Split decision: the wife was generally pleased with the tri tip platter, meat was tender but not terribly flavorful, and beans were good. Unfortunately I don't have much good to say about the tacos. I tried the brisket, pulled pork, and chicken. I could be wrong, but they tasted like store bought corn shells that were then fried to a crisp, which just didn't work for me. Finally, if you order a soda, they hand you a plastic bottle, no cup/ice.
Esthela Carvajal
Loveee this place! Will definitely be back. We went around two or 3 weeks before the latest shutdown, and the waitress was so sweet and great with our little boys. The owner was there and greeted us when we came in, in a manner that reminded me of when I used to go to family/friend barbacoas. He came by and spoke with us, checked on our food, and even said goodbye to us. I had a pulled tri tip sandwich I believe, and my fiancé had brisket. Food was great, and the environment topped it off :)
Sherry L.
They have the best Brisket and Tri tips I've had since living briefly in Bakersfield CA. We had Tri tips for the first time there and those oil industry guys really knew how to barbecue them. El Vacquero's are the best and their barbecue sauce is perfect!
April Cuevas
The owners are amazing! The food is delicious and the price is right!!
Heather Kilby
The food and the service was astounding. Our waitress was incredibly attentive and sweet. It was our first time there and we will definitely be back.
Curtis Patrick
Wonderful establishment the service was awesome. The food was to die for brisket done correctly wish I had 2 stomachs lol. Quality Food...
Maddison McPherson
Not only is the food absolutely exceptional, but the business owners were so kind and really cared about the food they put in front of everyone. I'm not typically a fan of BBQ, but it was so dang good.. Not a single complaint - clean atmosphere, great food, fast service, sweetest waitress I've had in a LONG time, the chef came out to the tables to see how delighted everyone was over his meal - true passion for what he put on the plate. You're not just paying for the great quality food, but the experience (and the husband/wife duo) were truly top notch.
Curt Patrick
The brisket was amazing mac and cheese was fantastic and the dinner salad was of quality not the bag stuff from Costco. The environment was cozy and inviting and the service was awesome. I will definitely be back again. I hope in the future beef ribs and pork ribs will be added to the menu they will kill it lol btw the sauce was delicious
Atkins Angco
I've visited this restaurant twice now. The first time, my partner and I went during the dinner rush and we actually immediately considered leaving - they served us some extremely stale carrot and sticks and olives with ranch (I guess in lieu of bread?) and were out of the brisket, which was the entire reason we went in the first place. But we stuck it out, and I was actually really glad we did. My partner ordered the pulled pork sandwich and I ordered the barbeque chicken platter. The chicken was amazing, flavor was fantastic and very fresh. They even gave me an extra portion since our food was served at different times, which I was happy to take home for a sandwich the next day. The pulled pork was good as well. The star was the jalapeno poppers - spicy, wrapped in bacon and a sweet sauce on the outside - but half of ours were raw on the inside and therefore QUITE spicy, my partner doesn't tolerate spice well so I ate those. Still very good! Mac and cheese was tasty but a bit sweet. My partner got the pinapple upside down french toast dessert and loved it. I tried a bite (not big on sweets) and it was quite delicious. I forgot my card and the waitress actually chased me outside to give it back. Service was excellent.Second trip we ordered to go, a brisket plate to split since we hadn't gotten to try it last time. I was...extremely disappointed to say the least. It was medium rare - a bad sign for brisket. Extremely tough. I threw a slice in the slow cooker to see if I could get it to tender up and the whole thing, weirdly, burned into a solid black bricklike thing within an hour. Very strange.Overall I think this place is new, still working out the kinks. The staff was very helpful and attentive, and went out of their way to make us happy. 4/6 of the things we tried we really liked. Worth a visit! I feel like it will improve with time.
Brent R.
My parents lived in the Santa Maria California area for many years, I always look forward to visiting because of the Santa Maria style barbecue where they use red oak as the heat source. This restaurant has captured the flavors of that central California coast areas greatest secret. They're Tri Tip is better than some of the original meats I've tasted down in California. Orlando and Kelly are the owners and incredible people. They are always looking to please you and explain the type of barbecue that they produce. You will not find another restaurant in Willamette Valley that does tri tip as well!!
All was yummy but the jalapeño poppers and mac n cheese were ahhhhmazing!Clean, cozy- follows current Covid guidelines.
Barb Merrill
This has the best Bbq around. The service was great and can’t wait to go back..Thank you Chef JR & staff ‼️‼️‼️
Gothic Nightrider
So I wanted to try a new place today, figure why not try this place as it is local etc. So I walk in and before I do a big sign that says masks required, I walk in the cashier did not have a mask on, the cook in the back did not have a mask on! So I said nevermind because your cook isn't wearing a mask and she didn't put one on till I almost got to her, even though it says masks required! We are in the middle of a pandemic so actually following STATE MANDATES shouldn't be that hard to follow. Needless to say I won't go back just for that honestly.
Braeda Libby
First time, I had the chicken sandwich. It was very good and comes with one side. My husband had tri-tip platter with two sides. It was outstanding. He had the mac and cheese. It was creamy and tasty, then a dinner salad. The restuarant was clean and comfortable. Next time will try take out.
AmyB793
This little place caught my eye a couple of weeks ago. I saw and smelt the BBQ smoke wafting from around back. We finally went to check it out and I am glad we did! First bite of my street taco and I was like yum! The meat flavor was really unique. The brisket my husband got was perfectly cooked. We asked the chef what he used for wood and he said Red Oak! It really is some of the best tasting BBQ I’ve had in a long time. It’s a small place but definitely worth a try.
Split decision: the wife was generally pleased with the tri tip platter, meat was tender but not terribly flavorful, and beans were good. Unfortunately I don't have much good to say about the tacos. I tried the brisket, pulled pork, and chicken. I could be wrong, but they tasted like store bought corn shells that were then fried to a crisp, which just didn't work for me. Finally, if you order a soda, they hand you a plastic bottle, no cup/ice.
Loveee this place! Will definitely be back. We went around two or 3 weeks before the latest shutdown, and the waitress was so sweet and great with our little boys. The owner was there and greeted us when we came in, in a manner that reminded me of when I used to go to family/friend barbacoas. He came by and spoke with us, checked on our food, and even said goodbye to us. I had a pulled tri tip sandwich I believe, and my fiancé had brisket. Food was great, and the environment topped it off :)
They have the best Brisket and Tri tips I've had since living briefly in Bakersfield CA. We had Tri tips for the first time there and those oil industry guys really knew how to barbecue them. El Vacquero's are the best and their barbecue sauce is perfect!
The owners are amazing! The food is delicious and the price is right!!
The food and the service was astounding. Our waitress was incredibly attentive and sweet. It was our first time there and we will definitely be back.
Wonderful establishment the service was awesome. The food was to die for brisket done correctly wish I had 2 stomachs lol. Quality Food...
Not only is the food absolutely exceptional, but the business owners were so kind and really cared about the food they put in front of everyone. I'm not typically a fan of BBQ, but it was so dang good.. Not a single complaint - clean atmosphere, great food, fast service, sweetest waitress I've had in a LONG time, the chef came out to the tables to see how delighted everyone was over his meal - true passion for what he put on the plate. You're not just paying for the great quality food, but the experience (and the husband/wife duo) were truly top notch.
The brisket was amazing mac and cheese was fantastic and the dinner salad was of quality not the bag stuff from Costco. The environment was cozy and inviting and the service was awesome. I will definitely be back again. I hope in the future beef ribs and pork ribs will be added to the menu they will kill it lol btw the sauce was delicious
I've visited this restaurant twice now. The first time, my partner and I went during the dinner rush and we actually immediately considered leaving - they served us some extremely stale carrot and sticks and olives with ranch (I guess in lieu of bread?) and were out of the brisket, which was the entire reason we went in the first place. But we stuck it out, and I was actually really glad we did. My partner ordered the pulled pork sandwich and I ordered the barbeque chicken platter. The chicken was amazing, flavor was fantastic and very fresh. They even gave me an extra portion since our food was served at different times, which I was happy to take home for a sandwich the next day. The pulled pork was good as well. The star was the jalapeno poppers - spicy, wrapped in bacon and a sweet sauce on the outside - but half of ours were raw on the inside and therefore QUITE spicy, my partner doesn't tolerate spice well so I ate those. Still very good! Mac and cheese was tasty but a bit sweet. My partner got the pinapple upside down french toast dessert and loved it. I tried a bite (not big on sweets) and it was quite delicious. I forgot my card and the waitress actually chased me outside to give it back. Service was excellent.Second trip we ordered to go, a brisket plate to split since we hadn't gotten to try it last time. I was...extremely disappointed to say the least. It was medium rare - a bad sign for brisket. Extremely tough. I threw a slice in the slow cooker to see if I could get it to tender up and the whole thing, weirdly, burned into a solid black bricklike thing within an hour. Very strange.Overall I think this place is new, still working out the kinks. The staff was very helpful and attentive, and went out of their way to make us happy. 4/6 of the things we tried we really liked. Worth a visit! I feel like it will improve with time.
My parents lived in the Santa Maria California area for many years, I always look forward to visiting because of the Santa Maria style barbecue where they use red oak as the heat source. This restaurant has captured the flavors of that central California coast areas greatest secret. They're Tri Tip is better than some of the original meats I've tasted down in California. Orlando and Kelly are the owners and incredible people. They are always looking to please you and explain the type of barbecue that they produce. You will not find another restaurant in Willamette Valley that does tri tip as well!!
Restaurantji Recommends
All was yummy but the jalapeño poppers and mac n cheese were ahhhhmazing!Clean, cozy- follows current Covid guidelines.
This has the best Bbq around. The service was great and can’t wait to go back..Thank you Chef JR & staff ‼️‼️‼️
So I wanted to try a new place today, figure why not try this place as it is local etc. So I walk in and before I do a big sign that says masks required, I walk in the cashier did not have a mask on, the cook in the back did not have a mask on! So I said nevermind because your cook isn't wearing a mask and she didn't put one on till I almost got to her, even though it says masks required! We are in the middle of a pandemic so actually following STATE MANDATES shouldn't be that hard to follow. Needless to say I won't go back just for that honestly.
First time, I had the chicken sandwich. It was very good and comes with one side. My husband had tri-tip platter with two sides. It was outstanding. He had the mac and cheese. It was creamy and tasty, then a dinner salad. The restuarant was clean and comfortable. Next time will try take out.
This little place caught my eye a couple of weeks ago. I saw and smelt the BBQ smoke wafting from around back. We finally went to check it out and I am glad we did! First bite of my street taco and I was like yum! The meat flavor was really unique. The brisket my husband got was perfectly cooked. We asked the chef what he used for wood and he said Red Oak! It really is some of the best tasting BBQ I’ve had in a long time. It’s a small place but definitely worth a try.