The Locator

Find BBQ Tri Tip Restaurants Near You in California

A growing list of places serving tri tip worth knowing about.

Last updated:

RestaurantSanta Barbara

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.

Directions to The Hitching Post II

406 E Highway 246 · (805) 688-0676 · hitchingpost2.com

RestaurantSan Luis Obispo

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.

Directions to Jocko’s

125 N Thompson Ave · (805) 929-3686 · jockossteakhouse.com

RestaurantLos Angeles

Wood Ranch BBQ & Grill

Wood Ranch grills its tri tip over an open hardwood fire and slices it to order. The platter comes with beans and a choice of house sauces, and the tri tip sandwich makes a solid lunch. It’s a polished sit-down operation rather than a roadside pit, but the tri tip itself is the real deal, and it’s on the menu every day.

LA-area locations include Brentwood, Burbank, Northridge, Manhattan Beach, Cerritos, and Valencia.

woodranch.com

RestaurantVentura

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.

Directions to Wood Ranch BBQ & Grill

100 W Thousand Oaks Blvd · (805) 379-9463 · woodranch.com

RestaurantBay Area

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.

Directions to Horn Barbecue

464 8th St · (510) 225-6101 · hornbarbecue.com

RestaurantCentral Valley

Salty’s BBQ & Catering

Bakersfield

Bakersfield’s oak-grilled standard bearer. Tri tip and chicken come off the fire up front, ribs and pulled pork out of the smoker, and the steady line says the town approves. The Rosedale original is the one to hit.

Directions to Salty’s BBQ & Catering

9425 Rosedale Hwy · (661) 587-8437 · saltysbbq.com

RestaurantSan Diego

The Grill at Torrey Pines

La Jolla

Proof the tradition travels up the price ladder. The Lodge’s oak grilled tri tip comes Santa Maria style with pinquito beans, salsa, and grilled bread, the full spread, served over white tablecloths beside the golf course. San Diego’s most faithful plate of it.

Directions to The Grill at Torrey Pines

11480 N Torrey Pines Rd · lodgetorreypines.com/the-grill

RestaurantLos Angeles

Holy Cow BBQ

Santa Monica

Santa Maria style barbecue on the Westside, one of the few LA spots flying that flag. Tri tip sandwiches and plates a few blocks off San Vicente in Santa Monica.

Directions to Holy Cow BBQ

264 26th St · (310) 883-6269 · holycowbbq.com

RestaurantVentura

Best Bar-B-Q

Santa Paula

A Santa Paula barbecue spot serving tri tip, BBQ chicken, hot links, and chili beans. A Ventura County favorite.

Directions to Best Bar-B-Q

915 Harvard Blvd · (805) 229-7668 · bestbbqsp.com

RestaurantSanta Barbara

Cold Spring Tavern

Santa Barbara

A historic 1860s stagecoach stop in the Santa Ynez Mountains above Santa Barbara, famous for red-oak-grilled tri tip sandwiches at its weekend outdoor barbecue.

Come on a weekend for the outdoor tri tip grill on Stagecoach Road.

Directions to Cold Spring Tavern

5995 Stagecoach Rd · coldspringtavern.com

RestaurantLos Angeles

Rosie’s BBQ Kitchen

Chatsworth

A San Fernando Valley barbecue institution slow-cooking tri tip since 1985, known for its tri tip sandwiches and plates on Topanga Canyon Blvd.

Directions to Rosie’s BBQ Kitchen

10220 Topanga Canyon Blvd · (818) 407-0403 · rosiesbbqkitchen.com

RestaurantVentura

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.

Directions to Deer Lodge

2261 Maricopa Hwy · (805) 646-4256 · deerlodgeojai.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.

For BBQ joint reviews across LA county beyond the Santa Maria tradition, brisket spots, ribs, hot links, see LA-area BBQ joints on BBQ Junkie.

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.

Rather cook it yourself? Start with how to cook tri tip, learn how to slice it the right way, or check what tri tip should cost before you buy.

Know a spot we’re missing? Send us your favorites. Get in touchand we’ll check it out.