TV Restaurants

Is The Hitching Post II Still Open? Update (Buellton, CA)

Open reported

As of September 2026, The Hitching Post II is listed open on hitchingpost2.com, reviewed by our team on September 7, 2026; not yet independently confirmed through direct contact.

Primary source
hitchingpost2.com ·
Secondary source
santabarbaraca.com

Last verified

What the source shows: A direct check of hitchingpost2.com on 2026-09-08 found a current holiday notice for the Labor Day weekend of September 7-8, 2026, along with listed dinner hours, and a Visit Santa Barbara tourism listing continues to carry the restaurant as an active business.

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What happened after Best Thing I Ever Ate?

On 'Hidden Treasures,' The Hitching Post II in Buellton, California, was featured for its oak-grilled, Santa Maria-style tri-tip and steaks paired with the restaurant's own Hitching Post Pinot Noir, a house wine label that gained wider recognition after the restaurant appeared in the 2004 film 'Sideways.' The steakhouse and winery sits along Highway 246 in the Santa Ynez Valley wine country of Santa Barbara County. A check of the restaurant's own website, hitchingpost2.com, on 2026-09-08 found a current notice announcing the restaurant would close for Labor Day on Monday, September 7, and Tuesday, September 8, 2026, along with listed dinner hours of Wednesday through Monday from 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. and a bar opening at 4 p.m. A regional tourism listing from Visit Santa Barbara also continues to list the restaurant as an active business. No reporting was found describing a closure, sale, or relocation.

The episode featured The Hitching Post's Santa Maria-style barbecue: oak-grilled steaks and tri-tip served in the restaurant's steakhouse dining room in Buellton, California. According to Wikipedia (revised 2026-07-11), The Hitching Post and The Hitching Post II are upscale American steakhouses in Santa Barbara County's Central Coast region, best known locally for this Santa Maria-style barbecue. The restaurant's own website, hitchingpost2.com, checked 2026-09-08, includes a 'Sideways Events' section referencing the restaurant's association with the 2004 film Sideways, along with its wine list, dinner and lunch menus, and gift shop.

Featured on Best Thing I Ever Ate

Season / episode
Season 3, Episode 8
Original air date
Not confirmed
Episode title
Hidden Treasures
What was featured
Oak-grilled Santa Maria tri-tip and the restaurant's own Pinot Noir
Role
Featured restaurant
Name on the broadcast
The Hitching Post II
Season / episode
Season 1, Episode 6
Original air date
Not confirmed
Episode title
Barbecue Paradise
What was featured
Santa Maria-style oak-grilled steaks and tri-tip
Role
Featured restaurant
Name on the broadcast
The Hitching Post II

Frequently asked questions

Is The Hitching Post II still open in 2026?

As of September 2026, The Hitching Post II is listed open on hitchingpost2.com, reviewed by our team on September 7, 2026; not yet independently confirmed through direct contact.

What happened to The Hitching Post II after Best Thing I Ever Ate?

On 'Hidden Treasures,' The Hitching Post II in Buellton, California, was featured for its oak-grilled, Santa Maria-style tri-tip and steaks paired with the restaurant's own Hitching Post Pinot Noir, a house wine label that gained wider recognition after the restaurant appeared in the 2004 film 'Sideways.' The steakhouse and winery sits along Highway 246 in the Santa Ynez Valley wine country of Santa Barbara County. As of September 2026, The Hitching Post II is listed open on hitchingpost2.com, reviewed by our team on September 7, 2026; not yet independently confirmed through direct contact.

Where is The Hitching Post II located?

406 E Highway 246, Buellton, CA 93427. That is the address on the record as of September 7, 2026.

What season and episode of Best Thing I Ever Ate featured The Hitching Post II?

Season 3, Episode 8 of Best Thing I Ever Ate. The episode is titled “Hidden Treasures”.

Every status on this site carries a confidence label and a date, and names the source it rests on. Read the Editorial & Corrections Policy for what each label means and how quickly we act on corrections. The questions above are generated from this record's own published fields — we never publish a question we cannot answer from the data.

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Visit info

Address
406 E Highway 246, Buellton, CA 93427
Venue type
restaurant
Official website
hitchingpost2.com

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