3 Pigs BBQ - San Carlos

Spring is here and with it comes all sorts of things to do once the weather gets warmer. I'm talking BBQ, people! Here's a place that is about an hour from Santa Cruz, but I am dedicating this review to Conor since he lives close by. (Tell us what you think in the comment, buddy!) To get there, take 101 North, then Whipple Ave. exit to San Carlos.

3 Pigs website

At the end of the charming downtown, you will find 3 Pigs. It came up as highly recommended on Yelp, so let's give it a go. Plenty of street parking around.

Cool decor inside with a country BBQ vibe. Sports on the TVs and cold beer on tap. Scanning the menu, there was all the typical BBQ items with a few surprises. They have "loaded" Mac & Cheese (comes with meat) and Kale Watermelon Feta Salad. Also, fried chicken!

Julie went with the classic St. Louis ribs dinner (half-rack $20.50) with 2 sides - coleslaw and Quinoa salad. The pork was fall-off-the-bone good and she liked the salads too. She was especially happy with the choice of BBQ sauces at the table. She tried them all, but preferred the "house" sauce. The slaw was crunchy and tangy with a sprinkle of sesame seeds - delish!

Beside the house sauce, there was also Memphis (sweet), Spicy, Spicy Vinegar and Mustard. I tried all 5 and liked them all.

My choice for dinner was the Taco Sampler ($10) with shredded beef, chicken and pork. It also had onions, cilantro and a remoulade sauce on the side. I squirted sauces all over the tacos and went a little crazy, but was happily sedated with a full belly.

I think the tacos were more of a deal than the ribs, but we had to try them. Everything was quality, so it's worth the money. I'm coming back to try the mac'n cheese loaded. (The dish, not me...)

Scores out of 10:
Food: 8
Service: 6
Atmosphere: 7
Value for price: 7
Overall: 7