Holy Cow BBQ

Solid. Ordered delivery and it was really really good. I left my eat 24 timer on and it’s 53 minutes from the time I ordered and I’m already done eating. That’s how fast delivery was on a Friday evening from culver city to Westwood! We ordered the 4 meat combo with brisket, ribs, baked bbq chicken and pulled pork. Side orders of fries, baked beans, potato salad, bread pudding and 2 chocolate chip cookies. It was all tasty and they made sure to include different sauces. However, the food was a bit cold. :/
I’ll be ordering again!

Got some dinner to go and ordered a pound of pulled pork and tri-​tip with a side of collard greens, mac n cheese and coleslaw. Delivery was fast and food was still warm but quality is on point.
Pulled pork melted in my mouth and the tri-​tip was a bit overdone but other than that still good on the flavor. The collard greens was the first I’ve of it and was quite delicious. The mac and cheese was amazing (though I do enjoy Lemonade’s truffle oil mac and cheese more). The coleslaw wasn’t worth it for how little was in the container. Overall, my boyfriend and I enjoyed our meal over a nice conversation :)
We’ve definitely be back when I’m in the area.

This place has pretty good barbecue. I would not compare it to Bludso or Phil’s, but definitely better than Lucilles.
Pro:
Good quality meat.
In a good area with plenty of other shops.
Ambiance was pretty decent.
Mac and Cheese was decent.
4 different sauces to choose from and special to the store.
Con:
Portion size small for the price. For a bbq place, feels more like appetizer size than a meal.
Person talking my order was rude.
No substitutions for unwanted sides.
Good but not the best or super good. (not a first or second choice for bbq, it would be more of the backup)
Waited over 30 minutes for food.
I would go again and probably go if I am in the area or if my friends wanted to go here. This place is not my top choice to go for bbq, but is still good.

Nom nom nom nom. nom. Enough nom’s?
So I judge bbq places on two yet very important factors… the man meat… and the sides. Besides that I do not really care. There could be constant murders going on I could be spit on by the wait staff… all I care about is my meat and sides.
Meat — Ribs surprisingly good and lathered in just the right amount of sauce with a delicious bark. Brisket… unlike some of the reviews I have seen, very great smoke ring, and tender and not dry at all. Pulled Pork… more like… pulled pork, very good and paired well with all of their bbq sauces. Tri-​tip is fantastic, and also very delicious with their bbq sauces.
Sides– mac n cheese… okay okay. I dont really have much else to say about that. Cole slaw… i could go for some more dressing on it but it was actually pretty good. BUT ALEX WHAT ABOUT DEM BEANS!!! Holy mother of all that is mighty was so freaking good, the right amount of brown sugar and a nice little bit of tang. Get on it, the beans were so well done.
Sauces– wait i thought you said that you only care about meat and sides… well go eff yourself this is my review. BBQ sauce was really good and had a nice sugar to vinegar ratio and it was like hugs after a long day of being tickled. Red sauce… idk surprisingly good, I am not really sure what the flavors were but I liked um. And that carolina mustard… where can I buy that and put it on my sammiches.
THE VERDICT: This is only the beginning of my time in LA but this really made all the damn traffic worth it. LA has great weather and great food so hopefully that will be enough to keep me around. Who knows what the next journey is!

Pretty good BBQ, especially for LA standards!
It still comes a bit short compared to original BBQ you get in Texas etc., but it’s one of the top spots for BBQ in LA.
Got the combo #3 which is 3 meats and 1 side for $ 18.99.
Price for the quality and quantity you get is definitely very good.
I tried the Baby back ribs, pulled pork and brisket.
Baby back ribs were top and sauce was spot on. 5 stars!
Pulled pork was also very good, both flavor and texture. 5 stars!
The brisket had great flavor, but mine was a bit extra fatty and not as tender as I am used to. 4 stars.
They have 3 homemade sauces.
«Original Q» — Wayyyy too sweet. It’s like liquid sugar with a hint of tomatoes. 2 Stars (barely)
«Texas Fire» — Was lacking a bit of sweetness and fire (basically substance). 3 Stars
Carolina Mustard — Best of the 3, even though I am not usually a fan of mustard based BBQ sauces. 4 Stars
If they would add an original Texas BBQ sauce that would definitely add another ½ star.
I had to mix the first two sauces to get something similar.

Not that impressed…
Boo! And I really wanted a yummy sandwich :-(
I’m all pregnant and home alone on a Friday binge watching The Food Network. (Yes I’m cool) when on my phone an über eats thing pops up saying try über eats and get $ 20 of food for free!
So I close the freezer door after browsing the easy meals for one, and instead browse through available options on Über Eats.
I find the perfect sounding chicken sandwich! Fresh lettuce, tomato, some kind of delicious sounding aioli BUT it’s grilled chicken. And I’m pregnant I want fried chicken!
On their menu directly underneath is a different sandwich, same price with fried chicken.
So, I order the grill chicken sandwich and ask politely ‘if possible’ please substitute fried chicken. (As opposed to fried chicken and substitute all other ingredients)
When the order comes, super cool delivery, the guy was amused by my tipping dollar coins… (All I could find). I open the bag and it’s the wrong damn sandwich!!! Full of pickle and nastiness… Meh.
So I’m not sure what to do, it was a free sandwich after all?
So all disappointed I decide to call. I premise the call with «Hey thank you for the free sandwich, but you should know that you got the order completely wrong.»
I realize there was no point in calling, what I was expecting? Had I paid, a new sandwich obviously, but in this circumstance an apology I guess? I assume as an Über Eats promo that Über still compensated them for the sandwich? Who knows…
Anyway, the girl I spoke to was so defensive and immediately set to blaming anything and everything she could. She was taking zero accountability.
First she said that fried chicken cost more than grilled chicken because of the crunchy coating (that flour is pricey) so they couldn’t substitute.
Okay, but I reiterated I did get fried chicken just not with the set up I requested.
Then she said well it rang through wrong on their system when it came through from über… then she said that they didn’t have a sandwich with pickle, then she said all sandwiches had pickle.
The conversation ended by my saying that there was not really any point in discussing it further and thank you.
It was the oddest customer service experience I’ve had in some time…

Some of the best BBQ I’ve had in a while. Came into town for vacation and was recommended to check out this place. Did not disappoint.
I got the three meat convo with fries and Mac n cheese with bacon. The fries were great and crispy, hard to mess those up. The Mac n cheese was delicious, had a slight crusty layer which is my favorite (how did they know?) The meats I ordered were the brisket, pulled chicken, and ribs. I can’t find anything to say bad about the meat, it was all perfectly cooked and juicy.
Ended up paying about $ 44 for the whole thing but it was split between two of us. Which was just the right amount of food for two grown men. The service was very quick and friendly, it was relatively quiet while we were there 3p on a Saturday. It’s the BBQ for you!

Gave this place another shot and am glad that I did. Got the 3 meat BBQ plate with chicken, tri-​tip and spare ribs with BBQ beans. The chicken was the real standout for me this time. Smoked through and through with great flavor. Comes right off the bone! The spate ribs and tri-​tip were about a tie for me. Both solid. The beans were tasty as well. Not too spicy, not bland at all. So if you are someone that likes a flavorful yet somewhat more mild experience, these will do. Also really like the pickles that come with the BBQ plates. These may be made in house. I will return.

Holy Cow BBQ is located near the work out place in the plaza on sepulveda and Washington Blvd. When you walk in you get to choose where you want to sit and order whenever you’re ready. The place itself inside is cool cos it has a bar and they serve wine and beer only. It’s spacious inside and family friendly, so that’s good for big parties.
My bf and I opted for the 3 meat BBQ plAtter and you have plenty of options to choose from, all I think would have been great choices but I was really feeling the tri tip and brisket, and then my bf chose the 3^rd meat which was the half rack of ribs. All meats were suitable and most definitely tasty, with the sauces that were provided it was a great touch to the meal. we chose to get the slaw for the sides, and then we also got the Mac and Cheese along with the onion rings, which were also a great addition to our meal overall.
It’s a good place to share if you’re looking to not get super full. Would recommend coming here if you’re into beer and good meats.

I would normally avoid places like this because I don’t like barbecue sauce and I don’t like pork. I came here because I was invited. I’m so thankful I was.
I ordered a Cow Burger. No 1000 island dressing. No tomatoes. Medium rare. With a side of fries. I also got the lemonade.
The burger was amazing. It was so good. My hands were dripping with juice and the meat was too big for its bun. It was still so good. Zero complaints from me.
The $ 4 lemonade was delicious. It wasn’t tart or sour or super sweet. It was great for a fresh made lemonade. My only complaint is the cup size. It’s kinda small. Free refills but still.
My mother had issues with cold food but still raved about it being delicious. The employees were extremely friendly and nice. Really no complaints from me.

Holy Cow BBQ was a pleasant surprise! We decided to come here for lunch with a vendor after seeing the great Unilocal reviews and were in a strange mood for BBQ. We weren’t expecting much, but all 10 of us ended up leaving the restaurant with a great first impression.
It’s great there’s plenty of parking in the plaza’s parking lot. The restaurant’s pretty spacious with lots of booths along the wall, tables, and a bar. I see other reviews saying this place is pricey, but I think it’s actually a pretty good value for the amount of food they give you. There’s the BBQ plates with 1 meat for $ 9.99, 2 meats for $ 12.99, and 3 meats for I believe $ 14.99. It also comes with a choice of one side, a seasoned Texas toast, and slices of pickles. Just the 1 meat plate was already a lot of food.
There’s several other items such as a $ 15.00 combo with a couple of different meats and sides. There’s also different size buckets for $ 49, $ 139, and $ 200+. Can’t imagine the amount of food they include in there, but it would be great for parties.
I got the 2 meat BBQ plate with pulled pork and brisket. I was on the fence about getting the brisket or the tri-​tip, the waiter recommended the brisked, and I’m so glad he did! It was so soft and flavorful. I also got a side of cornbread which was delicious, it was moist and sweet, and I loved the sweet butter that came with it. The baked beans were good too, nothing special but satisfied my tummy all the same. There’s also lot of barbecue sauces for you to choose. I took some left overs back for my boyfriend and he loved it too.
Glad there’s a good BBQ place around here to satisfy our cravings.

I’ve been here twice and it’s pretty good. I love that they have a happy hour menu. And I’ve ordered: the wings, a salad, and the fried chicken. Whatever sauce they use for wing and also the wing «bite» — I love. It seems like a grocery store brand and I need to figure out which one it is! The fried chicken is this huge boneless mass. It’s very good. You have to eat it with a fork and knife unless you are going to caveman it and just hold up a steak-​size thing of chicken and take bites out of it. You order as soon as you walk in and then sit down. They bring you water, your drinks, and check on you. Worth a visit. My other fave bbq place is: Maple Block, Charcoal, and JNJ’s.

Holy Cow BBQ in Culver City poses a knotty problem to the prospective ‘cue customer, to wit: If I dine in, do I mind consuming meat that is commonly served at less than the FDA-​mandated 140° F holding temperature for hot food?
Admittedly, I left the meat thermometer in my other suit, but when one sinks his teeth into some pleasingly cooked and flavorful product (hot link and brisket on last visit), and deems the brisket to be far on the «luke» side of lukewarm, then it’s not warm enough.
This seems to be a prevalent weakness at various BBQs I try, and who-​knows-​why these restaurants can’t pop the entrees in a roaster for the better part of 60 seconds. When the entrée is served nearly cold on a rectangular aluminum tray lined with a sheet of wax paper, an ordinary patron likely defers to the flavor and avoids the kerfuffle of sending it back.
Thus, dining in at Holy Cow is a personal choice. Carry-​out assures that the meat can be consumed at your preferred temperature. Sides I’ve tried and endorse are coleslaw, onion rings, BBQ beans and potato salad. Thin-​sliced sweet pickles on the plate are a welcome kicker. Texas toast is humdrum and if cornbread is an option, I wish it had been offered. Water-​refilling help was a plus because the cups are smallish. Beer and wine are available.
Three types of runny BBQ sauce await on each table, but salt and pepper don’t. Carolina mustard, my favorite sauce, seems to complement all meats. Ranch dressing dip for onion rings is super-​runny. Hope you’ve got some thick, store-​bought ranch at home in the fridge.

Rating: ⁷⁸⁄₁₀₀ pts
Hot damn! Despite being in the middle of Culver City, this is some intimidating Southern BBQ. I’ve been here enough times to know I want it in my lunch repertoire for when craving true BBQ, but don’t want to venture out to, say Texas.
Tray meals start as low as $ 10, which comes with 1 meat (out of 7 choices), 1 side, a few small pickle slices, and randomly scattered chunks of charred black pepper, which enhance taste more than you might expect. 2, 3 and 4 meat trays are available too. I find the single meat combo to feed my craving nicely, but note that I do savor my meat in moderation.
The brisket is their most popular meat, and rightly so. It is served generously thick, but with just enough fat rounding the edge to prevent it from getting dry mid-​way through. Brisket without this layer all too often runs too dry, so I’m glad this is done well. The black pepper seasoning will linger in your mouth several hours after the fact. There are 3 types of self-​serve BBQ sauces at each table, but let’s face it: all you really need to concern yourself with is the Carolina Mustard.
The sides, though not as noteworthy as the meat, are adequately done as well. I like the collard greens the most so far.
Holy Cow’s main competitor is Maple Block, another similarly themed, fairly satisfying BBQ spot that’s just down the street. After trying both, I can say I prefer Holy Cow of the two, as I feel you get a more authentic BBQ experience here. Aside from the meat, the pickup-​trucky country music is certainly more prominent here.
Parking Secret: Located in a prime spot on Sepulveda, nearby street parking is metered, and the parking lot attached to this building is ferociously hectic, not to mention the spots in front of Holy Cow being «20 Minutes Only» (!??). Holy or not, that certainly won’t fly for when eating in. What I do: go to Commonwealth Ave, the first side street off Washington. There’s always parking here, and you end up right behind the place. I usually come for Friday lunch, as street cleaning here is Fridays until 11am, making parking always plentiful.

This place was great. Got the pulled bbq chicken and the tri tip. The sauce was well done on the bbq chicken I just felt personally it was a little over cooked. The tri tip was off the charts though. Also, love that they give you the option on what sauce to put on it once you receive your order. Important! We also got the loaded potatoes and they were RI DONK U LOUS! Awesome dish. Some places I feel overload them with cheese or too much sour cream etc. Holy cow is not one of those places, the potatoes we’re balanced perfectly. One last thing — Make sure you get the baked beans, you’ll thanks me later :)
Chris

This place rocks. Great food, cool atmosphere, and close to home!
I’m a huge fan of the tri-​tip sandwich, especially with the Texas Red Sauce (spicy BBQ sauce). The missus went with the fried chicken sandwich this time around, and when I snuck a bite I was impressed. The sides here are great, and I usually go with the fries to keep it simple. If you’ve got a big appetite, the mac and cheese is amazing, too.
It isn’t cheap, but it’s BBQ and the portions are good. The location is in a busy little restraint mall, and parking can be a bit difficult at times. Worth the effort, though. I saw today that they have a pretty solid looking happy hour advertised. $ 5 beers and dishes like pulled pork sliders and tri-​tip nachos. Interesting…
All around awesome spot for a lunch or dinner trip. Also noticed they deliver now, so that’s another plus. If you haven’t already, check Holy Cow out sometime.

I noticed Holy Cow BBQ from the freeway and knew that I had to check it out — I love BBQ. It is just south of Starbuck’s in the shopping center at the southwest corner of Sepulveda and Washington. Parking in the private lot can be difficult at dinner time, because there are so many places that are bringing people in, but we lucked out with a space in front.
The eatery itself is fun — it has a rustic vibe with Old Western movie posters, butcher block tables and school house chairs. There is also a bar as well as some booths. Country music is playing in the background, and it can be pretty loud, but it is a clean and fun place to eat. You order at the counter, and your drinks and food are delivered to your table.
Our party shared some things, so I was able to taste quite a bit of the menu. Here is what we had:
Mac and Cheese ($ 6.95) — a generous bowl (enough for a kids’ meal and some sharing) of shells are combined with a bechamel sauce with white and yellow cheddar and a bit of jack and then finished under the broiler. I found this dish to be okay — I think that the jack was a little off-​putting for me (I much prefer the Mac and Cheese at Maple Block).
Collard Greens ($ 4.95) — a generous bowl of tender greens have bits of ham hock and nearly disintegrated onions that combine for a delicious and well seasoned dish. This was outstanding, and I would highly recommend it.
#2 Combo ($ 13.95) with Brisket and Baby Back Ribs ($ 1 upcharge): a metal tray lined with paper has two thick slices of brisket, 4 – 5 baby back ribs, a piece of Texas toast and a side of coleslaw. The brisket was very tender but insanely salty. I mean over the top on the salt meter. I would not order this again. The ribs were pretty good. The ribs are topped with the Texas Q sauce and are generally very tender (I had one little area that was a bit dry, but this was the exception). I skipped the toast, but the LO thought it was tasty. I did really like the coleslaw — it is a basic preparation with a creamy dressing but it is well seasoned and has a nice tang. I liked the Texas Q sauce — a mild, traditional, red BBQ sauce. I also liked the Carolina Vinegar sauce, which has a distinct mustard flavor. I did not like the Texas Hot sauce — it is the Texas Q sauce with oodles of chili powder, which is not my preference (I heat my own BBQ sauce with cayenne).
The Hog ($ 10.95): a brioche bun is topped with pulled pork, coleslaw, onion strings and bread and butter pickles. The house made pickles — bread and butter as well as dills are excellent and I highly recommend them. The pulled pork is not what most Californians expect — a saucey mixture of pork — but is instead truly smoked, pulled meat without sauce. As a result, it is a bit drier than what many Californians are used too. But, you have sauce on the table that you can douse it with. The bun in super fresh and nicely toasted, and the slaw and onion strings add great texture and flavor. It is a huge and tasty sandwich — as long as you add a bunch of sauce IMO. It is served with your choice of side, and I would get the collards here.
Onion Rings ($ 5,95): EXCELLENT wide onion rings in a fresh seasoned corn flour. These were outstanding, and the side was generous (about 12 or so onion rings). I would definitely order these.
We had a glass of the Eberle Red Blend, which is a great wine from Paso. Highly recommend.
The staff was a mixed bag — 1 guy and 1 gal were great and 1 gal was a slow moving sour face.
Overall, it is an okay place to eat, but I would not rush back. I prefer the meat at Maple Block and the sides here, but the meat generally wins.

I really liked this place. Got the BBQ Plate #4 and tried the tri tip, brisket, pulled chicken, and pulled pork. They were all really good but now I know not to the get the pulled chicken and pulled pork. The tri tip and brisket were heavenly. Also definitely did not finish this plate and it was for two people, too!
I also love corn bread and thought it was really delicious here. Also got the potato salad (which in my opinion was not good at all, so pass on that), and the mac and cheese which was really good.
I would love to be back here if I lived closer!

Chill BBQ and craft brews that hails from San Diego, «holy cow» is what I want to Unilocal when I think about this place. You can’t let the horrible parking in this strip mall in your decision to chow here.
I had to get their ribs. And slaw. And onion rings. What? Ribs were fall-​off-​the-​bone savory. I do prefer dry rub but these ribs were not overly sauced. Was super delicious. The slaw was the vinegary kind, which I love. Onion rings were lightly crisped — I need a few orders of these!
With the chill, industrial vibe with a nice sized bar area, it seems like a good place to watch some football during its happy hours with some of its craft brews. I had the Holy Cow, the house brew. Loved it!
Can’t wait to head over here on the regular now that I finally stumbled into this not-​so-​new but local fave! I’ve had a lot of great BBQ in the midwest and texas so I’m psyched I finally found HCB that won’t break the bank!

I heard about this place in the Food Section of the LA Times, and I also saw positive reviews from my yfs, so I said I have to hit this place! Holy Cow is on Sepulveda, near Washington just off the 405 in Culver City. The owners are the same as Messhall Kitchen in LA, that I have not been to. In addition, HC has another location in Santa Monica. They offer ribs, brisket, pulled pork & chicken, Santa Maria style BBQ, fried chicken and all the fixins.
I ordered The Hog ($ 11 — pulled pork sandwich w/​slaw & onion rings on top and one side) w/​collared greens, while my business associate ordered ½ lb of the pulled pork ($ 10 — sorry, no pic). We also shared the mac & cheese ($ 7 — Vermont white & yellow cheddar, Monterey jack and béchamel).
My sandwich was freakin dank! It was stacked with a ton of moist, nicely seasoned pork, and the onion rings were crispy. The bun held up well to the wet ingredients, and the slaw & pickles were crunchy. I am not usually a pulled pork fan, but after eating this one I said, «Holy $hit!»: 5 Stars. Secondarily, the collared greens were really good. However, I would have liked more ham or smoky flavor similar to Bludsoe’s in CPT: 4 Stars. Lastly, the mac & cheese was very good also. The portion was large for the price, and the shells stood up well to all the cheeses. The chef obviously experimented with the combination of cheeses, because this mac & cheese was winnahzz: 4 Stars.
Regarding the ambiance, it is hipster as is the clientele. There are some outdoor seats, a bar, and several tables inside. However, one downside is the menu. There is no link sandwich, and the minimum amount of meat (by itself) you can order is ½ lb. My business associate is petite: 4 Stars. On the other hand, the service was mixed. You order at the bar, and the food is brought to you. The problem is I stood at the bar for a while, one of the bartenders left while I was standing there, and it took a while to place my order. However, after ordering, the food came out quickly, and our glasses of iced tea and Arnold Palmer were refilled w/​o asking: 3 Stars.
I would definitely come back if I was in the area, or make the ½ hour drive through some tough traffic to return. Luckily, Holy Cow is right off the Culver exit and the first left is Sepulveda. There is plenty of parking in the lot that contains other casual restaurants. In addition, I believe there is also a complimentary valet during peak periods. Holy Cow makes some very good BBQ that you should check out!