Kaptain’s Firehouse BBQ

Had the pulled pork sandwich. Nothing special but not terrible. Felt like the sandwich had too much bread and not enough meat or BBQ sauce. The fries weren’t cooked all the way through.

For 11 or 12 bucks you get a soggy sandwich and a good serving of extra salty and extra soggy burnt fries. Kaptain took his time making these and we thought it’d be better than or comparable to The Habit but we were very wrong. Save money, save time, eat better. Avoid this place

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BBQ has a completely different meaning in California and is usually just tri-​tip. However this place also has ribs and sides like mac ‘n’ cheese that they actually do well. I think the biggest problem is that there are surprisingly busy, but continue to remain under-​staffed. So you might wait 45 min. for your order on a Friday or Saturday night. On the other hand, the cooks make a lot of sauces and dishes from scratch, so maybe I should excuse them because of the TLC.

I did it! I finally tried the ribs here. I ordered ribs with coleslaw and another order of ribs with french fries as well as the chicken wings. The ribs, in a word, were excellent. The sauce was perfect and the ribs were cooked to perfection. I read all the other reviews complaining about things. I found nothing to complain about. Yes, the fries were a little soggy, but when you get them to go, of course they will be. They were still delicious and I ate every single one of them. The ribs had the meat falling off the bone and probably some of the best barbecued baby back ribs I have tasted in Santa Barbara yet. The coleslaw, I’m sorry to say, was mediocre.
The price is right. I got the ribs delivered so I can’t say much for customer service but everything I ordered came well and ate well.
Definitely worth the money!

The tri-​tip sandwich was alright, BUT to be fair, I am not the biggest tri-​tip or heavy meats fan. If the meat was a little more tender and less chewy, I would have raised this review a star.
Eating here was not a bad experience. Due to a small location, seating is limited to a few outside tables. They accept cash and cards.
The main reason I am giving four stars, and not three, is strictly because of their fries and service.

This place is off the beaten path, and is definitely in enemy territory for the non-​college crowd. Aside from that, the menu had a lot of variations to a traditional barbecue menu. There are several options for tri-​tip sandwiches, as well as the ol pulled pork. For our order we got the half rack of pork ribs, and Animal Mac N Cheese. The half rack was smoked perfectly (fall off the bone), but the sauce had a bit to be desired. As well, the ribs were reheated via the indoor grill, and charred a bit much. For the side I got the slaw which had a variety of herbs in it, giving a different spin on an old standby. Our other entrée was the Animal Mac N Cheese. Definite Fat Kid status. This entrée consists of a layer of tater tots, then a layer of Mac N Cheese, followed by a layer of pulled pork. BTW, the Mac N Cheese is from scratch… I know because I saw them making the sauce as we waited. As if there was any doubt… deliciously artery clogging.
As I said though… the atmosphere is rowdy, and noisy, butthead food makes it worth giving it a shot

Why does this place have 4 stars? This place is absolutely horrible.
1. We placed a delivery order in Goleta. No where on the website does it say they don’t deliver there. They called 30 min later saying they don’t deliver in Goleta, but the food was ready so we had to drive and pick it up. Once we got there the front counter girl did not know anything about the system nor how to count change. And was rude.
2. We ordered cole slaw and corn bread and neither of those items were in our bag.
3. The food was disgusting. Fries extremely stale. Chicken dry and sketchy looking /​smelled like dirt. Waffle soggy and stale. Syrup was old and so thick it was gross.
We will definitely never recommend this place to anyone. I never write reviews, but this was the most disappointing experience I’ve ever had, that I felt the need to.

I’ve been to all the restaurants in IV multiple times, and I have to say that Kaptain’s is one of the best, if not the best restaurants here.
Their pulled mac always has a good amount of good quality tender pulled pork, and their sandwiches are toasty and delicious. Their fries are awesome, but if you don’t want to eat something oily, the cole slaw is a great substitute.
I’ve never had a bad experience here. The employees are always willing to go over the menu to newcomers, and the Kaptain himself is a badass.

Having had a lot of barbecue in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, I can definitely say that the food here is lackluster.
I had what I typically get at barbecue places: a tri-​tip sandwich with barbecue sauce. Everything about it was just… bland… The meat was cut very thin and was very dry. It was not juicy at all. It was also burnt in a strange way on the edges, adding a weird texture on top of the lack of flavor. The barbecue sauce was fine, but was nothing to speak of. The bread was also not prepared in the typical Santa Maria style, so it did not soak up the barbecue sauce like it should have. Eating the bread was like eating cardboard. In addition, the fries that came with it were soggy. When I picked them up, they just sagged and bent over in a very unappetizing way. They didn’t taste great, either.
Honestly, for good barbecue, do yourself a favor and drive to Cold Spring Tavern on the weekend. It’s just 20 minutes away and is a lot better. Or, if you’re feeling adventurous, try Firestone’s in San Luis Obispo. Those are my two favorite places to go for a good tri-​tip sandwich.
I’ll be back to Kaptain’s at some point to try the ribs, but unless they blow me out of the water, this review stands. I’m giving them an extra star because the guy behind the counter was working very hard to accommodate everyone and was all by himself; through it all, he remained very calm and nice about everything.

Limp and soggy fries, how unappetizing: p
The bread of my barbecue sandwich also did not soak up the sauce, and it was bland in taste. The meat was stringy and tough.
I rarely see anyone here so I’m surprised it’s still in operation.

NOTE: This review is based on my service, not the taste or quality of food. I unfortunately have to give this place 2 stars (for now). I have read all the great reviews and have been very excited to go try something out (mainly the pulled pork, since that’s what most people are raving about).
I think I would have had a good experience had I gone earlier in the day. I got to Kaptain’s around 9:15pm on a Saturday, and they were out of the pulled pork. I would have gladly tried a different option, however the cashier was so drunk that she could barely talk about any of the menu items. When you are so drunk you cannot say «pico de gallo», you should not be working. It made me very uncomfortable and not want to buy anything.
If I ever do decide to go here, I will make sure it is earlier in the day and that the «Kaptain» is around. I don’t want a drunk girl taking my order or messing with my food. Hopefully this place will get a better rating from me when I have the opportunity to try the food, and am not disturbed by the outrageous service.

GREAT … really great … Good Tri Tip… Best fries too… Natural… The owner is a nice guy yet smokes outside while I am eating… I will say something next ttime yet a smoke place is nearby anyways. Yet great food…
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Really great food. Really the only decent BBQ place here. No seating though there is like 2 outside tables that was a little disappointing but the food totally made up for it!

I’ve been to Kaptain’s about a dozen times. Every single time, I’ve ordered the Pulled Pork and fries. Twice I had the Anacapa due to Pork being sold out… However, the Pulled pork is without doubt the best in Santa Barbara. Smoke and prepared in house you cannot beat it I recommend Kaptain’s to anybody in consideration. Tonight I came in at about 1AM, and I didn’t have my wallet. The Kaptain started my order and by the time I was back, my meal was practically ready to go. Highly recommended. Don’t think twice!!!

Grass fed Angus beef sliders. Amazing. Absolutely amazing.

I’ve been here once and I’ll be going again whenever I visit my boyfriend down there. We were hungry, wanted something good, cheap and close by campus. Low and behold…
I’m assuming this place is somewhat new. It’s a very small spot also known as a hole in the wall (HITW) and for people that complain about the size of the place… well then. I guess you don’t really visit HITW restaurants. Yes, it’s in IV where all the students go searching for affordable food so I can see it getting busy on certain nights. However, when we went to eat, it was before school was in session so the area itself was a bit dead.
The service. well, since it was dead, my boyfriend and I were the only customers there for the first 30 minutes. Employees were nice and when I asked for a recommendations, they kindly replied and I am glad I went with it.

This place is great — fair prices given the quantity of food you get, and great BBQ. Definitely the best in IV/​Goleta. I haven’t eaten at Killer B’s enough to compare, but that’s sort of irrelevant. Just awesome food here, and the owner is super nice every time I come in.

Overall, this place only earns two stars.
Their BBQ is pretty good. I would say a solid 4 stars. Not the best BBQ you’ll ever have but pretty good for the area. I’ve tried their pulled pork and chili.
So why 2? Well, first, there are only two tables to sit at outside; so be prepared to take this with you or hope you get a table. Not a deal breaker, but thinking about how busy this may be with school in session and combined with the slow service, this is going to be rough.
As I mentioned, slow service. Which can be forgivable, but not when it’s combined with rude service. Clearly the gentleman serving us treated us differently because we are students. Offered people next to us use of the sink to wash their hands and then directly said no to us when we asked. We were also disparaged for using cards. And he blamed us for burning something on the grill because he had to scan the card a few times to get it to work.
Oh, and they ran out of pulled pork at 12:30…I understand this happens at BBQ places, but 12:30? Seems awfully early to me…

I love BBQ! This place has become one of my new guilty pleasures. For what it is, it’s great. It’s a small place with no indoor seating. There were only two tables outside with 3 plastic chairs to each table. I’d say this place is best for take-​out BBQ to eat at home or at the beach. (But if you do, be sure to ask for handwipes because it gets messy.)
I have tried the «Anacapa» and their chili. Those were pretty good. The guy who prepared the food for us was friendly. If you aren’t a fan of white bread, he will happily cut it so you aren’t devouring so much bleach… this made me feel less guilty when I was eating my BBQ sandwhich. The fries are definitely not the highlight but they weren’t soggy. Maybe it depends on whose making it.
If and when they start offering wheat bread, better fries, and water that is cheaper than $ 2 a bottle, they will get another star from me.
All in all, good BBQ place in IV. Definitely returning when I’m having a bad day and want to stuff my face with delicious BBQ.