Sandra Dee’s BBQ in Sacramento: Tri Tip & Fried Chicken You Will Love

As of June 2019, this restaurant is now closed.

On the corner of 15th and F street in Sacramento sits one of the best BBQ spots in all of California. The exterior is full caricatures while the inside is dimly lit yet strangely inviting. The walls are full of famous headshots signed with love for this unique spot. All of this plus the rave reviews I had heard and the 20 people sitting there on a Wednesday night let me know I was in for something special. Here is all the information.

Details

• Hours: Closed Mon & Sun, Tues – Sat: 11AM – 9PM
• Cost: $15
• Location: 601 15th St, Sacramento, CA 95814
• Information from my visit in 2015

The Food

I started my meal with a sweet tea as you can always tell a good BBQ spot by their tea. The sweet tea here was unique, yet on point. It was just tea, lemon juice, and sugar and it was fantastic. 

For my meal, I went with the tri-tip meal that came with two sides. The tri-tip is thinly sliced, juicy, and slathered in BBQ sauce. They pile the meat on; you will not leave hungry. It comes with either spicy or sweet, and if you like spice go with that, but be warned it does burn. 

For my first side, I ordered the corn, which was fantastic with a real good burn as well. There was just a hint of sweetness at the end to not make the spice overpowering. 

Lastly, I got the baked beans. They were a good choice for me as they were sweet, so that helped to round out the spice from the rest of my meal. The beans have full chunks of meat swimming in them as well and have a sweet brown sugar and molasses flavor.

I asked the waitress what I was missing, that was a popular dish here, and she said fried chicken. I decided I had to try a piece, so I asked her to bring me out a small one. Wow, I was blown away by how good it was. The fried chicken was the standout for me; it was literally perfect. It has a fantastic crunch, huge flavor with the spices, and a juicy, well-cooked meat.  This is my top recommendation here, and you could just order this by itself.

After downing my food, I went on my way, full yet happy to find another fantastic BBQ place in California. If you are in Sacramento, you need to make your way down to Sandra Dee’s and order some of the fried chicken. You can thank me later. Let me know what else you like in the comments.