Salinas City BBQ - Barbecue restaurant in Salinas - 700 W Market St, USA

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

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

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

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

Really good food, especially the brisket sandwich. The staff is always friendly and its a nice place to bring friends for a quick bite to eat.

This is a great place to meet up with good friends, hang out and eat great BBQ! I'm talking fantastic meat,and wonderful service here!! Had the Pulled pork with a salad and cornbread!! Omg! The best around and a weekend standard now!! Highly recommended! Go see Brian at the front of the house...he's a fantastic host!!!

Reference: this review is for this visit only. I have had dozens of wonderful visits to this location, and by no means was this a ‘bad’ visit, but it didn’t live up to the previously set reputation. Why? Only a few bit picky reasons. 1. The price of meat has made eating BBQ difficult. You’re either paying an arm and a leg or you’re getting small portions. Or both. This isn’t necessarily the fault of the business owner as they are trying to stay in business and make a living. It’s just the sad state of the current economy. Regardless, I still urge everyone to support their local businesses, specifically those that don’t have a national chain backing them. And yes, prices per portion were difficult to swallow, despite how delicious those portions were. But eat at any BBQ joint and you’ll find the same issue. Even at large, National chain restaurants, so it’s difficult to complain about it. But here I am. I had a Firebird spicy chicken sandwich. They’ve always been amazing and stuffed, and this time was no different. Unfortunately while tearing apart the chicken, somehow a bone got missed and ended up stabbing the roof of my mouth. Again, this could happen anywhere and doesn’t reflect the other two dozen times I’ve eaten at this fine establishment. My gal ordered the ‘lil meat’ plate, which consisted of one piece of brisket. After seeing the plate, we realized this must have been their version of a kids menu, but it wasn’t brought to our attention while ordering. They have a nice variety of beer on tap and in cans. They have high chairs for kids. They have added a semi spacious outdoor patio area since Covid, which is great because indoor seating is quite limited. Speaking of which, there is only street parking available so be ready to walk at dinnertime. The meats were delicious. The sides seem like an afterthought. They aren’t bad, but aren’t going to win any medals either - again something every BBQ restaurant from Monterey to Gilroy seem to be guilty of: quality meat but lackluster, small portioned sides. And one can’t blame the economy because beans, bread, and macaroni prices aren’t exactly blowing up due to inflation. I know this review sounds stiff, and I apologize for that, but I want to maintain my integrity in my reviews. I’ll definitely be back. We will stay far away from the ‘lil’ menu, despite my gal being under five feet, and continue to support our local businesses, despite these tough economic times.

Great BBQ joint in Salinas. The atmosphere is definite TX roadhouse. Blues music pumping from the speakers. The scent of smoking in the air. We ordered a chicken meal, pork ribs meal and a pulled pork sandwich. Zesty BBQ spice and smokiness to everything. Our sides were ok: beans, cornbread, mac and cheese. All local draft beers on tap. I had the Promised Land Pipedream NE IPA beer - rich flavor profile, muted hoppiness. Quite refreshing beer with the BBQ. Staff was friendly.