- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
A J Spurs Saloon & Dining Hall
Category: Restaurants Steakhouses Steakhouses [Edit]
1760 El Camino RealGrover Beach, CA 93433
(805) 489-7770
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
68 reviews for A J Spurs Saloon & Dining Hall
Review Highlights
-
"and for dessert: ROOT BEER FLOAT." In 20 reviews -
"then there's french garlic bread, your entree, and dessert..." In 3 reviews -
"Here's the deal from a central coast local." In 5 reviews
Loading...
68 reviews in English
-
Review from David G.
Upon entering AJ Spur's, I got the feeling that I was in a scene from "There Will be Blood". There is a Western theme here, and it is pretty intense. There are ads for shotguns, guns hanging on the wall, and animals that have been taxidermied, presumably shot by the weapons on the wall. There is even an antler chandelier.
We were greeted by a friendly host and waited about 10 minutes to be seated. Upon sitting we were presented with the Vaquero soup, which is served in a cast iron pot reminiscent of a cowboy-campfire setup. There was the soup (in the iron pot) salsa, and black beans, which were to be mixed to our taste. It was delicious and was nice to have immediately.
I ordered the chicken oscar, which was chicken served with lobster, shrimp and asparagus, coated with hollandaise sauce. It was served with rice, broccoli, and a weird purple piece of lettuce garnish that probably a luxury in the old west. They also serve an iron skillet of potato slices, lightly seasoned, that looked like they could have been cooked over a camp fire in the wild west.
Good meal overall, with the only room for improvement being that the chicken was a little dry and slightly too salty.
Dessert was part of the meal, with the choices being: A Kalua mix drink that sounded a little too sweet, a rootbeer float or brandy. I chose brandy, which was served in a tiny sniffer that made me feel like I should be enjoying a leather bound book while sitting in my silk bathrobe (that I don't own).
Total for two with 1 glass of wine and tax was $58.81, this included a %10 discount offered by the Holiday Inn Express right next door that we stayed at.
Solid 3.5 stars overall - I like this place. Brandy has that effect on me. -
Review from S M.
Clovis, CA
4/26/2012
The first time that I came here, I got the worst food poisoning of my life. It was so bad that I spent the rest of my vacation in a hotel room and I had to keep pulling over on the way home to do my business.
That was 5 years ago.
So, I came here again because my company wanted to try it.
I had bad memories and begrudgingly said yes.
I walk in... And it looks EXACTLY the same. The dead animals really gross me out. Sorry, it doesn't look cool, it looks down right disgusting.
Onto the food, they give you a lot of food. I will give them that much... but is it high quality food that you expect? No. It wasn't.
I will continue to drive on by and not try this place again! F.Mclintocks will always have my business! -
Review from Von O.
San Luis Obispo, CA
4/5/2012 1 Check-in Here
Turn-and-burn
I'm used to AJ's style, but last night was just plain silly. The waiter was rude, told me he didn't have what I ordered (after I ordered), and we had to request our dessert prior to getting them. The waiter carded us (with attitude in his voice, like he was doing it out of spite) for our after dinner liqueur. He sees, 34-37-38, and my girlfriend left her ID in the car. She is clearly old enough to drink, and he told her (once again with vocal enflection as if she had killed his dog) he was going to "refuse to serve her without ID". As a parent, I understand the need to card......but come on now!
With so many quality steak houses on the coast (that put customer service as high of a priority as the food) I doubt if I will be returning, nor referring visitors anymore. -
Review from Laura B.
Arroyo Grande, CA
5/23/2012
So good, service is usually spot on as well.
-
Review from Lucy Y.
Los Angeles, CA
We stayed right next door to this restaurant, at the Holiday Inn. When they gave us a 10% discount it was a no brainer to walk over for dinner.
Walking up to the front door, we saw a huge, fluffy white taxidermy-ed mountain goat in a window display. A full-sized bison stood to the right of the front desk, and a bobcat was displayed underneath the cash register.
All through the restaurant were stuffed ducks, geese, deer heads and whole animals, wild boar, bears, wolves and moose.
We waited about 10-15 minutes bwfore we were seated at a hot pink vinyl booth, and immediately served their Vaquero soup - a cast iron pot of beef veggie soup with bowls of black beans and salsa to mix in. As soon as we ordered, our drinks and dinner salads (iceberg mix, cucumber, tomato, grated carrots, red cabbage, croutons) followed. Packaged saltines & sesame breadsticks sat on the table for munching alongside.
Me: 14 oz Ribeye - cooked perfectly rare, smoky, juicy and yummy!
Bf: Oscar Chicken - creamy saucy shrimp & lobster-topped chicken, yum!
All meals came with AJ Spuds (chunky sliced potatoes & onions), a piece of garlic bread and rice pilaf......and even a choice of either a root beer float, scoop of chocolate sauce-topped ice cream or choice of several liqueurs or brandy for dessert! Yum!
There were a lot of kids here, so it's definitely a family-friendly place. Plus there's a bar with huge, lit-up (in lights, and alcohol, heehee) drinks in people's hot little hands.
I guess this place has something to offer everyone - it's no wonder it was so packed!
I'd gladly come back here if I was in the area, and recommend it others. And it's not just because I'm silly on brandy, ice cream & chocolate sauce : D.Listed in: Pismo Beach area
-
Review from stacey l.
Long Beach, CA
3/21/2012 2 photos
bf and i was around the area because he had an assignment for his job around the area.. upon walking inside, you can tell its a western feel. great customer service. Free soup in a pot with every entree. It made you feel like you were a cowboy camping and making your beans hahaha we order a full rack of ribs, shrimp scampi and asparagus. It was a lot of food. The ribs were meaty and delicious. The shrimp was juicy, but lil pricey and the asparagus. For dessert I had the kahlua liqueur! yummy!
-
Review from Benette F.
Arroyo Grande, CA
4/4/2012
Most of the time, we are sushi people/family BUT every once in a while, I would indulge my husband who likes steak. The wonderful ten years that we have been together, we visited this place a total of 3-4 times AND enjoyed it every time. Good food, great BIG portions (too much for me), great service and a pretty good atmosphere. I like the cast-iron soup served right away BUT I get full just from that. Most of the time, I just bring dinner/lunch home. I may be visiting this place in the very near future again for my husband's sake - - well okay, they do have good food!
-
Review from Schanen S.
Charleston, SC
11/5/2011
Not impressed. I think the only reason people like this place is because they give you PILES of food - soup, salad, your meal, and dessert, all included.... I mean, it was edible, but nothing to write home about. Or reason to visit again.
Don't order a martini. They bring it out in this cheesy blinking plastic shaker that looks like you're at Disneyworld. And although the server tells you to "hold the top on when you pour it" because otherwise it would fall off, it doesn't matter. I held the top on when I poured it and the momentum of all the ice at the bottom crashed into the top, sliding it right off, ice and martini all over the table at my lap. LUCKILY we didn't have food on the table or else it would have all been ruined.
We pushed the mess to the end of the table, and as busboys and other servers walked by, just sat there waiting for someone to help clean it up and get me a dry napkin. I work in the service industry and when someone spills a drink, you usually are to STOP what you're doing and RUSH to clean it up so people aren't sitting there soaking wet with a wet table. The server comes over and says something like "Spilled your drink?" I asked her for a new dry napkin, and she said ok, and walked away. She went to deliver food to other tables, take their orders, take pictures for a large group... etc etc.
Finally my husband had to stop someone and get pretty heated to get these people to jump to action and pay attention to this mess. Now that they knew we were upset, they offered me a new drink. That should've happened immediately.
All in all, a bad service experience. Worse than the food.
Just go to Vons and buy a steak. -
Review from Ellen O.
11/10/2011
We booked a room at Holiday Inn Express and found this restaurant was next door and we were given a coupon, plus hunger and fatigue kept us from jumping back in the car after 3 hours.
A very busy and friendly place it is! We enjoyed the soup that is the appetizer given to all. Yummy on a cool night.
The service was warm and welcoming and good.
Michael had steak and I enjoyed the Alaska cod so much.
If we are in Grover beach again we would definitely come back for the fun and the other menu items.
See you there! -
Review from Debbie C.
11/6/2011 1 Check-in Here
If you are looking for a 5000 calorie dinner then this is your place. Every dinner comes with beans AND salsa AND soup AND garlic bread AND rice pilaf AND salad AND root beer float.
It's actually pretty disgusting but perfect if you want to stuff your face with a decent 14 oz piece of ribeye steak. The place is cheesy but you should go there expecting that. The giant lighted AJ Spurs sign can be seen from 101 with Vegas style brilliance. You walk into the restaurant and you see pink booths and a wall lined with stuffed dead animals staring you as you fork your medium rare steak into your mouth. They have live music at the bar and apparently AJ Spurs is the place to go if you are celebrating a birthday. We experienced 6 birthdays in the one hour we were there. The entire wait staff comes out with an ice cream sundae singing their own obnoxious AJ Spurs version of "Happy Birthday". Festive, cheeseball place with average food. -
Review from Joy P.
Santa Maria, CA
11/16/2011
If you're ever craving a good steak, the Central Coast has tons of options to choose from. My fiance and I visited here this weekend when I was craving a steak but didn't really want to wait in line at Jocko's.
First, they bring over a cast iron pan of beef and vegetable soup, beans, and salsa. One scoop of salsa and beans and some soup, and you've got your first course. While the soup isn't life changing, you'll appreciate how quickly the soup is brought to your table especially if you're hungry. The salad came quickly after the soup; nothing really special to report here.
Next, the main course arrived. I got an 8oz. top sirloin, and since I got it with onions, peppers, and mushrooms, it was plenty for me. My steak was cooked exactly how I like it (medium rare). They also bring a cast iron skillet of these potatoes that are crispy on the outside but soft and tasty in the inside. I don't know if they're fried, deep fried, or baked.. I don't really care because they're so good!
Finally, you get a choice of an after dinner liquor or a root beer float. I'm not normally one to pass up alcohol especially one that already comes with the meal, but since I was driving, I chose the root beer float. Once again, not life changing, but it does bring up good memories of my childhood.
While some people might think the decor is cheesy, I think the Western theme is fun. This isn't a fine dining experience; menus feel like a newspaper and the soup and potatoes are served family style. However, you do get a fun atmosphere, LOTS of good food, and the service is pretty quick. -
Review from Johnny C.
Pismo Beach, CA
3/11/2012
Quality food and atmosphere. Great stew, bread and steak.
-
Review from Selina C.
Sunnyvale, CA
8/17/2011 1 Check-in Here
I never go to a steakhouse, so maybe that's why I thought all the new sights were so exciting! The dead animal heads really emphasized the masculinity of the restaurant. They aren't fooling around!
Really cool that they have an area for karaoking and dancing.
Nice servers, although don't get the menthe liquor, it's like mouthwash!
The sweet bread was really cool to try, soft and mushy, haha. But really, not bad!
Come here really hungry, the meals are impossible to get through in one sitting. -
Review from Jamie S.
San Mateo, CA
8/10/2011
This place was interesting. I have never been surrounded by so many dead animals before. So needless to say, the ambiance was INCREDIBLE (sarcasm)! No, I don't really mind. Haha.
So boyfriend and I were drunk all day from wine tasting and we needed to eat meat. This place was within walking distance from our hotel so we stumbled over half an hour before closing. We sat ourselves in the bar and the service was EXCELLENT! The server totally hooked us up with some free soup and salad because she thought we were students.. Boyfriend is 34.. Haha.
Anyways, I really liked the soup! Oh, and the vodka drinks were huge. We really didn't need anymore alcohol though. We had the filet mignon for dinner and it was very tough. Meh..
Great service though! -
Review from Erik D.
Bend, OR
9/2/2011
Here's the deal from a central coast local. AJ Spurs is not the best steakhouse in town (that title probably goes to Jocko's). However, the food is decent, it's very kid-friendly, and the wait will almost always be shorter than McLintock's or Jocko's.
I recently took all my kids there for dinner to get them out of the house while my wife was home sick. I had the ribeye and they all ordered off the kids menu.
Pros: good steaks; you're brought food right away (soup, beans, salsa, crackers) which is great for kids; fun western decor (dead animals); ice cream scoop or root beer float with dinner; nice staff (much friendlier than Jocko's).
Cons: there's no good view (like McLintock's). -
Review from Philip T.
6/25/2011
Service was friendly and great.
Western themed restaurant with some interesting pieces.
Wyatt Earp ($17) comes with 8 oz flat iron steak. Includes salad, soup, potatoes, and dessert. The food was ok, nothing spectacular. -
Review from Ben S.
Grover Beach, CA
11/5/2011
I have never been to a more terrible place. The soup tastes like they took 6 cans of Campbell's and threw it in a big pot. Their food and side dishes literally tasted like microwave dinners. Super over priced. Take your money and buy a couple of steaks at your local grocery store. I promise the experience will be much better dining in at home.
-
Review from Eric L.
West Los Angeles, CA
7/7/2011
2.5 stars for food if you're rating it on the foodie scale, 3.5 taking into account the ambience; so unique it can't be beat.
Iron kettle pot of minestrone. check.
Large portions. check
Weird stuffed racoon staring at you throughout dinner. check
Free root beer float to finish. check
The kids (and your inner kid) will love it. There was also a 2-man bluegrass band rocking it out in the bar. Sweeeet ca-ro-line... -
Review from Paul M.
I SEE DEAD ANIMALS & CACKLING WITCHES!
I really did not want to go here, but I was too tired to drive any more, after driving 160 miles or so. This place was over packed with Dead Animals everywhere you looked. Not only were there many dozens of heads on the wall, but also flocks of dead moth-eaten birds were "flying" suspended from the low ceiling. There were Megatons of overdone fake or real Western crap everywhere you looked and if the light was lower it would be perfect for a cheesy horror pseudo-cowboy flick.
To complete the all ready noisy atmosphere, there was a woman who was loudly cackling, over and over again. This Witch was much louder & more annoying than the general Bedlam and the Western music singer in the lounge combined. I thought she would make a fine addition for their mounted décor.
I looked at their simulated "old-fashioned" Newspaper style menu and notice that the cheapest thing was the Cheeseburger, which came with loads of crap that I did not need nor want, but that is how it comes. That was $16 and by far the cheapest on the menu. The steaks (up to $45) and other items were ridiculously overpriced for a crapo chain restaurant. A half chicken dinner was $18.95....are these people on crack? This was not a fine dinning place by any means...unless you just defected from North Korea.
Fine dinning places do not have a tray of plastic wrapped saltines on the table, and your burger does not come with two square slices of barely melted processed cheese on your burger.
For your money you get a mini-cauldron of a Progresso type of soup that they tell you to dump, their side of black beans into...I declined. Your then get a salad, which was ice-cold iceberg lettuce and some minimal other ice-cold crap, that was as uninspired as a cheap dinner.
The burger came next and they had ice-cold tomato slices & ice-cold lettuce on top of the cheese squares, on top of an overdone patty...I returned that...I wanted rare, not well done. You ruin good tomatoes by keeping them too cold, but what do I know?
At the same time, a hot mini-pan of hot roasted potato slices can out...now that I liked.
The burger came back and was done medium-rare, which was just OK. I tried not to put too much tasteless cold crap on top of it, because it would only cool it off. I did not eat the cold crap and took a bite of what these delusional fools thought was rice pilaf. It was not rice pilaf, it was salty rice crapoff, and not edible.
There are only two choice of ice cream for desert: 1) Vanilla or 2) Vanilla with chocolate syrup...or you could have a shot of sweet liquor or a root beer float. How about a decent dessert for God's sake!
I paid my bill and left a nice tip for the waitress, because at least, she was competent. I left bloated but had definitely not enjoyed this place. I guess it could be an upscale Redneck's paradise, if they also included road kill on the menu.
This place is an overdone piece of tourist crap that boggles my small mind. There are so many places that do this better and cheaper (Claim Jumper, Tahoe Joe's), or better and more expensive (Harris in SF or Ruth's Chris chain).
Pros: +lots of blandish food
+Millions of very DEAD ANIMALS EVERYWHERE...including on your plate!
Cons: same as the Pros, plus some extras:
- Your very own cackling tourist witch.
- Noisy tourist morons crowding the place.
- your bill will be great than the GNP of a small country, like Albania.
WARNING WARNING...TOURIST TRAP TOURIST TRAP....WARNING WARNING!
WARNING WARNING...TOURIST TRAP TOURIST TRAP....WARNING WARNING!
I can still hear that CACKLING WITCH!
AVOID THIS PLACE LIKE THE EBOLA VIRUS! -
Review from Tami T.
Stockton, CA
4/25/2011
Not impressed. I had a hamburger that was meh. Hubby had the blackened Cajun ribeye with lobster tail. The steak was alright and the lobster was dry. The family style dishes were average. The service was good though, and the waiter cracked me up when he told us the homemade strawberry lemonade was
Just minute maid. Hahaha! -
Review from Laurie C.
Los Angeles, CA
6/20/2011
Atmosphere: Interesting... took lots of photos of the dead animals mounted on the wall and the huge bison when you first walk in the door.
Food: We ordered the A J's Gambler Special- 35 oz of top sirloin. Ordered it med- rare and butterflied it. It was perfect and really tender. Oh, we shared it with 3 people and still took home a doggie bag. Enjoyed the crock pot of soup and the skillet of potatoes... rest was ok.
Glad we came here! -
Review from Cath M.
9/15/2010
I guess that's one of the main reasons why I opt to stay at the Holiday Inn Express every time I'm down here is because of this place!
Talk about convenient!
Walking in here is like being back in the wild wild west! Dead/stuffed animals hanging by the wall... it really captures the "saloon" feeling.
Anyway, onto the food... per the other fellow Yelpers... you get the following with all your meals:
- vaquero soup
- salsa
- tequila beans
- rice pilaf
- AJ spuds
- salad
- garlic bread
The soup your suppose to combine together with the salsa and the beans but since I don't do salsa, I opt to just combine it with beans. Just the stuff that they give you before your dinner fills you up already! That's why I always control myself but the soup is so good!
I got the BBQ spare ribs full (shared it) since it was huge and I was already full by the time it came. The ribs was a bit too fatty and dry so I guess they were having an off night... usually they don't do it that way but eh, that just gives me a reason to trek back here!
Girlfriend got a rib-eye steak... that thing looked deadly huge and just staring at it made me full. Girlfriend devoured it though as well as my ribs. Yah for a girl, she can eat!
For dessert, they offer root beer float or a liquor - we opted for liquor to top off the night.
Service: attentive and fast. Definitely caught our server on a good night.
Overall, I'm glad that this spot is still open. The one in Monterey closed... I was bummed so now I have to go all the way out here to eat. It's always nice to go on road trips/weekend getaways albeit short... -
Review from Janice C.
AJ Spurs was a no brainer choice for us because:
1. We had a 10% off coupon from the Holiday Inn where we were staying
2. It was so close to our hotel that we could drink and just stumble back to our hotel room. In a matter of 5 mins.
Walking into AJ's, the kiddie in you might want to start petting the stuffed Bison. Don't. He bites.
They were packed on a Saturday night, but we walked in and found out the wait was only 10 mins. This place really takes you back to the Old West with it's parlour like atmosphere, great open views, antler chandeliers and bright pink fake leather booths.
Our server Megan was a sweetheart, she had that genuine smile and made us feel instantly welcome. She gave us time to peruse the newspaper style menu and when you come here, bring your appetite. Oh. My. Lord. Meat. That is the star of the show. Top sirloin, filet mignon, ribeye, T-bone, sweet breads, BBQ spareribs, Chicken. You can add seafood items like scallops and coconut shrimp to your entree for extra charge.
ALL dinners include a kettle of AJ's vaquero soup (similar to beef stew) with homemade salsa and TEQUILA beans. That's right, beans cooked in alcohol. Your server will tell you to mix all three, but I say, eat the whole bowl of tequila beans and ask for more. You also get garden salad, AJ's spuds, rice pilaf, french garlic bread and dessert. Holy mole. Even if you order the most expensive thing on the menu, you won't spend over $30 per person here. (our bill was $45, including the $10 corkage fee!)
My 6 oz top sirloin was cooked medium rare like I requested and guess what? I was very pleased with it. The bf had the 14 oz ribeye and his was cooked perfectly as well. Our meats had nice grill marks on it and came out juicy.
Dessert is also included and we opted for the root beer floats instead of an after dinner liqueur. It was simple and served in a beer mug, a nice way to end our meal.
The highlight of the night was when the band started playing. They sang mostly country songs and as you know, I'm a huge fan of country music. Hearing John Denver's song "Country Roads" in the background, while sipping our cheap bottle of Pinot and sitting in the most kitschy, tackiest steak place I've ever been, was just somehow the ultimate way to savor the flavor of the Old West.Listed in: Central Coast 101
-
Review from Emmie N.
3/25/2010 1 photo
I would come here for the ribs, not the steak.
Let me warn you, you get A LOT of food. For most of the entrees, these are included in your meal:
-Salad (House Salad comes with avocado ranch dressing, how yummy)
-Veggie Soup
-Beans
-Salsa
-Rice Pilaf
-Grilled potatoes
-Garlic bread (out of this world!)
-and for dessert: ROOT BEER FLOAT! (or ice cream or after dinner shot, your choice)
I ordered steak and it came out dry. I said MEDIUM RARE dang it! Luckily my boyfriend ordered the Beef Ribs, which was good. And it was super-sized-ribs...check out the picture.
With any AJ Spurs restaurants, there's that big hairy stuffed ox (or whatever it is) in the front, picture op :) Oh, and of course the treasure box! Yeah, you can get toys and stickers....STICKERS! FREEEEE STICKERS!! -
Review from Aieabo y.
Sacramento, CA
11/6/2008
I ordered my 20 oz. Rib eye medium rare and to my surprise it came out........medium rare!
But seriously, it was the best damn steak I've had in the last few years. The excess fat was trimmed off and the traditional block of fat that a lower quality rib eye cut has in the center, was not there. It was truly a choice picked cut of meat.
At first glance, it may seem a bit pricey but it turned out that you get endless bean soup, endless bread, endless salad and endless fried potatoes (which was good). And to top off the whole meal, they throw in a root beer float at the end. So essentially, instead of ordering ala carte, they gave you a whole meal from start to finish for one price.
Service was standard. No complaints. The interior of the restaurant was something out of the wild, wild, west. You must see it to believe it
You want a good steak? I mean a really good steak? Eat here. -
Review from Alicia C.
Anaheim, CA
8/10/2008
This IS the fat persons heaven on earth!
Food never stops coming!
With any dinner you get: vegetable soup, beans, salsa, salad, rice pilaf, spuds, garlic bread, and an after dinner drink or rootbeer float!!!
And they are not stingy on any of the servings...including the after dinner drinky =)...
Our waiter was incredibly talkative and nice...although we saw very little of him at the beginning of our dining adventure...he had a few other large tables to tend to also, so no fretting from me...
He made my mom really nervous, because he wasn't writing down any of our orders or modifications, so he joked with her whenever he brought food to our table asking her, "You got the raw fish right ma'am?", when she really ordered a well-done flat iron steak! It was nice to see a waiter tease his patrons a little bit.
Overall, this place was fantastic. I encourage you to check this place out! OOhhh, and take a pic with the buffalo in the front!! He's cute! -
Review from Lynn N.
10/7/2008
Don't waste your time at McClintock's across the street - that place has no flavor and is way too loud, like a public school cafeteria. A.J. Spurs dinners start you off with soup even before you order, and their combo filet mignon are delicious! The potato side orders are a great add-on, but you can't leave without a take-out container for your leftovers. The waiters/waitresses are very sweet and its very easy to become a local here. One of my top favorite steakhouses!
WARNING: If you or anyone in your party does not like the sight of REAL stuffed animals, antlers chandeliers and the like, DO NOT GO HERE. The decor is as authentic as they look. Must have been designed before endangered species awareness...Listed in: 5-Star Hits
-
Review from D B.
Grover Beach, CA
6/3/2010
Avoid at all costs, the place is a tourist trap. The steak was microwaved cooked and the food was greasy, bland, and just plain disgusting.
good atmosphere for drinks, but not much else -
Review from Jim K.
Hayward, CA
10/30/2008
I guess it's a McLintock's rip-off but a very nice rip-off.
A lot of food for a decent price and the root beer float with your meal sold us! The wife and I had the Santa Fe Specials which were like $15-16. I had the little sirloin steak which was delicious, and the wife had the 2 pork chops which were awesome. The pot of soup at the beginning of the meal was okay and was the weakest link of the meal. Took up too much space and wasn't as hot as I'd like.
The McLintock's phenomena grew old years ago for us and we stopped going. Too crowded and noisy. This is a great alternative and we'll go back in the future. -
Review from Miguel M.
Downey, CA
8/1/2011
Thanks to Yelp reviews, we did a lot of splitting among our table of 5. The vegetable soup was delicious! Of the New York, Sirloin, and Filet that I tried, I liked the bacon-wrapped Filet Mignon the best. I noticed the manager making comments on how many doggie bags people took home. You could tell he enjoyed his job. And, the root beer floats were a nice end to a great meal!
-
Review from Emily K.
San Jose, CA
2/19/2009
Emily's Guide to AJ Spurs
Two words my friends...
Tequila Beans!
Eat them! NOW! Spoon it all into your bowl and ask for more. Screw the stew. It serves no purpose but as a base to mix with and more thoroughly enjoy your tequila beans. If your waiter didn't explain this to you. He's a douche.
Put the menu down. You don't need it. You might want to read the little history section, but that will make it harder to scarf down your beans. Also you will get beans all over the menu and feel foolish.
Order a piece of BEEF! You have about three options.
1. Prime Rib: Is it a weekday? Sorry...weekends only. Is it Sunday? Sorry...sold out.
2. Fillet Mignon: It's wrapped in bacon. BACON!
3. Beef Ribs: Do this. Even if you ordered something else. Order the ribs anyway. See if any make it home. I dare you.
Don't want one of these three items? AJ Spurs is not for you. Quickly eat your beans and say you have to leave because it's an emergency.
Still here?...okay
Don't order ranch on your salad. It's CRAP ranch. When will "nice" restaurants learn what every two bit pizza place knows? Mix your ranch in house with buttermilk! Cheap skates.
Order your non-ranch dressing on the side. Apparently no one knows the appropriate amount of dressing for a small dinner salad.
Rice pilaf and grilled potatoes? Are you kidding me? It's okay...the meat will be worth it. Ask for butter with your potatoes. Ask for more bread! Sometimes you can get extra bread instead of rice. Not often. This is a substitutions no-no type restaurant. Play it by ear. If you just ask when you order it is easier for them to shoot you down than if you ask for something when they say "Can I get you anything else?" "YES! More bread please."..."and more beans."
Have you enjoyed your meat product? Don't pack up just yet. If it looks like you're ready to leave they'll let you go without the rootbeer float that comes with your meal. Shame.
Yes it's high maintenance. No the salad and sides are not spectacular. I would rather just get beans and ribs from a corner stand, but guess what? They would be the best beans and ribs ever and no one here would complain. They make the meal. They make my day! -
Review from Lori K.
8/19/2008
Quantity definitely prevails here at AJ Spurs. It's the perfect place for anyone looking for a crap load of food for a reasonable price. In other words, if you're part of a big group of cheap, ravenous Asians who thrive on eating their money's worth, this is the place for you!
We're talking about a meal that includes a family style pot of soup with tequila beans and salsa, a skillet of potatoes and onions, a huge portion of whatever entree you order along with a choice of a side, a green salad, a huge slab of garlic bread AND a root beer float to top it all off. If that all doesn't put you through an instant food coma, I don't know what will.
The bf was very pleased with his fatty steak and I was completely overwhelmed with my calamari steak.... or I should say steaks. There were 3! Yeah... 3 gigantic calamari steaks. Who does that?! I could barely eat one of those babies.
The food isn't gourmet by any means, nor is it the most awesome tasting food I've ever had but, that is not why you come here. You come here to stuff your face with massive amounts of hearty food.
So, come with your biggest appetite, don't get too freaked out by all the dead animals on the walls, and eat to you heart's (or stomach's) content. -
Review from Jesse T.
9/9/2008
I've been going to A.J's both this one and the one down in Buellton for close to 8 years now. Though, I like the Buellton site a bit better. For some reason, they just do it a touch better.
8 years ago, there wasn't many Steak restaurants down in LA/OC that could attempt to cook a steak the way you ordered it that it didn't cost 50 bucks to order the steak. It's still pretty bad, but consider A.J.'s they've been doing this for years. I've never really liked New York Steak until I tried it at AJ's. Usually it comes out charcoal, not here, I asked for rare, I got rare. It was the first time I enjoyed a NY Steak. back then they used to have this awesome sourdough garlic bread, but of recent years, they are now just offering these sourdough rolls, that in my opinion are a big step down. I also like their sweet breads. I couldn't tell you what they are, I've heard they are sweat glands, others have told me salivatory glands. Either way, they are pretty tasty. The meals are large enough that you can share them. You may need an extra salad though
side note: People who rate a steak should also mention how they like it cooked. HOW DO I KNOW YOU ARE NOT ASKING FOR CHARCOAL??? If you asked for well done, then yes your steak will suck, but that goes with out saying, that even Sizzler can do that for you at half the price.
Dinner comes with after dinner drink, or a root beer float. -
Review from Lindsay M.
San Luis Obispo, CA
9/29/2010
If i could give 0 stars i would....this was the worst experince i've ever had...
First: Had to wait for 20 minutes to get seated...which is reasonable and I can be ok with that....
Second: Took like half an hour to come get our drink order...which is a little not ok, If im going to be seated, I would like to AT LEAST have water brought to me so I can have SOMETHING.
Third: waitress came back about 20 minutes later to get our food order...which didnt get brought to our table until LITERALLY an hour later, so it's about 7 30 at this point when we got to the restaurant at about 6....
in the mean time i had been snacking on the crackers that were on the table because i was SO HUNGRY! not to mention I had already asked for a drink refill twice and had yet to get that either.
Fourth: once the food came, although it was good, it was a little ridiculous to me to be paying 22 dollars for tortellini after i had already waited an hour and a half.
Fifth: My REFILL for my drink FINALLY came after me asking about 2 more times for it, but oh wouldn't you guess it, it had a floater in it! There was a black speck chilling right in the middle of my cup. NOT OK!!
SO i proceeded to track down my waitress which you know took another 15 minutes and explained the situation and said she would send a manager over....which again took another half an hour or so. After explaining my situation and how entirely turned off to the restaurant I was, the manager said he would comp our entire meal which was very nice of him and i wasn't expecting that, but I am FOREVER SCARRED and will NOT be going back to that establishment...It is complete chaos and disaster there and it was just a completely unpleasant experience to have to be going through with my family from out of town.
after all this, we ended up pulling out of the parking lot at around 9 at night...i missed being able to turn my redbox in on time because of these incompetant employees and was charged for another day of a movie i wasnt going to watch again. RIDICULOUS.
SAVE YOURSELF! DON'T SUPPORT THIS POOR EXCUSE OF A RESTAURANT! -
Review from R D.
Palm Desert, CA
4/11/2010
Good restaurant but all the stuffed animals all over the place can be a bit creepy, Most meals come with a family vat of vaquera soup, teqiuila beans and home-made salsa. Dish the beans at the bottom of the bowl, then add the soup and top it off with some salsa.....delicious. The food is very good and so is the service. If you're in the Pismo area for the weekend I wouldn't miss Jocko's and AJ Spurs!
Exc - None
Good - Food, service
Ave - None
Poor - Stuffed animals can be creepy. -
Review from Joey M.
San Francisco, CA
7/13/2010
Great atmosphere, good service, and good food. They have a decent size banquet room to the right as you walk in, and we've had our past two company Christmas Parties held here. They handled our large groups with military precision on timing the food, and allowed us to customize the menu to our liking beforehand.
As for a regular dinner night, you'll be pleased. The meals are served with hearty soup and they provide beans and salsa to mix into it. I usually get some sort of steak, and have never had an issue here. For a drink I like the Honey Blonde beer. For the dessert you can get a root beer float, vanilla ice cream, or after dinner liquor (they come with the meal). My favorite liquor is the tan ferrari.
Great place for a dinner for a date, family, or large group. Keep in mind it is only open for dinner! -
Review from Betsey T.
San Francisco, CA
2/19/2008
Come hungry or go home!
stopped by on our way home from a trip to So Cal. We were hungry...but we should have been HUNGRY. We both opted for a Santa Fe dinner.
Before we ordered our server dropped off the pot of vaquero (bean/veggie) soup with salsa and tequila beans. My bf ordered the calamari steaks which he loved (although too dry for me..i like a bit more butter/lemon) and i had the burger (i know..a burger, but i knew i wasnt going to be able to eat it all (took 1/2 a bite) so i wanted something that would travel well. soon after we placed our order she brought our salads. Soon after that our server brought our entrees with the skillet of potatos (yum reminds me of 49er potatos when camping), both which came with rice pilaf and texas garlic toast.
We both ordered sodas as we were travelling and they came in huge mugs, and were promptly refilled when low!
We were stuff and had to travell 3 more hours, so we decided to forgo the rootbeer float/sundae/cordial..but we will definitely be back the next time we're in Pismo! -
Review from Lisa R.
San Luis Obispo, CA
5/16/2010
It'd been awhile since my husband and I stuffed our bellies here, so we stopped in about a month ago.
The cowboy soup with the beans and salsa to mix into it to your tastes is still a novel concept...and a yummy way to get full real fast!
My BBQ chicken was dry...so disappointing. But the country fries were good (but did not reheat well at all the next morning for breakfast).
My husband's steak was a lovely, tender, medium-rare. Beef is definitely their forte.
For us, it's an OK place to eat every so often. There's better steak to be found in the county and definitely much better BBQ chicken. It seems a bit pricey, but when you think of all the soup and then the little dessert at the end, it's not too bad of a deal. -
Review from Tony L.
San Jose, CA
4/29/2010 6 photos
This place was interior decorating was cool. With stuffed animals everywhere.
The food here is good. Not great. But man, do they give you big portions.
I was full by the time the salad came out. Who can eat all this in one sitting?
All meals come with vaqueros soup, salsa (so good), tequila beans (good), rice pilaf (good), garden salad ( very good.. get the avocado dressing), AJ spuds,... getting full yet? then there's french garlic bread, your entree, and dessert ( root beer float, ice cream, or after dinner liquer)
As I names the above foods. Thats free extras that come with your entree. As you can see how I got full before my entree came out.
I got the full slab bbq spareribs ($26.99). They were ok. Not as soft and tender as other places, it was kinda chewy. Wished they included more bbq sauce with it. I recommended getting something else.
My significant other got the Chicken Oscar ($24.99). Now that was GOOD food. 12oz chicken breast topped with asparagus, shredded LOBSTER!!, with hollandaise sauce on top with a side of brocolli, shrimp, and bearnaise sauce. Sounds delicious huh?
Service was great. Very friendly servers.
FYI... this place is only open for dinner I think. Only from 4:30pm-9:30pm. I went on a Thursday and it wasn't packed. But I bet on the weekends RSVP is a must.
Price wise... its worth it. Our bill came out to $70+ tip. We bought some alcohol and some light raving cups ($5). Most likely you can spend alot less.
Portions are big so I recommend sharing with someone.
I would come here again... Recommended.!!!! -
Review from Joseph S.
Hollister, CA
10/11/2007
Excellent! First time there ever, and it was great.
The smoky aroma as you enter the building alone was worth the visit.
They put a huge pot of soup on the table even before saying hi.
Meghan was our waitress and did absolutely awesome. Great smile, very polite, always there to help us when needed.
Highly recommended for anyone looking for a saloon style restaurant, and a big appetite!
