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Placer County is blessed with it's fair share of quality restaurants specializing in fine barbecue, and it's difficult to say which one is the best... I certainly can't! On the other hand, there are certain standout qualities that add to the experience, such as great food - duh! - friendly service, reasonable prices and a great dining atmosphere. Check all of the boxes for amazing barbecue and "comfort food" at Buckhorn BBQ and Grill, located in Rocklin, CA. As with all restaurant reviews 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 11:00 in the morning, Tuesday, January 30, 2024, and I've arrived at Buckhorn BBQ and Grill, located in Rocklin, CA, to get my late morning started with a delicious lunch. The restaurant is located in the Rocklin Commons Shopping Center, which is a major shopping center located on the east side of town, just off busy Interstate 80. At the 11:00 opening time, both the parking lot and the restaurant would be empty, but within the hour, things would change drastically, as by the noon hour, the dining room was packed. Buckhorn BBQ and Grill is a small chain of five - at this writing - restaurants, operating in the greater Sacramento area. The "Established 1933" intrigued me... why didn't I ask?
Photo: Today was "Piggie Tuesday," as a full pig-out option of a barbecue feast is offered every Tuesday. I was tempted, but unfortunately today, I wasn't up to the challenge.
Photo: As you enter the restaurant, you'll be greeted at the order counter and a friendly staff member will take your order. As I took the photo, the friendly meet/greet person had stepped away. I arrived at the 11:00 morning time to an empty dining room, but things would change in the next 30 minutes or so. Buckhorn BBQ and Grill operates what I refer to as the "taqueria format," in that you make your selection from the menu, posted above the counter, pay for your order, and you'll receive in return a number. You sit at the bar, or any open table of your choice, and when your order is ready, it will be brought to you by a friendly staff member. The menu of the restaurant is displayed on a large video monitor, but there are also printed menu handouts
Photo: The dining room features a high table for large parties, along with a bar that serves draft beef on tap, along with wine. There are several video monitors tuned to local news, which kind gave a "sports bar" feel to the dining room, but it's a restaurant, not a bar. A neon sign proudly displays "real California barbecue."
Photo: The dining room is clean, comfortable and well lighted, thanks to the many windows.
Photo: The printed take-out menu lists sandwiches, burgers, platters, feasts sides meat by the pound, and meals for the kids. The menu is posted above the order counter as you enter the restaurant. Like many restaurants in 2024, take-out, to-go and ordering online seem to be big business, as I noted many delivery service personnel picking up orders for delivery.
Photo: The beer menu features craft beers on tap, and a few to-go. The craft beers are on tap at the bar.
Photo: As I entered the restaurant, Jenna greeted me, took my order, and after it was all said and done, poured me a Buckhorn West Coast IPA from the tap at the bar. The bar offers several craft beers on tap, wine, and a limited selection of mixed drinks.
Photo: Meet Jenna, the friendly staff member who met me at the door, took my order, and poured me an IPA from the tap. She was both friendly and efficient and treated me like a member of her family.
Photo: I raise a toast, with a 20-oz pint of Buckhorn West Coast IPA to my friendly hostess Jenna, and the amazing Buckhorn BBQ and Grill, located in Rocklin, CA. At 7.0% alcohol, I'm all smiles over this large pint of ale!
Photo: The condiment bar offers four choices of fresh, in-house made barbecue sauce, plus horseradish and ketchup. It's self-service, so you get to pick the sauce of your choice. There are little plastic cups on the side for you to pump your sauce into, take it back to your table and enjoy. Here's the lineup of the barbecue sauce on this late Tuesday morning in late January 2024: * Sweet Fire Sauce: Sweet, tangy, but not at all hot. It was tied for my favorite, but that's just "me." You can't beat the amazing choices at the sauce condiment bar, as they're all simply delicious. When you visit Buckhorn BBQ and Grill, I recommend ordering fries so you'll have many options for dipping.
Photo: The restaurant has an attractive patio which offers a great view of all the activities happening in the busy Rocklin Commons Shopping Center. On this Tuesday morning in late January, there were no diners on the patio, thanks to the chilly weather.
Photo: Two friendly diners at the next table, each enjoying a "Roadhouse" salad and a soft drink. As I was taking photos, the super friendly lady to the right of the photo - why didn't I get her name? - asked me if I would like to take a photo of her salad, and I accepted her generous offer.
Photo: From the "Salads" section of the menu, a "Roadhouse" salad, which each of my neighboring diners enjoyed. The menu describes this salad as "Mixed greens, string beans, tomatoes, sweet walnuts, Roadhouse Onions, bleu cheese crumbles and honey basil vinigrette." Quite a salad... and my friendly diners told me the salad was simply delicious! They also shared an order of "Sweet Potato Fries," which they also enjoy as much as the salad.
Photo: Meet Evelyn, my super friendly hostess who brought my burger from the kitchen to me with a smile.
Photo: I raise my glass and say "Cheers" to Evelyn, her friendly service, and to the amazing lunch I'm about to enjoy at Buckhorn BBQ and Grill.
Photo: From the "Burgers" section of the menu, I started at the top, and went with a "Buckhorn Burger," with a small side of fries. Note that I'd taken a couple of pleasure trips to the sauce station, and I enjoyed four varieties of barbecue sauce for dipping, and a cup of horseradish sauce for an extra attraction. As I placed my order, Jenna, who was present at the order counter asked me how I wanted my meat cooked, which was certainly a great way to begin the order. I went with "medium," which is my de facto standard, but the kitchen staff will grill your meat just the way you want it. Most restaurants don't ask up front how you prefer your meat to be cooked, so this was a great start to a great burger. The "Buckhorn Burger" starts with a 6-oz beef patty, cooked the way you want it. The beef was simply juicy, tender - never frozen - and cooked perfectly to order. The meat was placed on top of a large, toasted bun, which was drizzled with what the menu refers to as "sweet sauce" which was identical to "Thousand Island Dressing," as per common diner cuisine. I asked for "everything" on my burger, which included lettuce, tomato, onion and sliced dill pickles. There was no mustard or mayonnaise, simply the "sweet sauce," but mustard, mayonnaise, ketchup and four varieties of barbecue sauce were available at the condiment bar should you care to enhance your burger. I didn't feel the need, as the burger was standalone delicious as ordered. One bite into the "Buckhorn Burger" was enough to convince me that I was enjoying a juicy, "old school" burger, reminiscent of the fine restaurant burgers I enjoyed as a kid, during the 1960's. The large meat patty was juicy, tender and cooked to perfection and the bun-to-meat ratio was perfect, which is crucial to a quality burger. The lettuce, tomato, onion and pickle slices were fresh, and added a but of "crunch" to the burger. The "sweet sauce" was right out of the 1960's and added the right touch to this delicious burger. No ketchup, mustard or mayonnaise was needed for enhancement, as this burger was simply standalone delicious. The chef who prepared this amazing burger has talent, and I extended my compliments to the kitchen staff. When you're looking to savor a delicious, "old school" diner style burger, think of Buckhorn BBQ and Grill... Oh yes... the fries, or as the menu refers to them as "French Fries..." were simply delicious. The fries were cut medium size and deep fried to a light golden brown on the outside, yet white, tender and juicy on the inside. Like the burger, these were quality fries. I love to dip my fries, so I took a trip over to the condiment bar, which offers four varieties of in-house-made barbecue sauce, a horseradish, and a ketchup. Everything is fresh, made in the restaurant's kitchen, and is a serve-yourself affair, as you pump out your choice of condiment into a little plastic cup and enjoy. I couldn't help myself, as I went with all four flavors of barbecue sauce, along with a cup of horseradish to dip my fries into. I didn't enjoy the "Cowboy Ketchup," but I sampled all of the barbecue sauce, along with the horseradish. All were amazing, but I favorites - and they are tied - were "Sweet Fire Sauce" and "Chipotle Ranch." Talk about amazing dips for delicious fries!!!
Photo: My simply delicious "Buckhorn Burger," showing all of the fresh condiments, and all of the goodness this burger had to offer. The lettuce, tomato, onion and pickle slices were fresh, and added amazing taste and crispness to this delicious burger. The "sweet sauce" added an sweet and creamy touch to this delicious burger. "Wimpy," the cartoon character connoisseur of hamburgers would be proud of this burger, served at Buckhorn BBQ and Grill, located in Rocklin, CA.
Photo: I hold one half of my "Buckhorn Burger" in my hand, as I've already enjoyed the goodness of the other half. You can see the perfection of the meat patty and the cutaway goodness of the burger...
Photo: By the time I left - just before noon - the dining room was busy, and packed with diners enjoying the fine cuisine the restaurant offers. This was quite a contrast to the empty dining room I walked into an hour ago. Alright, I went with the "grill" side of the house, rather than barbecue, but it had been WEEKS since I'd enjoyed a fine burger, and I was long overdue, as a burger and fries is, perhaps, my favorite meal. Buckhorn BBQ and Grill serves an amazing burger, and the staff are super friendly and eager to please. The dining room is modern, clean, uncluttered and very inviting. Any way you look at it, Buckhorn BBQ and Grill provides a superior dining experience for "foodies," and anyone who appreciates fine barbecue in Rocklin, CA. Buckhorn BBQ and Grill Copyright(c) 2024 eRench Productions. All rights reserved. We've been on the web since December 22, 2002.
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