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April 2024 by Angelica J.
It's not my usual dinner stop, but the food was excellent and so was the service. The ambiance is that of an old western/ranch theme, the only part that I wish had been better was the long wait to be seated. If you like 3 course style meals, and taking drives, this is the place for you.
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March 2024 by Brian D.
Couldn't pass going up here twice in a row Easter Weekend! Their Santa Maria style cooking simply is unbeatable ! Check out how great this ribeye chop looks before I cut it up for both of us. Don't forget to ask for the shrimp cocktail....good size baked potatoes with dairy fixings! And a Salad.. Perfect size garlic bread to clean up all the leftovers! Simply the best dinner!
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March 2024 by Roseann R.
The service was above Five Stars.! Guillerm deserves 10 stars he was so friendly and explained everything to detail. The Busser was amazing as well. My friend and I shared the Ribeye and Lobster . It was delicious and we also got our own salad shrimp cocktail and dessert for only $18.00. The decor was different very unique. Definitely coming back.!!!
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March 2024 by D P
The wife and I had a blast at this restaurant, best steak we have ever had cooked to perfection with a light hint of oak smoke it was fantastic. The service people were outstanding as well organized, they all had there jobs to do, you felt taken care of. Thank you for a great experience!!! I'd give 10 stars on each ...
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March 2024 by Gary Chapman
Way off the beaten path, but well Worth it! Grilled lobster was great, our steaks were good,service was great ! Passing through from Tennessee and heard about this place ! The night I attended, space x shot a rocket off to space and that topped off a great evening! Fascinating little cow town !
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March 2024 by Jamie T.
Sunday evening and we did not have a reservation, apparently that is a must. They greeted us with a smile and said they will make it work. Sat us instantly. Cocktails were very tasty and food was ever better. All of the employees we dealt with were great. Very old school steakhouse.
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March 2024 by Shannon Y.
Not much else can be said about a 70 year old restaurant that hasn't already been stated. We did enjoy our meal hear very much so. Located in the middle of nowhere on the edge of Vandenburg Space Force base sits this bustling steak house in the middle of the most beautiful cow pasture and mountains that you have ever seen. The steak does not get much fresher that this. Its almost as you can point to the Black Angus roaming the pasture and point and in 30 minutes it will be resting on your plate cooked to a perfect temp. Seriously, this is as classic of a steak house you can find and prepared in the Santa Maria Style of BBQ over well seasoned red oak fire pit. You have to appreciate this spot for its uniqueness and continuing to prepare food the way it has always been done at this joint for generations. The staff has been serving folks for decades. If you had a bad time at this joint, take a look in the mirror and smack that entitled attitude of yours right off your face. Food takes time to prepare and you just need to be patient. I had the Ribeye and it was perfectly cooked and seasoned very well. I loved the little bay shrimp cocktail that was included with the dinner. For dessert they had homemade butter pecan ice cream and you better believe it came from the cows roaming the pasture. Everything in our meal was excellent. Just a few suggestions for your visit: 1. Make a reservation 2. Arrive early 3. Enjoy the history of the restaurant 4. Your phone won't work, so enjoy your company and have a conversation 5. ENJOY!!!
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March 2024 by Richard Heckendorf
What a great experience, fantastic food and service - thanks again from the two of us ?
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February 2024 by Paul B.
What happened to the old Hitching Post? This has always been an expensive $$$$ place to eat, and on occasion the best place to enjoy oak fired BBQ. Our recent trip, 5 people, $460 w/tip, was not even close in quality to past trips to this restaurant. Rib Eye is always the best here @ $56 per plate. Swordfish was a bit dry and looked previously frozen. Artichokes - though $16@ ! - were great, as usual. My wife always loves their 7oz Sirloin @ $37 Hey - It's pricey to come here! We knew that, but our friends from Maine wanted a good BBQ experience. Here's my problem - waiters seemed to not even care what you wanted, seemed rushed and constantly looking over their shoulder at other tables while we were trying to ask questions about the entrees. Salad was obviously out of a bag with a plop of ranch thrown on top - no extras at all - by that I mean tomatoes, carrot slices, cucumber, etc. - just some iceberg lettuce with a plop of Ranch on top. Don't these prices call for a better salad? Rare meat choice wasn't really rare, more like medium - kind of sad considering the price of the cuts. Always so loud you can't speak with your guests - but it's a small place. We knew that, but always have hoped for quieter. Costco sells certificates at a discount - a good thing.
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February 2024 by Ellen A.
We love the Hitching Post in Casmalia, Ca. The food and service is great and we love the rustic ambience of the town and restaurant .
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February 2024 by frostfyre99
5☆ - all the way.The evening began with our party being seated mere feet away from the main grill behind glass. From there, for the first 3 of 5 courses, we were mezmerised watching the meat magicians perform their magic. You could tell this was a crew that knew exactly what they were doing. It was a dance of precision and speed that sent ribeye after filet after shrimp skewer into eager hands and mouths.Our first course, a bay shrimp cocktail, was served with an unexpectedly sweet cocktail sauce. The second and third courses were a salad and fresh veggie tray. Presentations were more casual than expected but the quality was top tier. The main course arrived and now the show was too in-your-mouth to watch the red flames popping off of the red oak anymore.I had a large beautifully marbled ribeye that filled my mouth with a smooth smokey umami flavor unique to this location. Crispy fries and grilled garlic bread nicely rounded out the carbohydrates for the evening. Even the ranch dressing, of which I am rather particular, was a creamy and flavorful house-made variety.The final course, dessert, was a choice of three frozen delights, of which I chose the raspberry sorbet. It was the perfect sweet, light, and smooth finish to what was a very filling meal. The staff was attentive and worked well as a team.As satisfying as the experience was, I remain confused as to how this out-of-the-way restaurant, that provides such an amazing experience, has not relocated and expanded into a higher traffic area. Perhaps they are just content to create on the culinary canvas they currently have.
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February 2024 by Terry R.
Hands down my favorite restaurant. From the service to the food; it's all excellent. A little on the pricey side but you'll never go away hungry. My wife and I go there 4-6 times per year.
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February 2024 by Paul L.
Went with a large party for the first time. Historic establishment and a soup-to-nuts offering that includes salad, veggie tray, and dessert with a baked potato. Having been to Jocko's with a similar offering I wondered who copied who, though it appears the Hitching Post was established in 1952, a few years before Jocko's, but who knows which started the everything-included meals. Maybe that was the style back in the day and it's just been preserved. I've had this restaurant on my food bucket list ever since relocating to the Central Coast. Seemingly in the middle of nowhere, my wife and I parked on the side of the road and fed flowers to the cows across the street. Country atmosphere, country folk, country feel, it's the kind of place the big cities often try to but can never replicate. Truly awesome. Unfortunately my meat (NY Strip) was excellent with one major exception: a total lack of seasoning. No salt, no pepper, nothing but the meat that was cooked over wood so it had a pleasant and light smoke flavor. But zero seasoning. I took 1/2 of it home and seasoned it, and verified the meat quality was outstanding. Maybe the kitchen was off that day, I'll return and see if I can get a seasoned steak next time.
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February 2024 by Hadbooks A.
A dangerous combination of over-serving regulars and getting personnly attacked. Two guys had been overserved tried to bully me I stood up to them.
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February 2024 by Jim G.
Amazing place! Never heard of it and some good friends treated us to dinner last night! The service and food were 5-stars. I had the ribeye and it was cooked perfectly, wife had the lobster and it was delicious also. We can't wait to go back!!
