Drift Distillery and Smokehouse

Drift Distillery and Smokehouse reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Review summary

1. G

   Greg VIP

   Orange County12 reviews

   5.0

   Dined 4 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Good first time experience at Drift. Good food, good spirits, good ambiance. Will visit again!
   

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2. B

   Brent VIP

   San Joaquin2 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on April 7, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Good vibes, delicious bourbon and very attentive staff without being over bearing. A great spot to hang out and will be back for sure.
   

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3. S

   Stacey

   Hawaii4 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on March 30, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 5

   Went to see The Sea Monks perform. Excellent band, ribs were best we’ve had in some time. Fall off the bone, perfect smoke and delicious flavor. Our service was a bit slow, but friendly.
   

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4. P

   Pete

   Greater Boston5 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on March 30, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   It's very difficult to get a table at the small, new restaurant in downtown San Clemente called Drift (use OpenTable, preferably days in advance) and after the first visit you will understand why. This family owned restaurant distills their own whiskey, bourbon and gin, offers amazing smoked meats and has the kind of relaxed vibe that successful San Clemente restaurants specialize in with great service and a diverse menu that has something for everyone. Our party of three on our first visit sampled pulled pork and that smoked brisket with the stunning pink smoke ring in both sandwiches and the loaded tater tots platter and walked away vowing to return, if only for the smoked duck spring roll appetizer or those kitchen sink beans ($8 as a side) that use all three of the barbecued proteins (chicken is the other one). There is also a whiskey sampler that we will be trying on future visits. They do simple things such as putting a solid, simple cheese sauce underneath those tater tots and top them with sliced red and jalapeno peppers. The funniest name for a signature mixed drink is "Where's my Two Year Old?" There is a small bar and live entertainment on the weekends, but anytime is a good time to drift into Drift.
   

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5. S

   Scott

   Orange County1 review

   3.0

   Dined on March 30, 2025

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 3

   The food was pretty good. I liked the bbq sauce.I ordered the pulled pork sandwich and it didn’t have much meat on it. The beer was cold. I tried 2 different IPAs both were great. My GF had the brisket plate that was about $18 just for about 8 very thin slices of brisket It didn’t come with any sides so she ordered 2 of them. Each side was $8 so $16 for the 2 small sides alone. The bill for 2 was $95 for 2 people with tip. Don’t think we’ll be rushing back.
   

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6. A

   Anne VIP

   Seattle10 reviews

   3.0

   Dined on March 22, 2025

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 3

   The food was good but the live music was distracting and way too loud for the small dining room. Service was quite slow as well.
   

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7. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   San Diego1 review

   5.0

   Dined on March 16, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Great drink, food, and music! Trifecta! We will be back.
   

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8. T

   Terry

   Denver16 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on March 11, 2025

   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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9. M

   Michael VIP

   Orange County8 reviews

   4.0

   Dined on March 10, 2025

   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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10. K

    Kristin

    Orange County7 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on March 1, 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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