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Willow Ranch
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 7 am - 10 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
70 reviews for Willow Ranch
Review Highlights
"We chose the chicken, brisket and the "deep pit" beef."
(in 5 reviews)
"BBQ Certified Angus Beef®Tri-Tip."
(in 16 reviews)
"The mashed potatoes and brown gravy were really good too."
(in 6 reviews)
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70 reviews in English
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Review from alan b.
Rodeo, CA
2/2/2012
One might rightly question a Yelper's decision to choose a restaurant that has "food poisoning" in a recent review, but we had 'no choice'...
Wife and I were returning to CA from a one week road trip to KS to see her parents. We decided to make the trip a bbq theme. We had some good scores along the way and count this as one of them. This was our last meal before returning to the Bay. Sorry I didn't take a photo of our brisket dinners before we devoured them. Service was so so, but the food is what we focused on. Perfectly cooked brisket in a delicious bbq sauce. Satisfying portions. We make trips to So. Cal. on occasion and will be stopping here again (for the brisket). Yum. -
Review from Sam T.
San Jose, CA
1/2/2012
Decided to eat here after a weekend of partying in Anaheim. BIG MISTAKE!
After getting the bbq chicken, 2 hours later i was vomiting left and right.
I am still in recovery mode after getting food poisoning from this place.
For those who have ever gotten food poisoning, it is one of the worst ordeals you can go thru!
If you decide to eat here, BEWARE! -
Review from Eric L.
Los Angeles, CA
11/28/2011
Better than Anderson's Pea Soup and cheaper than Harris Ranch. Willow Ranch isn't close to the best BBQ in America, but it's as good as anything in California. They do make a damn good brisket.
Buttonwillow might just trump overcrowded Santa Nella as my new "fluids in, fluids out" spot on the I-5. -
Review from Chris D.
10/16/2011
Buttonwillow, CA? Where the hell am I? I ate here for lunch today and I still have no clue. Never heard of it. All I know is I was starving, needed gas, and was driving north up the 5 fwy and didn't feel like eating at McDonald's or IHOP in Bakersfield so I kept going until I saw this town.
I filled up with gas and was going to head next door to Denny's when I see three magic letters across the street. B.B.Q. It's spelled out until this run down dive called Willow Ranch. I convince Donna to be adventerous(after checking the yelp app first to make sure it's more than 2 stars) and we head on over. Even though the outside is dingy the inside isn't bad. Cowboy paintings everywhere, cowboy murals on the wall, cowboy paraphernalia on shelves, floor made of pebbles... hmm... looks promising for BBQ.
Patrons were mainly police, fireman, and what I can only describe as Mountain Men with ZZ top type beards.
I start with a cup of their homemade chili. It arrives topped with chopped raw onion and two types of cheese. It's made with beans & beef and tasted really good. It wasn't the best chili I've had but it was pretty damn good considering I'm in a town called Buttonwillow.
To eat I had the BBQ Tri-tip sandwich and Donna had the "Deep Pit" beef brisket. We had the fries as our side but you could also choose potato salad. The fries came out golden brown, crispy, and steaming hot. Dipped into their BBQ sauce made for some tasty fries. The housemade BBQ sauce is magical. One of the better sauces I've had and definitely laced with crack. The sandwiches were delicious! The meat was juicy, smokey, and dipped into the magical crack sauce made for one damn good lunch in the middle of nowhere especially for $8.99. Besides good food the service was very friendly.
So anyways, if you need gas make sure you give Buttonwillow, CA a chance to fill up your gas tank and your stomach. This dive was a pleasant surprise.Listed in: Vacationing in Capitola, CA…
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Review from Renee L.
Alhambra, CA
11/10/2011 1 Check-in Here
Location/Accessibility: Off the 5FWY at the Buttonwillow/McKitrick exit
Ambiance: quiet and empty
Dress Code: casual
Menu options: BBQ style
Had:
- french onion soup (tasted like salty water)
- Tri tip dinner w baked potato and beans (was ok, tri tip was good, baked potato was under cooked, beans i didnt touch)
Service: The waitress was very friendly, could have been more attentive.
Price: On avg for dinner $15/pp
Overall experience: would prob not return and would stick to Starbucks or McDonalds. -
Review from Andrew M.
Palo Alto, CA
8/13/2011
In a central valley wasteland of crappy chain restaurants and disgusting truck stops (Iron skillet, Flying J), there is an Oasis!
Hell yes! A place to eat that's right off I-5 and is freaking great. Great BBQ, happy family, fast friendly service. 5-stars!
Highly recommended as a place to stop when driving from LA to SF on I-5. -
Review from Crystal F.
Huntington Beach, CA
11/9/2011
One of the worst dining experiences ever.
OKay, when I read reviews that start like that I make one of two basic assumptions... One - This person is snooty, its BBQ for crying out loud, OR two- This person is probably difficult to please because with all of these good reviews, it can't be that bad.
All I can tell you is what I experienced. I am sure that in another time and place in a galaxy far far away, some other people truly enjoyed eating here. I unfortunately am not among them.
Here we go...
After 4 hours of driving on the 5 and 4 days of eating every type of junk food that the fast food industry has to offer, the bf and I were pretty excited to stop at a real sit down restaurant and have some delicious meat that didn't come with an allowable amount of rat poop in it. We were even more excited when we saw that the place was PACKED translating to us that this place was GOOD. This was mistake #1! We should have realized that PACKED meant we would be waiting a LOOOOOOONNNNNNGGGGGG time for anything we did still want to get back to LA before the world ends in 2012.
LESSON POINT: Don't eat here if you are in a hurry
We waited 10 min to be seated (no there was not a line and there were plenty of empty tables), we waited 15 min for someone to come take our drink order, and another 10 to get our drinks. When our drinks were empty, which happened well before our food came out despite the drinks being the size of buckets, we waited another 10 to 15 min for anyone to even notice (don't try flagging anyone down... it will just hurt your feelings when they look right at you and ignore you).
All of this, I still probably wouldn't have dinged the place too much. It wasn't their fault that we were in a hurry. But the kicker was the food. We saw our food come up under those heating lamps. The bf got the french dip with fries and I got the 3 beef ribs with mashed potatoes. We could tell which was ours so we decided to time how long it took. Our food sat up on the counter, under the tiniest, least effective heat light bulb produced in the US or Canada (I think its listed in Guinness). It sat there for 26 minutes (that's not an exaggeration, we decided to time it). We watched as the steam slowly vanished from our food. I would have been okay with just going and getting it myself! We also watched as our server walked past our food 9 times and did nothing about it. After 26 mins of "aging" our food was brought to our table with no other mention of whether we needed ketchup (which we did) or more BBQ sauce (which we also would have liked) or whether our food was good.
So I would like to give it more stars because I can tell that in a perfect world, the food is actually tasty. But since my ribs, mashed potatoes, corn, and beans were all stone cold (not luke warm, just straight cold), I ended up just eating what I could gut to get by and then taking the rest home to heat up later. The ribs were grisly and very fatty. There was very little meat on them, and the bf's sandwich was flavorless. The fries would have been excellent warm.
LESSON POINT: Only order things you want served COLD
Another minor offense included getting the wrong drinks which no one ever corrected. Finally we also had to wait for 20 min to pay. You have to go up to the counter and while there were only 2 people in front of us, the nice lady running the counter was likely using her confusion and sloth like pace to make her personal argument for early retirement.
LESSON POINT: Bring Cash and leave it on the table
So to summarize, this place is possibly tolerable if you are not in a hurry, you order cold food, and you bring cash. In any other circumstances you will most likely walk away, like we did, with an experience you can complain about the whole rest of your way down the 5. -
Review from Michelle W.
Los Altos, CA
7/7/2011
Ate here twice, once on the way south and once on the way north. Was traveling with a party of 12, including a wide variety of dietary needs. So I did my research and narrowed it down to 2 places. But after eating here on the way south the vote was overwhelming to go back on the way north.
The menu is varied so the vegan and the meat-a-holic both had good choices. The place has enough local history and enough kitsch to be an interested break in the monotany of I-5.
Now it's not gourmet food and it's not as fast as a drive-thru, but Buttonwillow is a good stop in the I-5 drive and this place offers lots of options and they even have a gas station in their parking lot so no need to drive around to gas up before hitting the road. -
Review from roger s.
Florence, AZ
11/6/2011
If your driving up I-5 and you dont stop here for lunch or dinner, you have just missed one of the best stops on a desolate I-5 drive. This place rocks. The bbq sauce is fantastic and the meat is cooked to perfection. I had the tri tip with mashed potatoes, corn, beans, a roll and a salad. This was all for 14 dollars.
I can't wait to try their baby back ribs the next time through or their Texas brisket. Yum yum. Fantastic find. -
Review from Jerome W.
1/24/2011 2 Check-ins Here
....it must be in the secret sauce.
Forget Harris Ranch. Whenever I'm planning a road trip to SF, I always think about how I can time it to stop at Willow Ranch. This place is perfect for a road trip meal. Really good BBQ (my favorite is the brisket).
Now, to be perfectly honest, I'm not a huge fan of BBQ. I never really connected with it and I just feel like we always had some type of love/hate relationship. But after doing Willow Ranch, I'm not going back. Their BBQ sauce is amazing! You have to try it if you like sweeter sauces. You'll be pleasantly surprised. They pour it over everything.
It's a bit divey and sometimes, it gets crowded, but if you're looking for a good place to eat somewhere between LA and SF, You need to check this place out! -
Review from Kathleen W.
Albany, CA
4/18/2011 1 Check-in Here
We stopped here for a late lunch on our drive back home from SoCal.
A lot in the menu made it a tad overwhelming to decide what to order .... and most of the choices felt hearty and heavy - which we didn't want given the driving we still had to do.
Fred ordered a burger and it was pretty standard.
I ordered the french dip sandwich which was average. Not a whole lot of flavor in the meat or the dipping juice.
While this was still a better alternative to Denny's ... I probably wouldn't stop here again. -
Review from Mitch K.
Corvallis, MT
12/24/2010 1 Check-in Here
One would never expect to find such a great restaurant serving terrific meat along a freeway in the desolation of California's central valley. But here it is among truck stops, motels and the standard array of fast food outlets.
A diner in decor this is an all-day eatery with a full bar, which is convenient to the handful of motels nearby. Service is excellent and the kitchen turns out the meals quickly. The menu is very full of choices, so that is the only big issue you will have to address: just what will you eat?
They are a BBQ/meat place and that is justified by the food. Sandwiches are on high quality french bread rolls, stacked reasonable with shredded or sliced meats. Delicious, along with house made potato salad and fresh-cooked fries. Iced tea and soda are in huge plastic tumblers and refills are free.
When traveling on I-5 we will plan to stop here for whatever meal is appropriate. It is excellent. -
Review from Grace L.
San Jose, CA
2/14/2011 1 Check-in Here
Finally! A decent sit down restaurant off the 5! Food is alright.. nothing too spectacular but solid & unlike all the other crap/fast food on the drive between Los Angeles & San Francisco.
i would stay away from the salads (iceberg lettuce & shredded carrots) & go with the meat which is what they specialize in anyways. The fried zucchinis are also pretty good.
Service can be pretttttyyyy slow. I think they were understaffed the day we went but our waitress was still super friendly. Expect to spend at least an hour here.. not a place to just stop for a quick bite & back on the road. -
Review from Kris L.
11/25/2010 1 photo
We were driving to Anaheim from San Francisco and were getting hungry, so my sister's bf looked on Yelp to see what restaurants were nearby where we were on I-5. Apparently Willow Ranch had the best reviews so we pulled off at the Buttonwillow exit and tried to find it, but couldn't, so we decided we'd just get back on I-5 and stop at the next food stop. Well, it turns out Willow Ranch was at the next food stop. Weird.
Anyway, we walked in and it was fairly empty. It's got an old saloon kind of feel to it. Yes, it's filled with mostly Caucasian people, but you have to realize where this restaurant is located. However, there was a huge table right next to the front door seated with a big Asian family. We were seated right away at a booth and, let me tell you, the seats in the booth were so much fun. I am giving it an extra star just for the booth. They're really bouncy. I slid in first and then A plopped down next to me and nearly bounced me right off the seat. It turns out that every movement one of us made bounced the other one on the seat. It was hilarious. Of course, my sister thought we were extremely embarassing.
As for food, I ordered the Barbecue Shredded Chicken sandwich with fries and lemonade. The lemonade was huge. They come in these gigantic cups that must be two cups combined. If you're really thirsty, order something to drink here and that will quench your thirst in a jiffy. I actually thought my chicken was going to be barbecued, but it just comes with a side of barbecue sauce. That was a little disappointing. The sandwich itself was okay though. The barbecue sauce was a little sweet. I liked the fries. They have this paprika seasoning on it that makes it really tasty. We also had an order of the Wings of Fire. I don't know what kind of fire it was, but the wings weren't spicy at all. They were still super tasty though.
Tips: You have to pay up front at the counter, not at the table. The bathroom was super stenchiriferous. Oh. My. Stars. I had to hold my breath or I'd pass out from the smell. But then again, I almost passed out from holding my breath too. -
Review from Jim b.
Phoenix, AZ
6/13/2011 1 Check-in Here
I had the tri tip and a couple of cold beers. Food was really good and came out fast even with a softball team getting their order in at the same time. Right next to a truck stop so plenty of truck parking and definateley better than truck stop food:)
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Review from Christina L.
Fullerton, CA
6/21/2010
Just finished our track day and struggling with my car, finally putting it on a trailer. Hungry and tired, we decided on Willow Ranch. We walk in and ask for a table for 9. All I hear is 'Oh no, I dont want 9, do you want 9? Ask 'so-and-so' if they want 9' Anywho, I think it was the original waitress who didnt want us who got stuck with us. Yes, I was kind of miffed, I mean who wants to hear waiters and waitresses arguing about who is gonna get your table? Regardless of what I felt, our waitress was great. She was nice, made a few jokes and was attentive.
The Chicken Artichoke soup was amazing. Probably one of my favorites soups now. The mashed potatoes and brown gravy were really good too. The corn was juicy and delicious as well. My gripe? I highly would recommend AGAINST the 8oz Sirloin. Its so thin that no matter what, its going to be dry and tough. Mine was pretty horrible. However, the larger sirloin is like a 'baseball cut' and that should be fine.
The bathrooms were dirty, but they had a large parking lot that fit all our cars and truck/trailer. Overall, it was pretty okay and Ill probably be back on the next trip to Buttonwillow.... -
Review from Phillip H.
Bakersfield, CA
2/5/2011 2 photos
Great Food, my wife and I drove out from Bakersfield, Heading to the Little Red Wagon for breakfast thought we would try something new (to us). I have heard and read good reviews of this place and there BBQ sauce and had to try it. I ordered the,
Deep-Pit Beef
Deep-pit Certified Angus Beef®shredded beef piled high on a French roll with our homemade BBQ sauce or salsa on the Side. $8.99
I tried it first without the BBQ sauce the meat was very flavorful then I and the sauce mmmm good the sauce at first was sweet but as I savored the flavors it was awesome, the sauce enhance the flavors in the meat while added some great flavors of onion.
My wife order the,
BBQ Certified Angus Beef®Tri-Tip
Thinly sliced BBQ tri-tip piled high on a French Roll and served with your choice of our homemade BBQ sauce or salsa. $8.99
Same here we tried it first without BBQ sauce and it had the great Santa Maria Tri Tip BBQ flavor. Here comes the awesome sauce and mouth watering great flavors. The meat is of high quality, and they know there stuff on BBQing.
Thanks for a great lunch Willow Ranch........ we'll be back to try something else soon.......
Lets not forget the BBQ sauce, it is great we bought two bottles to take home to our son which is a BBQ sauce connoisseur. will let you know more about it later.
Total bill with the two bottles of sauce and tip $35.00 for two. -
Review from Lorrie M.
4/19/2010 1 Check-in Here
This is one of the few non-fast food places for a stop on I-5 if you're craving for some food and don't feel like going through the drive through.
This is a sit down restaurant (they also have to-go and cater to Buttonwillow Raceways on race days when lots of people show up). They have a huge, extensive menu of everything and anything you could possibly want from home cooked spaghetti and meatloaf to BBQ'd burgers, sandwiches and pork loins. Everything is more or less pretty good especially compared to the choices you do have out here like Carls Jr. and McDonalds.
The staff is nice, the owners are nice, and they give you lots of options to customize your food as I've been doing lately in always asking for extra sauces or a little this here and there. They also have REAL FRIES! So if you're tired of refried wannabe fries, come to Willow Ranch BBQ ! -
Review from Ai M.
10/6/2010 4 photos
Apple juice doesn't come with ice. Coke ($2.50), and Willow burger with potato salad. BBQ sauce was the best thing here. Busy at lunch. Coleslaw was a little sweet.
For the check they gave us a pen that didn't have ink. It cost about $14 per person. My boss salted her potato salad. Potato salad strangely tastes like chips. The burger and deep pit BBQ beef sandwich taste better with BBQ sauce.
The ranch burger didn't seem good enough to keep a co-worker from talking. There was an extensive selection of pies but we had no room for dessert afterwards. -
Review from Leland H.
Portland, OR
8/16/2011 1 Check-in Here
On of the best places to stop for real food on this stretch of I-5. Home style food, home style service by the local girls, but the selection and price makes it a good buy. The food is good quality nothing culinary critics would talk good about but this is the best stop in the area for non fast food non corporate going to stick with you kinda grub. Perfect for road trips.
I ate in the middle of dinner rush received a meal for 3 plus 1 kid in under 20 minutes and with no complaints, great experience, cost 52 bucks plus tip, very affordable great value to cost.
Will be stopping again, and if anyone wants to know the BBQ is tasty, my ribs could have been a lttle more tender, but the mesquite flavor and char was to my liking with a sweeter sauce that kept me biting for more till it was gone. -
Review from Lucy T.
Monterey, CA
12/2/2010
We were passing through buttonwillow on the way to LA. We saw the "BBQ" sign and stopped by. The place was DEAD! The waitress was nice, but we noticed a weird "horse manure"...you can definitely smell it in the bathroom.
I got a skirt steak that had some kind of teryaki sauce on it, it was entirely too salty.
The sodas they give are HUUUUGE.
The experience was just okay. I'm not sure if we would come back... -
Review from Mortiche W.
Oakland, CA
10/22/2007
Herd on outta this reastaurant and go somwehere else, l'il doggies.
in my greedy, "I'm eating on the road hence I can throw all my regular dining rules out the window" anticipation, I tried too hard and failed miserably. Or rather, Willow Ranch hardly tried and failed anyway- I just had too much faith. So why only one star?
After a long day of running around at Buttonwillow racetrack being my boyfriend's faithful pit chief, I want meat and beer. QUICK.
It took them over 5 minutes to get us seated- no biggie, unless you saw how ridiculous it was- any of them could have seated us. They had ample servers and the restaurant was about 80% full.
It took another 20-25 minutes to get ANYONE to notice us. We were thirsty, wanted tall frosty mugs of domestic beer, just wanted some acknowledgement.
The table next to us and behind us had their orders taken, beverages, salad, then entrees brought to them. We still sat in the dark, literally because the lamp overhead wasn't lit, without anyone that worked there showing signs that we even had a pulse to reckon with. After trying to hold boyfriend back from talking to someone, I finally acquiesced and he stood, waiting some MORE at the cash register, just to talk to someone to say we've been waiting almost half an hour without a hello.
Needless to say, the service sucked big sheep balls (they're huge, take my word for it). A guy explained our server was 'too busy' to take our order so he took it for us. There was further confusion as to who and when our drinks and food were being brought to us as we sat for another 15 minutes without anything, not even water, being brought to us.* Note- just because they took your order, doesn't mean they're going to bring it to you.*
Finally our beverages came, and they explained our food was ready to come to the table. I hate it when food comes rushing out at me, and this is exactly what happened. Our salads arrived drenched in dressing like someone was performing dressing bukkake. Awful. The rest of our meal followed immediately and was tossed at us, the check was dropped on our table immediately following the food with "no hurry, but we just wanted to leave it here" even though the place wasn't closing for another hour or more. WHAT THE FUCK?
The food- are you sure you really want to read more? boyfriend had the bbq beef sandwich, which was supposed to come 'smothered' in BBQ sauce. the sandwich wasn't bad- but the sauce was served in a little plastic cup next to the sandwich. So much for smothering.
My ribs were tough, gristly, awfully charred in some places to the point of bitterness. the tomato-based BBQ sauce certainly wasn't enough to save it by any stretch of the imagination. The bbq beans were no where near bbq but actually chili, the top of my dinner roll had blackened bits stuck to the oily sheen, which I suspect they placed on the grill to warm up but what difference does it make when it gets to our table at room temp? It looked like the cook scraped the top of the roll on the bottom of his shoe- nasty. The corn on the cob was previously frozen then boiled beyond recognition- boyfriend commented that it looked pre-eaten due to the broken kernels covering half of the ear.
They luckily didn't charge us for one of the three beers we had- they wouldn't want me to open my pandora's box of wrath on them for the awful service AND meal we received. There was no redeeming this experience and we attempted to drown our sorrows with beer from the gas station next door while watching anime on Adult Swim in our motel room.
I don't know what their deal was- the fact that I'm not white, the fact that we were an interracial couple, the fact that they don't favor minorities. I saw another table with a few Asian guys most likely in town for the same reason, and they were here before we were. When we were halfway through our meal, I saw our suspected server take their order. I wanted to tell them to eat at the TA Travel Center's restaurant, Country Choice or Country Pride or whatever it was called.
This place must stay in business soley from unsuspecting travellers that see the word "ranch" and think it's ok. Please. Do yourself a favor and eat elsewhere- you'll be sorry you didn't take my advice, especially if you're a minority. -
Review from Jeff W.
San Carlos, CA
3/29/2010 1 Check-in Here
recently renovated. Before this place was simply good enough to eat at to avoid denny's and fast food. Now the service and the food has grown tremendously, and it's actually an establishment i wouldn't mind eating at time and time again.
The pulled pork (dinner or sandwich) are very tasty, and most importantly their BBQ sauce is extremely good. I do believe they sell it to go as well, just might have to do that next time. -
Review from Joe D.
Los Angeles, CA
9/2/2008
My band played a show in San Francisco. The bassist and guitarist left for home a day before the rest of us. We, in the second car, got a late start. There is traffic like you can not believe and all of our tummies are growling at each other. None of us are big fans of McDonalds, Burger King, Denny's or the ubiquitous road trip restaurants.
Desperate times call for desperate needs and I promise my car load that I will stop in the next small town and we'll eat anywhere that they serve food. I see a sign for the iron skillet which I remember isn't good but isn't horrible.
As we are getting off the freeway, we smell barbecue. Then we see a giant barrel reading, "Willow Ranch" across it.
I exclaim to my fellow travelers,"Screw the skillet. We're eating here!"
It is an executive decision that has changed my NorCal back to SoCal traveling ever since.
We are greeted by a cute little girl who tells us to sit anywhere we would like. Our waitress calls us, "hon" and jokes around with us a lot.
We all ordered the ribs and they come with a treasure trove of side dishes. The baked beans are delicious. The coleslaw is crisp, tasty and wonderful. The baked potato hits the spot and is smothered with goodness. The ribs are not the best I have ever had but high up on the list.
Now here is the interesting part. Usually eating food like that makes you want to take a nap. I am convinced that there is something in the barbecue sauce that gives you a burst of speedy energy. Everyone in my car was giddy and giggling the rest of the way home. We came up with new languages and catch phrases on this trip. Not only that but traffic seemed to inexplicably clear up. Perhaps it was the magic of the Willow Ranch?
Every trip I make to Northern California comes with the knowledge that I will be stopping at the Willow Ranch on my way back home to Southern California. Now I just need to find a restaurant to stop at on the way up. Maybe in Soledad or Salinas? Let me know if you know a spot as magical as this one.Listed in: On the way to your destination
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Review from Vince S.
West Los Angeles, CA
4/23/2007
Out in the middle of almost nowhere...and there is this restaurant that serves good comfort food. Steak with potatoes, country fried steak, pies etc.
I have been to Willow Ranch for countless number of times. Not because I always travel between Nor Cal and So Cal, but there is a nearby race track which I frequent. At the end of an exhaustive day. this is the place to chill.
A decent ribeye steak with soup/salad and two sides run for $21. It's not IHOP or Dennys price but hey, Willow Ranch is one of its kind around here.
The place can get crowded on weekends during dinner time. -
Review from Eric G.
Berkeley, CA
Updated - 12/1/2008
This time I had the best motherfudgin' Chocolate Cream Pie. They call it Chocolate Silk, and if you've ever eaten a silk scarf, this is even better than that.
My spoon stole across the table and sampled my honeybunch's Peanut Butter Cream Pie. Also amazingly good.
All of this after a moist and delicious BBQ Beef sandwich on a tender yielding bun.
Uncrowded at 4pm. Just us and 2 sheriffs.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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7/8/2008
What the hell am I doing in Buttonwillow!?
Eating the best goddamn Banana Cream Pie, that's what.
… Read more »
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Review from Antonio A.
Studio City, CA
11/14/2008
I was at Buttonwillow Raceway again yesterday... and I decided not to get Carl's Jr for lunch, but instead, take a little more time to get some BBQ. And damn, I'm glad I did!
Willow Ranch BBQ is the shit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wish they had a branch closer to Pasadena or LA! Damn!!!
Their service was great (I sat at the counter, so it was easy to get their attention), and the TRI TIP PLATE was off the hook!!! Really juicy, moist, flavorful tri tip slices, and the BBQ sauce was EXCELLENT. I'm a bit of a BBQ connoisseur, having been all over the USA and eaten at a ton of really good BBQ restaurants. Willow Ranch BBQ certainly doesn't disappoint with it's sweet/vinegary BBQ Sauce, I loved it.
The tri-tip also came with corn-on-the-cobb, which wasn't bad... and some chili. I'm not a huge fan of beans or chili, but I gotta say, this chili was pretty good. I just tried a little bit.
The Fruit Punch there is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It tastes like they put actual fruit juice in there or something!!! I haven't had fruit punch this good since I was in Hawaii!!! I know it was from a fountain, but it didn't taste like the normal crappy fountain punch. I need to find out what brand of fruit punch they have next time...
Well, I need to drive up to SF for a wedding in a couple weeks. Maybe I'll try to stop in again just for some tri-tip and fruit punch! -
Review from Jarrett C.
Oakland, CA
4/18/2008
Almost 10 years ago, I made the mistake of traveling from the Bay Area to LA and back during Thanksgiving weekend. It was a mistake in the fact that upon returning to the Bay Area that Sunday evening, it took over 4 hours to get from Burbank to the end of the Grapevine. So tired and hungry as I was, I randomly stopped at the local restaurant off the Hwy 5/ Hwy 58 exit. That place was the Willow Ranch, and nowadays, my trip to and from LA isn't complete without me stopping there for some Cali BBQ.
Because of the cheap motel rooms in this town, Buttonwillow is my mid-stop before going to LA from the Bay Area. I'll either stop by Willow Ranch for dinner before checking and/or stop by there after checking out for breakfast. Dinner wise, you can't go wrong with their BBQ selection from the combo half chicken and brisket of beef, or simply a steak smothered in BBQ sauce. For breakfast, I made the discovery that mixing their BBQ sauce with the homefries and eggs (steak n eggs) is an awesome way to begin your day. To top it all off, they serve that old skool fruit punch that consist of nothing but sugar and red food coloring. Yeah, it's not healthy for you, but there's something nostalgic about that distinctive taste!
Service wise, it's like going into a diner where you're greeted with a "Honey" or a "How Goes?" On occasion, you may be pulled into a discussion among the manager and one of her children who is working as a member of the wait staff.
If you're hooked on the BBQ sauce, they do offer bottles to purchase. Another reason why it's important to stop there.Listed in: Top Restaurants
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Review from Charles B.
Pacific Beach, San Diego, CA
1/24/2009
Much you'll read in the other reviews, I stumbled upon this place while on my Diego to the Bay pilgrimage on good 'ol highway 5. I came here looking for an alternative to the ubiquitous McDonald's (aka filthy Ron's) and Carl's Jr./Green Burritos strewn across the state. Their posted "BBQ" outside their restaurant beckoned me closer from the parking filled with diesel trucks, minivans, and the like.
Inside, I came to find a honest-down-diner-from-somewhere-in-middle-America type of atmosphere. You got your booths set up throughout the place, along with the traditional long bar seating necessary for any diner.
The friendly prompt service was to be expected of this type of joint, where first-timers like myself are treated with the familiarity and courtesy of a faithful regular.
Given that BBQ was one of their apparent claim to fame, I opted to go for BBQ beef ribs. Although I only ordered 3 of them, the cook mistakenly served up 5. While I got the extra two at no extra charge, I was also pleased to see this meaty entree be paired up with a baked potato, baked beans, garlic toast, and side salad to start it all off.
Delicious all-around, for 12 bucks, I'd say this weary roadside traveler got his money's worth. -
Review from Amanda M.
Los Angeles, CA
7/27/2010
First of all, Buttonwillow is a strange area. For being a place in the middle of nowhere, it was pretty great. A bunch of motels are lined down the street, a couple fast food joints, but then there's a Starbucks, an Indian restaurant, Mexican, Salvadorian...pretty awesome!
I should have tried something BBQ'd since this is a bbq place but I had the Deli Turkey sandwich which was fresh, light, and delish. The fries were yummy. Boyfriend had a tri-tip salad which was generous with the sliced meat. Apple cobbler for dessert was large and filling. Dinner for 2 was about $25! Not bad!
I read another review where a customer overheard an old man yelling "I HATE CHINESE PEOPLE!" and I was kinda nervous about having to deal with racist folks. But no, nobody gave us the stinkeye and the waiters were so, so sweet and kind. And now that makes me racist for assuming the area would be racist to me. I apologize! :) -
Review from Mark P.
Fremont, CA
11/17/2009 1 photo
I've been driving down and back I-5 to L.A. about once a month now for a couple of years or more. As somewhat of a hater of fast food and after about a zillion trips not in a hurry much these days.
This exit on the Freeway has a high percentage of non-chain spots to stop. Besides this BBQ restaurant there's Indian, Mexican, Salvadoran among others. Of course you can still get a MacDonallds if you pull off here too.
Back to the review, I ate here today and was pretty happy with a couple of exceptions.
I had a tri-tip sandwich that was very good. good BBQ sauce and happily it was served on the side and not drenching the meat. The roll was nice and fresh and all in all it was a good sandwich.
The problem I had was with the side dish. I was offered a choice of fries, some type of salad and onion rings. I picked the onion rings, that was the problem.
First of all the onion rings were pretty darn oily and they tasted of fish. I guess either they don't change the oil much or they just fried some fish. I can live with that, what the heck it's highway food anyway. What really got to me was the fact that when I got the bill there was a $1.00 charge for the onion rings. The server who offered me the choices never mentioned a premium for that choice. Kind of rubbed me the wrong way and although I left her an o.k. tip I must admit I subtracted a buck. -
Review from Jenn S.
Manteca, CA
10/9/2009
driving back from Disney with 2 kids who were tired. Stopped off to get gas and something to eat. Saw the willow ranch and thought why not.
Let me tell that was the best decision. For being in the middle of no where off of 5 this place is the BEST place to stop and eat.
Hubby ordered half rack of pork ribs, came with beans, mashed taters(real ones not the fake crap)corn , salad and bread.
I got the half chicken roasted, with beans, mashed taters,corn, bread and clam chowder. I asked for extra BBQ sauce as i like it saucy, hubby ended up using it also.
boys got grilled cheese.
waitress was great, food came quick and hot. Mashed potatoes we real and spicy from the pepper, gravy was great. Corn a little overdone for my hubby but fine for me. Sauce was the BEST. You know its good when you see people coming in and ordering TRAYS of their potatoe salad. A must stop for trips to come -
Review from Kenny L.
8/25/2008
The BBQ sauce they make here is awesome; it is sweet, vinegary and has herbs and spices that give the sauce a little something extra while the sauce itself is not hot.
The rest of the food? Not so much. The shredded pork sandwich was a little bit dry and it wasn't smoked. Service could have been just a bit faster.
Perhaps I ordered something that wasn't a signature dish. I'll be back to try something new, because sooner or later, I'll need to buy more sauce. -
Review from Tak K.
Campbell, CA
5/4/2009
I came to this store while driving up north and wanting to have lunch. The interior was that of a traditional American diner with some BBQ-like decoration. Most customers were Caucasians.
I ordered BBQ brisket sandwich hoping for juicy, tasty with every bit of where I could eat. After about 10 minutes of pretty good service, what I got was soft but not necessarily tasty. I mean, there was no sauce poured onto the meat. So while the meat itself was very good, there was no extra kick that made me love that dish.
So that is why I decided to rate this place as it is. On an unrelated note, for some reason, near the end of my meal, the guy sitting not far away from me started talking about how he hated Chinese people. Me being half Chinese, I was mildly annoyed, but just decided to think that this is, after all, the conservative area of California. -
Review from Vince A.
Los Angeles, CA
4/26/2011
Not good, but the best you can expect from a bbq place off I-5 in Bakersfield.
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Review from Corbin J.
Mountain View, CA
8/1/2010
I've been here several times on trips down 5. It's somewhat hard to see from 5 but stopping in is worth it.
BBQ food is good at reasonable prices. Girlfriend wasn't thrilled the last time we went (sandwich was over cooked) however I haven't had any issues the other times I've come. It serves as a good half way point between LA and the Bay Area. -
Review from scott m.
Fairfield, CA
12/5/2010
I was attending a race weekend at Buttonwillow, and the folks I was working with had eaten here before, so our group came here for dinner.
They were quick and happy to seat a party of 8 without warning, which I greatly appreciated.
Initially the service was a little disorganized, but eventually we were assigned a single individual and it got better.
I ordered a salad, and the flat iron steak with mashed potatoes.
It was the best steak I've had in a long, long time. Quite a surprise for being basically in the middle of no-where. The corn and mashed potatoes were good too. The salad was a little wilted, but, this was minor in the grand scheme of things. -
Review from Vandana M.
Oakland, CA
6/20/2009
After exiting the 5 with the hopes of trying an Indian restaurant that had advertised itself for the past 100 miles, we were disappointed to discover that they are closed on Tuesdays. Lame. So, so lame.
Luckily, the Willow Ranch came to our rescue. It's clean, the service is friendly, and the food is fine.
The best part was the tense conversation we observed between two employees on the back patio; one of whom was wielding a fly swatter and the other had Kate Gosselin hair. Drama! -
Review from Kerry T.
San Jose, CA
9/2/2008
Why is the drive to LA from SJ so long?
My friends and I randomly stopped by Buttonwillow for some food on the way back to San Jose. We decided to go eat at this restaurant because of the the big BBQ sign. I was a little skeptical about eating here at first. Good thing we stopped by. I ordered an 8 oz steak for about 13 bucks, it came with a salad, baked potato, corn and a roll. The steak was any other average steak. The reason I gave this place a 4 star because of their customer service. We stopped in a 9:30pm. This places closes at 10pm but they were still happy to serve us. We were there till 11pm and our waitress was still in a happy mood. This is not typical of most restaurants.
Overall, I would probably stop by again the next time I pass through town. -
Review from Randy C.
Placerville, CA
3/27/2011 1 Check-in Here
Small divey looking place hidden at the back of the truck stops on Buttonwillow but the BBQ is some of the best. We were very hungry and very pleasantly surprised.
