The Smoke Point BBQ & Provisions — Restaurant in San Juan Bautista

Stumbled across this wonderful little spot due to a Google search of bbq places near me. We made the ten minute drive to the sleepy little town of San Juan Batista. If you’ve never been, SJB has that old town feel to it. There isn’t a Starbucks, MxDonalds, or any other chain to grab a bite to eat. Everyone is local and everything has that old town charm.

Driving up to the restaurant, the no frills, bare bones decor filled me with hope. These days, far too many places rely on flash and sizzle rather than quality food. Inside, the place has an old town diner feel with string lights adding ambiance.

The menu has quite a few options. Prices seemed in line with every other bbq joint we’d been to since Covid made cost of goods soar. Unfortunately, there’s no vaccine for that. Everybody pays.

My wife ordered the one meat plate with half a chicken, potato salad, and Mac and cheese. She chose a POG slushy to drink. I ordered the one meat plate with brisket, bbq beans, and fries for our three year old. I also ordered a jalapeño cheese sausage for an extra $6. The plates were $24. We ordered a slab of cornbread for $8. I had a draft beer - a whisky barrel aged porter from nearby Watsonville brewery Fruition. It was fantastic, by the way.

Portions: We were incredibly surprised. Had I known the portions would be the size they were, I wouldn’t have ordered the sausage(which I took home.) These portions were surprising compared to the other bbq places we’ve visited in Aptos, Santa Cruz, Morgan Hill, and Salinas. Over the past few years, the serving size has decreased while the cost has increased. Here, it felt like we were in a Time Machine that took us back five or six years.

The staff were super friendly, quick to respond, and offered our three year old stickers, crayons, and a sheet of paper to color on.

They had five different sauces that were very unique. I had only one of the types of sauces previously(garden variety bbq), so I enjoyed sampling them all.

I really hope everyone gives this special place a chance. It has heart and personality asks of course, is locally owned. I can o lay imagine how the desserts must have been, but that will have to be for...

We were referred to eat at the Smoke Point by some friends as we heard that the owner is a michelin star chef.

My wife ordered the smoked pork chops. She also ordered mac n cheese and brussel sprouts on the side. The pork chop was smoked to perfection. We over layed the pork chop with some freshly made barbecue sauce. The pork chop was cooked so well that it really didn't need any sauce.

Whenever I go to a barbecue restaurant the one item I love to try is the mac n cheese. I find that it is a hit or miss whether I will like it. They did not disappoint. The cheese was so creamy and buttery. The portion size is shareable as well.

I have to hand it to Smoke Point for their brussel sprouts. They have the best brussel sprouts that I've ever had. They marinade the sprouts before sautéing them with some crazy delicious sauce and it had the perfect crunchy consistency. I know it sounds weird, but they tasted like really good potato chips. They also over layed the sprouts with some delishes pickled red onion and pickles. You have to try the brussel sprouts!!!

Last is on to my order - the Pulled Pork Bowl. They filled up 3/4 of the carton with mash potatoes and overlayed it with the pulled pork. They finish it off by adding a couple of Brussel sprouts along cheddar cheese and scallions on top of the meat. Everything here was delishes. My main feedback to the restaurant owner is the ratio. It was just loaded with mashed potatoes, but very little meat and only two brussel sprouts. I think that they should have less mash, more meat, and definitely more than two brussel sprouts.

Final thoughts? San Juan has gotten another great restaurant in their town. For being such a fresh restaurant that opened during the pandemic they do so many things right that a seasoned restaurant takes a while to figure out. My wife and I will continue to visit and support this local restaurant and I believe you should give them a...

My son and daughter in law just moved to SJB. I went over to hang with my grandson and looked online to see what to do for lunch. I mentioned several different restaurants/food and he picked this restaurant, the smoke point to try. I was very very underwhelmed. First, the menu you see online is not the menu you receive when sitting down. There were no "sandwiches", the item you pick comes with a roll and you put it together yourself. 12.00 for exactly 6 pieces of sliced Brisket, a roll, marinated red onions and a few sliced up gherkins blew me away. The portion did not match the price. I got the pulled pork, same type of condiments for 11.00. It looked about 8ozs. All the sides were between 7.00 and 9.00. Most BBQ places serve at least 1 side or fries. We didnt get any sides, too expensive. We did get the Garlic Fries, again a very small portion for the price. I stayed with water, grandson had a soda. No ice tea unless you wanted a bottled one for the ridiculous price they cost. 38.00 for a lunch, way too pricey. I am being hard on this review for the restaurant. I'm a Chef, and was costing all of this out in my head, and wow, the prices just didn't match the portions. I realize, since covid, times have changed. I am experiencing the same supply and employee situation this restaurant could be facing. It's a very challenging time for restaurants. A few minor perks for customers would go a long way. Especially in a small Agricultural town. After reading all the hype from the Magazine Monterey Edibles that this Chef opened up this restaurant to slow down, spend more time with his family, and then finding out he has 2 other restaurants, one being in Mt. View, that's not slowing down. Maybe that's part of the problem, hes not here enough to talk to his customers and hear what they...