Santa Maria-style barbecue is top sirloin or tri-tip rubbed with salt, pepper and garlic and grilled over native red oak, served with pinquito beans, salsa, salad and garlic bread. In the valley, Hitching Post 2 in Buellton cooks it. The classic houses, Far Western Tavern, the original Hitching Post and Jocko's, are 41 to 56 minutes north.
This week
- Nov6–8Buellton Fall Festival · Visit Buellton
Avenue of the Flags; Fri 4-10pm, Sat-Sun 12-10pm; carnival rides, live music on two stages; Ales on the Avenue beer and wine tasting Sat (tickets) · Free · by City of Buellton
- FriNov 6NatureTrack Film Festival · Visit NatureTrack Foundation
8th annual; reception 6pm, program 6:45pm at the SYV Grange Hall · $25 · by NatureTrack Foundation
- SatNov 7SYV Historical Museum Vaquero Benefit Dinner & Auction · Visit Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum
42nd annual · Tickets (early bird from Aug 1) · by Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum
- SatNov 7Alma Rosa Fall Harvest Dinner · Visit Alma Rosa Winery
Winery event; check access on the listing · Not published · by Alma Rosa Winery
Quick facts
- On this list
- 8 places in Buellton, Near Los Olivos, Los Alamos, Orcutt and 4 more towns
- Book online
- Hitching Post 2
- Walk-ins
- Priedite Barbecue
- Dogs welcome
- The Historic Santa Maria Inn
- Good with kids
- Far Western Tavern and The Historic Santa Maria Inn
- Open Sunday
- Priedite Barbecue and The Hitching Post
- Open Monday
- The Hitching Post
- List updated
- Oct 19, 2026
Counted from the listings below. Check hours and booking with each place.
Go for
- A patio: Los Olivos Grocery
- Families: Far Western Tavern and The Historic Santa Maria Inn
- No reservation needed: Priedite Barbecue
- Bringing the dog: The Historic Santa Maria Inn
- Views: Circle Bar B Guest Ranch
Map
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What is Santa Maria-style BBQ?
It is a grill, not a smoker. Beef goes over a hot fire of native red oak on a grate that cranks up and down to control the heat, and the seasoning stays simple: salt, pepper and garlic. The cut started as top-block sirloin and that tri-tip, the triangle at the bottom of the sirloin, joined it in the 1950s. The plate is fixed by tradition: pinquito beans, fresh salsa, a green salad and grilled French bread with butter.
So it is not the low-and-slow smoked barbecue most of the country knows. In the valley, Priedite Barbecue in Los Alamos smokes over oak from the area; Hitching Post 2 grills Santa Maria-style.
Where did Santa Maria BBQ start?
From the ranchos. The Chamber traces it to mid-1800s rancho feasts in the Santa Maria Valley, with beef cooked over red oak pits. In 1931 the Santa Maria Club began stag barbecues that fed up to 700 people, and butcher Bob Schutz is credited with turning tri-tip into the signature cut in the 1950s. In 1978 the Chamber copyrighted the Santa Maria-style menu, and the Chamber names three restaurants as the landmarks: the Ostinis' Hitching Post (1952), the Far Western Tavern (1958) and Jocko's.
The fire still matters to the people cooking it. In a September 2026 episode of Life of Fire with Pat Martin (watch on YouTube), pitmaster Pat Martin comes to the Santa Maria Valley to learn the style from Nick Priedite, with chapters on its origins, regenerative ranching, wood and fire preparation, preparing and seasoning the meat and the grilling itself. The takeaway: the style's history and technique go well beyond tri-tip.
What are pinquito beans?
Small pink beans tied to the Santa Maria Valley and served alongside the meat; the Chamber lists them on the traditional menu with salsa, salad and garlic bread. To cook them at home, the Santa Maria Valley visitor bureau's free cookbook has the recipe (linked in the sources).
Santa Maria BBQ in the valley
From Solvang, Buellton is the closest: Hitching Post 2, the one proper Santa Maria grill on this list, is 6 minutes (2.8 mi) from Solvang Park. The other two stops are a weekend tri-tip sandwich and a smokehouse with a Santa Maria connection.
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Missvain, CC BY 4.0 Editor's pickRed-oak grill, Santa Maria-style, in the valley · Buellton
Hitching Post 2Reserve
Eater LA Eater LA's best places to eat around the Santa Ynez Valley
Santa Maria-style steaks without leaving the valley. Frank Ostini's dining room grills over Coast Live Oak and seasons every steak with Magic Stuff, the house blend of garlic, salt, pepper and spices. There is no tri-tip on the dinner menu: order the prime top sirloin, the cut Santa Maria barbecue started with ($44 for 7 oz, $59 for 15 oz). Every entrée comes with a vegetable tray, garlic bread and salad or soup. Take home a $10 jar of Magic Stuff.
Go if you want red-oak steak without leaving the valley, poured with the Hitching Post wines Frank Ostini makes with partner Gray Hartley.
- Open
- Dinner Wed–Mon 4:30–9pm (last seating 8:30); bar from 4pm
- Price
- Prime top sirloin $44 (7 oz) or $59 (15 oz); Magic Stuff jar $10
- Booking
- Closed Tuesdays; reservations strongly encouraged (phone after 10am or OpenTable)
More details
Press Eater LA's best places to eat around the Santa Ynez Valley: "A Buellton institution just off the highway". Eater LA, Aug 18 2026
- Burger nights Mon, Wed & Thu
406 E Highway 246, Buellton, CA 93427 · 805-688-0676
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Deli tri-tip sandwich, Santa Ynez (in the valley) · Near Los Olivos
Los Olivos Grocery
A weekend tri-tip sandwich for a wine-day picnic. The Grocery's patio menu lists a Tri Tip Sandwich, half a pound of grilled Certified Angus Beef on a D'Angelo French roll with BBQ sauce or roasted salsa, for $14.99, Friday to Sunday only. It's a tri-tip sandwich rather than the full red-oak Santa Maria plate.
Go if you're packing a wine-day picnic: half a pound of tri-tip on a French roll, $14.99, Friday to Sunday. A deli sandwich, not the full Santa Maria plate.
- Open
- Tri-tip sandwich Fri, Sat and Sun only
- Price
- Tri Tip Sandwich $14.99
- Booking
- Walk in; to-go orders by phone, 805-688-5115
- Getting there
- On Hwy 154 at Roblar Ave, about 2 min by car from Grand Ave in Los Olivos and 7 min from Sagunto St in Santa Ynez
Go for A picnic · Patio time
More details
- Tri Tip Sandwich Fri, Sat and Sun only
- Choice of BBQ sauce or roasted salsa
2621 Highway 154, Santa Ynez, CA 93460 · 805-688-5115
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“Some of the best ranch beans anywhere”
Eater LA, Aug 18 2026 Editor's pickSmoked barbecue pop-up at Bodega, Los Alamos · Los Alamos
Priedite Barbecue
Eater LA Eater LA's best places to eat around the Santa Ynez Valley
Old-school barbecue smoked low and slow over oak from the area at Bodega on Bell Street, inspired by Texas-style smoking and mixed with California ranchero food culture: brisket, ribs, chopped pork and house-made ranchero sausage, with beef-fat tortillas and a pinquito bean bowl. Nick Priedite grew up on Santa Maria-style tri-tip and told SFGATE he wanted to "bring a little bit of [Texas style] but mix it with some of the food culture out here." It smokes rather than grills over open flame, which is what separates it from Santa Maria style. It earns a place here because pitmaster Nick Priedite is the guide in a September 2026 Life of Fire episode in which pitmaster Pat Martin comes to learn Santa Maria-style barbecue, from red oak fire prep to seasoning and the grill. Saturday is the full BBQ Round Up; other days are burgers and BBQ tacos.
Go if you're tasting on Bell Street, Los Alamos's main drag, on a Saturday: the BBQ Round Up runs 11am to 4pm or until it sells out.
- Open
- Open Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday; closed Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. BBQ Round Up Sat 11am to 4pm (or sell out); burgers and BBQ tacos Thu, Fri and Sun 11am to 4pm
- Booking
- First come, first served
Go for A drop-in visit
More details
Connections Part of Companion Hospitality, Daisy and Greg Ryan's family-run group: Bell's, Bar Le Côte, Bodega and Priedite Barbecue, which started in 2020 as a pop-up in the lot behind Bell's before moving to Bodega. Source
Press Eater LA's best places to eat around the Santa Ynez Valley: "some of the best ranch beans anywhere". Eater LA, Aug 18 2026
- Hours change for special events; check its events calendar
273 Bell Street, Los Alamos, CA 93440
The classics, outside the valley
These three are in the Santa Maria Valley and Nipomo, not the Santa Ynez Valley: plan 41 to 56 minutes each way from Solvang Park. Pair one with an afternoon on the Foxen Canyon Wine Trail, which runs north toward Santa Maria, and book a driver if you'll be drinking.
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Santa Maria-style landmark, Orcutt (outside the valley) · Orcutt
Far Western Tavern
Clarence and Rosalie Minetti opened the Far Western in 1958 in Guadalupe's old Palace Hotel; it now sits in Old Town Orcutt, 41 minutes north of Solvang. It is a landmark of Santa Maria-style barbecue, and the menu mixes it with dishes from the valley's Swiss-Italian ranching families. Sunset named it one of the West's best barbecue restaurants in 2009, and Bobby Flay chose the family to show Food Network viewers the style.
Go if you want tri-tip from the Minettis, the family Bobby Flay picked to show Food Network viewers the style. Thursday to Sunday only.
- Open
- Dinner Thu 5 to 8pm; Fri and Sat 5 to 9pm; Sun 5 to 8pm. Closed Mon to Wed
- Booking
- Reservations via its website, or call 805-937-2211
Go with The kids
More details
- Bar opens at 4pm Thu to Sun
- Outside the Santa Ynez Valley: 31 mi, 41 min from Solvang Park
300 East Clark Avenue, Orcutt, CA 93455 · 805-937-2211
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The original Hitching Post, Casmalia (outside the valley) · Casmalia
The Hitching Post (Casmalia)
This is the first Hitching Post, not Hitching Post 2 in Buellton. The Ostini family has run it since 1952 in the old cow town of Casmalia, in a 100-year-old building, grilling aged beef over live oak. The founders' children carry on here; their son Frank Ostini runs the Buellton one. Open nightly, so it is the pick Monday to Wednesday, when the Far Western is closed.
Go if you're a Sideways fan who wants the prequel: the Ostinis' first grill, since 1952, open every night, 56 minutes from Solvang.
- Open
- Open every day. Mon to Sat 4:30 to 9:30pm; Sun 4 to 9pm
- Booking
- Reservations by phone, 805-937-6151
More details
- Outside the Santa Ynez Valley: 38.5 mi, 56 min from Solvang Park
3325 Point Sal Road, Casmalia, CA 93429 · 805-937-6151
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Red-oak steakhouse, Nipomo (outside the valley) · Nipomo
Jocko's Steakhouse
Jocko's grills hand-cut aged steaks over an open fire of red oak coals, a style that goes back to the Spanish rancheros, with ribs, pork chops and steak burgers off the same fire. It is the farthest north of the three classics, in San Luis Obispo County, 53 minutes from Solvang. Tables are held every night for walk-ins; parties over 6 need to call.
Go if you want a long weekend lunch over red oak coals: it opens at 1pm Saturday and Sunday and holds tables for walk-ins.
- Open
- Mon to Fri 4 to 9pm; Sat and Sun 1 to 9pm (last seating 9pm)
- Booking
- OpenTable, or call; parties over 6 must call. Tables held nightly for walk-ins
More details
- Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas
- Outside the Santa Ynez Valley: 42.6 mi, 53 min from Solvang Park
125 North Thompson Avenue, Nipomo, CA 93444 · 805-929-3686
Drive times from Solvang
| Restaurant | Town | From Solvang Park | Open | What to order |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hitching Post 2 | Buellton (in the valley) | 2.8 mi, 6 min | Wed to Mon 4:30 to 9pm; closed Tue | Prime top sirloin over red oak, $44 |
| Far Western Tavern | Orcutt (outside) | 31 mi, 41 min | Thu to Sun dinner; closed Mon to Wed | Tri-tip from the Minetti family, since 1958 |
| Jocko's Steakhouse | Nipomo (outside) | 42.6 mi, 53 min | Daily; from 1pm Sat and Sun | Hand-cut aged steaks over red oak coals |
| The Hitching Post | Casmalia (outside) | 38.5 mi, 56 min | Daily from 4:30pm (Sun 4pm) | Aged beef over live oak, since 1952 |
Santa Maria tri-tip rub at home
The traditional rub is salt, pepper and garlic, nothing more, and the Santa Maria Valley visitor bureau recommends pulling tri-tip at 140°F for medium rare and resting it before slicing against the grain. Its free cookbook covers the tri-tip, the salsa and the pinquito beans. Rather buy than blend? Hitching Post 2 sells its Magic Stuff seasoning at the restaurant, $10 a jar or $14 for a 14 oz bag.
Where to stay nearby
Sleep near the grills instead of driving back: a 1917 inn 11 minutes from the Far Western, or a dude ranch over the mountains.
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Historic 1917 inn, Santa Maria (outside the valley) · Santa Maria
The Historic Santa Maria Inn
Frank J. McCoy opened the inn in 1917, and it still dresses like an English country inn: gardens, an Olde English Tap Room, the Century Room for California cuisine and a Barrel Room for area wine. It has 164 rooms, some with fireplaces and private patios, and it takes pets. It is family-owned, by the Hearn and Hollingsead families since 1999. The Far Western is 11 minutes south by car and Jocko's 15 minutes north.
Go if barbecue is the trip: the Far Western is 11 minutes away, Jocko's 15, and the 1917 inn's Olde English Tap Room is under the same roof.
- Rooms
- 164 rooms
Best with A Santa Maria barbecue dinner · A Santa Maria Valley tasting day
More details
- Opened 1917 by Frank J. McCoy
- 164 rooms; select rooms with fireplaces and patios
- Pet friendly
- Weddings and quinceañeras
- 35.5 mi, 46 min from Solvang Park
801 South Broadway, Santa Maria, CA 93454 · 805-928-7777
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Dude ranch in Refugio Canyon, Goleta (coast side) · Refugio Canyon
Circle Bar B Guest Ranch
The Brown family's dude ranch sits over the Santa Ynez Mountains in Refugio Canyon, 45 minutes from Solvang Park and just up the road from Refugio State Beach. Stay in a Ranch Room, a Canyon Cabin with a wood-burning stove and canyon-view deck, or the two-bedroom Oak Cabin; meals are home-style and the stables ride into the coastal mountains. Its dinner theater closed in 2014.
Go if you'd rather wake up on a horse trail than in a hotel corridor: canyon cabins with wood stoves, a morning ride, tasting in the valley after.
- Booking
- Book direct at circlebarb.com or call 805-968-1113
Perfect for A dude-ranch weekend (trail rides, ranch rooms, canyon cabins)
More details
- Ranch Rooms, Canyon Cabins and the two-bedroom Oak Cabin
- Horseback riding, spa services, hiking, home-style dining
- Near Refugio State Beach
- 45 min / 27.5 mi from Solvang Park
1800 Refugio Road, Goleta, CA 93117 · 805-968-1113
Make a day of it
Day trip from Solvang: taste through the Santa Maria Valley wineries or the Foxen Canyon Wine Trail in the afternoon, then finish at the Far Western (Thursday to Sunday) or the original Hitching Post (any night). Staying in the valley instead? Book Hitching Post 2 and taste along Santa Rosa Road first. For the full plan, see the Solvang day trip and day trip from LA, and for more dinners, Buellton restaurants.
Don't miss: on a Saturday, Priedite Barbecue in Los Alamos is on the way north. Go before noon; it sells out. Want older barbecue lore? Cold Spring Tavern on San Marcos Pass is known for its tri-tip.
Plan your day
- MorningBreakfast first: Best coffee in the Santa Ynez ValleyBy town, plus where to work
- MiddayGo tasting: Santa Barbara County wine tastingAu Bon Climat in town, or the vines
- EveningBook dinner: Buellton restaurantsHitching Post 2 to wild ales
- LateNight out: Solvang happy hoursSpritzes, Industry Night, 8pm deals
- OvernightFind a bed: Buellton hotelsA windmill check-in, pea soup lore
Good to know
Where can I get Santa Maria-style BBQ near Solvang? Hitching Post 2 in Buellton, 406 E Highway 246, grills over red oak Wednesday to Monday from 4:30pm and is closed Tuesday. For the classic tri-tip houses, drive north: Far Western Tavern in Orcutt is 41 minutes from Solvang Park, the original Hitching Post in Casmalia 56 minutes and Jocko's in Nipomo 53 minutes.
Does Hitching Post 2 serve tri-tip? Not on its current dinner menu. Hitching Post 2 grills steaks over red oak, and the closest order to old-school Santa Maria barbecue is the prime top sirloin, $44 for 7 oz or $59 for 15 oz. For a tri-tip sandwich in the valley, Los Olivos Grocery in Santa Ynez makes one Friday to Sunday for $14.99.
Is the Hitching Post in Buellton the original? No. The original Hitching Post is in Casmalia, run by the Ostini family since 1952. Hitching Post 2 in Buellton, the one in Sideways, is run by their son Frank Ostini and has grilled over oak for 40 years. Casmalia is 56 minutes from Solvang Park; Buellton is 6 minutes.
What wood is used for Santa Maria barbecue? Red oak, the native coast live oak of the Central Coast. Hitching Post 2 grills over Coast Live Oak, and Jocko's cooks over an open fire of red oak coals.
Do I need a reservation at Jocko's? It helps but is not required. Jocko's saves tables every night for walk-ins, takes OpenTable bookings, and asks parties over 6 to call (805) 929-3686. It opens at 4pm weekdays and 1pm on Saturday and Sunday.
Is Far Western Tavern open every day? No. The Far Western Tavern dining room is closed Monday to Wednesday. It serves dinner Thursday 5 to 8pm, Friday and Saturday 5 to 9pm and Sunday 5 to 8pm, at 300 East Clark Avenue in Orcutt.
Where did Santa Maria barbecue come from? From mid-1800s rancho feasts in the Santa Maria Valley, where beef was cooked over red oak pits. The Santa Maria Valley Chamber traces the modern version to the Santa Maria Club's stag barbecues of 1931, tri-tip to butcher Bob Schutz in the 1950s, and in 1978 it copyrighted the menu.
Does Circle Bar B still have a dinner theater? No. The Circle Bar B dinner theater closed in 2014. Circle Bar B still runs as a guest ranch and stables in Refugio Canyon, 45 minutes from Solvang Park.
Quick answers
What is Santa Maria-style barbecue?
Beef, traditionally top sirloin and since the 1950s tri-tip, seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic and grilled over native red oak on an adjustable grate. The classic plate comes with pinquito beans, fresh salsa, green salad and grilled French bread with butter. It is grilled hot over the fire, not smoked low and slow.
What is in Santa Maria seasoning?
Salt, pepper and garlic. The Santa Maria Valley Chamber lists those three as the traditional rub. Hitching Post 2 sells its own version, Magic Stuff, a blend of garlic, salt, pepper and spices, for $10 a jar.
What are pinquito beans?
Small pink beans grown in the Santa Maria Valley and served with Santa Maria barbecue. The Santa Maria Valley visitor bureau publishes a free cookbook with a pinquito bean recipe; see the sources below.
Sources
tap to open
- History, rub and menu: Santa Maria Valley Chamber, BBQ Association; Santa Maria Valley, the 1978 copyright; Introduction to Santa Maria-style barbecue; tri-tip guide.
- Recipes: 2024 Santa Maria Valley Cookbook (PDF).
- Video: "We Learned the Secrets of Real Santa Maria Tri-Tip Barbecue | Life of Fire with Pat Martin", YouTube, Sep 10, 2026.
- Restaurants: Hitching Post 2 menu, The Hitching Post, Casmalia, Far Western Tavern, Jocko's, Los Olivos Grocery, Priedite Barbecue (and its About page); Nick Priedite interview: SFGATE, Jan 29, 2024.
- Stays: Historic Santa Maria Inn, Circle Bar B; dinner theater closure: Santa Barbara Independent, 2014.
- Drive times: car routing on OpenStreetMap data, October 2026.
Last updated Oct 19, 2026. We list what each place publishes and never copy reviews. Spot an error? Send a correction. Confirm hours before you go.
