EMT Nikki Wilson

🎶 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!

+5

Jenny K

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!

Sara Guzman

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!

Alfred Samson

At first it looked pretty small walking in from the front but if you go past the front and walk into the bar or really opens up. The nice thing is it's more of a bar and grill than just a bar. The decor is pretty cool and the space is nice and open. The service was excellent, had Cory and Lillian helping us. They were very attentive, friendly, and made for really good conversations. They also actually made recommendations when you asked for it. Some places they're just like I don't know but not here! I got the dozen wings half mango habanero and half lemon pepper. The lemon pepper was crispy on the outside but not and juicy on the inside. The mango habanero wasn't a crispy but I'm guessing it's because it has sauce on it. The flavor was really good though, had a kick at first and sweet but as you eat more of doesn't seem as spicy. The price is also really good for a dozen wings, under $15. They have a good selection of beers too, not a big selection but enough to where you have variety. They also have wines and ciders. The fries are also crispy and salt just the way I like it. I also ordered the El Super nachos with carne asada. I haven't tried it yet because I'm full from the wings but it is heavy. Tons of food! If you haven't been yet I highly recommend trying it out. Be warned though I heard that it can get pretty busy and when it does the food takes a little longer. It wasn't too bad tonight though. Really good place overall.

+1

Im from Texas so Brisket is my thing. I have been wanting to try the Santa Maria Tri tip. The trio tip had good flavor but was a lot tougher than the brisket that im used to. Didn't like their bbq sauce at all. It was really runny and heavy on the honey. I also ordered aan enchilada dinner to go. Will update on that later. Overall, its a nice place. Nice patio and dogs are allowed. Service is eh...ordered inside at yhe register and they bring it out to you. Came at lunch and it wasnt busy but service was slow.

Eneida Serrato

Chile verde enchiladas, I come back for those and they are amazing everytime. Heads up! Not the traditional corn tortilllas but flour and pork meat and green salsa. Yeah sounds different but they are amazing.

Richard Albert (Richard Albert)

Great BBQ, portions beyond heroic. Great value money on drinks. Venu somewhat drafty and no real attempt at decor. Semi table service; counter order and pay, then food runners.

Muriel Zep

Love the food! Atmosphere is okay, but very chill and laid back. Looks like It would be fun in the weekends. Got tritip sandwich , fries and wings all delicious!

Eddie !

Please is okay .. food is good and service is not all the greatest but it's not terrible. Ordered food 2 hrs ahead of time and still had to wait for food. However I understand the food is served as fresh so it's a happy medium

Aaron Caldwell

Had lunch here on a Friday and was a little disappointed. Server and bartender were very friendly, but the guy that seemed like a manager gave me a didn't acknowledge me when I walked in even though he was the only one at the register/counter, then gave me a weird look. It was a little busy, but not even close to full and my food took an honest 30 minutes to get! I was alone and just got a pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw. Honestly I wasn't impressed, everything was just....fine. Pork was tender, but seasoning and BBQ sauce underwhelming, and the coleslaw was seemed fresh and crunchy but bland and too sweet for my taste. The place is clean and I really like the vibe, I'm sure it would be a fun place to get a drink with friends or watch a show, but for a casual lunch I'll skip it next time.

G K

Tucked away off the freeway kinda in the corner of a industrial like truck stop. Cute place, great atmosphere and vibe. People where pretty chill too.... just the food was "merp". From my experience, menus like this (WAY TOO MUCH TO OFFER) lack in the tasteful category. Again, thats just me! We could tell there was some locals chilln out who are repeat customers so some people don't mind that aspect of a restaurant. For me, prices are too high everywhere in the world so when I go out and spend 60+ on a meal just to be bummed out by it, its a drag. BBQ was alright.... the fries where BOMB! I took some pictures of the updated the menu. FYI kids meals are 9 something not 6 something. Probably won't come back, we gave it a try. Not the type of BBQ I'm used to. Oh, and the maple syrup for BBQ sauce was pretty bad 😆 like why is this so sweet?! 😆 Anyways, the place is beautiful, I just wished the food reflected that.

+3

Tonita Morris

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.

Genevieve Martinez

Oh i so wanted this to be a good spot. it so wasn't..ugh. the quesadillas cheese was a wierd mixture of cheddar and jack which when got cold was a hardened chunk.. no bueno! Nachos were store bought chips w cheese sauce and a little bit of carne asada.. excuse me, i know what carne asada tastes like.. it wasn't what they put on the nachos... maybe i didn't order the right things.. idk but the taquitos were decent.. the best part was the green salsa and a fried jalapeno. They do have a bar area and there is ample space to sit inside and out.. but the food was not even mediocre. Fail in my eyes . $38 wasted. Maybe the bar section in this place is the star . Either that or the locals don't know what a cantina food is supposed to taste like... next time around, I'll try the beer.. just to be fair.

+6

nicole helton

Lunch was over $70 & food was TERRIBLE. Really awful. We ordered a pulled pork sandwich which they boast has 16 special spices in the sauce but maybe there were only 16 types of salt. It was so incredibly salty it might have well been a salt lick. Meat was dried out and weirdly bland. Except for the salt. As for the sauce? Also bland and weird. Tri tip sandwiches, which hello, the area is famous for, were also inedible. Paper thin, dried out, bland and disgusting. Completely overcooked. Zero juice or tenderness. Sandwiches were huge, so there’s that. Which would have been nice if they were any good. Fries tasted like they were cooked in oil that hasn’t been changed in far too long. Service? Not much to speak of here. No one was rude, but they were as bland as the food. And it took a long time to get our order. Only one of three orders came out initially, while the rest of the table waited. Bringing the entire table’s order at once is basic. Will not recommend or eat here again. Waste of money.