Latest reviews from Aptos

“Visited for an early dinner around 5.30pm on Tuesday 02/02/16 after taking a short 5-10 minute drive from SARA. BBQ joint with a really solid and extensive tap list - including at least one SARA beer. Counter service and seat yourself affair. Pair of musicians showed up and played ... they were average. Annoying kids running about much to Peter Hales genuine delight! BBQ was fine ... I’m no expert as per some of the other guys but it did seem they got some of the cuts of meat mixed up! A little pricey overall but kind of balanced out with a solid tap list.“

Theydon_Bois 2929 days ago

“Stopped here for dinner after visiting SARA. Food was alright but a bit disappointing, not the best bbq I’ve had. They do have some really nice beers on tap though. Counter service only, prices are kinda high.“

JulienHuxley 2993 days ago

“A pretty decent spot overall. The barbecue is fairly average, and a bit expensive, though. The beer list is impressive, with a strong assortment of CA breweries represented. The beers, too, are somewhat costly. The place itself is pleasant enough, and live music at dinner time is a nice touch. Overall, this is a good place to have a meal and some beer, but it’s not an essential place to stop.“

Leighton 3001 days ago

“Good looking place, inside and out, located in Aptos. We stopped here after SARA and getting some bottles. The food prices are way too high for the quality and quantity of what you get. They literally switched the orders, getting tri-tip and brisket mixed up. But we’d started eating before deciding to speak up, so oh well. The sides are limited and sub-par, and the meat is dry and overdone. The sauce is either regular or spicy, and is pretty solid. They have live blues every night during dinner. The beer is what they get right; there’s a nice tap list of local and regional stuff, pretty much all California and all really good. Most are served as pints. It’s worth a stop, but I’d be tempted to find better food elsewhere. Maybe it’s my Missouri upbringing, but they don’t get the BBQ side of things quite right. The intent is noble, the execution is a bit off. It’s enough for Californians; Midwesterners and Southerners won’t be impressed. But the beer alone makes it worth a visit.“

phaleslu 3026 days ago

“Solid enough southern/Texas style BBQ food, good smoky and tender meat but sides left a bit to be desired. Nice selection of draft beer in good shape at a nice price, with several SARA beers available. One of which wasn’t even available at Sante at our visit! Worth a stop by if you’re visiting SARA. Ambiance kind of takes a hit for me though as there were quite a few annoying kids running around, as well as some blues/country duo playing who absolutely needs to learn how to play the fucking guitar.“

VsXsV 3027 days ago

“A typical BBQ joint with self service. Lots of solid taps but only pints. Food was solid BBQ, but nothing memorable. Prices were a touch high, but OK. If you want BBQ and craft beer, this is a nice spot, but neither are worth the trip alone.“

Ferris 3028 days ago

“Buddy dragged me here. Busy on a Sunday night, squatted to get a table and line for food was out the door most of the time we were there. Good live blues music. 37 taps and probably that many again in bottles. Strong local and CA focus. Alpine, Rare Barrel, Alesmith, Port, Mike Hess, Discretion, Almanac, and many others. Had the ribs and they were solid...smokey and tender but still clinging to the bone. Strongly recommend.“

wchesser 3315 days ago

“Stopped in for dinner after a SARA trip on a Saturday evening. Smell was wonderful and the wife and I were looking forward to some great ’cue; we even got the only outside table to eat at. Balloon burst when they told us that they only had ribs and hot links left at 6PM on a Saturday. I know they have a whole spiel about how long things take to cook, but that seems like poor management to me. We still sat for a bit and I enjoyed a pour from the 36 available - the Altamond/Aptos collab IIPA, which was pretty tasty. UPDATE: go early or reserve food ahead; its worth it. Brisket is GREAT, wife loves the chicken.“

bytemesis 3631 days ago

“Huh, for some reason I never rated this place. Stopped here after going to Sante Adairius for the first time. Small little BBQ joint, but you can smell the smoked meats with their big smoking rig outside. Not really much of a bar, you just order at the counter and there’s some seating available in the restaurant. Beer was kind of expensive, I think I paid like $7-8 for a pint of Sante Adairius 831...wat?! Lots of other good California, taps, though. I don’t think there was anything on draft other than California beer. Lots of IPAs/hoppy beers, in particular. Got their brisket sandwich and it was quite good. Opted for the garlic bread instead of the regular. Pretty solid joint.“

brokensail 3777 days ago

“Visited December 1, 2013.

OK, this place is legit. I may not be the world’s leading expert on BBQ but I am an avid fan and try it where ever I go and the spicy beef was awesome. I was a little skeptical when they advertised it being extra hot because most of the time people that like really hot foods care (or know) little about peppers and their flavor. Same goes with the people that like their sour beers EXTRA SOUR. Now the beef wasn’t that spicy but it had a great flavor and it was very tender. It was cubed and had been cooking in the BBQ sauce for some time after being smoked outside. The buttered bread bun(ciabatta I think) was a nice touch. I scrolled past the garlic bread bun. The side of beans was good but I was full after the sandwich and didn’t eat much of the beans. They also have live music which was cool since it was the blues.

The beer list is pretty good too. I didn’t look at the bottle list but they have plenty on tap that is worth drinking. Lots of hoppy beers. I saw Humulus Lager, Sante Adairius 831 IPA, Stone Enjoy By, Tricerahops, Bear Republic’s Cafe Racer 15, Speakeasy’s Big Daddy as well as their Double Daddy, Green Flash Green Bullet, Dogfish Head 90 Minute, and plenty more. In fact, I’d say that almost half the list was hoppy beer. They have a few from local breweries like Sante Adairius, Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing, and Santa Cruz Ale Works. The bartender/server offered free samples of anything I wanted. There weren’t any ticks so I went with a glass of Humulus Lager.

My only complaints about this place are the pricing (my sandwich and a beer was $17 after tax) and the fact that they’re not closer to somewhere I go regularly. I’ll definitely stop back in at some point after hitting Sante Adairius.“

t0rin0 3826 days ago

“This place recently took it to the next level with the install of an awesome tap system. Great selection on tap and in bottles. Food is BBQ, they are outside doing it in the smokers early in the day. If you are in Aptos, it is a nice option to Burger.Aptos, with a much broader selection. They usually feature live blues music most nights they are open.“

larryLSB 3851 days ago