The Hitching Post

The Hitching Post
The Hitching Post in Casmalia, California in 2023.
Map
Restaurant information
Established1952; 72 years ago (1952)
Owner(s)The Ostini Family
Food typeSteakhouse, Barbecue, American
StateCalifornia
CountryUnited States
Websitehitchingpost1.com
hitchingpost2.com

The Hitching Post and The Hitching Post II are upscale American steakhouse restaurants located in Santa Barbara County, California, in California's Central Coast region. They are best known for their Santa Maria-style barbecue restaurants popular in the area.[1]

History

The original Hitching Post was purchased in 1952 by the Ostini family in Casmalia, California, in a building that was previously the Casmalia Hotel before it was converted into a restaurant in the 1940s.[1] Its sister restaurant The Hitching Post II was opened in 1986 in Buellton, California.[citation needed]

The restaurant also makes its own brand of wines under the Hartley Ostini brand.[citation needed]

The Hitching Post II is known for being featured in the Rex Pickett novel Sideways and the Academy Award winning 2004 Alexander Payne film adaptation of the same name.[2][3][4][5][6][7]

  • Famous grilled artichokes
    Famous grilled artichokes
  • Mussels
    Mussels

References

  1. ^ a b Christine Delsol, "Santa Maria, Calif.-style barbecue", San Francisco Chronicle, October 3, 2010.
  2. ^ New York Times
  3. ^ Los Angeles Times
  4. ^ Orlando Sentinel
  5. ^ New York Times
  6. ^ Wall Street Journal
  7. ^ MSNBC