Salinas City BBQ

"Service: Aaron is a very knowledgeable staff. He patiently explained the menu to us (while some place when we ask too much questions people usually start to act bothered). He gave us new containers of sauce for our to-go leftovers. Food: Chicken breast was phenomenally juicy. We ate all the white meat first forgetting we came here for the thighs! Price: We were surprised to pay less than $27 for half a chicken, two sides, and a fountain drink. Ambiance: There are both seating outdoor and indoor. We came on a rainy day so needless to say we screamed in happiness that they have plenty of indoor seating. Parking: street parking mostly but not so hard. In conclusion, we will bring more people back to this gem."

"The food was great. I had the 3 meats, with brisket, ribs, and burnt ends. The burnt ends were a little too tough but had great flavor. Other than that, everything else was amazing. The next morning, I had brisket tacos, a slice of pecan pie, and a cup of coffee. Let me just say that I was so excited to get barbecue for breakfast outside of Texas. The tacos were so flavorful and a great size portion. The atmosphere was very relaxing. It's a small building that looks like it used to be a house, and they did a great job creating a down-home feel with the checkered tablecloths and the Blues playing in the background. The absolute best part was the people and the service they provided. I would definitely recommend this place."

"The brisket was excellent - smoky, tender, tasty bark. The BBQ sauces were pretty good - there is an "original' and "spicy". I often find that BBQ sauces are too sweet but these weren't. The spicy one had a slightly weird flavor (it tasted like anise, I'm probably imagining it) but it still wasn't bad. The sides (potato salad, mac and cheese) were fine. The garlic bread... barely tasted like garlic. It even came with a square of butter (hidden behind the potato salad so you can't see it)! Garlic bread should already be plenty buttery, but in this case it was not... So, 5 stars for the meat, 2-3 stars for the rest of the food. But the environment was nice, friendly guy taking/serving orders, with a good selection of craft beers and desserts. I really hope the garlic bread can be improved though..."

"Stopped by on our drive from San Francisco to LA. Came through for Sunday evening dinner and when we arrived at 530ish nearly all the meat was sold out, only brisket and tri tip were left. Ordered side of cornbread which was yummy! Nice spot to sit and eat, homely, and staff were friendly, would have like to try the other meats but the brisket was good."

"Nice place to have delicious brisket and tri-tip (not easy to find). The workers were very nice and they keep the place very clean. Desserts were awesome. I really enjoyed the meat and bbq sauce! I would repeat 100%. Great variety of beers as well!"