Cole's BBQ

Saw this place driving around Santa Cruz area. The smoke from their grill enticed us to stop and so glad that we did! Great service, this alone deserves 5 stars. Food looks amazing!! Tri-tip plate and tri-tip sandwich on point! Definitely a must visit!!

Toney Woods

Delicious BBQ. It really is the little place with big taste! Friendly staff. Great location. We can actually smell Cole's before we get there. Our favorite BBQ spot on the coast. Highly recommended! Thank you!

Linda VanSant

Ordered a whole chicken and fries and it was delicious. I couldn’t believe how heavy the chicken was! Not like my East coast skinny chicken BBQ. It was already cut up, which made it so much easier to eat. They also give extra bbq sauce and ranch! Can’t wait to try the ribs and tri tips before I have to leave to go back east! Limited sitting outside , so be prepared to take it home or go to a park to eat. Don’t miss out on a true BBQ place!

Jeff Chung

Great BBQ pork ribs and chicken in Capitola

Mike Dimas

Best fries and burger all around

Jazelle Marie

Delicious, mouth-watering BBQ! The reggae music playing set the tone as soon as we walked in. I loved Amalia's welcoming vibe and suggestive. The best bbq in Santa cruz hands down! 🔥🔥🔥

oscar luna

should have came and ate here a long time ago!!! the food is really good and fresh. the service was great as well

Olivia Wong

This place is insane. Not “good for Santa Cruz” but GOOD. I was driving to Home Depot or something and drawn in from Cole’s enticing fumes. They got the meat and the smoke and the wood, the whole shebang. I would take a date here, I would take my family here, I would have my last meal here. Highly recommend garlic bread, tri tip, pulled pork, chili burger. Everyone working here deserves a raise.

Gilbert Rivas

I haven't had Coles for a while but they're still holding it down with big flavor. Must try the tri tip sandwich! Delicious

Leslie Dotts

This is our go to place to eat lunch and dinner when we visit Santa Cruz. Their burgers and ribs are delicious! There's never too bad of a wait and everything is fresh. I highly recommend trying it!

Maxine Pajas

I drive all the way from Soledad just to eat their trip tip sandwich with coleslaw and they have a really good pulled pork sandwich, goes good with chili cheese fries as well.

Brian Emilio Venegas (daddy)

Saw this place driving around Santa Cruz area. The smoke from their grill enticed us to stop and so glad that we did! Great service, this alone deserves 5 stars. Food looks amazing!! Tri-tip plate and tri-tip sandwich on point! Definitely a must visit!!

It had been years since I've been to Cole's, and why? I have no idea but it's back on my favorites list. The blue cheese bacon burger was so good and my hot link had the perfect spice. And the fries are so damn good! Sit outside and watch the world go by while enjoying an awesome meal.

The food is so amazing sauce just right they have different flavors the portions are Magnificent the staff serves you right to your seat and they have indoor and outdoor dining fantastic!

One of the best bbqs. The bread is so good too. We happened to stop by for the BBQ on our way to come home. I wish this restaurant is close to my town

Sonny H

One of the best bbqs. The bread is so good too. We happened to stop by for the BBQ on our way to come home. I wish this restaurant is close to my town

Tommy Dyson

It had been years since I've been to Cole's, and why? I have no idea but it's back on my favorites list. The blue cheese bacon burger was so good and my hot link had the perfect spice. And the fries are so damn good! Sit outside and watch the world go by while enjoying an awesome meal.

Max Myers

Ordered a three-meat combo. Everything was great. Lots of meat, seasoned fries, and garlic bread are all great. They do it well here. The portions are large. The three of us ate dinner and had some leftovers for the next day. Awesome feeling to have more than you need and feel like you got a good value. The girl at the front who I ordered from was friendly and welcoming. Sorry, I didn't get her name. The place is a bit cold inside, so dress warm or order take-out.

Great food at a good price. The service was great. Easy ordering and pick up.

They used to have beef ribs, but no more . Simple local spot where you can see and smell the pits working. Friendly service with indoor and outdoor seating, and decent enough fish and chips and tri-tip. It's the kind of spot you come to for the nostalgia and local treatment. Fish was served nice and not, but the fries were limp and had been sitting around awhile, lol. I like their cole slaw, and the brisket with the spicy bbq sauce. Good prices and plenty of local traffic with parking.

Sadly, while Cole's had been a favorite through the years, the quality has gone down. Recently ordered Pork ribs were undercooked, and tasted more like they were boiled rather then barbecued. Tough, chewy rather than falling off the bone, and they seemed to try and make up for it by slathering in sauce that did not make up for the grease that was dripping all over my hands. I truly hope this was just a bad incident and not the trend of Cole's. For now, I'll go elsewhere. Not recommended.

Philip Bernosky

Sadly, while Cole's had been a favorite through the years, the quality has gone down. Recently ordered Pork ribs were undercooked, and tasted more like they were boiled rather then barbecued. Tough, chewy rather than falling off the bone, and they seemed to try and make up for it by slathering in sauce that did not make up for the grease that was dripping all over my hands. I truly hope this was just a bad incident and not the trend of Cole's. For now, I'll go elsewhere. Not recommended.

Roya MJ

They used to have beef ribs, but no more . Simple local spot where you can see and smell the pits working. Friendly service with indoor and outdoor seating, and decent enough fish and chips and tri-tip. It's the kind of spot you come to for the nostalgia and local treatment. Fish was served nice and not, but the fries were limp and had been sitting around awhile, lol. I like their cole slaw, and the brisket with the spicy bbq sauce. Good prices and plenty of local traffic with parking.

I really wanted to like this place, been driving past it for two years but.... The meat has no smokey taste, just tastes like you grilled it at home. The ribs were tuff, not "fall off the bone" but more like "gnaw off the bone". The pulled pork is just like something you would do at home in a crockpot. The BBQ sauce, both regular and spicy, has a strange taste, like there is perfume in it. Order took longer than expected. On the good side the ladies working here were very nice. 🤗 I'd suggest you make the drive to Aptos BBQ and order some brisket. 😋

Well I have lived in santa cruz for 54 years and have never been here. Now I know why. I had high hopes. Ordered a pulled pork sandwich and a jalapeño burger and fries. Ok let's start with the fries. They filled the bag with fries to bad they were very old, very old and greasy. The pulled pork sandwich had lots of meat in it but no flavor. The hamburger I ordered with bacon. All I can say was the jalapeños had flavor but the patty was also old and very dry. I will not go back.

Carl O'Neil

I really wanted to like this place, been driving past it for two years but.... The meat has no smokey taste, just tastes like you grilled it at home. The ribs were tuff, not "fall off the bone" but more like "gnaw off the bone". The pulled pork is just like something you would do at home in a crockpot. The BBQ sauce, both regular and spicy, has a strange taste, like there is perfume in it. Order took longer than expected. On the good side the ladies working here were very nice. 🤗 I'd suggest you make the drive to Aptos BBQ and order some brisket. 😋

Debbie Pieracci

Well I have lived in santa cruz for 54 years and have never been here. Now I know why. I had high hopes. Ordered a pulled pork sandwich and a jalapeño burger and fries. Ok let's start with the fries. They filled the bag with fries to bad they were very old, very old and greasy. The pulled pork sandwich had lots of meat in it but no flavor. The hamburger I ordered with bacon. All I can say was the jalapeños had flavor but the patty was also old and very dry. I will not go back.

a N

I went in for the lunch special today at 3:30 The only thing that tasted good was the bread. The fries where maybe a little too salty and just in general doesn’t look right. Not sure if its the oil or something else. The tri tip was hard to chew. Third time here and honestly i was already skeptical about going back today. So i will remember that next time. I came again yesterday with some friends. 4 people $60 spent. We didn’t eat half the food. It was awful. I only came again because it was late and almost everything else was close.

Ordered fish and chips and fries, brisket for dinner. TERRIBLE! Fish and chips were so overcooked they looked mummified. The brisket was mostly fat! Save your $.

James Hamilton

Ordered fish and chips and fries, brisket for dinner. TERRIBLE! Fish and chips were so overcooked they looked mummified. The brisket was mostly fat! Save your $.