City of Temecula

This is a pretty cool city considering on how many wineries are all around the city. We only stopped in this city because of the casino and to spend the night their. Next time we stop here we are going to check out some of the wineries around the city.

Ahh Temecula. Their city slogan is «The place where San Diegans move to because San Diego is completely unaffordable». I know their motto very well because three separate times over the years I’ve looked at buying a home up here. I too was lured in by Temecula’s miles and miles of cheap large houses. Three times I avoided a mistake of a lifetime. It’s a great place to visit, but you should really turn around and go back home.
Food
Temecula offers a wide range of restaurants and food options, many of which are not available in San Diego.
Best Bets
— Pamir Kebob House (in my top 1% of all my reviews) Five Stars
— Burgers & Beer
— The Yellow Basket
— Rockafellas
— Lucille’s Smokehouse bbq
— Tourist attractions
Old Town. A touristy street with bars, restaurants, shops, and a hell of lot of bikers.
Wine Country. A touristy countryside with wineries, restaurants, shops, and a hell of a lot limo-​tours.
— The Traffic
Over development and lack of road infistructure are the prime culprits for the nightmare traffic. You will lose your mind sooner or later if you think you can commute to San Diego every day.

Very nice and clean. I went here on Monday night for a Volunteer meeting. The space was nice and clean. A lot of areas to just sit and relax. This was of course after hours… I would say around seven at night. I like the architectural design of the buildings.
****Beware the town is dead and quiet… not used to that… San Diego is always busy no matter what time of day or night!

If my eyes become dazed and I completely stop listening to a word being spoken to me while you’re mid-​sentence, please charge it to my head and NOT my heart. Most likely, my mind is on the absolutely entrancing, undeniably beautiful city of Temecula.
Jesus, Mary and Joseph do I love this town!
Having resided in Lake Smell-​Sinore a few years prior, and being required to do all of our shopping 15 minutes south in this gorgeous town, little did I know that due to a job transfer a few years later, I’d be relocated directly to the heart of the city. A definite offer I couldn’t refuse…
I just have to take a deep breath before I commence…(sighs) Hoahhh! Temecula. That name tends to conjure warm and fuzzy feelings.
Located just after Murrieta (also gorgeous), about 25 – 30 minutes south of Corona (from the 15 Fwy), an hour and a half southeast of Rancho Santa Margarita (traveling Hwy 74 thru Lake Elsinore) and 45 minutes north of Escondido… in San Diego County (from the 15 north) amid rolling hills and ascending mountains, sits this plush, posh, semi hidden «diamond» in the boondocks. The term «gem», I felt not to be a strong enough adjective to sufficiently modify this town’s beauty.
Okay, so I relocated to L.A. County after residing here 3 – 4 years ago for just shy of a year. Boy was I bummed. This place has EVERYYYYYYYYYYYYYY-​thing!
For starters and for those of you unfamiliar with the area, there are a good 39 – 40 wineries out this way, hence the term «Wine Country». My favorites are Mira Monte, South Coast and Thornton but I’m going to digress on that because I’ve already composed separate reviews for them all.
Moving forward however, whomever the founders are to this town are guaranteed a bottle of Port on me!!! Gold star for getting it completely right!
The topography of this place is what amazes me. From every direction, no matter where you are, you’re guaranteed a spectacular view! If you’re in search of that relaxing «go to» place simply to inhale fresh air and embrace nature’s splendor… THIS IS YOUR SPOT. Picture a place with a smörgåsbord of restaurants, day spas, massage parlors, shopping outlets… then,… there’s the mall surrounded by every boutique imaginable, only to be joined by MORE shopping, …thereon to the wineries and/​or «Old Town», followed by golfing and did I mention Pechanga Casino is here as well!!!
Babyyyyy (old lady voice…)
All,…well, most of the restaurants are located between Winchester and Rancho California when exiting the 15 freeway. By exiting either and traveling east to Ynez you’re guaranteed to bump into some sort of eatery amongst the hundreds if not THOUSANDS offered; most of which are positioned around the mall which sits between Ynez and Margarita (I know, I know… A street named after my beverage of choice, lol).
Exiting Rancho California and traveling west (towards the mountains) followed by a quick left onto Front Street will lead you into the charming «Old Town» neighborhood. I’ve reviewed a restaurant there as well (The Gambling Cowboy) and the food there doesn’t by any means disappoint… yet, by traveling east onto Rancho California for a good 2 – 3 miles… you’ll find yourself within wine country.
Careful though: W/​all of the buzz on the city, the cops tend to perch directly outside of Wine Country and honestly, they don’t even have to hide as tipsy drivers tend to be a dead giveaway out here.
Sweeping that beneath the carpet, never in California have I ever felt so safe. This is seriously the type of town that you can leave doors unlocked to run to the market and not think twice about it.
As you’re able to derive, traveling here once to twice a month, I’ve got a serious soft spot for Temecula, whose sister city is Nakayama, Japan (feel free to Wikipedia that) yet I’m compelled to expound on what another reviewer stated previously by this place having grown a bit pretentious.
Expect to receive an odd stare or two from the Beverly Hills wannabes if you’re out minding your beeswax… all the while spending money without remorse. Perhaps you appear as if you «don’t belong».
I’ve actually been known to travel completely out of my way to add $ 5 – 10 to the tab of said rubbernecking onlookers while at Starbucks or a local winery simply to say, «I’m black w/​the green…
Bow down b! tches»…

I really love coming to Temecula and I am in the city several times a month. This city is like a second home to me. I know my way around through all the back roads, hell… I’ve even been on the unpaved roads. This city is a nice getaway if you live in Los Angeles, Orange or San Diego Counties. There is a lot that you can do in the area, but Erik P. is right, there’s not much of a night life, unless you go to Pechanga, which has a couple clubs.
There are wineries and vinyards that you can visit, both on the popular Rancho California Road or on the much quieter De Portola. Some of the wineries have wine clubs that you can join, but they all differ in prices and some of the shipments are larger or smaller than others. Some of the wineries also have inns and restaurants and they also sell picnics, so that you can sit out on the property and enjoy. For those of you who like to hop from winery to winery and not catch a case, you can go on the Jeep tours or Grape Vine Tours, where they drive you around so you can get as drunk and obnoxious as you want and they drive you back home or to the hotel.
There are all kinds of restaurants that you can eat at, from steakhouses and seafood restaurants to Chinese, Japanese, and any other kind of Asian-​fusion. Fast food? Take your pick… Coffeehouses? Take your pick… Specialty restaurants? Take your pick… There are plenty of places to eat.
In the mood for shopping and entertainment? You have The Promenade Temecula that has over 170 shops and restaurants, like Macy’s, JC Penny’s, Apple, H&M, Pottery Barn, Victoria’s Secret, Sephora, Abercrombie, MAC, etc. They also have restaurants like Lazy Dog Café, PF Changs, Lucille’s, Yardhouse, etc. There’s also Old Towne Temecula that also has a different and eclectic mix of shops and restaurants. For entertainment, you have Pechanga and Pala Casinos, in addition to movie theaters, some clubs, plenty of bars and other local hangouts.
There are all kinds of festivals and events, from the Pechanga Pow Wow to the Balloon and Wine Festival to the Food Truck Festival. There’s always something going on and they have hot air balloon rides in the valley. Some mornings or early afternoons, you can see them flying across the sky.

I’m going to get straight to the point if you love shopping, great restaurants and wineries this is a great city for you. There are so many stores and boutiques in Temecula it’s crazy from Coach to Ritzy Ragz. Temecula has a Macys, Forever 21, Lane Bryant, Coach and so on. Not to mention all the shopping in Old Town Temecula.
Now on to the restaurants, there are so many restaurants in Temecula I’m sure you’ll find something you’ll like. Some of my favorites are Sorrel which is Mediterranean and across from the mall. My favorite dish there is the shrimp with field greens that is what I get all the time. Also a favorite is the Havana kitchen in Old Town Temecula which has a great cuban sandwich and tasty plantains. My last restaurant is Mr. Kabob which is another Mediterranean restaurant which is really tasty even though it is a mom and pop. Mr. Kabob is my go to because I feel it’s authentic, affordable and damn good.
For all the wine drinkers you must go to the wineries for the day for a whole bunch of tastings. Or you could just stay the night because some wineries have resorts too. My favorite is South Coast Winery because I like the restaurant and it’s probably the biggest winery in Temecula. There are also some wine bars in Old Town Temecula that I heard are pretty good.
I haven’t even mentioned Pechanga which is another one of my favorite places to go. So for me Temecula is definitely a place to visit at some point.