I had never been to a fast casual barbecue restaurant before I tried Holy Cow BBQ, and all I could say was HOLY COW – it was delicious! The smoky scent of ribs lured me in the door and into an old-fashioned, Southern barbecue. The charming little spot in Santa Monica offered dine-in, take-out, delivery, and, most importantly: amazing barbecue food…
Holy Cow has an awesome, homey vibe, and you feel it the second you walk in – I immediately felt like I was part of the family. The place was perfect for a date night (well, maybe not a first date…) or a night out with family. If you’re a carnivore like me, I highly recommend ordering one of the Combo platters – you can choose 2-4 different meats to try and most of them are gluten free (if you order them without barbecue sauce). My table tried all of the gluten free meats (the brisket, tri-tip, pulled pork, and the ribs) and they were all SO tender and delicious. It was hard to say which was my favorite, but I think I’d have to go with the extra tender pulled pork – you could really taste that it was marinated for over 20 hours! We also tried some of the delicious gluten free sides, including the collards, potato salad, and, my personal favorite, the sweet potato. The sweet potato might as well have been dessert – it was baked like a baked potato, sliced in half down the middle, and served with melt-in-your-mouth honey butter. We ate every single bite of it! The manager proudly told me how they were very conscious of cross contamination prevention in the kitchen; he said he personally checked to make sure all the ingredients were kept separate from each other. The salmon and burger (without a bun) also looked delicious – I will have to try them on my next visit.
What’s not to love about a drool-worthy barbecue joint with great food, great vibes, and a great location? Holy Cow is finger-licking good.