The Gambling Cowboy Chophouse & Saloon

We came in on a week night at 8:30 and we had to stand and wait for a hostess for about 5 – 7 mins before we where greeted. This should of told me to go elsewhere, but we like there food. Waitress greets us and I am thinking maybe this will be ok… We get food never see waitress emptry drinks basically the entire meal… both water and bar drinks… Take forever to pay bill… Sadly not a great experience when they make a great steak… Not the best annivaerary dinner for sure!

This steakhouse was excellent! The service was excellent. The busboy never let our water get even close to empty.

This restaurant has become our wedding anniversary tradition. Their stake is always of the highest quality and expertly prepared. Always get the load baked potato. It is the best I have had. And you may ask yourself– how good could a baked potato be– well, it’s amazing. It can be a bit pricey but the service and food are so outstanding I feel that it is well worth it.

Good note: The food here was absolutely delicious!!! The Cowboy Mac n’ Cheese was amazing!!!
Bad note: The only reason why I am giving this restaurant 4 stars instead of 5 is because the staff was «snobby» and acted put out the whole time we were there.

Ordered a 12oz filet and it was very fatty. Chef couldn’t believe it, only comped our drinks but not the $ 50 steak. When you go to a steakhouse and the steak isn’t good it’s time to try some place different.

Very best restaurant in Temecula! Love the food, love the people! Our go to place for any occasion, New Years, birthdays, Easter, Mother’s Day, any day! They NEVER disappoint!

My wife and I ate here after a gig her band played at one of the local wineries it was recommended by two ladies at one of the ladies clothing shops nice atmosphere staff was a little preoccupied with something other than taking care of us though I guess we came just a bit bit early for dinner by about 15 minutes only so we got seated about 15 minutes later we both ordered what we always do when we go to a steakhouse she gets the biggest ribeye they have and I get the biggest fillet mignon they have. The food came and everything was decent but I guess the style in which they cooked the steaks just really wasn’t our taste they were a bit tough, both of them, so the dogs got quite a treat that night. Very pricey for what you got. I never mind paying a high dollar amount if I’m getting what I’m paying for but in this case we didn’t.

We went to Gambling Cowboy about a year ago and had a phenomenal experience. I have been wanting to go back but considering how pricey it is, we haven’t made it. My sweet husband made surprise reservations for us for Mother’s Day and I was so excited!
One of the things I really like about Gambling Cowboy the first time was the quality of the food. It’s not cheap but I’m alright with that as long as we get what we pay for. Our second experience had good quality food again and my kids loved eating a good quality steak that melts in your mouth and my husband enjoyed the beef stroganoff very much. The side dishes have always been excellent also.
Unfortunately on our visit this weekend my meal was the one that didn’t quite go as planned. I started with a cosmopolitan and it had to be the worst flavored cosmo I’ve ever had. For dinner I ordered a filet mignon, cooked medium well. It came to the table medium rare which is ridiculous because it wasn’t just one notch away from correct, but two. While it was being cooked correctly my family finished their meals and I ate all my sides. Once a steak is taken off the grill and recooked, it’s never correct. The outside gets charred heavily through the warming then recooking process, and the inside just can’t be done perfectly. To pay the amount of money for the steak that you do and to have it not be much better than a Sizzler filet is a shame. Before anyone comments that the problem is cooking it medium well… that’s not the problem as I’ve had many a successful steaks cooked that way! :)

Definitely a gamble. Food was ok besides being overlypriced. Ordered bottomless mimosas and bloody Mary’s but we continued to find the bottom. I literally waited over 15 minutes to have my coffee refilled. Seriously, how hard is it to keep coffee filled especially after asking my server twice for a refill. Manager blamed us for the reason they were so slow. I’d rather go somewhere else.

The birthday boy wanted steak so we headed over to the Gambling Cowboy after wine tasting in Temecula. The wait was a bit testy though, definitely get reservations before you go. Our reservation ended up being around 8:30PM, and we didn’t actually eat until 45 minutes later, but I guess that’s how it is in Old Town.
When we were finally seated at 8:30, the restaurant was 50% empty. I know they were turning other people away too, but it’s just kinda weird to be short staffed on a Saturday night. Well anyway, I opted for the blackened swordfish. The fish was actually pretty good, but the Saffron risotto it sat on was absolutely horrendous and chalky. It was just horrible. My friend ordered the salmon with mushroom risotto, much better. Much much much better. But for her to substitute the spinach for asparagus cost $ 5. Jeez.
Overall there wasn’t much to complain about, the service and staff were fine it was just my particular dish. The steaks that the boys ordered came out correctly and their sides tasted great. I guess you just can’t go to a steak house for fish.

The only reason I’m not giving this place 5 stars is because it’s expensiveeeeee. But very worth it! Brunch is the best time to go here, they have bottomless Mimosas and Bloody Mary’s! The best breakfast is the skillet biscuits and gravy!
We also have been for dinner and boy were we stuffed when we left! Great wine to go with an amazingly juicy rib eye and the spicy, sweet Cowgirl kisses!
You’ll spend a pretty penny, but every one is worth it! We love the Gambling Cowboy

Amazing!!! This is the best steak/​chop resturant in the valley. Eat your heart out Vail Ranch… These steaks are legit!

Damn good!!!
So I spent the weekend with Mr. Veuve, I was curious to see what he was going to pick for dinner. The night before he told me The Gambling Cowboy. I was like WTF is that and I was praying it wasn’t like an Outback type of spot LOL. No kidding, I had severe expectations before checking them out. So of course, I hopped onto Unilocal and saw the reviews all over the place. I wasn’t too worried. It peaks my curiousity even more: p
So Mr. V made the mistake of not making RSVPs on a FRIDAY no less!!! He really thought we were going to walk in and get seated in a booth on top of that like it was nothing. I knew that wasn’t happening when we got off the elevator and saw how packed it was o_​O. The kind hostess told us there was a wait and a longer one for a booth. No shit LOL Thanks Mr. V UGH. She told us that there were two seats at the bar. Sign me up!!! So we sat at the bar. The bartenders were very busy but still nice. I forget which speciality cocktail I ordered but damn it was strong and Mama liked it! So we scale the menu. My date knows that we are definitely ordering the mac and cheese without a doubt. It’s his favorite he told me, so of course I have to try. We start with the beef carpaccio. My date doesn’t like carpaccio’s so he took only one bite but I made love to it LOL. They do a balsamic drizzle instead of an aioli and that’s why my date didn’t want any. I prefer aioli as well but I’ll take carpaccio anyway you serve it: D
For our entrée’s he did the Gambler’s choice Oscar style and I did the Rib eye topped with stuffed poblano and an added bone marrow. So we’re enjoying the vibe of this place and our food get’s served. Immediately people who were only drinking, zoned in on our food LOL. The portions here are HUGE. If you’re not greedy or love leftovers like I do, than share a plate. His plate was a 24 oz Cowboys cut bone in rib eye with an added topper Oscar style. The sides he chose, were the cowboy potatoes, corn and green beans. His food looked great but mine looked better LOL. I tasted the Cowboy potatoes and those were gooooood. The corn and green beans were seasoned well. My food was so good. I never had a rib eye topped with a stuff chili pepper and a serrano cream sauce with queso fresco. The sauce was thick and creamy, the pepper was cooked perfectly. Not soggy and not crunchy, thank god. The cheese blend within the pepper was amazing. The steak was cooked perfectly (medium rare) and seasoned to perfection. Having a bite of steak along with the pepper, made for a perfect bite. I also had green beans and corn. The bone marrow was HUGE LOL but so good. The mac and cheese wasn’t your typical mac and cheese since they use rigatoni pasta. The cheese mix was so good and it had pancetta inside it. I’d get this again especially since Mr. Veuve didn’t leave me with some when I took my leftovers home GRRRRRR.
Such a solid meal. I wish it were closer because I’ve been thinking about this meal often LOL. I can’t wait to come back and I’ll make sure we get RSVPs next time!!!

We stopped in here before heading to a concert at the community theater. The facility is amazing and the atmosphere is great. The décor is classy with a cowboy theme. Somewhat upscale and definitely not casual.
I ordered a lobster tail, cost $ 60. For this price I was definitely expecting a quality meal. My wife ordered a Filet Mignon.
It took over an hour to relieve our entrees. Even the appetizer took nearly a half hour to get (scallops).
When I finally got the lobster tail it was extremely tough. I ate a couple bites and couldn’t finish it. My wife ordered her steak Medium, it was totally rare and barely cooked. She sent it back but only ate two bites when she got it back.
The manager on duty felt so bad she comped our food, not drinks, and that’s the only reason I gave two stars instead of one.
The waitress also said the kitchen was understaffed.

My wife and I are big fans of the Gambling Cowboy. Really nice cuts of meat, sides are awesome and the staff is great. Not overly impressed with the wine list, but it’s well represented from several districts throughout California, Oregon and Washington. With a prime rib for me and filet for her, I would throw down a 100 a bottle for my fave cab, but just not that kind of place. Still, there are good middle of the road wines and the steaks (which is why you’re really here, right?) are really good.
The baked potato is larger than most people’s head so bring your appetite!

Folks
I have been dining here for other 8 years and tonight we ordered the special for $ 44 and they totally didn’t prepare our steak right. So we sent it back and again it wasn’t correct. Ask to speck to the manager and she treated badly. Keep asking us «well how did you order it» so we told her «med well» and she looked at us like we were crazy. Long story short I told her we would pay for the veggie etc just remove the steak from the table and the cost of. She reduce our bill $ 10
Really? Last time I will eat there ever.
RT

This is a beautiful restaurant in downtown Temecula. It is on the pricey side, entrees range from 25 – 50 but it is worth every penny. It is beautifully decorated and the weight staff was on top of everything.

THE FOOD
The Gambling Cowboy was delicious! We started out with the Cowgirl Kisses and we’re off on a great note! We then enjoyed the Prime Rib and added the Cowboy Mac & Cheese and were comatose with the richness of the dishes! The steak was perfectly prepared and the Mac and Cheese was decadently creamy! And to top it off, the restaurant surprised us with a delicious glass of chocolate mouse for our anniversary!
THE SERVICE
From the time we called to make our reservations and the service at the restaurant, everyone was courteous and very attentive!
OVERALL
When you’re in the Rancho California /​Temecula area you HAVE to visit this amazing steakhouse!

It’s definitely time to update my review. Not only is this a great steakhouse, but breakfast is delicious too! I enjoyed one of the best breakfast burritos I have ever had. The potatoes are so delish that nothing needs to be added to them; eat them as they come and you won’t be disappointed. The biscuits and gravy as well as the steak and eggs are to die for. Oh, and in addition to the great food, the portions are huge! I’m pretty sure this will become our go-​to breakfast before heading out of town.

I truly liked this very awesome saloon-​like joint as it made for a good first meal in the Old Town section of Temecula and came very well recommended by the people at the Inn @ Churon. There is parking located in the back of of the place and you have to take an elevator to get upstairs to the dining area.
We ended up with a very nice server by the name of Natalya and she did a great job with telling us whats was good with the menu. We started out with the herb roasted artichoke which was pretty good and full of flavor. The menu had all kinds of hearty goodies that caused me to take a while on my decision. I wound up going with the Chili Dusted Salmon which was served over roasted poblano and white cheddar risotto finished with a mango black bean salsa. Very good dish and was the perfect portion… not too big and not too small.