Salinas City BBQ

I gotta say, I expected better barbecue based on the reviews. We stopped here on our way home from San Francisco, the restaurant looks like a house on a corner with some picnic tables on the front yard which was nice. The customer service could be better in my opinion, when I asked questions regarding their menu, the gentleman taking the order seems to be not interested in my questions, but still answered them. Now the food, I'm reviewing it and comparing it to other barbecue places I've visited with the same items on the menu and my personal experience making and smoking bbq. I ordered their gaucho sandwich, a tri tip salad, a kids brisket plate and a kids chicken plate. The gaucho sandwich looked great, price reasonably, but, the brisket in the sandwich was definitely from the day before. It was really dry, and the slices had a sear/crust on both sides. Now, I'm no bbq expert by any means, but a brisket sandwich with meat that was smoked that day, is juicy and pull apart tender. It does not need to be put on a griddle for a sear or crust, to be dried out. The tri tip salad was good and huge, but again the tri tip was a bit too dry. The kids brisket was also dry, but the chicken was good according to my son. Their coleslaw was nothing special, just minced cabbage with light dressing. Their beans tasted like a mole, you could taste the guajillo or california peppers they use. Honestly I was disappointed with their beef options. Parking is street parking from what I saw.

Absolutely delicious BBQ - it's a bit pricey, but very solid meats and sides! I found their brisket delectable, such juicy and tender meat with a fantastic smoky and peppery bark. Ribs are delicious, fall off the bone and well seasoned. Good coleslaw, beans, garlic bread, cornbread and BBQ sauce!

Nice little BBQ joint. I ordered the brisket, burnt ends, and the tri tip. The tri tip was a little dry for my taste, but I loved the brisket and the burnt ends. The brisket had a good smoke ring and was really tender. The burnt ends tasted like I was eating meat candy. The meal came with 2 sides, so I picked the Mac and cheese and the potato salad. Both were tasty, but I've definitely had better. Finished the meal with the bread pudding with vanilla ice cream. Much like the sides, it was tasty but I've had better. With all that being said, I would go back just for the brisket and burnt ends.

If you're anywhere near Salinas, do yourself a favor and stop by Salinas City Barbecue. The food is absolutely amazing smoky, flavorful, and clearly made with care. The brisket was perfectly tender, the ribs fell off the bone, and the sides like mac and cheese and cornbread were just as impressive. The staff was friendly and welcoming, and the service was quick even during a busy lunch hour. You can tell this place takes pride in what they serve. Highly recommend it for anyone craving authentic BBQ with great atmosphere!

5 out of 5, my new favorite bbq place food is fire. Not only do the meats come raging or regular. Everything i tried was amazing. They have a good selection of beer on tap and canned go place to stop along the way can wait to go back. And the service was excellent

Its ok not as good as 152 bbq in Gilroy same company but just not the same everything was cold meat pretty dry the beans were so spicy couldn't taste them to hot and the coleslaw was like just some cut up cabbage just not for me ill continue driving over to Gilroy when I want good bbq

Had a 3 meat combo, brisket, chicken and tri tip. All were excellent. Spicy BBQ sauce is yummy. Cole slaw is good but could be better.