EXCLUSIVE: Timbers Roadhouse and Whiskey Joe’s have opened at 10 Winchester Canyon Road in western Goleta. The iconic Timbers building was built by Tex Blankenship in 1952 and is now operated by the family behind Woody’s BBQ. Timbers is actually two restaurants under one roof: Timbers Roadhouse which is open for dinner Tuesday-Sunday 5-10 p.m. and Whiskey Joe’s, a bar/restaurant which is open Monday-Sunday 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Timbers Roadhouse is a steakhouse with a kitchen run by Executive Chef Andrew Crawley who is in his 33rd year in the industry. Crawley’s Roadhouse Specialty Beef menu includes 16oz Prime Rib, 14oz Prime New York Steak, 8oz Filet Mignon, and 10oz Prime Flat Iron. The meal is served with house salad or prime rib soup, choice of potato (mashed, baked, or fries), seasonal vegetables, Yorkshire pudding, whipped cream horseradish, and au jus.
The Classics menu includes BBQ Beef Ribs, BBQ Babyback Ribs, Double Cut Pork Chop, Roasted Chicken, Grilled Shrimp Skewers, and Roasted Duck Leg). All items are served with house salad, choice of potato, and seasonal vegetables.
Entrees and Sandwiches include Crispy Local Catch, Pan-Seared Salmon, Grilled Vegetable Lasagna, Creamy Polenta, Timbers Burger, and Open-Faced Steak Sandwich. A variety of sides, soups, salads, and desserts are also available.
“Whiskey Joe’s menu is slightly different than Timbers,” says bar manager Charise Bacchus. “But all the specialty cocktails and the wines will all be available at Whiskey Joe’s and Timbers Roadhouse. We will have happy hour starting soon and we’re excited about it. Our wine list serves local and international and I think we will have one of the best whiskey and tequila selections in town.”
Unfortunately I arrived a few minutes too late to be their very first customer. That honor goes to Stan Shaner who lives in the nearby neighborhood. “We have watched it be closed for years and were very sad, and now that it’s opened up it is beyond belief,” says Shaner. “They have done a beautiful job of remodeling. It’s spectacular. Timbers is the marriage of the greatest local building, with so much history, and the people known for the greatest barbecue restaurant. It’s a marriage made in kitchen heaven. I am so happy and hoping that the community will support it.”
Photos by The Restaurant Guy
Kinda weird.
a) They need an editor for their story page, it’s not very well written and has typos.
b) The roadhouse is Fine Dining Prices with bench seating and neon signs? Seems a little jarring. Especially since Angel Oak is around the corner and absolutely gorgeous – and not significantly more expensive it seems.
c) The Bar Menu is super heavy and very pricey – i live around the corner and I don’t see myself eating here frequently at all.
d) Hoping for something lighter on the menu, more lunch based, and some nice afternoon outdoor activities. I was definitely hoping for a place like Fig Mountain up in Buellton.
a) Right?! As a writer and editor, I find it painful to see this. It appears to be a photo of their hard-copy menu… cringe.
And yes, prices also painful.
I love the Timbers building and have been going there when open since I was a kid. This menu is a complete disaster. Those prices would make me walk out of Lucky’s and they want me to drive out to Ellwood? I was out there a while ago and saw some offset smokers and got really excited that Woody’s finally would do BBQ instead of the pressure steamed dreck they served since I was 10. I’d gladly drive out there, wait in line and pay $30 a pound for properly smoked brisket but if I want prime rib, I’ll go to Tee Off and pay half that for better product.
$54 for prime rib?! 16oz is a big portion. Tee Off’s Eagle cut is $45. And $12 for a freaking pretzel at the bar? Give me a break. Sorry, but there’s nothing on these menus to make me want to travel way out there for a meal. And the typos on the menus are utterly unprofessional. If they can’t get those details correct, what else are they missing? If they don’t care about those mistakes, what others are they not caring about?
Comparing the prices with Woody’s last menu online… ouch. They pulled a Mizza.
I was really excited for this place to open, and had hopes of bringing the whole family in. At those prices, I may venture in for a cocktail and an appetizer, but I would be reprimanded if I even took my wife there for date night.
I understand wanting Timbers Roadhouse to be the “fancier” dinner spot, but Whiskey Joe’s should be much more affordable, and traveler-friendly. It’s one of the last spot’s to eat headed north on the 101 before you hit Buellton, and it is next to a gas station. They could have had so much more business, had they kept the prices reasonable.
I hope they can survive on the Sandpiper golfers, and Ritz-Carlton patrons, because most locals aren’t paying those prices. Super bummed!
Wow, rough crowd. Looking forward to trying it tomorrow!
Holdren’s tried a high-end steakhouse in Goleta in 2009, duplicating their wildly successful downtown location, and they were gone in 5 years when the lease was up. I think Goleta gave a thumbs-down to downtown Santa Barbara prices.
Fingers crossed the happy hour menu will have affordable snacks and drinks.
I did not notice a kid’s menu as well.. unfortunately with those menu prices we will need to pass. Super bummed as it looks like a cool place.
ridiculous
…we live walking distance and had been so excited..these are vegas fine dining prices..id drive to the hitching post before I’d pay any of that. Come ON..this can’t stick
We are coming for dinner sounds great.now to hear of your opening. Remember when it closed always though it was a great location
Ouch at those prices. Thought the comments here were the usual locals grousing but they really do seem off for the “Roadhouse” theme. 25/30% higher than say, Harrys or Tee-Off is a tough sell for a destination restaurant way out in Goleta.
It’s fair to say whatever you want about prices or value to you. They will be reading the comments here for sure. I’ve never started a restaurant – but these owners have. They have to say goodbye to their old restaurant and now have to make some exclusive decisions about cuisine and pricing using a business model. One consideration is getting employees when no one wants to work anymore, so tips on higher priced meals might be important. They have to estimate how many people will actually come out there to eat. They have to decide if they are targeting golfers and Bacara people, neighborhoods to the west vs the immediate neighborhood to the NE. The adjoining gas station has highway robbery prices, but the Porsche brothers have presumably done a study. They have not lost income by raising their prices. I don’t buy gas there very much anymore, but someone does. This restaurant can still lower prices, but it’s hard to raise prices suddenly last minute to stay in business. Their original plan was to have lower prices available at their BBQ place then augment that with a steakhouse. Well, all they have now is a steakhouse and pricing might have been one of the last difficult business decisions. It’s possible they have done a study and seen that a steakhouse in Goleta is currently missing in this market. The comment about Holdren’s is interesting, but I think rent is lower here. They may be trying to bring back what was historically there, might even be a requirement of the contract. I live nearby and will try and support the restaurant weekly, probably sandwiches and bar food. I noticed the wine by the glass prices were under what I expected.
I hear you, and I consider myself a foodie, I’m not opposed to paying for high quality meals. This just seems like way off base when I can go to Hitching Post, Holdrens, Loquita, The Lark, Santo Mezcal, Flor de Maiz, Barbareno, Toma, or Bouchon?
Yeah..i agree with josh..its tone deaf…more customers at 15 dollars less a plate..equals more customers
. And more return biz…
Is the reference to the family behind Woody’s BBQ referring to original owner, or most recent one?
Recent
Best deal is the Fish and Chips @ $16
To start with, these are the former operators of Woody’s, arguably the worst BBQ in the county. And yes, we tried it many times, hoping that we had just hit them on a bad night. To charge these prices with a reputation like that, in such a remote location is absurd. Wish them luck, but doesn’t look good.
If I owned that restaurant, I’d specialize in a great barbecue menu, music, and line dancing …. to bring in the UCSB crowd! Just my 2 cents.
I’m not going to put down some questioning comments without offering a solution.
Those prices for steaks would be much more approachable for the neighborhood if there was an implicit approval from the restaurant that they’re for sharing. I.e imagine a meat dish for the table with shared sides, kind of like AJ spurs.
I like the idea of outdoor bbq and line dancing, and that needs a lunch price point of $15-$20.
For repeat local business, needs a few salad options.
We live close to the Timbers Roadhouse. It’s nice to have a neighborhood restaurant out here. The building has lovely, interesting, old rustic wood with historic background. However, the ambiance is uninteresting, dark and dull. I has the potential of being very nice. Our fried chicken sandwich with fries came to the table hot and tasty. The service slow and erratic but it was 2:30. Whiskey Joes menu was too close to their evening restaurants menu. Needs a lighter lunch oriented menu. Sandwiches, salads and maybe a soup. More appetizers. Prices need to be lower. The other side can remain pricey. Serving two different groups of people. I can see Whiskey Joes being more of a local hangout where you can stop by get a quick bite have a drink or hang out watching sports. I really hope that they stay afloat. It’s a lovely idea right there.
I concur 100%
Have any of you who are leaving negative comments, been there? I have, for lunch and the food was exceptional. There is a kids menu and it’s a local family owned business. I’ll definitely be back.
The negative comments are about the prices. You don’t have to eat at a restaurant to have a problem with their prices.
I was there Friday.
What is strange is that it’s a perfect building for a BBQ joint. It took me a bit to realize that it’s two different concepts. The “fine” dining is in a large eating room that looks like the bar area. I was shocked when my dad said the steals were over $50. For that kind of money, I would just go to Lucky’s.
There is a kids menu. Which is good.
We ate on the Roadhouae side. The beef dip was good but is $10 more than Harry’s (and Harry’s is a better sandwich). $26 is a ton for a sandwich.
It’s simply not sustainable. I very rarely lookat prices when I eat. I assume everyone is in the ballpark of reasonableness. They should adopt a Outback model where it’s the same menu for both the bar and resturant. The prices have to cone down. If it’s a lower quality of meat,so be it.
I’m surprised at the $40-50+ range for Steaks the menu doesn’t describe where the meat comes from.
Everyone complains about price. Its 2021
Have you been to the store lately? Costco has steaks for at least 20 per pound not to mention
Gelsons has steaks for 25 per pound
Don’t forget rent and employees getting minimum wage 15 per hour.
Lucky’s has been mentioned but its more for salad and potato etc.
just keep a open mind aad try it
Lucky’s is a steakhouse at night, with a greater variety of options.
It looks like they have lowered their prices. I mentioned above that the $26 beef dip as being high. I went back and noticed they lowered it to $22.
I do hope they succeed. It’s a cool little spot and they have done a nice job cleaning it up.
No phone # anywhere. Looks like prices are too high. Former employee of the Timbers.