The Crossroads BBQ — Restaurant in Monterey

Whenever I'm at a new place I am always looking for good BBQ especially one that has brisket. My family and I arrived and I could smell the wonderful wood aroma coming from their big smoker and it was equally pleasant for me walking into the restaurant. Unfortunately that's as far as I will go with what went well about Crossroads.

I ordered the brisket and normally when I go to a BBQ spot they ask me if I want lean, fatty or both. I actually had to ask. My wife ordered the tri tip sandwich and my kids had the grill cheese and hot dog.

I'll rate my food first. Brisket, no smoke flavor and it tasted like pot roast. Although I got 9 Oz of meat for 24 bucks I got very little of the point if any. It was a bit dry as well. Very disappointing. The corn bread was odd and lacked flavor until you put honey and butter. It's like the cooked the corn bread and then put it on the flat surface of the griddle.

The Mac and cheese was ok. White sauce vs yellow and my son who loves Mac and cheese barely ate any. The potato salad was ok, too much onions in it but I get it.

The BBQ sauce I will say was very good. Both mild and spicy. My wife enjoyed her tri tip sandwich but it was bland without the BBQ sauce for me. The hot dog my son liked and the grill cheese was fine for my daughter.

Overall I can't recommend this place. To me if you can't get brisket right then most of the food will be...

I ordered a tri-tip meal to go. Got home and opened the box and no tri-tip is present. I called to let them know I did not have any meat inside the box with the tri-tip but in fact received everything else. The person on the phone curtly informed me that he “put it in the box himself”. I told him I didn’t appreciate being called a liar and he said he was not calling me a liar though by saying he put it in the box himself is implying that I must not be being truthful. This is the same restaurant where my sisters order was given away to someone else and then we had to wait for it to be remade.

He then asked me what I wanted him to do about it. I said I’d like to come get the replacement on another day because I live too far. He said he would just give me a refund. I will wait to see if that comes through but it isn’t about the $10 meal. It’s about the poor customer service in response to the situation.

The fact that they gave away my sisters food to the wrong person and then had to remake that already tells me they weren’t paying attention. Then to tell me they put my food in the box themselves but there is no meat in this box. Just macaroni, a piece of bread and 2 containers of bbq sauce.

Disappointing as I believe they are part of the chain with a location in Salinas that I...

We stumbled on this gem while visiting from the EU. After a day exploring coastal trails, we wanted something simple and different from other restaurants that had all been so ... meh. The interior is a disappointment to some reviewers, but we found the decor and music fun and relaxed, fitting perfectly with the favorite-cousin's-backyard-BBQ vibe. The young owner (?) was warm, welcoming, and enthusiastic about his products. When asked for guidance, he recommended the hot links and brisket with the spicy sauce. We got the brisket plate to share and one of each sauce. Both were very good but the spicy was a perfect blend of flavor & heat. Our upper lips may have sweat a bit (lightweights, ha-ha) but no matter, the flavor and tenderness of the brisket couldn't be beat. The coleslaw & potato salad were also good but were rightfully upstaged by the meat. The restaurant did feel a bit out of place given other businesses at Crossroads but that should be a strong point. No muss, no fuss, no snootiness or just phoning it in like all of the others. A bit off the beaten path, literally and figuratively, and well worth a visit. Best wishes to the owner, who's clearly doing something right. (A reviewer said in 2019 that it wouldn't last! Six years and a pandemic later, still...