Inedible Garbage Back on Sunday, September 17, 2023, my wife and I decided to order dinner using Grubhub. BBQ was on our mind and we found Texas Pit Bar-B-Que on the app. Noticing they offered brisket and three-types of ribs, we placed an order for two brisket plates and an order of Louisiana-style ribs. Let's just go ahead and establish that this restaurant does NOT offer Texas-style anything. Far from it. I should have known when I was prompted to choose how I wanted the brisket prepared, with the selections ranging from "rare" to "well done," like I was ordering a steak. I chose "medium well," despite the fact that this should not have even been a question. The brisket arrived looking like over-sauced, burnt pulled pork. I never saw the option to select between sliced or chopped, but I certainly wanted sliced, juicy brisket with that nice pink smoke ring. Instead, I got sloppy-joe meat that had more sauce in it than it had meat. And, as for that nice "smokey" flavor that one expects from smoked meat, this garbage tasted like it was smoked over literal garbage. No idea what kind of wood they are using, but the "smoke" flavor of this dried, burnt, chopped, over-sauced abomination was seriously off-putting. The ribs were no better. One wants rib meat to "slide off the bone." These were "gnaw off the bone" tough. They were absolutely horrible. Very tough, over-sauced, and like the brisket, they had the same off-putting "garbage" smoke flavor. The beans were undercooked, hard, and mostly soupy sauce that tasted like they had been seasoned with a can of Manwich. The French fries were undercooked, and the potato salad was just plain not good. However, the coleslaw was acceptable, and the cornbread was actually pretty good. If I had ordered only slaw and cornbread, I would have probably been satisfied. Instead, after tipping the driver, I spent $109 on this meal, a meal that could have been beat by the worst McDonald's visit. The bottom line is that if they cannot do any better than this, Texas Pit Bar-B-Que should consider closing their doors. In fact, given how poor the reviews are here on Yelp, I'm extremely surprised that they are still open. Some of the reviews seem to indicate that they used to be a decent place to dine. If that is true, based on my experience, those days have long past. My guess is that they are able to survive only because tourists and individuals new to the area go there without reading the reviews. That's what happened to my wife and I. Lesson learned. read more

Texas Pit Bar-B-Que - Horrible and disgusting. This is what we threw away!!! Fries undercooked, beans undercooked, nasty, over-sauced brisket, tough ribs. - Barbeque Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Food is great, good smoke on the meats. Prices are very competitive. Lots of parking in the lot. read more

Walked by this place yesterday and they had signs showing that they're closed for renovation something about their roof, did my own research and realize they are lying and they are actually closed by the health department for having too many rats in the back and having an unsanitary environment. Avoid this place at all cost, we did catering and four people ended up in the hospital read more

Texas Pit Bar-B-Que - they're pretending like they're doing renovation but it turned out they were actually close by the health department rats in the back - Barbeque Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Do you love Texas BBQ? If you do, don't go here! Throughout the pandemic, I was very conscious of how restaurants hung on the edge of going out of business. I tried to only share positive experiences. We're back baby, and I have to share this review as a PSA for others. I should've known food was going to be horrible when your cornbread is wrapped up and served to you in plastic wrap in the condiments tray. I actually thought that someone left their trash in the bbq sauce, ketchup, salt and pepper rack. Nope, it was my cornbread. Sorry, if this is a Texas BBQ tradition I wasn't aware. And if not, just a terrible way to present your food. I should've walked out at that point. My bad, I waited to see how my "Texas Beef Ribs" would turn out. Once the food came out, I knew I should've trusted my gut. This was the poorest looking beef rib I've ever seen. This poor cow must've been anorexic. This was the smallest, non meaty beef rib of all time. Now for the chopped brisket...well to say that I thought it looked like dog food would be an understatement. This plate was so bad, I just left it on the table. I took one bite half expecting to get sick and I spit it out. I know I could've complained, but the reality is this place doesn't care or have any pride in the food they serve. Please don't waste your time or money for this sad "Texas BBQ"! read more

Texas Pit Bar-B-Que - ows pulled pork, coleslaw, and coleslaw - Barbeque Near Me - Lake Forest, California

You get what you pay for. Prices are fair but food wasn't the best. We ordered via Postmate's, and our order came correctly and arrived warm. I honestly should have read the reviews because it is pretty much in par with how I felt of the food. We ordered the Chili Burger with a side of coleslaw, Pulled Chicken Ala Carte, a quart of "Mac and cheese", and a side of baked beans. Chili burger packaging was on point. They placed the chili separately so that it wouldn't get soggy. Burger was probably the best item out of all of them. Layered with all the essentials, Mayo, pickles, onion, tomatoes, and lettuce. Toppings were fresh. Burger patty was subpar but nicely chargrilled. Chili that came with it was ok. Very watery, but had a good kick of cumin. The coleslaw that came with it was good, nicely soaked with the dressing. The baked beans was bizarre. Honestly looked and tasted as if they split out the chili that didn't have cumin yet, and added a boatload of vinegar. Baked beans were watery and had the oddest taste. No molasses feel or taste. Pulled chicken was just basically crockpot shredded chicken soaked with an acidic bbq sauce. More like Kansas style I guess but bland. Portion was good, but chicken was so dry. Mac and cheese was even worst. They used penne that was lightly coated in what tasted like queso cheese (canned kind). Bleh. Didn't even taste like any real cheese was put into this. Would not try gain unless they had a change in recipes or cooks. Quality was so poor and it truly is more so an economical choice than flavor wise. read more

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Poor representation of Texas style bbq. Overpriced and overcooked. I ordered the brisket platter which came with two sides and cornbread. For one, the meat is poor quality. Probably a choice cut brisket, so the lack of fat content is apparent. While a leaner cut of meat is ok with me, none of the slices had a bent to them, which indicated to me that it was overcooked. The combination of dry and stiff made me wonder if it was reheated in a microwave or something. Smoke ring was visible, but the taste just isn't there. Can hardly taste the smoke. I suspect they cook hot and fast as opposed to low and slow. Leading to the two sides I got, those were a joke in regards to bbq portions. They came in these dainty little cups that were approx 5 bites each. I never review restaurants, but i know my BBQ and this just isn't the spot. Save yourself the hassle and go to a proper spot. (Id name a few but I don't think it's allowed). read more

Texas Pit Bar-B-Que - Overcooked brisket - Barbeque Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Portions were great for a family size meal! The sides were great and the beans and potato were packed with flavor. There was not a proportionate amount of dark meat / white meat, and the white meat was unfortunately quite dry, but they give a side of sauce on the side for it. This place is good if you enjoy white meat and a lot of BBW sauce but personally won't be returning read more

Texas Pit Bar-B-Que - BBQ Beans, Potato Salad, and meat - Barbeque Near Me - Lake Forest, California

What a disappointment. This place used to be good. What the heck happened? I went in and ordered ribs to go. When I got home, I found they had given me brisket. It tried to eat it, but it was more fat than meet. I called to complain, and they said to come back the next day, and they would give me the ribs. I woke up the next morning sick to my stomach. Against my better judgment, I went back, but they said they were out of ribs. I used to like this place. I don't know if they have new owners or what, but they have lost a customer. read more

Tasty brisket sandwich and ample. Onion rings taste homemade and are delicious. Friendly staff. read more

I decided to stop by this place on way back from work, I ended up buying a tri-tip Sandwich, side of Mac and cheese and stuffed jalapenos. This totaled $15.10. I was most disappointed with the side of Mac and cheese that the sandwich came with. It was pretty dry and sorry looking. I can honestly say I've made/had better and would not recommend it. You're better off sticking with the fries for you side. As for the rest, I enjoyed the stuffed jalapenos the most. The sandwich itself was just okay, definitely not something I would be in a hurry to try again. Don't think if I would recommend this place over other bbq places like Famous Dave's or Dickey's BBQ. The restaurant itself was clean and the staff staff looked friendly. read more

Texas Pit Bar-B-Que - Tri-tip, Mac and cheese + stuffed jalapenos - Barbeque Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Christmas 2019 ruin a family holiday lunch due to the horrible food we got from this place. We got the Best of the West, which feeds 12: includes 5lb of pulled pork, 2 whole chicken (shredded), baked beans, potato salad, and a pack of buns. Retails for $100.00. Groupon Deal from 12/2019 $49.00. Option is pick up only. Pay your sales tax (so if this a present... Be aware of that. Its not pre paid. Double taxed from Groupon and Restaurant? And its not even a dine in tax?) We had family over. We open the boxes of food. Served. We could barely eat it! Why? It taste like meat that was previously chewed and spitted out. As if it was regurgitated meat! The coleslaw!!! It tasted like it just came out of the bag and they added water to it. It was so bland!!! The baked beans! Omg! Open your own can at home!!! Yikes!!! This place has been here for awhile but why does it taste so bad. I also know that they are vendors at the OC fair because my kid use to buy food from them while he was at the Montessori next door and they would be gone for a month to serve at the fair. The only good thing that was in the package: The BBQ sauce and the potato salad. Not good. Dont get fooled by that deal on Groupon. Its so not worth it. read more

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Came here for the first time a couple weeks ago since I was craving BBQ. Got the Rib Tips lunch meal which came with two sides all for $7.99. Turns out the price is cheap because the food is mediocre (at least the rib tips meal for that matter). The rib tips were dry and tough, and I couldn't really taste the smoke in the meat which leaves me to question if it was actually cooked in a smoker to begin with. The cheese sauce used in the Mac was a bit too watery or thin for my liking. The bbq baked beans and the cornbread/butter combo were the best things on the plate. All in all, the rib tip meal was quite forgettable. I'll probably come back and try their pulled pork sandwich or brisket sandwich since that's what I initially wanted to get. Maybe that could change my mind about this place. read more

Texas Pit Bar-B-Que - Barbeque Near Me - Lake Forest, California

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Ordered Uber eats, big mistake. Super dry, overcooked. Unsalted. Tasteless. Skip it. read more

This place is very disappointing and I should've looked at all the bad reviews before getting their Groupon voucher. The voucher I purchased was for TWO vouchers, each good for $10 worth of food. When I spoke with the lady at the counter, she was friendly and willing to help with use of the voucher. I ordered the tri-tip sandwich and it was dry and tasteless, and the paltry tablespoon side of mac n cheese was poorly executed, did not have any cheese whatsoever, and tiny tablespoon of coleslaw was bland as hell. To add insult to injury, when I decided to give them another try and use the second voucher, the second voucher was no longer valid. What happened was when I used the voucher the first time, the lady asked me to hit "redeem" on my Groupon app. She said she was not seeing that I redeemed the voucher and asked me to hit redeem again. Little did I know that I must have redeemed it TWICE, even though she said I couldn't not use both vouchers in one visit. But lo and behold, she made me use both in one visit, and now I feel like she did that ON PURPOSE to get me to unknowingly redeem both my vouchers. When I realized that the voucher was no longer valid, I stopped by the place after work and tried to speak with a person there to see if they can help with the situation. I waited in front for a good 5 minutes, but nobody was at the back or noticed I had entered the restaurant. Finally an effeminate kinda dude slowly walked up, no hi, welcome or apology for keeping me waiting. I tried to explain to him the situation and shockingly he was very flippant and looked at me like I was speaking Zulu. This will be the first and last time I step into this establishment. Bad food and bad vibes all around. read more

I was hesitant trying this place because of the reviews and I should have listened to them. My bf and I got the sampler which had tri tip, chicken, sausage and pulled pork, 2 sides and cornbread. We also got stuffed jalepenos. I will say all of the meat was great, no complaints there, which I know is the star of the show, but sides should be good too. We found a fly in the mac n cheese and it smelled so sour, with a touch of vinegar. It was sooo bad and we didn't even touch it. The potato salad was good, but the portion was sooo much smaller in comparison to the portion of mac n cheese. Had it been the same, it would have at least made up for the bad mac. Oh, and the jalapenos were good too, sooo maybe just dont get the mac. read more

Texas Pit Bar-B-Que - Barbeque Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Tasty Tri-tip and mashed potatoes. Worth worth giving this place a shot. Side are small but tasty!

Terrible customer service. I waited in the front to receive service for almost 10 minutes to which the cooks clearly saw me waiting and did not care to inform any front of the house staff. I had to lure someone out by calling the business and hung up when someone came and made eye contact with me. I had a printed LivingSocial coupon to use and when I showed the employee, Maria, the meal deal for the coupon, she had no idea about what my meal deal coupon offered. On the spot, she made up the meal deal along with its terms and conditions of the coupon, and rushed me to order if I wanted chicken or pulled pork. I read the entire LivingSocial coupon in front of her because the meal deal, the terms, and conditions she made up were not indicated on the coupon. She then said they do not take printed coupons even though it has a barcode for redemption for the business and moments prior she wanted me to order either chicken or pulled pork. Texas Pit BBQ clearly did not want my business nor any future business, so I'm happy to take it elsewhere, and I advise patrons to do the same because no meal is worth terrible customer service. read more

Food sucked /: I remember Texas pit bbq used to be so good; High quality bread and meats, delicious sides. To say my first time back since before covid was a disappointment, is an understatement. The sides were lame and almost seemed fake ( the max and cheese was worse than kraft, and there was barely any "cheese" on it (if you could call it that). The meat was dry and chewy and the bread was a store bought hamburger bun, and not even a high quality one. I can say Forsure, that was probably the last time I'll be going there. read more

They don't bbq anything. The ribs are cooked in the oven and then drenched in sauce. Side dishes came in a tiny portion cup. The mashed potatoes were wet and had a broken texture, and the gravy tasted like thickened, over salted vegetable broth. The macaroni salad had hard dried noodles in it from where the pasta clearly sat and dried out after being cooked, except the macaroni salad also tastes pre packaged (which in itself is fine I guess) which means the fully dressed macaroni salad was allow to dry out and get hard before being portioned and served to me? Bottom line, the food has no taste of smoke, no smoke ring, no bark, etc. The sauce is thin and sweet and sour. This is not bbq, it's a bad tribute to bbq served in a way that suggests the staff has as much contempt for you, the patron, as the owner of this establishment has for the very concept of bbq. read more

Texas Pit Bar-B-Que - The worst ribs I've ever had. - Barbeque Near Me - Lake Forest, California

I never write reviews. My buddy took me here for the first time. We were so excited. It was dead EMPTY, and the girl in the front said that they were not taking orders due to a big to go order?! Ummm what kind of business is that?!?! You can't turn away new customers because we will never be back. Sad really! read more

Bought a Groupon. They give you no choices. You get what they give you. 4 ribs and shredded chicken. And that's for 2 people. Lol. I tried calling and they would not answer the phone. I came in and the guy said he will have it ready in 30 minutes because they were so busy. There was no one n the restaurant! I can back right as he was trying to lock the doors. (4:45pm). I said wait I'm here to get my order. He said they were closed and I reminded him he told me to come back in 30 minutes. He said okay and went to get me my order. I gave him my Groupon and then he said I owe him an additional $2. Then he handed me two drinks as said he ran out of lids. How has this place lasted so long? read more

Texas Pit Bar-B-Que - This took 30 minutes to prepare. - Barbeque Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Overall, the meat was good and my family and I were satisfied. We ordered take out and it was near closing. The meat was slightly dry but still good, and we were given extra sausages so thank you! The sides were good too, we got the cole slaw, Mac n cheese and beans. Overall solid, and would support this place again! read more

Ordered a pound of tri-tip as takeout from this restaurant. The meat itself was a disappointment -- bland, slightly tough, and somewhat dry. I'd hardly have guessed it came from a barbecue joint if served blindly. I'd have sooner guessed a slightly overcooked homemade oven roast. The only aspect of this dish that screamed bbq is the smothering of barbecue sauce. The sauce itself? Not bad, but nothing special either. Certainly not enough to mask the lack of quality or care that went into the meat itself. read more

Horrible customer service I purchased Groupon all the order I want it's not available. And the lady make me wait every 15 minutes. And when I get there my order it's not ready yet I waited for so long . And I pay extra also for my order. They not going to prioritize you especially when you used the Groupon. And don't even care about you . Customer service is horrible and very bad service. So don't used any Groupon because they not going to entertain you . You have to wait because she said the priority is the order on line first . It's my first time using the Groupon here . I thought they are nice . And the food is not that good at all anyway . So think about it twice before you come here . The lady works there she has bad attitude and not friendly manners. read more

Texas Pit Bar-B-Que - Barbeque Near Me - Lake Forest, California

I got a Groupon deal and after buying it, saw some reviews that said they refused to accept the deal. It gave me an inert thinking that I was going to place an order and there was a chance that they'd tell me to pound sand. When I went, they took the Groupon without any issues. Unfortunately, despite me placing the order hours prior, they did not begin to prepare my order until I got there. I had my baby with me and they apparently have no AC. We sweated our butts off while waiting for our order. I ordered brisket, spare ribs, fries, and cornbread. The brisket was dry but still decent, the spare ribs were also dry, and the fries were inedible. The cornbread however was excellent. I actually wanted the beef ribs but they said they hadn't been able to order beef ribs that week. I might give those a try but after the meats I got, my expectations are pretty low. read more

Very dry meat. I just drove to Texas Pit Bar-B-Q after Mario's Butcher shop ran out of bread, and I was severely disappointed. You see, Mario's gave me a delicious few pieces of their homemade pastrami but they couldn't sell me a pastrami sandwich since they ran out of bread. Therefore I searched for bbq and found Texas Pit Bar-B-Que to satisfy my craving. I ordered the brisket sandwich and was severely disappointed. The brisket meat tastes very dry and nothing like the delicious, succulent meat at Mario's butcher shop in Newport Beach. I had to drench the sliced brisket pieces in bbq to experience juicy flavor. Don't come here, it's a not tasty. If you are drunk and your taste buds are suffering, this place is for you! read more

Texas Pit Bar-B-Que - Beef Brisket Sandwich - Barbeque Near Me - Lake Forest, California

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Delicious food! They recently changed ordering to a kiosk inside the restaurant. It's different but it works! The main thing is the food is still great! It's not the cutest place in town! I think they might think about an updated look inside but but Covid hit a lot of restaurants. With the current redo of the shopping strip it might be a good time to update inside! read more

Absolutely amazing BBQ! Affordable and clean. Did not get what I ordered but it was so good I didn't mind! :) Looking forward to going back. read more

VERY VERY disappointing... Placed a catering office order 2 weeks in advance.. That's 14 days, received confirmation and THE DAY OF..45 min BEFORE DELIVERY Texas Pit Bar-B-Que canceled stating : They didn't have enough meat to for fill the order".. UNEXCEPTABLE AND UNPROFESSIONAL. Be careful order cratering quantities from them... Sadly to say.. read more

The restaurant is supposed to be open until 9pm. My husband came at 7:30pm. An employee was inside, and when he saw my husband he tried to hide behind the counter. The employee refused to open the door or answer the phone. Another employee came out 10-15 mins later saying "we don't have to tell you why we are closed". Very rude. read more

Do not go! They didn't accept my Groupon, even though it was still good not expired they told me they changed their mind and aren't taking them anymore and to go back to Groupon to get a refund. We ordered food anyways and the Mac and cheese was spoiled! It had turned sour for sure. The meat didn't taste fresh and the lady working the counter was a major additude for sure. So rude. We will never go back. Our neighbors actually had the exact same experience, minus the Groupon issue. read more

Great time, excellent food for a reasonable price! Will definitely come again next time we're in the area.

This is not bbq!!!! All the bad reviews are accurate. Ordered twice same thing, food is garbage.

I've wanted to try this place for over a year. Unfortunately, it seems as if I missed my opportunity. There are rave reviews from a year or so ago but now something has clearly changed. Outside of all the Groupon complaints that I know nothing about, the fact is my experience was the same as all of the other 2 and 3 star reviews; Dry meat, day old meat, flavorless dishes and botched orders. My experience was not good. I ordered a meal for 4 that was comprised of day old tri-tip, bland Mac & cheese, undercooked beans, barely descent brisket, over-food-processed coleslaw, "chili", cornbread, some very nice ribs, BBQ chicken...and pulled pork that was purely mediocre. There was no love, care or pride in any of the dishes. I avoid the chain BBQ places for this exact reason. There is no way the recent 4 and 5 star reviews are written by people that actually eat BBQ or by real Yelpers that haven't sold their accounts. I hope at some point this place returns to their former glory...but for now, we won't be back. Best of luck to them! read more

As soon as I entered yesterday my nostrils (through my mask) became enraptured with the meaty/BBQ scents that filled this charming eatery. I deliver for Postmates- and was picking up a decent side order. I was greeted with smiling eyes from a young lady sporting a well-worn denim jacket that matched mine. She was friendly and welcoming- and I cannot wait to return. I was also tipped well after the food reached its final destination. read more

Needed some extra food for Thanksgiving so called to get 2 racks of baby back ribs, they wanted $70!! Ordered and picked them up and brought them home. OMG they were chewy, dry and I couldn't even finish 3 ribs, it was like chewing on rubber. The person there said this was their specialty!? Luckily there was enough turkey. Do NOT get the baby back ribs! read more

Texas Pit Bar-B-Que - Barbeque Near Me - Lake Forest, California

It was our first time here as a family! We are definitely coming back. Upon arrival, we were greeted by the staff and seated. They waitress was super friendly, able to answer our questions and gave great suggestions. We started with the corn bread and there delicious butter. The bread was so warm and tasty the butter just melt while on it. They were the perfect combination. Once we ordered the wait wasn't too long! I had the 1/2 rack St. Louise rib dinner with two sides, French fries and coleslaw. The 1/2 rack was a generous portion I was only able to eat half! The meat flavor was delicious and the sauce was perfect- not too tangy. I ordered my sons a single order to share. They had the Texas burger with cheese and Mac and cheese. The portion was just right for them to split. read more

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I wish i could leave zero stars the worst brisket i ever had no seasoning and super chewy its like they just microwaved it nasty read more

We were hungry...borderline hangry ...on Easter Sunday during the COVID-19 shelter-in-place, and none of us were in a mood to cook, so we checked for carry-out nearby and found Texas Pit BBQ right down the road. We ordered and paid online, and then we showed up at he location 30 minutes later to pick-up our meal. Everything was packed and ready for us. We got it home and dug-in. Excellent portions and cooked perfectly! Everything that should be hot was hot, and everything that should be cold was cold. The meat was tender and juicy, and had excellent flavor. Good BBQ sauce too! Highly recommend! read more

Good family owned restaurant to support in Lake Forest. For lunch, we were able to get the lunch special with beef brisket sandwich, one side, and a soda for $6.99. I felt it was reasonably priced and the food was really good. During this Coronavirus they have take out only, but they are still open for business for the community. read more