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Hops and Hogs, located in Lincoln, CA, combines real Santa Maria-style barbecue with "Americana" style diner cuisine served by friendly staff, in a comfortable dining room. You'll enjoy delicious "comfort food" and the staff will treat you like a rock star at this friendly restaurant. As with all of reviews that I publish, I have no affiliation with the restaurant reviewed, and there is no monetary gain on my part, as I am simply a person who likes to eat, and I love to write-up, and publish my dining experiences.
Photo: It's around 16:30 in the afternoon, Saturday, August 29, 2026, and I've arrived at Hops and Hogs, located in downtown Lincoln, CA to enjoy an early dinner. I started my morning early at the annual Wings and Wheels event, at the Lincoln Municipal Airport, then migrated over to the Union Pacific Railroad's Valley Subdivision to enjoy some railroad action, which another lifelong hobby of mine. I caught some big-time railroad action... check it out HERE.
Photo: Downtown Lincoln on a lazy Saturday afternoon in late August is a pleasant place to visit, as the downtown core offers something for everybody, including specialty shops, entertainment, fine dining and plenty of places to enjoy a beer or two.
Photo: As you enter the restaurant, you'll be greeted by the "mascot" complete with cowboy hat. The menu highlights barbecue and "comfort food," and the comfortable, "old school" decor of the dining room compliments the menu. Mr. Mascot proudly displays an award the restaurant received from the City of Lincoln for "business excellence." A friendly staff member is behind the counter to greet you, and help you make your selection. The complete menu is placed in sections on the wall and at the front of the order counter. You make your menu selection, pay for it at the counter, and sit at any open table of your choice. When your order is ready, it will be brought to your table by a friendly staff member. Hops and Hogs is a full service restaurant, that operates similar to a taqueria.
Photo: I sat at a table near the window, with a great view of Lincoln Blvd. so I could watch the happenings of downtown Lincoln while I waited for my burger to arrive. The restaurant was lightly seated on this late Saturday afternoon, and for some reason, I didn't choose to dine on the patio, Today's waitress Susana, who took my order is getting things ready behind the order counter. Four packs of locally-brewed beer are for sale in the rack to the left, and the three galvanized tubs each hold more cans of beer on ice, for takeout or in-house enjoyment.
Photo: The dining room features a small counter, and the bar offers a selection of locally brewed craft beer from the tap. If you look closely, you'll see my pint of "Casa de Cabra" craft beer on the counter, ready to be delivered to my table.
Photo: The burger section of the menu features all of your favorites, along with a unique selection or two. I went with the "Classic," from the top of the menu.
Photo: The "Condiment Cow" is a recent addition to the restaurant and offers two varieties of barbecue sauce - both in-house made, regular or spicy - along with mustard and ketchup.
Photo: You make your choice of condiment, grab one of the little plastic cups and squeeze the udder for your delight. If you're dining to-go there are lids to cover your cup so it won't spill on the way home. I sampled both the regular and the spicy barbecue sauce and I went with the spicy, as it was DELICIOUS!
Photo: Meet Susana, my amazingly friendly waitress, who brought my dinner to me with a smile. Susana offered great service and treated me like a member of her family.
Photo: I toast Susana, the chef and all the friendly staff at Hops and Hogs with a pint of "Casa de Cabra" lager beer... from local craft brewery GoatHouse Brewing Co. Cheers!
Photo: From the "Burgers" section of the menu, I went with a "Classic" with "Ranch Beans" as my side of choice, and a pint of GoatHouse Brewing Co. "Casa de Cabra" Mexican style lager beer as my appetizer and my dessert. The menu describes this delicious burger as, "A half-pound burger topped with American cheese, house spread, lettuce, tomato, onion and pickles." I describe this burger as "classicly delicious..." The foundation of this delicious burger was a large, fresh buttered and lightly toasted bun, which fit the size of the meat and veggies perfectly, which made the meat-to-bun ratio spot-on, which is crucial to a delicious burger. When I placed my order, Susana asked how I wanted my meat cooked, as I requested medium rare, and my meat patty arrived exactly as ordered. The large, half-pound seasoned patty of premium beef was tender and just oozing with juice, which made my mouth water just looking at it. Topping the meat was a square of perfectly melted American cheese that was partially melted over the meat for a stunning presentation. The only condiments on the burger was the "house spread," which seemed a lot like "Thousand Island" dressing. Fresh slices of lettuce and sliced tomato were placed underneath the meat and the burger was topped by two small dill pickle slices. I noted the bun, meat and cheese were warm, and the veggies were slightly chilled... the contrast always adds to the taste of a delicious smokehouse burger. I normally go with fries as my side of choice, but today, I went with "Ranch Beans" and I'm glad I did. The ranch beans were simply amazing, as they were smooth, both sweet and tangy, with just a little bit of heat, which was perfect. These are the kind of beans that you enjoy on a camping trip, and go with anything, and make any meal a delight. The "kid' in me dipped the dill pickle slices into the beans and ate them with a satisfying "crunch." I highly recommend a side of "Ranch Beans" to go with any meal you order, especially a "Classic" burger. I enjoyed a side of "Hot" barbecue sauce from the condiment cow. The barbecue sauce is made in-house and was sweet, tangy and mildly warm, but your dear Aunt Dorothy from Kansas might think it was hot. I enjoyed dipping the beans into the sauce, occasionally followed by a bite from the burger. Come for the burger but stay for the beans and the barbecue sauce. The pint of "Casa de Cabra" beer, a light, Mexican lager brewed by Lincoln-local GoatHouse Brewing Co. arrived in a chilled glass, and made for the perfect appetizer to my amazing cheeseburger and beans. And the "Classic" cheeseburger... it was love at first bite! Delicious! I loved the texture of the fresh, toasted bun, the house spread added a smooth tang to it, and the juicy, warm meat, topped by the melted slab of cheese, contrasted by the chilled lettuce, onion and tomato made for the perfect burger experience. This was a delicious, juicy old school cheeseburger, and truly a classic burger in every sense of the word. I had been thinking about a cheeseburger all day, and the "Classic" that I enjoyed really made my day, and fulfilled my dreams of the perfect burger. The beans and the barbecue sauce enhanced the goodness, and made my day complete. Hops and Hogs makes an amazing burger!
Photo: Before taking my first bite, I hold my "Classic" cheeseburger and admire all of the goodness. Look at the beautiful melted cheese, and the house spread running down the bun... you can tell this is going to be a mouth-watering, juicy burger experience! The photo and the presentation are beautiful, but the taste was even better! Talk to any Lincoln local who appreciates delicious California-style barbecue with a Lincoln twist, and they'll recommend Hops and Hogs, for fantastic barbecue. Open every day of the week for lunch and dinner, and open for breakfast on weekends. Placer County barbecue at it's best, in downtown Lincoln, CA. Hops and Hogs Copyright(c) 2026 eRench Productions. All rights reserved. We've been on the web since December 22, 2002.
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