|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sierra Grill Smokehouse is a favorite of Auburn, CA locals, as the food is simply delicious, your portions are large, and the service is fast and friendly. You'll enjoy your meal in a "rural roadhouse" atmosphere, that truly reflects the Sierra Nevada foothill character of Auburn, and all of western Placer County. 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: Sierra Grill Smokehouse is located on the north side of Auburn, CA, on CA 49, known locally as "Grass Valley Highway," as the highway heads north to the town of Grass Valley and beyond. Sierra Grill Smokehouse is a favorite restaurant of the Auburn locals, who have a tendency to prefer pickup trucks and motorcycles as their mode of transportation. You know these folks have good taste in Sierra foothill cuisine! It's a little after 08:00 in the morning, Friday, April 24, 2026, and I'm ready to travel to Texas without leaving Auburn, and enjoy a breakfast of "Texas Style Brisket and Two Eggs." Sadly, back in late 2024, during a planned remodeling project, the restaurant suffered a kitchen fire, and due to logistics, finances and red tape, it took over two years for the restaurant to reopen. The staff put in many hours of hard work, and in early January of this year, the restaurant reopened, better than ever!
Photo: The main dining room is long and quite narrow and looks directly into the adjoining bar... you step down into the bar, and into a completely different world, but the atmosphere is all the same... western roadhouse with a Texas flair! The decor is pure "western roadhouse," which reminded me of the countless roadhouses I've visited during trips to rural Nevada, eastern Oregon, and much of Texas. The dining room furniture is a mixture of booths near the windows and tables against the wall. The walls are painted to contrast with the dark wood, along with the wood floor, which is very attractive. As you look through the dining room down into the bar and the bar dining room, you can't help but to notice the Texas longhorns mounted on the wall.
Photo: From the dining room, it's just a "step down" - literally speaking - to the adjoining bar, that offers plenty of seating, beer on tap, and any mixed drink that you could desire. The decor is especially "western" with lots of photos, ranch tools and a few mounted trophies. It's a very relaxed, western bar, which seems to cater to bikers, cowboys and Auburn locals, complete with a couple of pool tables in the far corner. On this early Friday morning, the bar was quite vacant, which wasn't surprising at all. To set the mood, traditional country music was playing in the background. You have to love everything about Sierra Grill Smokehouse!
Photo: The breakfast menu covers all the bases and offers a few barbecue selections. If you're not in the mood for the breakfast menu, you can order a burger or anything from the lunch menu, as anything on the menu is available to order any time the restaurant is open.
Photo: Here's the perfect breakfast appetizer... a frosted glass of Modelo Negra Mexican beer, garnished with a slice of lime. This delicious beer performed double duty, as it worked for dessert.
Photo: The extensive menu calls for lots of condiments, and it your favorite condiment is in a bottle, chances are you'll find it here. I'm very partial to Cholula hot sauce on my eggs, and I was glad to see it in the condiment collection. I grabbed a bottle and brought it to my table to enjoy with my breakfast.
Photo: Auburn and the Sierra Nevada foothills is mule deer country, as many herds deer, and many deer hunters reside in western Placer County. This mounted mule deer seems to have something truly worthwhile to believe in...
Photo: Meet Kellie, my super friendly server who brought my breakfast to me with a smile. I truly enjoyed her company, as she is amazingly friendly and treated me like royalty.
Photo: I'm a happy guy, as I toast friendly Kellie, the beautiful Friday morning, and the great staff at Sierra Grill Smokehouse, located in Auburn, CA.
Photo: From the "Sierra Sunrise" section of the breakfast menu, I went with "Texas Style Brisket and Two Eggs," which was at the top of the breakfast menu, and a "top shelf" breakfast in my "book." The menu offers many choices of sides and add-on's, but I went with hash brown potatoes, and a bowl of biscuit and gravy, rather than toast. Texas lives in my heart, soul and in my breakfast! The breakfast included a small cup of au jus for brisket dipping, which was greatly appreciated. A Modelo Negra Mexican beer in a frosted glass with a touch of fresh lime made for a fine appetizer, and a splendid dessert! The star of the breakfast was the brisket, smoked, Texas-style, with a nice smoke cap, which made a delicious contrast to the tender and juiciness on the inside. If you're at all familiar with brisket and Texas barbecue, you know that brisket is the "go-to" cut of beef in Texas hill-country barbecue, and you'll appreciate the skill, along with the long cooking time in order to achieve perfect brisket. Sierra Grill Smokehouse knows how to smoke brisket, as this was some of the best brisket that I've enjoyed west of the Pecos River! My breakfast included FIVE thick strips of delicious brisket, which was plenty to satisfy the appetite of a linebacker, lumberjack, or a "foodie" like me. I LOVED the brisket! My potatoes of choice were hashbrowns, and I received a nice slab of perfectly fried hashbrowns, which were golden crispy on the outside, tender white on the inside, with just a little "crunch." Oh my, such great hashbrowns! My two eggs were cooked sunnyside up, and were cooked perfectly, and went well with the breakfast. When offered, I ALWAYS choose biscuits and gravy over toast, as in my eyes, there is NOTHING in the world that makes a better side than biscuits and gravy, and Sierra Grill Smokehouse delivered, as the bowl of biscuit and gravy was sublime! The biscuit was baked in-house, buttery and flaky, and covered with rich, thick, chunky country gravy, with lots of sausage chunks. I love it! In the words of a breakfast gravy lover, "Come for the brisket but stay for the gravy..." Anyway you look at it, this breakfast was top-of-the-shelf and one of the best breakfasts you'll enjoy in western Placer County. The brisket was juicy, fork-tender, straight-out-of-the-Texas country delicious... the hash brown potatoes were crispy, golden brown on the outside, tender juicy inside, the eggs were fried perfectly sunnyside up, and the biscuit and gravy were simply delicious, and tasted like Texas. The small cup of au jus made for perfect dipping, and the Negro Modelo beer made for both an amazing appetizer and a fine dessert. Such a great breakfast!
Photo: Hash brown potatoes, eggs fried sunnyside up, tender brisket, with a small cup of au jus for dipping... heaven for a Friday breakfast!
Photo: I cut the end off one of the brisket slices using my fork - the meat is fork-tender - dipped it into the savor au jus and ENJOYED! The brisket was tender, juicy, flavorful and simply AMAZING! Sierra Grill Smokehouse should be a destination for all who crave delicious Texas style brisket. No matter where you're headed... maybe you're on the way to Reno, the Sierra Nevada mountains, stop by Sierra Grill Smokehouse, located in Auburn, CA, and enjoy an amazing meal in the charming "Sierra roadhouse" atmosphere. It's a favorite restaurant and watering hole of the Auburn locals, and it'll be a favorite of yours too. New Braunfels meets Auburn at Sierra Grill Smokehouse, located in Auburn, CA. Sierra Grill Smokehouse Copyright(c) 2026 eRench Productions. All rights reserved. We've been on the web since December 22, 2002.
|
