the hitching post ii

be a local and have the hamburgers in the bar mon-wed. amazing. sure you miss out on a fabulous steak dinner, but you can always come back the next day.

excellent steak and well priced, the restaurant is a bit run down, friend ordered fish had to send it back, was way over cooked (its a steakhouse but they should know how to cook fish) . decent wine list and service. may be good for this area but in ny, sf, la they would be out of business.

our very long time santa barbara local friends have been sending us their dry rub steak spice called "magic dust"... now re-named to "magic stuff" (copy right laws) for years!
it is not that far out of town and they know the old fashion california way to take care of their patrons.
we were traveling from our home in lake oswego, oregon and i am ready to make the drive again just to dine there!
great steak! great service! prices are very fair!
if you do not have time to make the trip... log onto their website, as they sell their "magic stuff" dry rub online. the best use is for steak, but i also like it on bbq chicken.
please enjoy,
it is well worth your hard earned "after tax dollars"!
enjoy, morry

anyone who has seen the movie “sideways” will be familiar with the hitching post ii.  it is the restaurant that virginia madsen’s character, maya, works as a waitress.  but even before the movie, the restaurant was a favorite go-to place for locals.

not impressed. very 1950's style food...get a relish tray and a shrimp cocktail with minuscule shrimp that were once frozen so they're all mushy. over priced. decor is very outdated too.

it’s a 70's roadhouse straight out of the movies. i imagine robert mitchum hanging outside, smoking a cigarette between courses, maybe chatting up doris day or clint eastwood. indeed, some folks are waiting outside, presumably for a table. we find a parking spot and go in.

established in 1986, this restaurant is your key to experiencing “santa maria style bbq.” sourced from small packers in the midwest (iowa, nebraska, and kansas), the cornfed beef here is cut and grilled over an oakwood fire.

fun restaurant. this was our third trip to the hitching post ii in the past 6 years, so we're not regulars by any stretch, but we always go when in the area. the bar is the highlight of the hitching post ii, and the dining room is playing second fiddle.

the 4:00-6:00pm wine tasting is a must! you get a taste of 7 wines for $9, and have a great choice among their fantastic appetizers; i strongly recommend the grilled artichoke and the roasted garlic we had both they are wonderful.

went back for dinner at 7:30... the relish tray is a nice glimpse of the past when all the top notch steak houses met you with tray in had upon being seated. we ordered the steamed mussels. grilled artichoke, bbq sautéed mushrooms. mussels were excellent, the broth was an excellent soup, again, artichoke was great, the mushrooms were “ok,” wouldn’t order them again.

tiny frozen shrimp are served as the shrimp cocktail over a bed of shredded lettuce and some lightweight cocktail sauce: not worth the effort try the cup of soup instead, you'll be glad you did. an unexciting salad is also served before the entree, topped with bottled dressing.

between our table we had two 14 oz, and one 10 oz new york strip, one grilled gulf shrimp, and one combination shrimp (4oz.) and top sirloin (7 oz.). the 10 oz ny strip is just a thinner cut of the 14 oz, so if you like it rare or med rare, you'll be disappointed with the 10 oz. steaks are very nice cuts with a nice marble. however the seasoning is weak, ask for extra "magic dust" for acceptable flavor. the shrimp were bland and in need of flavor, i wouldn't suggest ordering the shrimp.

nice sized baked potato, but the toppings for the baked potato was limited; butter, limited sour cream, chives…no cheese or bacon.

cheese cake is more like a cheese mouse, but great flavor. strawberry short cake was “ok.”

in summary, good food needs more seasoning. prices are bit high for what you get, wines are good value. very fun place.

best steakhouse ever. the hitching post ii is the best steakhouse ever. the food is amazing, the wine is great, the service rocks...and the magic dust. oh, the magic dust.

over indulge, because this is the place for that.

filet mignon was excellent. ahi ahi was also excellent.


-----13 sep, 2011-----

reservations are a good idea. otherwise you will be waiting.

not just great steaks. this is a classic old school california steak house. it's the kind of place where ranchers who know beef go more than bankers with expense accounts. it is not tony or pretentious by any means. so if you are looking for atmosphere then quaint and homey is the atmosphere you better be looking for. that's just fine with us. there are plenty of locals here, especially in the bar where the staff is friendly and chatty.

i was expecting great steaks and my top sirloin was certainly up to my expectations. but my real treat was the oak grilled duck breast which was one of the best renditions of duck i recall having-moist, deeply flavored, rare in the center. the accompanying apricot sauce was great in that it was pretty savory and not cloyingly sweet like too many duck sauces can be.

all the meats are cooked over the oak wood fire including the dry rub baby back ribs and blue marlin you'll see in my photos. the marlin was a very nice piece of fish also.

the sides are classic and straight forward. this is not nouvelle california cuisine, just good old santa maria.

the $12 burgers on tuesdays are worth it!!! they grind up filet, ny strip and sirloin, $30 on the menu, and make burgers! the avocado and thick cut bacon burger is the best i have had!

wine country. a great way to end the day in the beautiful santa barbara wine country. so yes i wanted to check this place out because of "sideways". i thought the place was awesome. glad we had reservations cause their was a line out the door. i was pump to check this place out. and it didn't let me down. the wine was amazing. there pinot noir was really really good. so go me & dad slip a mixed six pack. and the food. where to begin. i had the california rack of lamb. i had never had it before & it was delicious. so moist and tender with a great blend of herbs & spices. when i go back to santa barbara & lompoc i will be hitting it up for sure.

overpriced and overrated!!. this place has such a following and i've yet to see why. the prices are ridiculous for very ordinary food and there is no ambiance whatsoever (unless you find red and white checked tablecloths nice ambiance). we have dined in much finer steakhouses for a much lower price. i think most people that like this place probably don't try other restaurants because they found this one to be okay, but there really are better steakhouses out there. it's not like casmalia has anything else to offer either, this is truly a one horse town. if you blink as you drive through town, you will miss it completely. don't waste your time and money, go to aj spurs, mclintocks, alex's bbq or cool hand lukes you'll be much happier.