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Drift Distillery and Smokehouse, San Clemente, CA

Drift Distillery and Smokehouse

4.6
4.6
26 Reviews
$30 and under
Barbecue

Make a booking

2 people
7:00 pm
Booked 27 times today
  • Neighbourhood gem
  • Great for creative cocktails
  • Great for craft beers
We are an award winning craft distillery and bbq smokehouse located in the heart of San Clemente.
All of our spirits are handcrafted here in San Clemente with grain from our parents' farm in Kansas, making us a true grain to bottle distillery. We are also proud to serve KC style inspired bbq with a SoCal twist.

Order delivery or takeout

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Barbecue
  • Hours of Operation
    Mon–Thu, Sun 11:30–21:00
  • Phone number
    (949) 388-0700
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress

What 26 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.6
4.6 based on recent ratings
  • 4.6Food
  • 4.5Service
  • 4.7Ambience
  • 4.5Value

NoiseModerate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Drift Distillery and Smokehouse offers a "great new restaurant" experience with "excellent" food, especially their BBQ meats. The ambiance is inviting and the drink options are impressive. Service is friendly but sometimes slow. Highlights include "tater tot nachos" and "smash burger." Perfect for sharing, with generous portions and a fun decor nodding to Kansas roots.

26 Reviews
  1. Terry

    Denver16 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Outstanding. Will return Great drinks, appetizers, entrees and dessert

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  2. Michael VIP

    Orange County8 reviews

    4.0

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    It was a Sunday so not as crowded as it could have been. Service was excellent. The octopus appetizer was delicious. The muddled cucumber mint vodka drink shined. Wine list could have had more choices. Four wines from one winery on a short list was disappointing. The brisket sandwich was our favorite with the chicken sandwich in second. Quiet overall, we will return!

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  3. Kristin

    Orange County7 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on 1 March 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    The brisket was very good. The tri tip was sliced in pieces was very good. However, it took a long time for our orders to be delivered, but the wait staff was diligent and attentive. We will go back hopefully with a quicker food delivery

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  4. rob VIP

    Orange County10 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 23 February 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Really loved the food at this place! We had the tater tot nachos and the smash burger. My wife had the chicken bacon sandwich. Bbq sauce is delicious!

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  5. Doug

    Orange County4 reviews

    2.0

    Dined on 23 February 2025

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 4
    Worst BBQ I have ever had, ordered the Brisket, was served cold, and super dry. We didn't even eat it, very poorly done. The side cornbread was good, the wedge salad was fine, nothing fancy though. The drinks were good. Service was slow, took about 20 minutes to get a drink after being seated, and getting the waiter to help was slow as well. Staff was friendly and helpful when you can get help. Don't think I will go back though, to many other options out there.

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  6. OpenTable Diner

    Orange County1 review

    5.0

    Dined on 22 February 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great spot, loved the live music, staff was great, food and drinks A+++

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  7. Sherry

    Orange County1 review

    5.0

    Dined on 21 February 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    It was our first time eating at Drift, and it won’t be our last! There were 4 of us there for lunch, and we were each pleased with the BBQ which is huge considering they’re from Kansas City!

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  8. Michelle

    Palm Springs2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 20 February 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    What a pleasant surprise! Started with the Tomahawk finger appetizer and cornbread skillet - to die for! The fried chicken sandwich and the Cubano were amazing. Will definitely be going back to continue buying items on their amazing menu.

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  9. Paige

    Orange County1 review

    4.0

    Dined on 17 February 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 5
    Great new restaurant! Food was good. Wait staff needs work! They seemed in a rush. Had to ask for drink refills and a to go container after waiting quite some time. We’ll chalk it up to being new.

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  10. Petti

    Orange County14 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 13 February 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The food and drinks are excellent and priced fairly. The service was outstanding. The server really knew the menu and drinks and was very helpful in suggesting choices. For our group of 5, the server gladly provided us with separate checks.

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FAQs

Drift Distillery and Smokehouse offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (949) 388-0700.

Drift Distillery and Smokehouse is rated 4.6 stars by 26 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a booking

2 people
7:00 pm
Booked 27 times today

Order delivery or takeout

Google Map for Drift Distillery and Smokehouse

115 S El Camino Real, San Clemente, CA 92672

Additional information

  • Cross Street
    Avenida Del Mar
  • Area
    San Clemente
  • Hours of Operation
    Mon–Thu, Sun 11:30–21:00
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Barbecue
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Private Parking
  • Additional
    Entertainment, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeaway, Wheelchair Access
  • Privacy policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Cookies and Interest-Based Ads
  • Cookie Preferences
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