BBQ 152

Sure the chicken and brisket are delicious but the pork ribs are AMAZING! They are flavorful, juicy and the meat falls right off the bone. The best thing, though, is that spicy, homemade barbecue sauce and tangy coleslaw!
If you’re craving authentic barbecue, make a u-​turn at Famous Dave’s and come here!

Good, fresh barbeque… Good for families… Sell beer, wine, and unique drinks … Love the feel of the restaurant, the vibe, the TVs with the big game, etc. Live music too on ocassion.

I came here with my family the other night and I have to say I am pretty impressed! I am a BBQ lover! I did the one meat deal and ordered the tri-​tip (comes with garlic bread and your choice of potato salad, beans, or coleslaw) and the rest of my family ordered the pulled pork sandwich. The trip was really good especially with the hot bbq sauce, the garlic bread was perfect and the potato salad was amazing! My family really enjoyed their pulled pork sandwich. I also ordered a 2 meat deal (to go) with pork ribs and tri-​tip. The pork ribs were DELICIOUS! I will definitely be coming back to try more! They also have craft brew which is a big plus for any bbq place!

One of the best BBQ joints I’ve been to. Love the beers on tap. Good selection. Berry cobbler worth the $$. Will be back.

We’ve had several good experiences here since the times I found a piece of bone in the pork. We recently tried Trail Dust in Morgan Hill, just because we were up there. This place is better. I love the garlic bread on the pulled pork sandwich. The sandwich isn’t dry, even though I don’t really like the hogwash.
One of these times I’m going to have to save room for the bread pudding. I was really disappointed with the bread pudding at Trail Dust. I love bread pudding… so I’ve really got to try 152’s. I have seen another table order the berry cobbler. It looks delicious. It’s also huge! Definitely enough for 3.

I BBQ/​slow smoke meats and this place is top notch… so say it is a little pricey but to make top quality smoked meat there is a lot of time and labor involved… great food.

Great selection of different brews which I love plus the food is excellent. Don’t go there for great ambience though. They do have a small TV for sport lovers though!

What can I say? The best smoked meats in a 100-​miles radius. I have yet to be disappointed in anything I’ve ever ordered. The pulled pork is by far the shining star!

This place is amazing I have been to a few bbq places and this is one of the best. A must try if your in the area. I suggest geting the berry cobbler

Solid 3 star local chain BBQ, Tri-​Tip is good, a little to much fat on it but super good. Everything is al carte so once you add a tiny cup of slaw or potato salad and a drink your at $ 15. No fries or salad bar. The store in Salinas has all you can eat sliders during the week.

Wow, really surprised by the Unilocal reviews skewed to the high end. Stopped here based on the high ratings and was pretty disappointed. Greeted by insanely high prices and a surly, indifferent clerk behind the register (you order at a counter). Before you can say «rip-​off» the digital screen pops up four different levels of tip giving. Huh? So without any service whatsoever, or any inkling of what the food will be like, I’m being pressured into giving a 15% to 30% tip? I’ve seen this a lot lately at no-​service restaurants. Some one needs to start a petition against this sleazy practice; or better yet get it banned outright.
But I soldier on, thinking «well, with this attitude and pricing, this place must really be the s7&$». Proceed to strangely small dining area (considering how popular they are), and sit down to live music blasting so loud I can’t have a conversation with my companion. We’ll sit outside I think… surely with all the patio-​like areas outside the building on the spacious lot, there must be SOME sort of seating to be had. Napes. That would make too much sense.
With their high-​tech, up-​to– the-​minute cash register they can’t manage to give us a receipt, and rely on wandering around the seating areas with the food trays, asking people what their order was. Brilliant, guys.
My $ 13+ bbq «meal» arrives and I marvel at the small size. Maybe a McDonalds Mini-​Meal, but certainly not what any fan of BBQ would call a «meal»: 3 (THREE) small pork ribs, one tiny cup of slaw, and two smallish pieces of «garlic toast». If they were just honest about it and called it a «on the light side meal» or «small plate meal» or «snack size meal», I’d be good with it – even at the sky-​high price. But they weren’t honest about it.
Slaw was good and fresh, but with very little dressing; friend’s chicken was pretty good — tender and juicy. The so-​called garlic toast was probably some of the worst I’ve ever had. The type of bread used was just plain wrong. It appeared to be some sort of stale foccacia bread — perhaps left-​over from their sandwiches? It was chewy, barely toasted, and had only the slightest hint of butter, garlic, or spices. Side salad was about a B+. Nothing special but very fresh, with very good dressing.
The only saving grace was the bbq itself, pork ribs and chix, with some very good sauce in squeeze bottles on the table.

Now my favorite barbeque place, even beating some fantastic places in Austin. Go for the tri-​tip and pulled pork.

So good you go back 2x in the same weekend.
We came across this spot via Unilocal as we wanted to dodge traffic on our way to Carmel for the long weekend. All I can say is that this place is worth it. We had the BBQ sandwiches. First, I am not a huge fan of BBQ-​type sandwich because I’ve always found the bread is crappy and gross, and I end up picking the BBQ off it, but this is not the case. We had the pulled pork sandwich and the boneless rib sandwich with sides of potato salad and cole slaw. All I can say is the bread! It stands on its own. It is soft, warm and has a nice garlic butter coating that compliments the overall deliciousness. Get sandwich! So worth it!
We loved it so much, we stopped by on the way home from Carmel for lunch and took some home with us to SF. I would SOOO give this 5 stars, but when we got home and opened our bag for dinner. They left out the coleslaw :(While it was delicious still, it was a sad day that we couldn’t recreate the meal with the coleslaw.

Stopped in at around 8:30ish and ordered the hot link slider (for me) and the large tri tip sandwich for the lil bro. Overall food was delicious. They were out of certain meats but that’s ok considering we arrived 30 min prior to closing. We were made aware of the out of stock meats right off the bat so that was a good thing. Will definitely recommend this place to any of my friends from the Central Valley who might be passing through here…

BBQ 152 I think after 3 visits and 4 years later I am a fan and I surely needed to update my review. I would pass by this place frequently for years on my way to the outlets or if I was in the area and what initially drew me here a few years ago were two things: 1). The drive-​thru (which is no longer being used) and 2). the smoker outside the front of the restaurant. I think at the time I wasn’t so keen on barbecue and my taste buds might have been off because my review and first time experience was a bit harsh.
BBQ 152 opened in 2011 and are owned by the same people that own Trail Dust BBQ in Morgan Hill and South Winchester BBQ in San Jose as well as 3 other restaurants in the Santa Cruz and Aptos area. They pride themselves in cooking good quality meat and you can see it and smell it being smoked when you drive by or when you’re at the restaurant. They are known to run out of some of their bestsellers like the brisket and ribs.
My opinion of the brisket has changed somewhat, it is good and juicy but a little on the fatty side and the portion size for this seems to be off but it’s a big step up from when I first had it. I recently tried their Tri-​Tip which was came highly recommended from John D. and I have to say that this was some of the best Tri-​Tip I have had. The slices I had were thicker cut than expected but it was seasoned so well, had a nice smoke ring and was very tender. I can come here for that alone! The potato salad was pretty good it certainly was a different style than what I expected but it went well with the meat. The garlic bread was ok, I liked that it was served on what I believe to be ciabatta bread but I just wish it had more garlic flavor like I remember before. Overall the food here is good and I’m glad I gave them one more chance because I almost gave up on them lol. I now want to try their pork ribs that people are speaking so highly of.
There aren’t too many barbecue joints in the Gilroy/​Morgan Hill area and good ones at that but this one really does stand out and is worth a try and it just might be worth the drive.

Really good BBQ: nice, clean interior; great service.

Good food my favorite is the chicken. But the sides are small and its way too expensive to eat all the time.

I’m a fan of BBQ in a big way. So for me, finding good BBQ in California… or pretty much anywhere west of the Mississippi…(yes…I went there!)…is nearly impossible… Texas aside. Texas has great BBQ too… but anyway…
The inside of the restaurant has that franchise look and feel… but aside from that… nothing special. It has that great smoked BBQ joint smell… and…like most BBQ joints out here… a bit on the pricey side, but not too bad.
As for the food. It’s decent… nothing overly spectacular, though I know quite a few people like this place. I found it to have some of the same problems a lot of BBQ joints have out here. I believe that due to the lack of turn-over…lets face it, in the South… BBQ joints struggle to keep up with the customer demand… and food straight off the BBQ… gets ordered up and served almost before it’s had the proper amount of time to rest. BBQ restaurants in the South have lines to get in. Not so much elsewhere in the country… and here in California… BBQ can often be sitting around, waiting for the customers to show up. So places are either forced to cook in advance and then suffer as the BBQ slowly drys out… or try to cook in smaller batches which means they run out way too quickly… and keep you waiting for an order.
Either way, it means less than stellar BBQ. Also… too many BBQ joints are simply insane from the desire to have their own signature BBQ sauce… and to be honest… most BBQ places achieve little more than mediocre BBQ sauce… pass me the Bulls Eye or Sweet Baby Rays.
As I normally do, I always order a bit of everything from the menu… Brisket, Sausage, Ribs and Chicken. The Brisket was dry, no surprise. The Ribs… flavorful…but again, a bit on the dry side… they’d obviously been sitting around for a bit and got dry. The Chicken had a excellent smoke flavor… but again… on the dry side. The sausage… well, now this is where I have to say they completely missed the mark
Normally, sausages hold up well… after coming off the BBQ or out of the Smoker… the amount of fat in a sausage usually means they never get dry and are always tasty. I’ve yet to meet a sausage I didn’t like… until here. The sausage wasn’t dry… it was moist… but it was far from delicious. It had the strangest of flavor… I almost thought I had gotten a spoiled sausage. I’ve never had a Hot Link taste like theirs… but I have a feeling they use a special recipe that just doesn’t agree with my palate. It had an overly vinegary flavor that just didn’t sit well with me.
I probably should have complained to the owner… but, I’m all for giving chances… so at some point, I’ll try this joint again. But I don’t have high expectations.

Amazing bbq !! Got the spicy chicken sandwich, was a little on the hot side (they gave me fair warning) but very good ! Great beers on tap
BE SURE TO TRY THEIR APTOS AND SANTA CRUZ locations .
Rock on guys !!

Highly recommend the tri-​tip sandwich! The BBQ sauce is yummie too. If you like it hawt the Raging Bull is tasty!

Rainy Sunday night, a slow night.
Came based on a friends recommendation, Jonathan P.
What out of pork baby back ribs @ 7pm
Ok, Pork sandwich was delicious, girl friend had the two meat dinner. Chicken and brisket, both cooked perfectly. Funky potato salad was good and I enjoyed the Cole slaw. Very casual and I sure packed on Friday and Saturday nights. We’ll try the ribs next time, no worries I’m full.

Overall it’s a decent place, but the portion of the one meat meal is very small, more like a kids meal.

Really good BBQ. Ribs are excellent, My favorite bbq sauce.
Also tri-​tip sandwich was very good.
Its worth driving to!

California Trip #10
«The tri-​tip is a cut of beef from the bottom sirloin subprimal cut. It is a small triangular muscle, usually 1.5 to 2.5 lbs. (675 to 1,150g) per side of beef» (
).
I’ve learned a lot of things from my Cali friends and tri-​tip is one of those items. We don’t have «tri-​tip» here in Virginia. Want to know why?
Until the 1950s, this particular cut was used in ground beef or into steaks. Then Otto Schaefer Sr. introduced this tri-​tip in Oakland, California, and the rest is history. «It became a local specialty in Santa Maria, California shortly thereafter when Bob Shutz marketed it in the late 1950s, rubbed with salt, pepper, fresh garlic, and other seasonings, grilled directly over red oakwood to medium-​rare doneness» (wikipedia). So, while it spread throughout California, and even in New York City, it isn’t well known around these parts.
And now you know.
I knew it wouldn’t be a true visit to California without trying this infamous tri-​tip, so I drove over to BBQ 152 in Gilroy and checked it out. It was hoppin’ on a Saturday, but it didn’t take too long to place my to-​go order – I wanted the Tri-​tip sandwich. I was asked if I wanted regular bread or garlic. What kind of question was that? Who wouldn’t want garlic bread for their sandwich? I also ordered the Berry Cobbler, but I was told it was a bit overdone. Did I still want it? Sure. I wasn’t offered a discount, but whatever. I was famished.
There’s a lot of lively energy inside 152 – between that and the food, I imagine customers leave there pretty happy. I, however, took my food to-​go, and ate in my car. My first bite of the sandwich was heavenly. The tri-​tip was flavorful and tender just as I had hoped, and the garlic bread was a wonderful accompaniment to the meat. I devoured it quickly and moved on to dessert. The cobbler is a humongous portion – you can easily share with another person or save it for breakfast the next day like me. Even with the crust being overcooked, it was still delicious, especially with the vanilla ice cream they served with it.
All in all, a wonderful meal, and I’m so glad I can now say I’ve tried California tri-​tip. It was worth the trip! ;)

Some of the best. My favorite is the tri-​tip sandwich on ciabatta roll with Cole slaw side. Their Apple-​Ollalieberry cobbler is good, too. They are part of a 5 restaurant family chain (been to their Salinas City BBQ, most).
You will not go wrong. Prices are moderate, service is not stellar. The food makes up for every negative point.

This food is mediocre. The meat is dry and the BBQ sauce tastes like it came from a superstore. The bread pudding I had was mostly bread with a little pudding. I had the brisket and the tritip and both tasted like overcooked store bought meat.
The staff tried to be helpful and provide recommendations, but unfortunately this doesn’t pass muster

My review might be bias, but I won’t be raving or driving out here again. The food was over priced for what you get and they butchered the brisket. I love brisket with a passion and they totally disrespected it (see pic). I got a 2 combo and asked if it would be enough for my boys to share… They said yes and it wasn’t. The portions are small and the ribs are good but they aren’t super meaty, so you will need a few extra to get satisfied. I’m not a huge tri-​tip fan, but that was really good.
It’s so hard to find good bbq and I think this place has a great atmosphere but the food is questionable.
I’m actually writing this second part of the review from their bathroom. Before I could make it out of the parking lot my husband said he didn’t feel right and had to use the bathroom. While I was waiting for him the urge overcame me! Not sure if I’m sick but my body is rejecting this food. Bless the next person that has to use this bathroom.
They have you pay before you eat and I see why. I wish I could get the tip I left back.
I wish I had a better review to write, but I really wanted to have some good bbq and this place was not it. Small portions, over priced, butchered brisket, and the feeling of labor pains after.
Thank you for reading.

This may be sacrilegious, but I’m not as into the meats at BBQ 152 as I am into the chicken. Don’t get me wrong, the meats are fine and have good flavor, but after trying the 3 meat combo and being disappointed with the dryness of the meat (the brisket especially), I knew I had to branch out.
Enter the half chicken. It is so delicious and juicy and smoky that I have been known to polish off the ENTIRE half chicken myself. Yes, it is a lot of food and I am not a huge person and I must look like a maniac plowing through that chicken all by my lonesome, but it is so totally worth it!
I typically skip all the sides, but I must say that if you’re in the mood for something sweet, it’s hard to go wrong with the berry cobbler topped with vanilla ice cream.
Staff is friendly. Parking is ample.

This place is a joke. We came based on referrals from friends.
I order their firebird chicken sandwich. I ask for no sauce and for it to be on the side. I’m picky about bbq sauce so no big deal. The girl comes up to me after I already payed and says they can’t do that. It’s cold chicken shredded and the sauce is how they warm it up… So you basically told me this isn’t fresh… Great…
I go to get my money back and all of a sudden they can make it… Ok
It comes out… The chicken is barely warm and the driest chicken… Don’t waist your time the foods gross but the breads good! Not worth the money or the head ache!

I decided to come here after a long exhausting day at the Gilroy outlets (ya I know my life is hard). This place is about a couple miles down the road from the outlets so it was fairly easy to get too. I arrived around lunch time and wow was it packed. I grabbed the second to last table by the time I ordered. There was a guy in the corner player live guitar which was pretty cool. I ordered the tri tip salad next expecting much because hey this place is a bbq place not a salad joint and I was very impressed. The tri tip for one was delicious but I knew the bbq was good since I came here before. But the salad actually had a lot of delicious toppings, I especially like the candied nut and the blue cheese in the salad. I believe they had some apple slices and berries. I gobbled up that salad in no time and was on my way.
Service here was good, it was a tad slow when ordering my food since the lady was busy with other people ahead of me and took care of stuff in between helping customers in line, she misheard my name but that isn’t a big deal.
FYI: Clean your table when you are done, don’t leave your mess for others to clean up especially if the place is crowded.

Great BBQ! Now that Texas Smokehouse in San Jose is no longer, I’ll come here. Jon Jon’s and Smoking Pig are decent, but BBQ 152 impressed me enough with the 3 Meat Combo that I’ll be back every time I head to the outlets.
I ordered beef brisket, tri-​tip, and hot links (I arrived at 8:15 to find them out of ribs and the Gilroy police setting up a drunk driving check point). Unfortunately, my brisket was switched out for pulled pork (never been too much of a fan, but it was good), so I didn’t get to try the brisket. Tri-​tip (good smoke ring) and hot links (with rosemary) were excellent. Garlic bread with garlic slivers and potato salad also good.
An easy drive from the outlets, so there’s no need to eat Applebee’s (not that there’s a need or justifiable reason ever) or suffer the line at In-​N-​Out.

I think this is a great BBQ place. They have beef brisket on Fri and Sat and they are fantastic.

* 3.5 Stars
Ironically, I used to drive up and down past BBQ 152 and I never noticed them. Not only did I not see the two hefty smokers chugging away, I did not smell that awesome aroma. How is that possible!?!
After an afternoon at the Outlets, we finally hit them up. On our visit, their large parking lot was mostly empty so I started having second doubts. Once inside we were greeted by friendly faces in a no frills, laid back environment. The way a Q joint should be.
If you are hungry, the combos are the way to go. No diets here so leave them at the door. As for me, I instantly knew I wanted pork ribs and tri-​tip.
2 Meat Meal: $ 13.50 — Tri Tip and Pork Ribs. The Tri Tip had the upperhand. The flavor and texture of the cut was absolutely delicious. I am a big fan of tri tip but their version was on another level. The seasoning and tenderness were ridiculous. Both wifey and I were in tri tip heaven. Let’s not forget about the Pork Ribs, those were also delicious and I say they were some of the best I’ve ever had. My meal included a side of potato salad but that was just average. The garlic bread had a nice flavor but the bread was nothing special. Needless to say I was stuffed and impressed.
BBQ Sauces — Regular and Spicy. Both were a hit for me because theirs aren’t loaded with tons of sugar. If you like your sauces really sweet, you’re outta luck.
Bread Pudding $ 4.50 — The way the gal described this dish, I was salivating. Sadly, the end product was day old toasted bread. There was nothing pudding about this. It was unbelievably dry that we had to drench it in the rum sauce that accompanied it to make it edible. Even then, it wasn’t. Unfortunately, the sauce could not bring back the dried out brown sugar that literally turned into rocks. We could only handle a few bites. On our way out, the gal asked how the bread pudding was and I told her it was way too dry. She agreed and said «I thought it looked dry too, I don’t know what happened». She knew exactly what she was serving us but she still gave it to us. Typically this would really p*ss me off but the ribs and tri tip were so good, we just let it go.
They do carry a neat selections of IPA’s on tap but I was driving so I didn’t get to try any, safety first :)
Food for thought — In 2009, their 2 meat combo was priced at $ 9.99.
To management: Inconsistency is the mother of all f*ckups. You have a good thing going but with reviewers all over the place on your food, there are clearly some valid issues that need to be taken care of.
If their sister location, Trail Dust BBQ in Morgan Hill is just as good, then that might save me a trip to Gilroy,.to be determined. Either way, I plan on returning and enjoying much more of BBQ 152 whenever I drive through Garlic City. This place has earned it’s spot as the best Q in the 408.
* Apparently they sell out of stuff & they only make certain items on certain days so I highly recommend you call before going there. You’ve been warned!
* Follow them on Facebook for specials

Located less than one mile from the Outlets, BBQ 152 is a true hidden gem that’d somehow fallen completely off my radar – despite my heavy prelation for smoked meats. Fortunately, my boy, Räv V, was there to steer me in the right direction as he gave 152 his blessing. I’ve actually made the 20 minute trek down here from my house twice in the past month to satisfy my BBQ Jones. Here’s my evaluation:
Hot Link– Had a nice kick to it, but they use dried rosemary inside and it made it taste more like a breakfast sausage than a Hot Link. Wasn’t bad, per se, but not my cup o’ tea. 2.75*
Chicken– Their smoked chicken was tender, juicy and smokey but they didn’t put any kind of rub on it to take it to the next level. Also, the skin became rubberized from the smoking which made it inedible; they could remedy this by throwing it on a hot grill for a few minutes before serving. 3.5*
Ribs– 152’s Ribs were smoky, tender, and had a clean pork flavor to them. They were fall-​off-​the-​bone tender, and practically melted in my mouth. My only (minor) quibble is they could’ve used a bit more of a rub, but they were still pretty damn good. 4.5*
Pulled Pork– One of the better Pulled Pork I’ve tried in the South Bay; Smoky, Tender and a bit greasy – the way it should be. I could actually taste the rub which is rare for Pulled Pork. My only complaint is that some of the pieces were a bit dried out, but nothing some sauce couldn’t remedy. 3.75*
Beef Brisket (Fri & Sat only) — Not the best Brisket I’ve ever had, but it’s definitely up there. Nice peppery rub, excellent smoke ring, good chew, but just a touch dry. 3.75*
Tri-​Tip– This was easily the best of the bunch, and might be the best BBQ’d Tri-​Tip I’ve ever had – outside of my own, of course. Tender, Beefy and a beautiful Smoke Ring on it. In a word: Perfection! 5*
BBQ Sauce– They have a Mild and Spicy version of their house-​made BBQ sauce. The sauce is a bit on the vinegary side, and could use a bit more sweetness, but overall it’s decent. I prefer to eat my Q dry anyways, and just throw in some sauce to change it up a bit. 3*
Sides:
Potato salad– Standard run-​of-​the-​mill potato salad; not much to speak of here, but definitely the best of the all the sides I’ve tried. 3*
Beans– Pretty unimpressive side dish that could use some re-​working, in my opinion. It’s basically beans that have been cooked in a crockpot with not much else added to them. I had to douse it in sauce just to make it edible. 1.5*
Coleslaw– I’m pretty picky about my ‘slaw, and 152’s was just OK. It could also use some sprucing up as it’s just chopped up cabbage and mayo, with some sweetness thrown in. Not awful, but pretty Meh… 2.5*
Berry Cobbler– I can definitely see what the other reviewers are preaching about, as Cobbler is a little slice of perfection. From the buttery and flaky crust, to the perfectly sweet Apple-​Berry filling, this dessert is a winner in my book. Throw on a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and you’re in Fatty Nirvana! 5*
Service & Ambiance– I’ve gotten my orders to-​go both times, but the cashiers have always been friendly and helpful. The interior is very cozy, with picnic tablecloths adorning their seating; a few TVs playing sports; and a bar that has some pretty great looking micro-​brews behind the counter. 4*
Value– Pretty standard BBQ pricing, but if you get the two or three meat combos they give you a lot of food to fill your belly. I’ve heard the sandwiches aren’t a great value, but why on earth you would get a sandwich at a BBQ joint is beyond my comprehension. 3*
You know BBQ 152 must be good if my lazy ass is willing to make the 20 minute trek from my house twice in a month *just* to pick-​up some Q. Definitely worth checking out if you’re at the Outlets doing some shopping, or if you have a hankering for smoked meat and don’t mind the drive.

Gilroy has become a staple in our weekend trips. We have to hit the outlets and find the best deals, but the McDonalds on the corner got old fast and we decided to branch out for some great food.
BBQ 152 was a great stop, the staff was friendly and helped us make our decisions and the food was really good. The sauces were great and the meat was cooked so it was tender and flavorful. I like mine spicy and they had a great spicier sauce option.
If you’re a beer lover they have plenty of options for you and they have specials for every day of the week.
We’ll definitely become regulars at BBQ 152

SO GOOD! I will never fight the crowds at In n Out or Erik’s Deli at the outlets again! This place is 5 minutes from the outlets and is the best BBQ in town. We came here in the middle of the week about an hour or so from closing but it was still fairly busy. They offer lots of live music nights, great happy hour deals and daily specials.
I ordered the BBQ rib sandwich on garlic bread for $ 8. The meat was so buttery and tender! I loved the rib meat as a sandwich as opposed to on the bone, what a game changer. My date ordered the pulled pork meat plate with garlic bread and potato salad for $ 10. Lots of food for cheap! The pulled pork was perfect and the potato salad was divine, we fought over it. We were stuffed but their desserts looked so good, I wish I had the room in my tummy.
This will be my go to spot when I am in Gilroy!