The Saloon Ventura — Restaurant in Ventura

UPDATED REVIEW (9 April 2015):

OK, so, yeah, I need to update my review.

The thing about this is that when we went the first time, as you can see, I was pretty happy. This time, however, not so much.

After trying what we did last time, this time we tried:

Grilled tri tip sandwich: So yeah, the tri tip was the big winner last time. Apparently in sandwich form, they don't give you the choice slices. They give you big, honking, gnarly bits. Not tasty. Half rack of ribs: I really don't want to remember this, it was that bad. Basically, think of boiled ribs, then lightly grilled. Yes, you need to sauce the crap out of these to get flavor. Just. Say. No. Collard greens: Unlike last time, dry and limp. Broccolini: Um, not bad? I mean, lightly steamed. No seasoning. But hey, good effort! Brussels sprouts: Do you like raw Brussels sprouts? I don't. Apparently, at the Saloon they think you should. Sliced in half and then served mildly warm.

The service was decent, like last time.

Oh, the cocktails are pretty solid. Can't knock them for that.

If you're going for anything except cocktails, I'd urge you to go elsewhere. For no other reason than the huge consistency issue. From not too shabby to pretty poor isn't a good trend.

ORIGINAL REVIEW (Feb 2015):

Why hello Saloon BBQ Co., you sexy little barbecue company staffed almost largely by hipsters. I mean that with no derision, I mean that merely to let people know what they’re getting into: a place where people both care about how they look and what they cook. Plus, it even rhymes!

I am on a constant hunt for fantastic barbecue (I spent one holiday season road tripping around the South going from joint to joint) and I can tell you: this is pretty solid barbecue. What you’re going to get here is tender, tasty and will certainly scratch your ‘cue itch. However, if they use a smoker for these, it’s some of the lightest smoke you’ll get on ‘cue. I’d guess they might braise most of their meats, then hope you use their tasty sauces (go hot).

What we got: Sampler Plate with collard greens, coleslaw and sweet potato fries. On the Sampler Plate, there was many different meats (hence why we got it). Let’s run those down.

Pulled Pork: This was solid pulled pork. As I mentioned, not the biggest smoky flavor, but still good. Eat this with the mustard they give you (and if you don’t get mustard, request it) and you’ll be a happy camper. Tri Tip: This is the Central Coast, tri tip is what they do best. What this isn’t is barbecue, it’s grilling. However, it gets a fantastic grilled flavor and is properly tender and chewy. Brisket: Much like the pulled pork, it’s super tender and chopped up quite nicely. Have this this one with the sauce and you’re good. It reminds me of when I grew up and a local joint made “deep pit beef” -- that’s what this tastes like. Almost like kalua pork, only with beef. Collards: Sadly, Alice at almost all of these because they were that tasty. If you like Southern style collards, these are gonna make you a happy camper. Coleslaw: These were my least favorite of the sides, but still pretty solid. I’d like a little more twang to my ‘slaw, as I think it helps cut the richness of barbecue, which these were lacking. However, they’re still not too shabby. Sweet Potato Fries: Admission, I love sweet potato fries. So long as they’re not overcooked or soggy, then they’re fantastic. These were neither, hence: fantastic. However, their sweet dipping sauce was a little strange. I’d skip that and use the barbecue sauce instead.

I’d heard that the service was a bit slow here, but when we went on a Friday at around 7pm (aka when there are many folks out and about), the service was quick and attentive. We never felt like we had to hunt anyone down.

Highly recommended when that barbecue itch calls. Just remember: it’s mostly about the sauce, not necessarily about the smokiness as it seems like they braise most of their meats....

Come along with me as I recount my brunch journey on Sunday, Feb 20, ‘22. The first thing I did was sit down on the most comfortable leather lounge chair that I have ever beheld. If I could rate just the chair it would be 5 stars. Unfortunately that was the best part of my experience.

I ordered my food, biscuits & gravy, and enjoyed the fun atmosphere and ridiculously sweet chair. My food came out a bit longer than I would have expected but not long. My server set it down and realized I didn’t have any silverware or a napkin and went to retrieve some. She was gone for 10 minutes. I know it was ten minutes because I checked the time as I couldn’t believe someone could take this long. I will forgive a lot of things during a dining experience because I know it is not an easy job when things become busy. However that forgiveness will not be afforded my server in this situation as the place was maybe 25% full at most. Probably closer to 18%-20%. After waiting 10 minutes for a fork I went into to see if I could get one myself, because yes I do understand sometimes people forget things. My server was nowhere to be seen so I asked the barista who seemed very put off by tue request and took another 2 minutes to hand me a fork.

At this point I went back out to eat my cold brunch. Who knew biscuits and gravy isn’t very good cold? Well if I didn’t know it before I do now.

Please read this as only a mildly cautionary tail. People forget things, it happens. But sometimes you have only one shot to make an impression and this place blew it.

PS- The leather chair was off the...

My husband and I go here all the time. Last night however, was our last! We experienced a very scary and disturbing experience as we saw a group of girls being escorted out because one them was a minor. As we waited to get in we hear a security offer to let the minor in ILLEGALLY if they paid $40. What kind of place does this, I fear for the safety of our children. On top of that, they harassed the poor girls outside, two grown big men cursing at young women, flipping them off and bring up racist words like “wetbacks” and “I will deport you and your family.” I could not believe my ears as these securities harassed them for sitting on a bench outside after being kicked out. We could tell the girls were scared and tried to speak up but the security men continue to disrespect them and treat them like trash. The Saloon, you need to be investigated for offering illegal ways for minors to come in your place, and racist comments? Come on this is...