The Smoke Point

Very good burgers and the appetizers were very delicious

As usual… the Smoke Point is a great BBQ place… we continue our BBQ fix here and haven’t been disappointed.. highly recommend

Just amazing! Great food and atmosphere. Everything we tasted was exceptional. The staff was friendly. We’ll be coming back with friends to try the rest of the menu and to listen to the bands!! Oh, and San Juan Bautista is a beautiful small town with a lot of antique shops. Perfect place to spend the day or weekend.

Great service! The food was so flavorful and came out in a timely manner

As my Band: RICK RAMIREZ BAND performs regularly at The Smoke Point BBQ in San Juan Bautista California since April of 2024, I've seen a drastic improvement of more Customers visiting them in their small town with not very many places to receive great Food, Drinks, Friendly Customer Service and to top it off awesome Live Music from local Bands every Saturday afternoon in the Back Patio with No Cover..what else can you ask for? Highly recommend visiting the Smoke Point BBQ who has the best Smoked BBQ Dishes in the entire South Bay Area by far! Rick

Tia and Jeremy a brother and sister team running this amazing BBQ food truck, provided my wife and I a great dinning experience. Their dedication to provide great service in a very busy situation with a smile and heart. They are a must see when visiting the Green Acres food truck court down by the river by the old post office. Make sure you get a chance to try their smoked nachos with the tri tip topping and don’t be afraid to have the jalapeños on top. God Bless Char K.

A no-frills restaurant in a quiet little California mission town, but it has the best smoked meat dishes for many miles around. I drive here from the San Francisco peninsula every few months because the food (and the selection of barbecue sauces) are just so good.

I've dined here several times with friends and the food and service have always been great. I like to eat outside in the back on the wood picnic tables, which is also the place to be when there's live music! There's a nice selection of drinks, with many local options in addition to the standards. Of course the barbecue meats are why I go, and they provide a selection of sauce styles from across the country, but I appreciate that there are some vegetarian options too. Plus for my gluten-sensitive friends the gf-free options are marked on the menu. Very considerate!

Just stumbled through town, came upon this place driving through. This was nothing but a five star spot. Just good quality and good service.

Got the 24h brisket with 2 sides. All was good although the brisket was a bit dry for my taste. With a beer and tax - $35. You judge the pricing. But anyway, good food, nice atmosphere, great music. I stayed outside where was not as fun as inside (at least during the November days I assume); overall a good experience in a nice town.

Cute and funky decor with great pulled pork--and I lived in N Carolina for years, so I know! Loved the mac & cheese and baked bean sides too. 6 different kinds of sauces from various styles of BBQ offered at each table. Def worth the trip! San Juan Bautista is a cute, historic town to walk around too.

I can’t even tell you the last time I was in San Juan Bautista but I can’t tell you I’m going back now for this barbecue joint! I was so impressed by the kind stuff and the flavors and smoke of the barbecue. I grew up with family from the south and I am no stranger to the smoke, flavor, and char of the meat. I did feel like my brisket sandwich had a bit of fat, but the piece was huge! They also provided gluten-free bread and I was super impressed. The potato skins were out of this world packed with flavor and good pieces of meat. I can’t wait to go back and try something else!

Took our 4th graders to Mission San Juan Bautista with our friends and after the mission visit we were looking for a lunch place. We were greeted quickly and as we were in a largish party, and a beautiful day, we opted to sit outside in the garden. The kids had plenty of room to play and the smoker was active in the yard - providing a show! The food was great, the atmosphere fun, and our server was amazing! At the end, she asked if we wanted separate checks and helped out out so didn’t have go back and forth on Venmo! We really appreciated the extra lengths she went :) definitely stop by if you get a chance… while most of our party had the smoked meats - salad, filet, chicken sandwich- the corn bread and loaded potato for vegetarians is pretty filling, and they also have enough options to make the lunch a filling experience!

You could smell the grills when you walked around down town San Juan Bautista. We decided to grab a bit to eat at The Smoke Point BBQ and WOW it was delicious. I ordered the Waldorf w/ brisket. A nice portion of brisket on fresh greens w/ apples, cashews, cubes of mozzarella and a nice creamy honey dijon dressing. We also ordered the cornbread which had a yummy jalapeño and butter topping. It was fantastic! Prices are very reasonable and the outside area is basic, but comfortable. We would definitely return.

Great food and service. Nice variety of sides and sauces. Pro tip, Alabama white on the crispy brussel sprouts.

We just had a great lunch at this place. Had heard about it from friends and decided to give it a try when driving through San Juan Batista. Waitress was very friendly and helpful. Husband had brisket plate, with fries and coleslaw and said it was great. I had Brisket Waldorf Salad and loved it. Sat on back deck as it was a nice day. Great place, will definitely go back and will recommend to others!

What a find! And I certainly will remember for the future. Great BBQ. I had the brisket sandwich which was amazing. Wife had the salad that was covered in bacon with quality greens. If you go, definitely get the brussel sprouts. Beer selection on tap was stellar as well. Yee-haw!!

Razvan A

Got the 24h brisket with 2 sides. All was good although the brisket was a bit dry for my taste. With a beer and tax - $35. You judge the pricing. But anyway, good food, nice atmosphere, great music. I stayed outside where was not as fun as inside (at least during the November days I assume); overall a good experience in a nice town.

Lynn Israelit

Cute and funky decor with great pulled pork--and I lived in N Carolina for years, so I know! Loved the mac & cheese and baked bean sides too. 6 different kinds of sauces from various styles of BBQ offered at each table. Def worth the trip! San Juan Bautista is a cute, historic town to walk around too.

Mariah carpenter

I can’t even tell you the last time I was in San Juan Bautista but I can’t tell you I’m going back now for this barbecue joint! I was so impressed by the kind stuff and the flavors and smoke of the barbecue. I grew up with family from the south and I am no stranger to the smoke, flavor, and char of the meat. I did feel like my brisket sandwich had a bit of fat, but the piece was huge! They also provided gluten-free bread and I was super impressed. The potato skins were out of this world packed with flavor and good pieces of meat. I can’t wait to go back and try something else!

Dloppil

You could smell the grills when you walked around down town San Juan Bautista. We decided to grab a bit to eat at The Smoke Point BBQ and WOW it was delicious. I ordered the Waldorf w/ brisket. A nice portion of brisket on fresh greens w/ apples, cashews, cubes of mozzarella and a nice creamy honey dijon dressing. We also ordered the cornbread which had a yummy jalapeño and butter topping. It was fantastic! Prices are very reasonable and the outside area is basic, but comfortable. We would definitely return.

DAVE SNYDER

Great food and service. Nice variety of sides and sauces. Pro tip, Alabama white on the crispy brussel sprouts.

J Shah

Took our 4th graders to Mission San Juan Bautista with our friends and after the mission visit we were looking for a lunch place. We were greeted quickly and as we were in a largish party, and a beautiful day, we opted to sit outside in the garden. The kids had plenty of room to play and the smoker was active in the yard - providing a show! The food was great, the atmosphere fun, and our server was amazing! At the end, she asked if we wanted separate checks and helped out out so didn’t have go back and forth on Venmo! We really appreciated the extra lengths she went :) definitely stop by if you get a chance… while most of our party had the smoked meats - salad, filet, chicken sandwich- the corn bread and loaded potato for vegetarians is pretty filling, and they also have enough options to make the lunch a filling experience!

Jennifer Carr

We just had a great lunch at this place. Had heard about it from friends and decided to give it a try when driving through San Juan Batista. Waitress was very friendly and helpful. Husband had brisket plate, with fries and coleslaw and said it was great. I had Brisket Waldorf Salad and loved it. Sat on back deck as it was a nice day. Great place, will definitely go back and will recommend to others!

Anne Marie Hartsock

Such an awesome spot and everything is so good and service is so great!

Jeff Wickum- Wickum Group

What a find! And I certainly will remember for the future. Great BBQ. I had the brisket sandwich which was amazing. Wife had the salad that was covered in bacon with quality greens. If you go, definitely get the brussel sprouts. Beer selection on tap was stellar as well. Yee-haw!!

Kam K.

Great bbq, coming from a Texan 🤠 brisket, coleslaw, and potato salad were a great combo. Perfect amount of fat on the brisket. Corn bread was an add-on and it was delicious (large portion size for one order on the side!).

I LOVE living 5 minutes from this bomb bbq joint. Food is always 10/10. Service is equally as awesome. Clean and well maintained restaurant.

The meats, sides , and sauces were excellent and thoroughly enjoyed. Great hospitality from the staff as well. Friendly and knowledgeable service! We've done pickup takeout since as well and enjoyed it just as much. We'll be a regular!

Tiny little barbecue place but the meat is mighty 💪 plenty of portions. I ordered the special which was the spicy tri-tip sandwich that came with potato salad. All was completely delicious. However, I want to up the scale on the potato salad so their potato salad was so good. Everyone has their own specific taste. Mine is more on a German side and this was great. I highly recommend you stop in as I did coming from Gilroy and have a bite ❤️🔥💯 or two

First time here. We had our pup with us so we sat outside. Very dog friendly. Food was great. We had brisket, spareribs, brussel sprouts and asparagus. All very very smokey and flavorful. Great drinks. Had a smokey moscow mule and my husband had a beer that was delicious. We don't live in the area but we will definitely be back when we come thru here.

Naomi Bayless

I LOVE living 5 minutes from this bomb bbq joint. Food is always 10/10. Service is equally as awesome. Clean and well maintained restaurant.

Rich Capalbo

The meats, sides , and sauces were excellent and thoroughly enjoyed. Great hospitality from the staff as well. Friendly and knowledgeable service! We've done pickup takeout since as well and enjoyed it just as much. We'll be a regular!

Martine Felts

First time here. We had our pup with us so we sat outside. Very dog friendly. Food was great. We had brisket, spareribs, brussel sprouts and asparagus. All very very smokey and flavorful. Great drinks. Had a smokey moscow mule and my husband had a beer that was delicious. We don't live in the area but we will definitely be back when we come thru here.

Pretty good food! Cute design inside and nice people. We got all sorts of food and it was all fairly good. Good spot to go in this quaint little town

Brisket and ribs were really good. A good spot to hit when craving BBQ. Parking is limited so you may need to park down the street.

Place was nice had great service staff was very attentive the meat was delicious the sides were average at best home style beans some of them were under cooked a little hard Mac and cheese lacked favor but the brisket and the sausage made up for it and the banana pudding was great as well definitely will try again.

I visited with family. They grew up in Texas in what I dub BBQ land, and I did not. They didn’t much like the bbq, but I thought it was pretty decent. The staff was super sweet and it was a cute, small little place. Their ribs were some of the best I’ve had, and I ate them straight off the bone and I’m usually kinda picky about that. My family didn’t like it much, saying it wasn’t too tender. Overall it was pretty decent, and their Banana Pudding was really good. I ordered their Chocolate Mousse, and they put something spicy on the top and it was not great.

New favorite spot in town as of recent, dishes are consistently moist and delicious, along side the place just having a good vibe. Only problem with the place is since they're a BBQ joint it attracts a bunch of flies inside the restaurant, typically 2-5 each time I've gone, just need a glue trap or two and place is perfect.

This was our first time at The Smoke Point, and we really enjoyed it. We started with crispy Brussels sprouts. They were delicious. There is a nice variety of BBQ sauces on the table and 2 of them paired well with the sprouts. The Alabama white and the mustard and vinegar one, which I think was NC. We then had sandwiches. I had the chicken and my husband had the Dr Pepperoncini. The chicken sandwich was very good. It had the St Louis sauce on it. I also tried the red Dandy sauce. Both were flavorful. My husband said the short ribs on his sandwich were full of flavor and he would order it again. Service was great.

Stumbled across this wonderful little spot due to a Google search of bbq places near me. We made the ten minute drive to the sleepy little town of San Juan Batista. If you’ve never been, SJB has that old town feel to it. There isn’t a Starbucks, MxDonalds, or any other chain to grab a bite to eat. Everyone is local and everything has that old town charm. Driving up to the restaurant, the no frills, bare bones decor filled me with hope. These days, far too many places rely on flash and sizzle rather than quality food. Inside, the place has an old town diner feel with string lights adding ambiance. The menu has quite a few options. Prices seemed in line with every other bbq joint we’d been to since Covid made cost of goods soar. Unfortunately, there’s no vaccine for that. Everybody pays. My wife ordered the one meat plate with half a chicken, potato salad, and Mac and cheese. She chose a POG slushy to drink. I ordered the one meat plate with brisket, bbq beans, and fries for our three year old. I also ordered a jalapeño cheese sausage for an extra $6. The plates were $24. We ordered a slab of cornbread for $8. I had a draft beer - a whisky barrel aged porter from nearby Watsonville brewery Fruition. It was fantastic, by the way. Portions: We were incredibly surprised. Had I known the portions would be the size they were, I wouldn’t have ordered the sausage(which I took home.) These portions were surprising compared to the other bbq places we’ve visited in Aptos, Santa Cruz, Morgan Hill, and Salinas. Over the past few years, the serving size has decreased while the cost has increased. Here, it felt like we were in a Time Machine that took us back five or six years. The staff were super friendly, quick to respond, and offered our three year old stickers, crayons, and a sheet of paper to color on. They had five different sauces that were very unique. I had only one of the types of sauces previously(garden variety bbq), so I enjoyed sampling them all. I really hope everyone gives this special place a chance. It has heart and personality asks of course, is locally owned. I can o lay imagine how the desserts must have been, but that will have to be for our next visit!

Such a friendly spot!!! The service was OTT great - it's rare you go somewhere these days and the individuals working there seem genuinely happy to be there in the way everyone seemed to be here. Spot is very casual - a true bbq joint that's just focused on good food and good times. And, indeed I'd say my food was good: brussel sprouts were outstanding in particular. The only disappointment really was the chicken - while the skin was nice and crispy, it was a bit dry - but nbd because really both me and my dog enjoyed our time here! The wide variety of sauce selections also make for a fun tasting experience.

SeeTheWorld

This was our first time at The Smoke Point, and we really enjoyed it. We started with crispy Brussels sprouts. They were delicious. There is a nice variety of BBQ sauces on the table and 2 of them paired well with the sprouts. The Alabama white and the mustard and vinegar one, which I think was NC. We then had sandwiches. I had the chicken and my husband had the Dr Pepperoncini. The chicken sandwich was very good. It had the St Louis sauce on it. I also tried the red Dandy sauce. Both were flavorful. My husband said the short ribs on his sandwich were full of flavor and he would order it again. Service was great.

KDG

Stumbled across this wonderful little spot due to a Google search of bbq places near me. We made the ten minute drive to the sleepy little town of San Juan Batista. If you’ve never been, SJB has that old town feel to it. There isn’t a Starbucks, MxDonalds, or any other chain to grab a bite to eat. Everyone is local and everything has that old town charm. Driving up to the restaurant, the no frills, bare bones decor filled me with hope. These days, far too many places rely on flash and sizzle rather than quality food. Inside, the place has an old town diner feel with string lights adding ambiance. The menu has quite a few options. Prices seemed in line with every other bbq joint we’d been to since Covid made cost of goods soar. Unfortunately, there’s no vaccine for that. Everybody pays. My wife ordered the one meat plate with half a chicken, potato salad, and Mac and cheese. She chose a POG slushy to drink. I ordered the one meat plate with brisket, bbq beans, and fries for our three year old. I also ordered a jalapeño cheese sausage for an extra $6. The plates were $24. We ordered a slab of cornbread for $8. I had a draft beer - a whisky barrel aged porter from nearby Watsonville brewery Fruition. It was fantastic, by the way. Portions: We were incredibly surprised. Had I known the portions would be the size they were, I wouldn’t have ordered the sausage(which I took home.) These portions were surprising compared to the other bbq places we’ve visited in Aptos, Santa Cruz, Morgan Hill, and Salinas. Over the past few years, the serving size has decreased while the cost has increased. Here, it felt like we were in a Time Machine that took us back five or six years. The staff were super friendly, quick to respond, and offered our three year old stickers, crayons, and a sheet of paper to color on. They had five different sauces that were very unique. I had only one of the types of sauces previously(garden variety bbq), so I enjoyed sampling them all. I really hope everyone gives this special place a chance. It has heart and personality asks of course, is locally owned. I can o lay imagine how the desserts must have been, but that will have to be for our next visit!

Suzanne Frey

Such a friendly spot!!! The service was OTT great - it's rare you go somewhere these days and the individuals working there seem genuinely happy to be there in the way everyone seemed to be here. Spot is very casual - a true bbq joint that's just focused on good food and good times. And, indeed I'd say my food was good: brussel sprouts were outstanding in particular. The only disappointment really was the chicken - while the skin was nice and crispy, it was a bit dry - but nbd because really both me and my dog enjoyed our time here! The wide variety of sauce selections also make for a fun tasting experience.

This is a typical bbq joint. The food was really good. The brisket was so tender, I used a butter knife to cut it. My one complaint is that their choices for bbq sauce were limited to 2, neither off which were amazing. I prefer a sweeter bbq, and theirs is more vinegar forward.

Fries and service were great and quick, prices were reasonable, pulled pork was dry and beans were lukewarm.

We went to the Smoke Point following a raving recommendation from locals. Prior to going we did some research about the place as we were told the chef is a former Michelin Star restaurant chef. We were hooked when we read about the idea of Jarad Gallagher to offer „simple food, well prepared“. We’ve tried out various BBQ restaurants during our time living in the US. From chains like „Mighty Quinn‘s“ in NYC, to places with varying reputation in North Carolina and Texas. I don’t want to beat around the bush but the food we got was not more than OK. We had the pulled pork, the brisket, loaded potatoe salad, and the Cole slaw. The meat items were not even lukewarm and the sides came right out of the fridge. We had not expected something mind blowing giving the previously mentioned philosophy not to deliver something fancy but solid and honest. The quality did not meet BBQ chain food quality. Maybe the kitchen had a bad day reading through the other convincing reviews. The one thing to easily improve on is food presentation and ambience. Yes, the food is optimized for take out etc. but sides could be presented a little nicer than sled over the table in a plastic bucket with a grumpy face. I’d rather get a little less potatoe salad served pleasantly in a proper (porcelain?) bowl than a full pint compressed in a plastic cup. Attached some pictures for reference. Would we come back? No. Overall, it did not feel like fair value for money.

Alexander Bruns

We went to the Smoke Point following a raving recommendation from locals. Prior to going we did some research about the place as we were told the chef is a former Michelin Star restaurant chef. We were hooked when we read about the idea of Jarad Gallagher to offer „simple food, well prepared“. We’ve tried out various BBQ restaurants during our time living in the US. From chains like „Mighty Quinn‘s“ in NYC, to places with varying reputation in North Carolina and Texas. I don’t want to beat around the bush but the food we got was not more than OK. We had the pulled pork, the brisket, loaded potatoe salad, and the Cole slaw. The meat items were not even lukewarm and the sides came right out of the fridge. We had not expected something mind blowing giving the previously mentioned philosophy not to deliver something fancy but solid and honest. The quality did not meet BBQ chain food quality. Maybe the kitchen had a bad day reading through the other convincing reviews. The one thing to easily improve on is food presentation and ambience. Yes, the food is optimized for take out etc. but sides could be presented a little nicer than sled over the table in a plastic bucket with a grumpy face. I’d rather get a little less potatoe salad served pleasantly in a proper (porcelain?) bowl than a full pint compressed in a plastic cup. Attached some pictures for reference. Would we come back? No. Overall, it did not feel like fair value for money.

The Old Fashioned was fine—definitely not smoky. Not bad, but I’ve had better. The small side of fries were standard Ore-Ida; okay. The homemade ranch was good, though I wished for more fries… then again, maybe not. The French Dip was just that—French—with a decent pile of pepperoncinis on the side. Nothing memorable. My wife ordered the pulled pork; I had a bite—fine, nothing special. The mac and cheese, however, was watery, bland, and honestly inedible. Overall: okay food, but not okay prices. At $20+ per sandwich, it’s hard to justify when there are so many better options nearby. Maybe I’d come back. Maybe not. ⭐⭐⭐ (3 stars

Raul Valdez

The Old Fashioned was fine—definitely not smoky. Not bad, but I’ve had better. The small side of fries were standard Ore-Ida; okay. The homemade ranch was good, though I wished for more fries… then again, maybe not. The French Dip was just that—French—with a decent pile of pepperoncinis on the side. Nothing memorable. My wife ordered the pulled pork; I had a bite—fine, nothing special. The mac and cheese, however, was watery, bland, and honestly inedible. Overall: okay food, but not okay prices. At $20+ per sandwich, it’s hard to justify when there are so many better options nearby. Maybe I’d come back. Maybe not. ⭐⭐⭐ (3 stars

It was okay. Ordered the ribs and sausage... the ribs were on the dry side, and the sausage was just sad and cold. The brussels sprouts are as others have said it; individual leaves that were fried/baked and heavily seasoned.

You pissed off my wife so here’s my free consult. The grand opening was decent at the time, but now it’s just mediocre. The value doesn’t add up—$27 for a “meat plate” gets you enough for two tiny sandwiches, and the rest is just a pile of oversized sides. It’s more like sides with a meat garnish than the other way around. You’ve got four sauces: one’s overly sweet and watery, the other three are basically liquid vinegar. How do you mess up BBQ sauce? Your avant-garde take on sauce sucks dawg. Maybe these sauces aren’t popular for a reason. Surprised you insisted on them all this time. The whole place feels like it’s not taken seriously. The fridge looks fully stocked only because no one’s shelling out for the obscure ciders and probiotic sodas. I honestly can’t tell who’s running this place, a man or a woman; what or where is the ‘vision’? And waiting 30 minutes for food while staffing two young adult$… why? You’re not moving enough product—and at this rate, you never will.

Ordered “The Meat Plate” with an additional meat (brisket and St. Louis ribs). The brisket was medium cooked with a slight smoky flavor on the bark. The first kid was also extremely fatty a little too fat for my preference. There was a lack of seasoning throughout the meat, but if you prefer to let the meat shine, then this might be for you. The St. Louis ribs were a little overcooked, but still juicy and like the brisket lacked seasoning. Our science were baked beans and potato salad. The baked beans were the star of the dish. They were cooked well seasoned to perfection and had small chunks of tomatoes and onion and peppers. The potato salad was very bland and like the meat laced seasoning. What was most surprising to me was how watered down the sauces were. Not just one sauce, but all six bottles of sauce on our table were so watered down that the flavor literally of the sauce was nonexistent. Overall this will get a BBQ score of 2.

Average place. Had no outstanding flavor. Cooked well but can only recommend the brisket and mac n cheese.. Came on a family trip because we heard good things. Was such a let down. Tritip was a ok. Ribs we had to fight them off the bone. Pulled pork nobody even wanted to touch it. Corn bread was cold on the inside like it was microwaved poorly. Potato salad was frozen cold. Very depressed lunch. Told us Didnt have any baked beans for this day. Went and got fruit at casa de fruta to not completely waste the day. Baked potatoes looked delicious tho

Ordered two meat plates the 8oz (4oz fat 4 oz brisket) brisket was basically just fat with a sliver of meat. The half chicken plate was ok added a extra cheddar jalapeño sausage...some hard bits inside the sausage not the greatest texture. Nothing really stood out an as pricing was ridiculous like any bbq joint. Wouldn't go back and regret my 80+ dollar purchase on two meat plates. The staff was nice the food not so much. Horrible bbq sauces

I Perez

Average place. Had no outstanding flavor. Cooked well but can only recommend the brisket and mac n cheese.. Came on a family trip because we heard good things. Was such a let down. Tritip was a ok. Ribs we had to fight them off the bone. Pulled pork nobody even wanted to touch it. Corn bread was cold on the inside like it was microwaved poorly. Potato salad was frozen cold. Very depressed lunch. Told us Didnt have any baked beans for this day. Went and got fruit at casa de fruta to not completely waste the day. Baked potatoes looked delicious tho

christopher de leon

Ordered two meat plates the 8oz (4oz fat 4 oz brisket) brisket was basically just fat with a sliver of meat. The half chicken plate was ok added a extra cheddar jalapeño sausage...some hard bits inside the sausage not the greatest texture. Nothing really stood out an as pricing was ridiculous like any bbq joint. Wouldn't go back and regret my 80+ dollar purchase on two meat plates. The staff was nice the food not so much. Horrible bbq sauces

I have ordered food from this scam joint a dozen times. They NEVER get it right. Tonight's effort was a "mefium rare" burger. Nope. WELL DONE. The sides were wrong. The sauce was wrong. It's just an awful experience. Every. Single. Time. And it's too expensive to keep paying for epic fails.

For starters, the prices are steep. The skin on my chicken was like Plastic, the inside was ok. The beans were overtaken by whole garlic cloves, large pieces of tomato and really could not enjoy them. I think the only thing I enjoyed were the fries and the toast bread. First time visiting, and will not go back again, it just wasn't for me.