Santa Barbara County
This is ground zero for tri tip. The Santa Maria Valley, stretching from Guadalupe to Los Alamos, has more tri tip per capita than anywhere else in the world. Many of these spots have been serving the same recipe for decades: red oak, SPG rub, pinquito beans, salsa, garlic bread. For the full story of how this tradition started, see our Santa Maria BBQ history.
Santa Maria Valley
The Hitching Post II | Buellton
Famous from the movie Sideways, but locals knew it long before that. The Hitching Post grills everything over red oak, including their tri tip. The wine list is heavy on local Santa Ynez Valley producers. A reservation is a good idea on weekends.
406 E Highway 246 · (805) 688-0676 · hitchingpost2.com
The Hitching Post | Casmalia
The original Hitching Post, tucked into the tiny community of Casmalia off the 101. Less well-known than its Buellton counterpart, which means shorter waits and a more local crowd. Pure old-school Central Coast BBQ.
3325 Point Sal Rd · (805) 937-6151
Shaw's Steakhouse | Santa Maria
A classic Santa Maria BBQ steakhouse. Tri tip over red oak with the full traditional spread. The atmosphere is old-school California ranch country.
714 S Broadway · (805) 925-5862 · shaws-steakhouse.com
Far Western Tavern | Orcutt
One of the oldest Santa Maria style BBQ restaurants in the region. The Far Western has been serving Central Coast ranchers and their families for generations. The tri tip is textbook Santa Maria style.
300 E Clark Ave · (805) 937-2211 · farwesterntavern.com
The real move
If you’re driving the 101 between LA and San Francisco, the Santa Maria Valley is roughly the halfway point. Plan a stop. Hit Jocko’s or the Hitching Post and turn a road trip into a pilgrimage.
San Luis Obispo County
SLO County sits just north of Santa Maria and shares the same BBQ DNA. The tri tip tradition runs strong here, especially in the smaller ranch towns.
Jocko's | Nipomo
A Central Coast institution since 1953. Jocko's cooks over oak and serves tri tip with all the traditional sides. The steaks are legendary too. Cash only (or they were for a long time — check before you go). The wait can be long on weekends but it's worth it.
125 N Thompson Ave · (805) 929-3686 · jockossteakhouse.com
Firestone Grill | San Luis Obispo
A Cal Poly staple. Firestone grills their tri tip over red oak and serves it on a French roll with their house BBQ sauce. They don't smoke it, but the tri tip is tender and the sandwich is one of the best values in town. Expect a line.
1001 Higuera St · (805) 783-1001 · firestonegrill.com
Sylvester's Burgers | Atascadero
Known for burgers, but the tri tip plate is the real move. Grilled over oak with beans and salsa. Casual, affordable, and consistent.
6455 El Camino Real · (805) 466-7591 · sylvestersburgers.com
SLO Thursday Night Farmers Market | San Luis Obispo
One of the largest weekly farmers markets in California takes over downtown Higuera Street every Thursday evening. Look for the vendors grilling tri tip over oak — the setups are bare-bones but the technique is real. Follow the smoke.
Thursday evenings, year-round.
Higuera Street
Ventura County
Ventura County picks up where Santa Barbara leaves off. The tri tip tradition thins out a bit this far south, but the spots that do it are worth the stop.
Wood Ranch BBQ & Grill | Thousand Oaks
The original Thousand Oaks location opened in 1997 and still runs the best version. Tri tip comes off the smoker with a solid bark, and they pair it with a sweet BBQ sauce that works better than it should. Go for the tri tip sandwich if you want speed, the platter if you want the full spread.
Wood Ranch has several other locations across Southern California.
100 W Thousand Oaks Blvd · (805) 379-9463 · woodranch.com
Deer Lodge | Ojai
Ojai's historic restaurant and tavern, operating for over seven decades. Classic Californian cuisine with weekend barbecue offerings. A meeting place for locals and travelers at the edge of the Los Padres National Forest.
2261 Maricopa Hwy · (805) 646-4256 · deerlodgeojai.com
Five Points Meat Market | Ventura
A neighborhood butcher shop and market in east Ventura. They cut and season their own tri tip in-house. Pick one up ready to grill or grab a tri tip sandwich at the counter.
3049 E Main St · (805) 643-0318 · fivepointsmeatmarket.com
Los Angeles
Tri tip has been part of LA’s BBQ and taqueria scene longer than most people realize. You’ll find it on menus from the Valley to Long Beach, but the spots below are the ones doing it right.
Bartz's BBQ
A Santa Maria style pop-up that brings Central Coast BBQ to LA. Red oak, traditional rub, pinquito beans. Follow them on Instagram for schedule and locations.
Holy Cow BBQ
Red oak, SPG rub, pinquito beans on the side. They rotate locations around SoCal and sell out fast. Follow them on social for the schedule and show up early — once the tri tip is gone, it's gone.
Bay Area
The Bay Area leans Texas and Carolina for its BBQ identity, but tri tip has always had a presence — especially in the East Bay and South Bay, where Central Coast transplants brought the tradition with them. Keep an eye on farmers market vendors running portable red oak grills at the larger Saturday markets — the setups are bare-bones but the technique is real.
Horn Barbecue | Oakland
Matt Horn runs a Texas-style operation, so tri tip isn't always on the board. When it is, it's some of the best smoked tri tip in Northern California — heavy bark, clean smoke, sliced thick. Check the daily menu on Instagram before driving out. The line starts early and moves slow, but that's true of every spot worth waiting for.
464 8th St · (510) 225-6101 · hornbarbecue.com
Beyond California
Tri tip is going national. BBQ joints in Texas, the Pacific Northwest, and even the Southeast are putting tri tip on their menus. It’s still hard to find outside of California in its traditional Santa Maria form, but the cut itself is increasingly available at quality BBQ restaurants everywhere.
If you find a great tri tip spot outside California, we want to know about it. Drop us a line and we’ll add it to the guide. And if you’d rather cook it yourself, start with how to cook tri tip or learn how to slice it the right way.
Know a spot we’re missing? Send us your favorites. Email us and we’ll check it out.