Breakfast stop on the way to San Francisco on 05/03/13. Ordered country fried stake with biscuits & gravy, hash browns, & coffee. Service was a little slow since there was only one person tending to several tables. Coffee was pretty good for diner coffee. Biscuits & gravy were delicious.....can't say the same for stake....it was kinda gross! Meal ended up giving me an upset stomach & diarrhea...not fun.
Prices & atmosphere were decent....restrooms were nice & clean. Â Its conveniently located off freeway! Its definitely a "truck stop" place. Doubt ever going back!!!
On our way back from an LA trip, we stopped by at Dennis for lunch. Â My daughter saw Willow Ranch across the street and we decided to try this place instead. Â We were all so amazed at how great the food was! Â Simply delish! Â Prices are reasonable. Â Best place to get a decent meal if you are in for a long drive like we did LAX to SFO. Â I Â highly recommend this place and will surely make this meal stop when we do our road trips.
Review Source:The ONLY place to get good BBQ in the area. Â I've been here a few times due to several trips to nearby Buttonwillow Raceway and I haven't been disappointed yet. Â Willow Ranch is cheap, conveniently located for travelers, and the food is delicious! Â If you're in a hurry, they also have burgers & sandwiches and are a much better alternative than going through another dreadful drive-thru.
I recently ordered an 8 oz. Top Sirloin steak, prepared medium-rare, with veggies and salad ($12.99). My hubby had the combo of tri-tip and pork ribs ($19.99). Both meals come with a soft dinner roll, sweet corn on the cob, and their homemade chili beans. Â It was the best darn $12.99 steak I've ever had! Â In fact, probably better than some of the more expensive steaks. They cooked it perfectly and the steak was juicy and tender. Â I also had 2 pork ribs and a bite of tri-tip which were also up to par.
I will definitely be back next time we're in the neighborhood.
Good eats and friendly atmosphere in the middle of nowhere (but close to the race track). Â I've eaten there 4 or 5 times from Dec 2010 to Dec 2012 and always enjoyed the food. Americana... the BBQ is good, don't think I ever tried the burgers. Good place to have a beer (or a few if you aren't getting back on I-5 afterward).
Review Source:This joint is LEGIT!
I stumbled onto it while taking a Megabus from SF to LA. Â A place like Buttonwillow is something that I'd never thought of stopping at if it wasn't a required bus stop. Â Most of my fellow passengers opted for the nearby Taco Bell and country buffet (yuck!). Â I being the adventurous type, decided to walk across the parking lot and gas station, and I came upon this BBQ joint. Â I love BBQ meats, and this place is good at it. Â The first time I stopped here I had the pull-porked sandwich, although the pork was a bit dried, it was very flavorful and smoky, the way I like my BBQ meats, the dryness reminded me of the al pastor style pork meats you get in Mexican food, almost crispy, in a good way.
As luck would have it, we stopped here again on the way back from LA to SF. Â I took it as a sign from God that I should indulge myself in more BBQ meats. Â This time I got the beef ribs. Â I only had 20 minutes for our stop, so I ended up taking it to go, and let me tell you, that was quiet a feast back on the bus. Â I chewed, tore, and ripped through those ribs like a pig lol. Â Beef ribs are kind of lean, and once grilled or bbq'ed it doesn't leave much on the bone, and the cooked tendons stick to the bone and can be hard to get off with your teeth. Â But again it was very flavorful. Â I also like this place cooks the meat without the sauce, it perserves the natural flavors, but that being said the house bbq sauce they have is pretty good too, just enough tang and sweetness for me.
That was by far the most messy and satisfying meal I've had in a moving vehicle haha!
it's not easy to eat decent food on the road. i'm sure you know that if you're looking at reviews in buttonwillow! this place would not be on a go to list for me in almost any other circumstances, but compared to the gas station snack bar and franchises that surround it, it was a godsend. decent food, nice folks.
Review Source:Family owned and ran, this place understands what you want. Besides the fact they keep it so clean and the waitresses are way to cute, the food is some of the best in Kern county. I am from Los Angeles and hear I am a picky eater (Though that's not true, it's just that food in Kern county sucks.) but I can't get enough of this place. IT is great home made style food! Very kind people, very good food. What else could you ask for?
Review Source:How there is not a bigger deal made of this place is unknown to me. I absolutely love Willow Ranch! I am the biggest fan of their brisket sandwich with a side of their heavenly BBQ sauce. All the food is diner style, however it has that soul of being locally owned and not corporate. I highly recommend anything from the BBQ menu, from the brisket to the ribs.
Review Source:We were starving and driving from San Diego to the Bay Area. Â I started looking on Yelp where we should go, this popped up with a ton of great reviews, so we went. Â Our server was so sweet. Â My boyfriend insists on asking every server what their favorite dish is, and did so here also. Â The server told him and that he ordered it a special way, so Josh ordered it that way also. Â He enjoyed his meal thoroughly. Â His brother did also. Â I ordered a turkey sandwich with buttery toasted bread. Â Delicious. Â
The place was really busy when we got there and the food was really good also. Â Great stopping place on a road trip!!
This place is great.  You may think its just stone road side greasy spoon. You could not be more wrong.  From the time we walked in the door the friendly  hostess seated us then waitress was getting is drinks.  Came back with our drinks fallowed with a fresh salad and home made blue cheese dressing. We order the baby back ribs that were simply delicious....  Overall just a great place to stop and have a meal.  this will be a must stop to eat every time we come by
Review Source:It's become our group's tradition to stop by Willow Ranch for dinner after a day at nearby Buttonwillow Raceway Park. Â I've always got the Ribeye dinner and it has never disappointed. Â Generously sized portions, huge refillable drinks, more than reasonable prices, and friendly wait staff.
Review Source:This place was very busy! 50 minuet wait, but I understand because there were two events going on at the Buttonwillow Raceway.
After, my friends and I ordered, I believe I got the Fried Shrimp. All I remember was that it was pretty good, after that we all ordered dessert.I got some Apple Pie Al Mode and it was really good. This place is better than TA so I probably come back here again.
Stopped in for dinner after a day at the track, probably some of the best BBQ brisket, tri-tip and pulled pork I've had in California.
The portions are great and quality. Don't waste your time with the sides, just jump right into the main course.
This is definitely a staple on a race weekend.
Driving from Los Angeles to Sacramento. Â Getting hungry along the way. Â Trusty yelp app to the rescue. Â Willow Ranch BBQ? Â In Buttonwillow? Â A 4 star review from my yelping buddy Chris D.? Â Tri-tip sandiwch and fries? Â Done and done! Â In a land of McDonalds and who knows what else fast food, Willow Ranch BBQ may be your best bet for real food.
If Chris D. says the Tri-tip sandwich is the thing to get, then sure enough I'm a gettin' it.  It was pretty darn good.  The bread was put on a flat top grill first to toast it just a little.  Perhaps a little butter thrown on their first maybe to get it slightly golden brown.  This is important because it stopped the bun from getting soggy.  The Tri-Tip was good, well seasoned around the edges, and piping hot.  The star of the show is their BBQ sauce.  It's nice and sweet, but a little tangy, and has these wonderful chopped up onions in it.  The Tri-Tip was served dry and it's up to you to add the BBQ sauce.  I would recommend getting a 2nd cup of it.  2 thumbs up for serving the BBQ sauce warm.  The french fries were also a nice golden brown and very hot.  <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/Dztsw9PKmRRQ0kXZMMSRIA?select=_atiQDPsePaRlhjrSL5X8Q#dGhFxsox2z3Vc-fMgUWfXA">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
Now I got a little cocky on the way back when I stopped here for a 2nd time. Â I ordered a half rack of ribs and chicken combo. Â Zero smoke flavor to any of these meats. Â I think they are just grilling the meats over a mesquite wood grill. Â So outside in the parking lot you are getting the wonderful smell of mesquite wood, but it doesn't really get into the meat here. Â In other words it's not smoked. Â I'm not a big fan of non-smoked BBQ. Â Even though I still enjoyed their sauce, it couldn't save the plain grilled ribs and chicken. Â I also wasn't that impressed with their sides of mashed potatoes and baked beans. Â The baked beans tasted more like Mexican style beans, rather than Southern.
I almost lowered my review to 3 stars, but Willow Ranch can get the 4th star from me because of Location, Location, Location. Â I'm hungry and there ain't nothing else out here that doesn't have a Mc in front of it. Â Don't expect BBQ heaven, get a sandwich, and enjoy.
We come here for local race events. Â The BBQ sauce is really good so we always buy one to take home. Â The place is clean, waits are short, and the staff is friendly. Â What I have ordered:
Country-Fried Steak
Tender Certified Angus Beef breaded and fried, served with plenty of real, country-style gravy. $9.99
BBQ chicken is seasoned with our special spice blend and grilled to perfection, then topped with our homemade BBQ sauce.  1/4 Chicken  $10.99
Sides: Mashed Potatoes, Roll, Fries
Chardonnay
It is a great place to stop in and dine if you are in the area for sure don't let the location stop you from stopping in :)
Summary:
- Service: friendly *but* slow
- Price - about average for BBQ spots like this
- Food - nothing mind-blowing BUT amazing proportions
- Ambiance - just another American diner [my first thought was Denny's]
*******
If you're from SoCal and often on the road to NorCal [especially Interstate 5], you'll run out of pit stops rather quickly [especially more-so if you strike fast food joints off the list]. You can practically count with both your hands how many non-franchised diners there are after the climb up the mountain and before CA-46. I was tempted at times to bring a high-powered air rifle and a portable camping gas grill to kill some rabbits out of desperation to have something different for once. Obviously, that didn't work out too well for me.
Out of all the places I stopped by in my extremely short list, I would say that WIllow Ranch is probably the best pit stop to eat if your car is overheating and you have a TON of time to spare. Of course, these two factors doesn't always apply to me since I drive a beast of a car and never have enough time to stop for more than an hour. But whatever, sometimes, we just make exceptions.
True, who the hell has ever heard of Buttonwillow? It totally sounds like BUTTPILLOW. I mean, for one, I have stopped here so many times and passed it so many times and I still find myself barely remember the name of this quaint little town. I guess it really was Willow Ranch that finally got me to remember this place.
1. Service is exceptionally friendly and at the same time, exceptionally S-L-O-W. Yes, yes, you're on the $16.95 calendar being sold at the establishment [that I didn't buy] and so by default, if you're as friendly as you're cute, I guess us-famished-boys who want to be fed would overlook the snail pace that is common here. Yes, I forgot her name but she's the cutest one and ABSOFREAKINLUTELY friendly. One phrase in her angelic tone and all built-up anger subsided, lol.
<a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fs3-media1.ak.yelpcdn.com%2Fbphoto%2FbSnzhrcjmIOnk9mLDN9TXQ%2Fl.jpg&s=6ac7321f6aaf0d41c2d0be9babb77387634abf2f4472f2c1a23cacc697761e07" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://s3-media1.ak.yelp…</a>
<a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fs3-media4.ak.yelpcdn.com%2Fbphoto%2F2DYBBGeX2-R0-UxGVMwPqw%2Fl.jpg&s=bdaa80cb7c66db505eb762efc5df9d6d25ffb262e1411dee8f2b982ff239796c" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://s3-media4.ak.yelp…</a>
2. Food...Crickets chirping... and 30+ minutes later... HOLY CRAP. I ordered too much, lol. Tri-tip, meh. Brisket, meh. Beef ribs, pass. Chicken, lol, never order again. Pork ribs...the total WINNER! [winner, winner, pork rib dinner!] Okay, everything is overly sauced up like a good old fashioned American BBQ diner but hey, I'm not complaining. Pork ribs saved the overall meal...just like aforementioned friendly tone from a cute waiteress saves the snail pace over here.
Okay, so I want to pit stop here again...and again. No, never for the girls [truly, I speak nothing but the truth on this]. But I want to stop here for the pork ribs again. Standard BBQ with great proportions with beer if you need it.
BUT this time, I-am-going-to-*TOTALLY*-make-sure-I-have-2-hours-Âto-spare-for-my-next-visit. ^_^
We're rolling along Interstate 5 and made a point of stopping for a "snack" at the Willow Ranch BBQ joint. Â We always do, even if it is just a salad, but for sure their BBQ is outstanding.
They are simply excellent with their food and service.
The menu is fabulous with lots of options, portions are generous and fair. Â Prices are reasonable and service is casually terrific.
You will not regret stopping here.
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. Â We decided to make the trip a bbq theme. Â We had some good scores along the way and count this as one of them. Â This was our last meal before returning to the Bay. Â Sorry I didn't take a photo of our brisket dinners before we devoured them. Â Service was so so, but the food is what we focused on. Â Perfectly cooked brisket in a delicious bbq sauce. Â Satisfying portions. Â We make trips to So. Cal. on occasion and will be stopping here again (for the brisket). Â Yum.
Better than Anderson's Pea Soup and cheaper than Harris Ranch. Â Willow Ranch isn't close to the best BBQ in America, but it's as good as anything in California. Â They do make a damn good brisket. Â
Buttonwillow might just trump overcrowded Santa Nella as my new "fluids in, fluids out" spot on the I-5.
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.
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. Â 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.
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.
....it must be in the secret sauce.
Forget Harris Ranch. Â Whenever I'm planning a road trip to SF, I always think about how I can time it to stop at Willow Ranch. Â This place is perfect for a road trip meal. Â Really good BBQ (my favorite is the brisket). Â
Now, to be perfectly honest, I'm not a huge fan of BBQ. Â I never really connected with it and I just feel like we always had some type of love/hate relationship. Â But after doing Willow Ranch, I'm not going back. Â Their BBQ sauce is amazing! Â You have to try it if you like sweeter sauces. Â You'll be pleasantly surprised. Â 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!
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....
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 !
recently renovated. Â Before this place was simply good enough to eat at to avoid denny's and fast food. Â 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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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!
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. Â
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. Â I see a sign for the iron skillet which I remember isn't good but isn't horrible. Â
As we are getting off the freeway, we smell barbecue. Â Then we see a giant barrel reading, "Willow Ranch" across it. Â
I exclaim to my fellow travelers,"Screw the skillet. Â We're eating here!"
It is an executive decision that has changed my NorCal back to SoCal traveling ever since. Â
We are greeted by a cute little girl who tells us to sit anywhere we would like. Â 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. Â The coleslaw is crisp, tasty and wonderful. Â 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. Â Now I just need to find a restaurant to stop at on the way up. Â Maybe in Soledad or Salinas? Â Let me know if you know a spot as magical as this one.
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? Â Not so much. Â The shredded pork sandwich was a little bit dry and it wasn't smoked. Â Service could have been just a bit faster.
Perhaps I ordered something that wasn't a signature dish. Â I'll be back to try something new, because sooner or later, I'll need to buy more sauce.
Almost 10 years ago, I made the mistake of traveling from the Bay Area to LA and back during Thanksgiving weekend. Â 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. Â So tired and hungry as I was, I randomly stopped at the local restaurant off the Hwy 5/ Hwy 58 exit. Â 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. Â
Because of the cheap motel rooms in this town, Buttonwillow is my mid-stop before going to LA from the Bay Area. Â I'll either stop by Willow Ranch for dinner before checking and/or stop by there after checking out for breakfast. Â 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. Â 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. Â To top it all off, they serve that old skool fruit punch that consist of nothing but sugar and red food coloring. Â 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?" Â 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. Â
If you're hooked on the BBQ sauce, they do offer bottles to purchase. Â Another reason why it's important to stop there.
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. Â
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.
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.
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,611 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,972 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,318 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,915 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,987 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
