Aptos St. BBQ — Restaurant in Capitola

Reviewed during COVID-19, ordering in and getting takeout (~30 minutes) based on how busy they are.

Thank you Aptos BBQ team for being open, friendly, and providing us with a great meal keeping our spirits high!

Overall: such a great find! If you're in the area, or not in the area and feel like BBQ - this is it! It's worth the trek! We went in to order, and picked up to picnic in the car - and there was silence until we got halfway through our meals!

Food Orders:

Sandwiches came on a soft ciabatta roll. Perfectly held the sandwich together. Porous enough to capture the juices, and gave a nice bite. We both ordered the potato salad as a side. It was really good. Not drenched in mayo, good bite of peppers, onions, chunks of potato with their spice rub.

Daily Special: Brisket Sandwich We were lucky to see the Specials Board- they had a brisket sandwich with chimichurri, provolone and grilled onions. And let me tell you, it was devoured in minutes!

Brisket was perfectly smoked, you can see the smoke rings, each bite melted in your mouth. For someone that doesn't like to chew, there was no need to! The meat literally dissolved with each bite. The addition of chimichurri, provolone, and grilled onions gave it a chutney taste. The blend of tang and sweetness really brought the sandwich together.

Firebird Sandwich THE JUICIEST chicken I've ever had. Nicely pulled, giving a nice chunk, but not that dry, stringy cubed bite. The pieces of chicken were laye 3 layers deep, giving you a nice portion of meat to bread. If it wasn't for the bun, the juices would have oozed out of the sandwich.

The chicken was in a "hot" sauce that was just perfect. Nice spice on the tongue, but nothing that will make your stomach churn if you're sensitive.

Looking forward to our next BBQ craving, which will definitely be met with a visit to...

This review is specifically for Aptos St. BBQ but it's hard to not compare Aptos St. BBQ to Cole's BBQ. I've visited every BBQ every which way: I tried Cole's original spot before and after Aptos St., I tried Cole's when it was located on the Aptos St. location (actually bigger portions and better tasting than the original when it was in Aptos), and I tried the Aptos St. location recently.

I can tell you that Aptos St. BBQ is the worst of all of those. You might ask me what exactly makes it the worst of all those options? I'd explain: everything. The prices were worse, selection was worse, customer service was worse, flavor was worse, wait time was worse, even customers were worse. It's totally worth going North on Soquel drive until you hit 41st, taking a left, then taking a right in Portola.

It feels like they have 10-15 employees but much of the front and what I'd call mid house don't seem to do anything. They are out of everything, it doesn't matter, that's just how it is, you need to just pick something else. Getting BBQ is a serve yourself affair but since their line is so long and the machines dispense an ounce at a time it's like society is breaking down for BBQ sauce.

The food was inferior to any of the other options listed. I've been to the sucky BBQ joint on Mission St in Santa Cruz, it sucks, but Aptos St. BBQ...

Adding to my previous review: Aptos BBQ became our go-to spot; we're there once a week! Whether dining in or grabbing takeout, the quality is consistently excellent. For takeout, we often order meats by the pound along with a variety of sides, and honestly, you can't go wrong with anything on the menu, even the hot dogs.

Lately, I’ve been ordering the loaded baked potato with pulled pork. It is super hearty and full of flavor. Most recently, we ordered their Holiday Smoked Ham for Easter dinner. I picked it up on Saturday and followed their simple reheating instructions with their glaze. It turned out perfectly, tender, smoky, and a huge hit with the family. There wasn’t a single bite left!

The staff at Aptos BBQ are always friendly, upbeat, and helpful, which makes every visit even better. Plus, the live music every night adds a fun and lively touch to the whole experience. Great food, great people, and a great atmosphere, what more could you ask for?

Older Review: As usual, it was another fun dinner at Aptos St. BBQ. The food was excellent, we had the ribs plate (always the best ribs), brisket plate, tri-tip plate, and a sandwich special. And the live music was an added advantage. And they had a wide variety of beers too. And the staff are nice and have the answers. It is one of our regular...