries were perfectly crispy on the outside and soft inside. The potato salad was rather soupy and overwhelming tasted like green onions. Literally no other flavor comes through. Not sure if they season it. I love when there’s lots of cheese on nachos, especially real shredded cheese because most places are stingy but these nachos came with a really runny cheese sauce that tastes like the canned version. Also the barbecue sauce on the pulled pork nachos was waaayyy too sweet. Took over the whole dish. I’d rather not have sweet nachos. The avocado I added on them had a puréed texture, pretty runny. I prefer mine thicker. Overall not terrible. Really flavorful tri-tip. I think they just need to balance the ingredients better in some of the items.

I recently had a work function here at Rancho Nipomo. I worked directly with the owner RC in setting up our catering options. He was incredibly helpful, and all of the staff was exceptionally welcoming also. The food was amazing and the side space was very spacious for all of our guest. I would absolutely hold another event here and recommend to anyone considering. Food, drinks and ambience were all top-tier!

The guy at the counter was SO helpful! He even had the food packed for us to go since we mentioned we wanted to buy enough for lunch and dinner since we were in the middle of a long road trip. He had great recommendations and we really LOVED the brisket sandwich and the ribs so so so good. The sides were good too but the ribs were hands down one of the best ribs I've ever had in my life (and my husband is from the South so you know I've had good BBQ before!). We absolutely will be MAKING it a stop whenever we go to that area again and you should too!

Loved this place. We came with our family for dinner and sat on the patio. Weather was great, food was even better. The kids enjoyed watching all of the birds (which I felt were a little too friendly) but it kept them occupied so I didn’t complain. I ordered a draft beer which was really good. It was karaoke night when we were there which was entertaining.

Terrific food and a sturdy draft beer selection at a cool, authentic-feeling restaurant and bar, just off the highway near Santa Maria. My wife loved the tri-tip sandwich, and I enjoyed the massive carnitas burrito, tarted up with delicious (and hot!) selections from the salsa bar.

Amazing tasty food, we had the OG tri‐tip sandwich, tri-tip fries and a gahdam tri-tip quesadilla. Everyone loved the food, we got lucky they had a live band playing when we got there, full bar aswell, ima just say my wife and I will be returning again without thie kids to hit the dance floor with cold drinks and delicious food on the table.

Best Chili Verde Burritos and Pulled Pork Sandwiches on the Central Coast. Their Nachos are a work of art! And Huge! Great French fries. Very busy, food can take a while. Best to order ahead. My favorite BBQ restaurant.

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!

After 9 years we ventured back to see if the food quality improved. Unfortunately, not. The BBQ tri-tip was as gristly / chewy as originally. My wife and I did not like this lunch at all. We will not return.

3.5 stars for the tri tip sandwich. Meat had good flavor but was either sliced too thick or a little on the tough side on some bites. Came here reading reviews about how great the tri tip was and a bit underwhelmed by it. Bbq sauce served with it looks diluted but it worked ok, and had a very natural almost roasted honey nice flavor towards the finish. Honestly I believe the sandwich bun with a little bbq sauce completely outshined the tri tip meat. Next time I come here I would not have the tri-tip sandwich, but I will definitely be giving the pulled pork sandwich a try.

Surprisingly, my first time having authentic santa maria BBQ. I've always been a fan of BBQ, and there was even a time when I flew out to Texas just for BBQ. THere's been many times pass through the area, I wanted to stop by to get some authentic Californian BBQ. I finally had my chance recently. Verdict, perhaps I overhyped it up for myself, thinking it would be the most amazing tri tip experience ever. My honestly opinion as a connoisseur of all things BBQ: I love that they kept the seasoning very simple. It allowed the beef flavors to shine. Flavor was great, but the texture needed some work. Granted, I did come very late. The tri tip was a little tough and dry. Because I also got to try the ribs, all is forgiven. Because those pork ribs were some of the best darn ribs ive had in recently memory. It was perfectly smoked, the meat still had a bite to them, but comes off the bone clean. A++ ribs and side were also amazing. Love the selection of beers. My go to is the hazy ipa. The ranch style communal seating is awesome. The service at the front was great. Super friendly and accommodating. I'd love to go back and try the tri tip again to see if I was just late.

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.

Been here before years ago and that asada torta was the best. Came here for to-go and we waited a while for the food but ultimately we understand but no it was cold, skimped out on the meat, nachos ew HA just save yourself, no toast on all the sandwiches. Tri tip sandwich was bomb and toasted and hot so shout out to the BBQ. Service was okay but off putting so good luck.

Wow RC and his entire staff kill it when it comes to bbq So of course you get the Tri Tip sandwich and as far as sides wet got the slaw and the simplicity of the cabbage and Chef's seasoning I'd great. I also tried the Chili, NO BEANS!!! YAYAYAYAYAYA! When I say Best ever I'm telling you, BEST EVER!! Thanks RC! God Bless you guys!

Great service! Kitchen was jamming out to some reggae and killing it. If ya hit them with a big enough Tip they ring the bell and the kitchen gives ya a holla for the dolla. Food was good and front man at the register knew everything we asked and wondered. Service at the bar was great, forgot her name, but she was a younger gal who had a nose ring. Thanks for taking great care of us!

Came here after being on my check out list for a while. This place is awesome. Its an order up. Plenty of seating. Tri tip sandwich and the torta were made to perfection. They had a great selection of beers on draft. Person taking the order was really nice and friendly as was the bartender. Extra thanks to the bartender on duty last Sunday as she found my wife's purse as she forgot it at the table when we moved tables. It wasn't a cheap purse so losing it would have hurt her badly. This is a great place to bring friends and the food is amazing. I will be going back ASAP.

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.

Heard this place has amazing BBQ and stopped by for dinner. This place has a huge outdoor seating area so it's great for large groups. In fact, when I was eating here, there was a biker group having some sort of meeting or meet-up here, it was cute. Parking is in a dirt lot next to the restaurant. It does feel like you could film a scene from a movie here. I ordered inside and got the tri-tip taco which was pretty big. I also ordered tri-tip enchiladas which I wouldn't recommend. There was nothing wrong with the enchiladas, but I just couldn't taste the tri-tip because it was drowned out from all the cheese and sauce. I still ate most of the enchilada, but I ended up opening it up and scraping out the meat. I would get 3 Santa Maria tri-tip tacos next time. The service was fast and the guys were really nice. If you're in the Santa Maria area, make it a point to stop here as it's right off the freeway exit.

At Rancho Nipomo BBQ And Cantina In Nipas, CA Came To Meet Friends Have Some Food And Drinks And Eventually Stay For Music Afterwards. Food Looks Yummy..??

The food is good but the service is HORRIBLE!! It took almost AN HOuR to get some tacos! Ridiculous! They have 5 cooks that seem like keystone cops (probably high as ff*ck!) Get it together! Don't stop here unless you have three hours to spare!

Less than 20 people in the whole restaurant and no one in front of me in line when I ordered. Took almost an hour to get out mediocre food. Never coming back. Definitely not worth the wait!!

It was yum yum yum yum yummy! Flavors are great - smoky good BBQ. Stole some from fries from our friend they were straight up dope.

I ordered a two cheese enchiladas and got barely any cheese and it was more like a disgusting onion enchilada. DO NOT RECOMMEND!!! Plus the refried beans had crust on them. I used to love this place when I was a kid used to go there all the time.

It has quite an expansive menu. One plate ordered featured pork ribs, an outstanding potato salad, and a savory chili. We were shocked at the giant size of the dummy burger for a picky eater in our group. It was a great stop after a long road trip. There is plenty of parking, outdoor seating, and friendly staff.

Came by for their happy hour. Decided to purchase their loyalty cup (20 oz for price of 16). Ordered their $7 HH mini Santa Maria style fries. Food was delivered timely and was delicious. Very filling. I love this place. I only wish it was closer to home..

I came here on a Sunday afternoon at 2 and ordered a BBQ Tri-Tip Sandwich at the counter. There was no line to order and the tables were only half-occupied, but the kitchen was backed up, with the cashier providing an estimated 40-minute wait time. After ordering, you get a number and choose a table to sit at (indoors or outdoors). It finally arrived after waiting for a little over an hour. The sandwich itself was delicious. The meat was thinly sliced and well-seasoned, and the bun was a crispy golden brown. A small cup of barbecue sauce was provided on the side, and you could get your own salsa, hot sauce, and chopped onions. However, it just wasn't amazing enough to justify the wait.

I recently had a work function here at Rancho Nipomo. I worked directly with the owner RC in setting up our catering options. He was incredibly helpful, and all of the staff was exceptionally welcoming also. The food was amazing and the side space was very spacious for all of our guest. I would absolutely hold another event here and recommend to anyone considering. Food, drinks and ambience were all top-tier!

If you want consistently good tasting Santa Maria style BBQ, Rancho Nipomo is a solid option. One of the top 3 best places for Santa Maria style BBQ for me. The food is delicious. The tri-tip is fine, but I really come here for the brisket. And if you want to feed an army, order some carne asada fries. There's bench seating for big groups both inside and outside. Locals come here to watch the games. There are also live music nights. Definitely a great vibe. So why only 4 stars? Wait time can take up to 40+ min regardless of how many customers are dining or what your order is. Is it worth the wait? I think it is. But it's worth mentioning. Food is consistently good. Staff is consistently friendly.

Can't believe I haven't tried this place sooner! Had a buddy of mine take me here tonight when he found out I'd never been. At first it doesn't seem like a very big place of you only go in throb the front but once we walked into the bar area it really opened up. There was a stage and really cool decor. The lighting was good and the every was lively. It was pretty full for a Friday night. They don't have a big selection of beers but they have more than enough and the options are pretty good. They also have seltzer, wine, and other stuff. I ordered the wings and it was really tasty. Crispy on the outside tender and juicy on the inside. I got filled up on the wings so I ordered the super nachos with carne asada. It's huge! I haven't tried it yet but I'm looking forward to it. The service at the restaurant was really good. Very attentive and very friendly. We had Cory and Lillian helping us. Overall I had a great experience and the food and drink was really good. I highly recommend trying this place if you're in the area.

Food here is excellent! Their smoky tri tip is delicious and their fries were amazing with the beans and toppings. Their salsas are so freaking flavorful and the service was really nice and quick as well. There are a lot of indoor and outdoor seating options and a nice sized stage as well. We really enjoyed our visit here and would come back again for the friendly atmosphere and delicious food!

Portions here are great and service is quick. Environment is perfect for this type of bbq.

This place is it when it comes to Santa Maria style BBQ. I know of three places that I think are the best in Santa Maria (my perspective); Swiss Restaurant, Jocko's in Nipomo, and Rancho Nipomo. Not only does Rancho Nipoma have great BBQ, but it also has an awesome vibe. Always my place of choice when I'm in town.

We had been here before while traveling and it was good so we returned recently. This time things went wrong. We ordered the tri tip sandwich and sweet potato fries. The fries were limp and very oily. The tri tip was overdone and dry. The sandwiches were lukewarm. I didn't realize the sandwiches didn't come with coleslaw which they desperately needed, so I went back in and ordered some. We waited a long time while our sandwiches got cold. Finally asked someone about our order and shortly afterwards in came. Will not be returning.

Let me be crystal clear: the food here is decent not life changing, but decent. The service, however? Absolutely atrocious. I was told it would be a 45-50 minute wait. Okay, fine, I can wait. But two hours later, still no food, no update, and I'm watching people who came in way after me happily chowing down like it's a buffet. So I finally go up to ask what's going on, and they casually tell me my food is still a few orders behind. Excuse me? At that point, I wasn't even mad, I was professionally offended. I politely asked them to bag my food to go. You'd think that was simple enough, right? Nope. They brought it out... on a plate. Like I didn't just spend two hours growing roots in their waiting area. Their system clearly needs an update, their kitchen needs a total reboot, and someone needs to introduce them to the concept of communication. Until they get it together, I won't be back. This place could be great but right now, it's just a masterclass in how to test a person's patience.

Holy Cow! Get off the beaten path and find this place! Located in a side street full of industrial businesses this local hole in the wall has the best smoked tri tip we've had in our visits to the area. The Santa Maria Fries are the bomb!!! We couldn't finish them, but they were fantastic! Loaded with cheese, beans and smoked tri tip. If we went back the only thing I'd change about our order is the sour cream. I'd have them hold it, as I didn't feel it brought anything to the plate. Bring friends these fries are served on a quarter sheet pan and there's enough for sharing.

Stopped here for dinner on our trip up the 101 and we were pleasantly surprised! Good food, good prices, chill atmosphere and friendly staff. Kids enjoyed the chicken tenders and corn dog. The fries were GREAT! And the pulled pork was good (nothing wild) and huge. More than enough food. Staff gave good recommendations on beer too!

Please do not eat at this place, horrible food. My husband and I stopped in on a beautiful Sunday late afternoon. The place was busy, which made us hopeful. We ordered at 4:15 pm and didn't not receive our food until 5:00pm. I ordered the brisket sandwich, the meat had probably been cooked on Friday and been reheated several times, it was dry, tough, and hard. The potato salad I had order extra as a side, was just potatoes with cheap mayo, no flavor, everything was bland and old. My husband was his excited about his Santa Maria style fries. Santa Maria should be offended they used thier cities name. They claimed to beer battered fries, the fries were frozen bagged fries from a store. The tri tip was old and hard, the cheese sauce was watered down as was the bbq sauce. The fries had no seasoning. Please DO NOT eat here!! We will never eat here again.

One of the few joints that have brisket in tri-tip country. Ordered the BBQ platter sampler (shared by 3 people). Brisket was ok with a smoke ring. Tri-tip slightly dry. Chicken was tasty but overdone. Ribs were great, smoky with fall off the bones tender. The toast bread was excellent. Platter came with bbq sauce on the side, salsas mild and hot.

Wow, wow, what a find through the Yelp app though I'm sad because it's so far from where I live. I got there and it was a pretty extensive menu but I had to try the tri-tip combo. I asked for cole slaw as a side. It had a generous portion of the tri-tip, California chili, and tortillas. The meat was so tender and the seasoning was perfect not needing any type of sauce. The chili had pieces of meat and was really yummy. I made a burrito with the tortilla, meat, and cole slaw. What a flavor blast in my mouth. I can't wait to go back but as I mentioned they are far....3+ hour drive away :(

Usually get the brisket sandwich but today i got one and there was no flavor and tough as a horse with no fat at all..super bummed for 20 bucks.Has something changed there? Super disappointed

This place looked pretty good in the reviews were great, but man was I disappointed. The chicken had no flavor and the tri-tip was terrible. The beans are completely salty without flavor as the same for the rice.. Definitely would not return. Similar to El Pollo Loco, but El Pollo Loco is more flavorful barbecue.

This place is AMAZING! The food was amazing, we ordered a BBQ tri tip Torta with a side of fried and cheese sauce. It was our first time there and I'd definitely be back. The service and environment is fun and enjoyed some football mixed with good conversation.While waiting for our food I had cold local beer in tap.

Decent tritip sandwich although the meat was a bit overcooked and dry. Next time I would ask if they can make mine rarer. The roll was better than average. At the price fries should be included. Nice atmosphere and the beer selection is good.

Get their early before best brisket in Santa Maria is sold out! Great burgers also! Only negative thing is location being in an industrial area.

Bartender was cool Food was good, but took a long while to arrive (hence the conversation with the bartender)

Well, this place has so much hype that I expected good things out of this place but they fell rather short this last time I came by. I'm a huge BBQ fan and personally love bbqing at home so I'm a big critic. Came by on Friday at 2pm and this place was empty! I've seen it packed with no parking available so I was truly suprised. Our food was out in 5 minutes or less and we were very happy. My gf got the bbq pulled pork sandwich and my god, it was a damn good sandiwch. Pulled pork had a great Smokey taste and good flavor. Cooked to perfection and the bbq sauce went so well with it. Not to mention THE HUGE portion you get. Would rather that sandwich a 8 out of 10. I ordered the tri tip sandwich and again huge portion but honestly the meat was disgusting. I didn't even eat it. Just threw it away. The meat was defenitly re heated and put on the sandiwch. The meat already was over cooked and very well done so to re heat it up it only made the meat much more tough and gave it a funny smell. It was just over all bad. The meat needed flavoring forsure and needed to not be so over cooked in my opinion. I would defenitly give this dish a 0 out of 10. You have been warned. I would probably come back again and try something different. Hopefully it was just bad this one time but we will see.

So let me start with the food is solid. The tri-tip was too salty but tender and good smoke ring. The chili was really good and the French dip was good too. The chicken was dry as hell. My biggest issue is it took over 45 minutes to get our food. They had a problem with their system that caused a number of customers to not get their food. I understand stuff like this happens but no one came to check on us. I only knew about the issue because I overheard two employees talking about it. They were serving people that had been there for 10 minutes while some of us had been waiting for over 40 minutes. The complete lack of concern was the big disappointment.

Called take out. Said it would take 45 mins. Even longer if you order on site. Parking is pretty bad.

This place was a cool little spot in the Santa Maria area. When in Santa Maria, you gotta try CA BBQ, which is trim-tip. Unfortunately, for what we paid, the BBQ was just ok and the star of the show was the chili. I'm sure there are better BBQ spots in the area, but this was rated high and was a little bit of a let down. Would I go back? Probably not.

We stopped in around 2 on a Saturday and it was busy but there wasn't much of a wait. We opted to try a little bit of everything, so we ordered the sampler. It came with Ribs, Brisket, Tri Tip, and Chicken with bread and tortillas. 55 bucks wasn't a terrible price point for what you get here compared to an individual plate option. I have to say I was a little disappointed. All of it was reheated, and while it was likely reheated over fire, it was still obvious. I didn't bother trying the tri tip because it looked like leather. The fat content in brisket lends itself well to reheating even if it changes the structure and flavor of the meat. So I ate it and I was reasonably satisfied. The ribs were also good for leftovers. And the chicken, albeit dry, had good flavor. While reheated barbecue is one of my biggest pet peeves in a barbecue restaurant (along with a poorly cooked steak), you could tell that all of these meats were probably in the 5 star range when they come fresh off the grill. I'll need to find out what day that is and try again because I really want to experience this stuff in its prime.

Best bbq in Santa Maria area. Great beer service, with a ton of local selection without the lines. Nice outdoor patio with shaded umbrellas to enjoy a cold brew and bbq ribs! Highly recommend the full rack baby back ribs and beers.

Great BBQ!!! I had a tasty and huge burrito and my husband and the dip sandwich. Staff was friendly and fiod was a good value. We will be back!!

Love their burgers!!! Food is always amazing staff is friendly and a great place to just hang out and enjoy a good meal

What a great place! Awesome happy hour, great food next door and a relaxed atmosphere. I will definitely be back!

Off the beaten path on the drive at the 101-166 interchange this place is a little gem! Great BBQ and Tex Max favorites in a casual indoor outdoor seating. Live music in the evenings too! Menus is extensive and anything you choose will be awesome. I love the pulled BBQ pro sandwich, served with coleslaw. There is a salsa bar is you want to add salsa. Hubby loves the BBQ tri tip beef, one of their signature dishes. You order at ten counter, get a number and have a seat. Wait times for food is long- so chill and enjoy the vibe. Ample parking in their lot of on the street.

First time here per recommendation. Can't give enough stars to this place. Excellent food, prices, selection and staff. Get here early for the most unbelievable brisket you've ever had, sells out quick. Don't miss out on the Tri-Tip either. Too full, order it to go. Can't wait to come back. Highly recommended!!