The Hitching Post II

This was our first visit to the Hitching Post and we were not disappointed! Traveling with friends, we normally eat at another steak house in town but I think we have stumbled on a real gem here! My husband and I shared a dinner (the rib-​eye chop) and all the fixings. Cooked to perfection, generous portions to share and very tender and well seasoned. I know we will be going back when we are in the area again.

Great service, nice atmosphere, and the salad that came with my entrée was excellent. Crispy, very fresh greens and tomatoes. We made the mistake of ordering the baby back ribs. They were a disaster. They were not cooked properly, so the meat was tough and didn’t fall off the bone the way good, slow cooked baby backs are supposed to. And they use a salt and pepper dry rub that is not particularly distnctive or tasty. I asked the server if we could get some sauce on the side and he acted offended. My recommendation is if you go there, stick with the steaks. Ribs are not their forte.

Prime Rib chop was excellent. Our waitress was delightful and accommodated separate checks for our large group. Friendly and welcoming atmosphere with exceptional food. We will be coming back for another visit!!!

We heard about this place from a friend so we decided to make a reservation. The restaurant has a friendly atmosphere and we were welcomed and seated in less than five minutes. Our server was really helpful and is knowledgeable about the food they serve and what drink is good paired with certain type of food.
I ordered their famous ribs with french fries. Ribs are not served with sauce ~ they are good by itself and doesn’t need any extra saucy flavor. The entrée comes with a salad and a soup but I decided to forego those two and exchange then with an order with the shrimp cocktail. The server suggested that my meal is best paired with a Rose.
My husband ordered the Filet Mignon and Shrimp with the salad and Clam Chowder with bacon (which is their soup of the day). The Filet mignon is not as good by itself but salsa served with it made it taste better~ I’d still say go for the ribs! Clam chowder soup with bacon is delicious!!! He had Syrah paired with his meal. Thanks again to our server for the recommendation.
They have a good number of wine selections and they are all willing to help and guide you through it.
We initially wanted to try their Brownie a la mode for our dessert but they already ran out. I guess it’s that good. So we decided to settle for strawberry shortcake which did not disappoint either.
We would definitely go back for the ribs itself, but good service and ambiance added to making this place extra. We regret not asking for our server’s name though. Sorry?

I’m a realtor in the area and love to take my client’s here it’s the best gem in the area and I have been everywhere.

If you love steak then you need to eat here. Without a doubt in the top three of all time favorite steak house. From the moment you walk in it feels like family, just a fun place where you can get a little loud. Goat cheese salad is a favorite along with the sauteed mushrooms. Definitely worth the drive to Buellton, and I definitely recommend reservations. Can’t wait to return.

Took the train from San Diego to Santa Barbara to celebrate our 15^th wedding anniversary. Looking forward to a nice meal at the Hitching Post, since it had been 10 years since our last visit. We can’t wait so long anymore.
Arrived precisely on-​time, the place was packed, they told us we had to wait a few minutes for our table… so we stepped to the bar and had a nice cocktail… a martini will take the edge off of a long day of wine tasting and hiking.
Just before I could hand my wife her drink, the hostess escorted us to our table. We were in a small room with two crying babies… but we didn’t notice after a minute… think the cocktails were kicking in.
A sign of a classy place is a relish tray with fresh pickled vegetables… very nice.
Salads were topped by excellent scratch made dressings… mine was a tasty garlic vinagerette.
My wife and I both had the 5 oz filet, she had it with lobster, I had it with the quail. Our friends had the Tomahawk Chop New York on the bone… so big they had to share it.
The filets were so tender and tasty, every bite was a treat. I don’t think there is a better grilled filet on the planet for any price. The quail was delicious, seasoned perfectly and grilled to perfection… what a treat. Wolfgang Puck could not have done better work!
We were curious and tasted a bite of our friends Rib Eye… it was good… but not anywhere near as tasty as the filet… my wife and I both agreed
We brought two excellent bottles of wine and only had to pay one corkage fee since it was our Anniversary… very nice gesture.
The waitress gave us any dessert we wanted as our Anniversary gift… we chose the house-​made peanut butter pie… although I am not usually a peanut butter fan… I am now… the cheesecake factory has nothing on this baker… delicious.
The server was gracious, prompt and attentive… a real professional.
We will be back in September for my birthday… thank you Hitching Post.
Food = 5 Stars
Service = 5 Stars
Décor = 3 Stars
Ambiance = 4 Stars
I want to give it a 5 Star strictly on the strength of the cuisine, however, if they spend a little bit on updating the décor…I would give it a resounding 5 Star rating.

This is a nice place to enjoy a meal with some friends/​family. In This case, friends. They highly recommended it and we were NOT disappointed.
I wish I had wrote down the waiters name. He immediately made us feel comfortable as he explained the SPECIALS on the menu for that night.
The steak was GREAT… and very tender, felt like it melted in my mouth. The sides are not overwhelming. They are good portions. I DID NOT leave hungry.
It is not a place for someone who likes a quiet dinner. This place is loud. People are having a great time visiting as they dine.
It will definitely be on our dinner list the next time we visit the area.

We passed by this place in the morning on our way to the wineries and it looked like a deserted, trashed shed or something when it was closed. It looks a little better at night when it’s alive and the lights are on, but still. It’s the same old, same old, old establishment that no one cares to improve in any way since the customers flock here anyway. I hate to see that and I tend to stick with the owners/​managers who take care of their business and invest in every aspect to keep it up to par with other options around.
With that being said — the food is really good! The steak is famous here and my wife got the medium done Filet Mignon since she doesn’t like too much blood on her plate. Well, it was as rare as a living cow and blood was dripping around. I’ve had a few steaks in my life and I know you can make one tender and juicy and still red inside, but you don’t see any blood whatsoever. It takes skill and time to make it like that. This one was the «old school» steak, I’m sorry I had such high expectations for a $ 55 steak! But I understand that this is my personal taste, if you like it rare and bloody– this is one is for you, but it’s still not worth $ 55!
My grilled chicken was very good, the baked potato and the steamed veggies were great too. I also liked the fact that they give you a small plate of crudités instead of some bread and butter at the beginning, those were very good too! Had the blueberry crème brulee for dessert and it was excellent! The service is efficient for a restaurant this busy, but not very friendly if you don’t comply or if they don’t like you, some get treated better than others. I would still recommend it for the historic value and good food, but come with low expectations.

I’ve been wanting to try this place for years, finally, and it was OMG!!! Came here with my friend, we had roasted garlic (great), stuffed Padilla pepper (excellent, lots of cheese), 8 oz filet Mignon (it was fabulous, nicely seasoned and tender, had leftover for breakfast and it was still good) friend ordered Prime flat iron, it was excellent, house wine paired really well with the steak, strawberry shortcake for dessert, it was good. I cannot wait for my next visit.

This place is awesome… atmosphere is great… friendly service food was excellent. Can’t say enough. You will not be disappointed

So the hours are posted as 4pm to 9:30 BUT that only means sir at the bar and buy liquid for an hour then dinner starts at 5pm if your ready to eat dinner and don’t drink you’re S.O.L.
Well I must admit it was worth the wait, good awesome our server Jackie was spectacular!

Went in with high expectations. Left disappointed with the food and suspicious of the restaurant’s ethic.
The good: Fries were delicious! Grilled artichoke was very well seasoned albeit a tad pricey.
The bad: Reading through the reviews as well as a personal recommendation, I was looking forward to my steak. Unfortunately, despite having a key of how well done you’d like your steak, the chef did not follow the guide. I ended up with a steak more dry than I usually liked.
The horrible: I blamed myself partially for ordering a steak more well done than I liked with following their guide rather than my instinct. But what really boiled my blood is when the bill came. Two things made me question the ethic of the restaurant:
1) My steak was supposed to be $ 30 and I was charged $ 33.
2) I was supposed to get $ 2 off the price because I opted out of preliminary sides. That never happened.
When I saw the bill, I pointed out the discrepancy to the waitress. Rather than apologizing and honoring the price in the menu, she apologized and said that the restaurant just raised prices and that though all menus should be updated, I must have gotten one that was not. I took her word for it and we ended up paying the higher price.
On the way out, I did a spot check of a few menus. Disappointment. There were no updated prices in any of the menus which led me to question …
should I be heading straight to the liquor store to buy a lotto ticket?
or
is the restaurant deceiving customers purposely? Because, even at a grocery store, the clerk knows to honor the sticker price even if the system is showing something different.

I came here with my family and friends, and we were seated promptly. For appetizers, we had the duck and steamed muscles. The duck had a great flavor, but it was pretty small. The steamed muscles were really good. I loved the sauce they were in!
For entrees, my boyfriend and I shared the angus rib chop, which was HUGE. I know it says 24 – 26 oz. on the menu, but I didn’t realize how much that was until we got it. It was about as large as my hand! It was cooked really well, and it was nice and tender. There was some fat on it, but I think that’s expected for that cut of meat.
The ambience was nothing to swoon over, but the food made up for it. The only thing holding me back from giving 5 stars was the service. Our waitress started taking our orders and literally walked away to help another table in the middle of it. She finally came back after a couple of minutes, but I just felt it was unprofessional. She was nice, but I felt like she could have done a better job of attending to us.

A solid Sirloin steak and a phenomenal filet mignon make this a must stop for carnivores in Solvang.
The Hitching Post boasts having the «worlds best BBQ steaks», while it may not be the worlds best, it’s definitely the best in the area.
The steaks are cooked over a wood fire grill and served with a perfect color. You can really taste the awesome flavors from the grill.
This place gets packed during the weekend so reservations are a must. I ended up sitting at the bar and there was a wait for that too! Just be prepared to spend $ 100+ for two without drinks.

We loved this place!
Nice unexpected crudités to start. Excellent roasted garlic and crostini appetizer with balsamic drizzle and roasted red peppers. Amazing, unique cheese platter (loved every variety — especially the one with mustard)! My friends mussels were fantastic and the garlic bread served with them was delicious! Perfectly cooked filet Mignon and nice baked potato! Delicious fresh salads! Even great coffee! My daughter loved the hearty split pea soup.
Everything was reasonably priced too! Would go again for sure :)

Everthing was quite well prepared. All the steaks were flavorful, tender and juicy. The french fries could be crispier but it was not bad. The rib eye steak I had came with a baked potato. I noticed it is quite common not to serve any green vegetables with the entrée. The salad was all the green I got. Spago’s did the same with a chunk of line caught seabass and very little vegetable and no Potato or rice. Here at the hitching post I would like to have had Mash and Brussels sprouts but alas no such luck. Anyway for the central coast area this easily one of the best restaurants.

Overall experience was great! Service was on point the entire evening. Every time I thought I needed more water, the server appeared with more water. We ordered the grilled artichoke and I ate every last bite. I didn’t realize how much I loved artichoke! For dinner we had the special which was the ribeye. A little fatty but overall well cooked and not too salty. The garlic bread that comes with the meal was delicious. Out seat was right next to the window that looks into the kitchen. The cook who was grilling all the meat and artichoke kept the viewers entertained. A few different kids watched him cook and he made sure they had a good time with making the flame higher etc.
We also tried their wine. Got a bottle of the big circle Syrah. Paired really well with out meal. The price was what you’d expect from a steakhouse but I thought it was well worth it.

Not my fav, but I dig it.
I came here last week with a group of friends. We had reservations on a Friday night. The place was pretty packed but we were greeted by a friendly hostess and sat right away. They actually placed us in a big booth that was almost a little awkward to be in with jut 4 people.
I really like the ambiance of this place. It’s a little old and western but not so bad that it’s tacky. It’s very inviting.
They waiter started us out with their fresh veggie place. I heard the get these veggies from local farms. Regardless, they were so fresh and super crispy! So flavorful and natural tasting we even ate the onions raw!
We ordered a house bottle of cabernet. Pretty good wine for the area! Decently priced as well.
Now, down to the food:
Grilled Artichoke: YUM! I love artichoke. It’s seasoned with their «Magic Dust.» Nicely salted and you dip the leaves into a smoked tomato mayo. (You can buy both the smoked tomato pesto and the magic dust. I’m kicking myself because it’s delish and I forgot to buy!!)
Roasted Garlic: I mean, you really can’t mess up roasted garlic and we love garlic. It comes with two pretty good sized bulbs and toast
Stuffed Pasilla Pepper: A huge pepper stuffed with shrimp, cheese and served with a side of corn salsa. This was my least favorite because it was way too cheesy. And seriously, I think that means a lot for me to say. I want to say we found like 3 tiny pieces of shrimp. It was good, but not «knock your socks off» good.
BBQ sauteed Mushrooms: Button mushrooms sauteed in a red wine sauce. Really good. And the guys really liked added them to their steak… I would suggest you order this with you main meal!
Filet: ordered Medium Rare. Cooked perfectly. Nice and pink! I tried a small piece, it was good, but I’m not the one to place judgement on a good steak. My husband said it was one of the best he’s had. Most of their beef comes from Nebraska, so of course my cornhusker husband would approve!
My only complaint, I really didn’t care for the garlic bread. Pretty bland and not the texture I want in garlic bread.
We will be returning at some point and I’ll be sure to buy the Magic Dust! We did not experience the poor service I’ve read so hopefully that’s changed.
Oh, and side note, the toilets in the restrooms are only separated by sheets?! Haha, a little ghetto!

Charlotte’s Birthday Dinner… at one of my favorite restaurants in California.
We had great steaks, perfectly baked potatoes, excellent vegetables… all with a view of the huge glass enclosed wood burning grill.
The service was «just right» and we were not rushed in the least… It was really really busy
I wish I could think of something better to say, but the star rating above, and the perfectly cooked meal is the norm here, as usual.