Spitfire Barbecue Cardiff — Restaurant in Great Britain

First time trying Spitfire and was slightly underwhelmed after following the hype on socials.

Was very quiet on arrival with about 4 members of staff congregating at the door. Told them we had a reservation and all looked very confused but quickly seated us

Our server arrived, explained the menu, drinks etc. We ordered drinks and then put our food order in. Food arrived relatively quickly but there were only 3 other tables of people

We ordered 2 pit meals: 1x Pork belly burnt ends, brisket burnt ends, garlic sausage, dirty fries and slaw and 1x pork belly burnt ends, brisket burnt ends, brisket slice, tater tots, pit beans and some corn ribs to share share

Sides:

Dirty fries were tasty and piled high with toppings and the slaw was tasty and cut through the sweetness and fattiness of the meat

Tater tots were delicious, crispy and well seasoned and the pit beans were rich and really tasty

Corn ribs were meh...very underwhelming. Really tough and dry and not particularly pleasant

Meats:

Garlic sausage was tasty. The seasoning wasn't overpowering and it has a really good snap to it that you'd expect from a smoked sausage

Pork belly burnt ends were a bit fatty and the apricot glaze was super sweet and overpowering.

Brisket burnt ends were also overly sweet, a little tough in places and the bbq sauce, as it cooled, made the outer edges of the burnt ends extremely chewy...and not in a good way

The brisket slice was delicious. Melt in your mouth and full of flavour...because it wasn't smothered in anything sickly, just dry rub rub

Overall, the food was decent but a tad dry where it had clearly been left under a heat lamp for a while. I feel like it would be much nicer if they didn't cover the majority of the smoked meats in sweet sauces and let the flavour of the meat shine through. I also feel that serving the food on a plate rather than a silver tray would be better too. The tray kept swinging around when you tried to cut your food and was just not a great dining experience

The service was a bit lackluster unfortunately. The 2 young girls serving us (one was called Skye) spent a lot of time talking to each other and giggling and the host at the front of the restaurant was stood, for the most part, playing on his phone. Kinda ruined the atmosphere to be honest and it felt like most other restaurants rather than an American smokehouse

They also automatically add a 12% service charge onto your bill and don't actually tell you which is exceptionally cheeky...especially when the service wasn't good enough to warrant any amount of tip

Will try it again as want to give the St Louis Rib a go and hopefully it'll be...

I don’t think we’ve had an authentic BBQ restaurant in Cardiff before, so I was buzzing to hear this place was opening. After visiting twice in the past couple of weeks I can safely say it is a top class addition to the city centre.

Most of the menu is split per item so you can make up your own tray with whatever meats & sides you want. The brisket slices and jalapeno cheddar sausages in particular are must-try. Love the tater-tots and mac & cheese too from the sides. Both times me and my pals have ordered a selection between us to share and they bring everything out in a big platter which is presented nicely. Everything we tried was superb and it felt very true to what you’d get in a proper BBQ spot in Texas.

The restaurant has a very relaxed atmosphere and the staff are friendly and attentive. On the first visit there was a bit of a wait for food but we were made aware of this right at the start, and it ended up being a bit quicker anyway. No delay at all on second visit and we were a bigger group.

The thing that impressed me most of all was the prices and portion sizes. BBQ restaurants are notorious for being expensive, but I think this place is more than reasonable especially for the amount of food you’re given. On top of that the soft drinks are refillable, and they put really good BBQ sauce, hot sauce and seasoning on the table at no extra cost.

Before visiting I assumed Spitfire was already an established chain, but turns out this is only their second restaurant after the original Bristol spot. This is absolutely reflected in the high quality of food, and it feels great to support what is essentially an independent business. I look forward to visiting...

Got recommended this place, but sadly it does not live up to its name at all. I had the Louisiana chicken, which was so overcooked, the batter fell off it. There was no seasoning at all, no spice, not even salt. The biggest joke was the greekish salad. It was limp, wilted, and a waste of money. There was probably 3 olives, 2 cucumber moons, and a handful of lettuce, with no sauce or dressing, for £5.80! We were going to share this but it was barely a portion for one. The mac and cheese was burnt and just not particularly nice, just bland with pasta and cheese on top, again no sauce. All of it came out cold, and was just really inedible. The only star I give, is for the refillable drinks, which the staff were amazing at keeping them topped up. Staff were lovely except the manager Duncan, who is absolutely rude when we raised a problem to him. Sadly, teething issues are one thing, but I think this place has more than just issues, and the biggest problem is the quality of food and price. Would not recommend here. Far better places in Cardiff that doesn’t charge this much for poor...