Bakersfield Barbecue Company fires up more than just its custom offset smokers—it ignites hometown pride.
Known city-wide as “Bako Pitmaster,” this down-to-earth joint turns 700 21st Street into a smoke-scented beacon, luring early-morning commuters and late-afternoon meat lovers alike.
Customers line up before 11 A M for brisket so tender it barely survives the serving spoon.
By sundown, locals swap tips on their favorite sauce—Original, Spicy, Raspberry Chipotle, or Mustard—while planning tomorrow’s return trip. 🍖
How Bakersfield BBQ Co won local’s hearts
Owner-pitmaster Brandon Stewart spent five years winning barbecue competitions and catering Bakersfield events before opening these brick-and-mortar doors.
He kept the competition mindset: smoke low, slice thick, serve fast, and treat every guest like a judge.
Word traveled faster than hickory smoke across the Kern River; rave Yelp threads, DoorDash favorites, and a televised “At The Table” spotlight stamped the spot as the place for real barbecue. 😋
Stewart also knows this farm-town crowd. He offers Friday Burgers with 10-ounce brisket patties, playful weekly spud specials, and family-size meat platters that feed the whole oil-field crew.
Bakersfield residents fell for food that feels personal, priced for real people, and plated with zero pretense. Add live-fire aromas drifting over downtown and the result is a small BBQ joint that owns the local appetite. 🤠
Food Highlights
- Brisket Sammich: House-smoked for 16 hours, the brisket arrives juicy, smoke-ringed, and heaped on a Pyrenees roll that soaks up rivers of Original sauce while still holding together for every beefy bite. 🔥
- Tri Tip Sammich: Central-Coast–style tri tip, sliced against the grain, dazzles with pepper-garlic bark and faint oak sweetness, then meets tangy salsa and buttery sourdough for a sandwich locals call “California in one mouthful.”
- Pulled Pork Sandwich: Pit-master-pulled shoulder sports rosy bark chips throughout, crowned with house slaw and the cult-favorite Raspberry Chipotle sauce, delivering sweet heat that keeps napkins working overtime.
- St. Louis-Style Ribs: These dry-rub beauties surrender with a gentle tug, revealing mahogany lacquer beneath a secret spice blend; diners often add a drizzle of mustard sauce for a smoky-tangy contrast that sings.
- Spudchos: Choose tots, fries, or chips, then watch them avalanche under chili beans, cheddar, tomatoes, olives, sour cream, and green onions—barbecue nachos that guarantee no one leaves hungry. 🤤
Atmosphere
Long picnic tables, sauce caddies, and trophy-lined shelves shout fun over fancy.
Hickory and pecan smoke curl through the open door, mingling with classic rock and spontaneous barbecue chatter.
Staff greet guests by name after a couple of visits, encouraging sauce sampling and meat-counter peeks.
Expect paper-towel rolls for napkins and the occasional pitmaster walk-through offering fresh rib tips—hospitality that feels like a backyard cookout with a blue-ribbon champion. 🎸
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Bottom Line
Visit for award-winning brisket, fearless flavor combinations, and Bakersfield’s friendliest pit crew.
Whether you crave a classic meat plate or a loaded tot mountain, Bakersfield Barbecue Company delivers smoky joy that turns first-timers into regulars.
Address: 700 21st St, Bakersfield, CA 93301
📞 (661) 520-4227
🕔 Open Mon–Sat, 11 AM–8 PM; Sun, 11 AM–6 PM