Spirit of Texas Craft BBQ — Restaurant in Norco

I really wanted to like Spirit of Texas Barbecue, but my experience didn’t quite live up to expectations. We ordered just under a half pound of pulled pork, a brisket sandwich, mac and cheese, cornbread, garlic potato wedges, pickles, and a potato salad that had the texture of mashed potatoes.

The pulled pork was the highlight. It was decently tender and came to life once we added their barbecue sauce. On its own, it was a bit plain, but the sauce helped bring out more flavor. The brisket sandwich was a mixed bag. It had a lot of meat on it, almost too much. While the portion was generous, the brisket itself was extremely fatty. I know some people enjoy a fattier cut, but for me, it was overwhelming and hard to enjoy. It lacked a good balance between fat and actual meat.

The sides were mostly disappointing. The mac and cheese was just macaroni noodles covered in nacho cheese sauce, like what you’d find at a movie theater. The spicy version was the same thing with a bit more heat. The garlic potato wedges were soft and covered in a saucy seasoning. They weren’t crispy and didn’t have much garlic flavor. They were okay but not memorable. The cornbread tasted fine but reminded me of a boxed mix, which was a bit of a letdown. The pickles were fine, nothing special. The potato salad was the strangest part. It had the consistency of mashed potatoes and was very heavy on the mayonnaise. The texture and flavor just didn’t work.

The atmosphere also didn’t help. The lighting inside felt cold and sterile, more like a cafeteria than a barbecue spot. The layout of the dining area was awkward and didn’t flow well. It seemed like the space had been converted into a restaurant without much thought to how people would actually move through it.

We paid just over $70 for everything and shared a drink from their fountain, which I believe was called Batch Razzleberry soda. Honestly, the soda ended up being one of my favorite parts of the meal. It reminded me of a carbonated version of boysenberry punch and was really refreshing.

I understand this location is new, and I try to be patient with places still getting into their rhythm. But since this is part of a chain, I expected more consistency and polish. If this is a franchise, then the parent company needs to offer better training and support to make sure new locations start off strong. Right now, it feels like they’re still figuring things out, and unfortunately, that leaves the customer stuck in the middle.

I didn’t take any photos of the food because I forgot, but I will say everything looked more appetizing than it tasted. It was one of those meals where the presentation gave me high hopes, but the flavor didn’t follow through.

There’s potential here, but it needs a lot of improvement. I hope it gets better over time, but I won’t be rushing back...

Tried Spirit over Easter Weekend while in town to see family, They said it was new and wanted to check it out. None of us were impressed at all. Too much that was just not right. Some big, many small things. From first impression, the entire layout is uninviting, but it was the food that had us looking for a second meal as soon as possible. Biggest let down was the brisket - fairly dry and over smoked to the point of having that creosote light sourness. We tried to make it work with the little cup of sauce that was included but the sauce was thin, runny and tasted more like sweet and sour than bbq. The beans were okay but very runny. The green beans with turkey were just weird - smash green beans, not very hot, very mashed up and gamey from the turkey. The mac and cheese was overcooked and mushy and quite spicy - not sure if they have a regular mac, but the menu only had one listed, it did not say it was spicy, and most of the group didn't like it at all. Pork belly burnt ends were a let down too; the meat was hard and the flavor was more like Asian pork than smoked and it is not ends nor burnt at all. The cornbread had a decent corn flavor but was dry as sand, hard and brittle. The rest of the items we tried were mediocre at best and mostly subpar. Our family is from the South from Texas to Florida, and we didn't recognize any of the flavors as authentic - it all tasted very commercial and dispassionate, like cafeteria bbq.

For what this place presents as, it lets down on too many main points and is not worth the time or cost - good food, especially good smoke and bbq, is worth a lot of pennies when done right and we are all happy to support those and not worry about the prices - but this does not live up to that appreciation.

We knew they had just opened but it is a chain and all the locations have the same meats from (what we were told) is a central smoking location. If that is the case, this is the norm. We actually left most of it over and went to another restaurant down the street. With other amazing smoke and bbq options nearby, with perfected recipes, service and great atmosphere, we won't be...

We’ve been fans of the Fontana location, so when Spirit of Texas Craft BBQ opened near our house, we made a beeline. The meat’s what brought us in—and for the most part, it delivered.

My wife and son ordered sandwiches, which were great and honestly a solid deal compared to buying meat by the pound. I went for the sampler approach—brisket, ribs, chicken, sausage. The brisket and ribs were the clear standouts: smoky, tender, exactly what you want when you’re craving Texas-style BBQ. The chicken and sausage were just okay. Not bad, just forgettable.

We didn’t try the sides this time—partly because of the mixed reviews, partly because we were there for the main attraction. That said, next time we might roll the dice.

The one thing that does need attention? The vibe. Sitting inside felt a little like eating in a school cafeteria—fluorescent lights, minimal decor, zero atmosphere. I’m not asking for candles and jazz, but a little effort would go a long way in making it feel more like a BBQ joint and less like a waiting room with brisket.

That said, we’ll be back. The food’s good where it counts, and we’re hoping the...