Wine & Dine in Temecula: Best Date Night Restaurants in Temecula

Located in Southern California’s Inland Empire, Temecula is a great place to visit for bachelor and bachelorette parties, birthdays, anniversaries, or just for a fun day with friends. While it’s widely known for its wineries, we can’t forget all the delicious food throughout the town and Wine Country. Unsurprisingly, some of these wineries offer the best food around. Whether you’re in the area for a wine tasting or looking for a place to snag a delicious dinner, these restaurants are sure to please. Here are a few of our favorite restaurants to eat and drink in Temecula that will make for a special evening.

Thornton Winery

At Thornton Winery, you can spend the day wine tasting and enjoy the evening at the Gold Award-winning restaurant, Café Champagne. Thornton Winery wine is paired perfectly with its combination of French Country elegance and contemporary cuisine. Experience the sunset over the rolling hills and stay for live music. This restaurant has been around for thirty years, giving the expert team plenty of experience preparing dishes that pair perfectly with Thornton’s wines. If you’re looking for our recommendation for a combination vineyard, winery, and restaurant, visit Café Champagne.

Ponte Winery

Ponte Winery is perfect for weddings, special events, or a full day of fun. Ponte Winery offers wine tours, live music, wine tastings, and a beautiful hotel to complete the weekend getaway. The Restaurant at Ponte is highly rated on Trip Advisor and Open Table, and the menu will not disappoint! With veggies being locally grown and sustainably farmed meat and poultry, the freshness is something you will not forget. Plus, thanks to the superb Temecula Valley weather, this restaurant offers year-round outdoor seating in the spectacular garden. Remember that only parties of eight guests or less can make a reservation, and all parties over eight will be seated based on availability.

South Coast Winery

South Coast Winery Resort and Spa is another amazing winery for many special events and memory-making. No matter what brings you here, the food and wine will keep bringing you back. This restaurant is built in a Tuscan-inspired dining room with a relaxing wine bar and terrace. The Vineyard Rose Restaurant serves contemporary California cuisine sourced from the season’s freshest, locally-grown ingredients. The restaurant has a rustic and classy vibe, with exposed beams and wine barrel decor meshed with high-class touches for the perfect vineyard dining experience. Plus, you can enjoy your meal with views of the vineyard in the distance. What better way to celebrate a visit to wine country than with a meal that overlooks a vineyard, after all?

Temecula Creek Inn

Temecula Creek Inn offers a variety of activities to fill your day and many different dining experiences to match. At Temecula Creek Inn, you will find Cork | Fire Kitchen with farm-to-table dining and golf course views, a bar with crafted cocktails and local beer and wine, CFK Patio to relax, and Porter’s 19 for a perfect ending to a day on the course. You’ll be spoiled for choice with these three different restaurants to eat at. While not located at a vineyard, the Inn is within driving distance of several wineries, making it the perfect place to relax and enjoy a meal after a long day of wine tasting or golfing.

Falkner Winery

Falkner Winery offers The Pinnacle Restaurant, a Mediterranean-style restaurant with breathtaking valley views. If you are planning a special event, the Wine Cave below the restaurant will give your gathering an extra special touch. The restaurant has panoramic views, giving you a glimpse of the gorgeous winery and vineyard outside while you dine in style. While the food at the winery is to die for, the real treat is the cocktails. These craft cocktails will have you sipping in elegance as you enjoy the high-class atmosphere of this fine dining establishment. Or, of course, you could always order some Falkner Wine to complete your dining experience.

Callaway Winery

Callaway Winery features Meritage Restaurant, a relaxing restaurant atop the valley. Meritage uses ingredients from its onsite greenhouse and garden when available, and all of its dishes are paired perfectly with Callaway’s award-winning wine. With a commitment to fresh eating, this restaurant sources its produce from its greenhouse or local gardens, meaning you’re dining on the freshest local produce when you eat at the Meritage. We can’t recommend the delicious Sunday brunch experience enough. Who can say no to fresh mimosas?

Leoness Cellars

If you want something spectacular, spend your evening at The Restaurant at Leoness. The Restaurant has been rated the #1 Winery Restaurant by USA Today’s 10 Best Reader’s Choice and Best Restaurant of the Inland Empire for four consecutive years. From harvest to bottling, Leoness Cellars makes hundreds of carefully thought-out decisions to offer you the highest-scoring wine, all pairing perfectly with their made-from-scratch kitchen. If you’re looking for innovative takes on classic meals or scrumptious salads with only the freshest ingredients, The Restaurant at Leoness will surely become your favorite dining experience.

Trattoria Toscana Italian Restaurant

Trattoria Toscana Italian Restaurant should be your first choice if you want the true Italian cuisine experience in Temecula. Delicious, fresh food made with local produce and genuine Italian ingredients sets this eatery apart. Chef Pietro, born in Sardinia, ensures each meal is made with care and a touch of true Italian heritage. This restaurant is a must-visit location if you’re looking for truly fine dining for your next date night.

Anthony’s Lounge and Ristorante

We recommend sitting outside if you’re heading to Anthony’s Lounge and Ristorante. Their Italian cuisine is incredible, but what’s more amazing is watching the heart of Temecula walk by while you enjoy a fresh Italian meal. Anthony’s is the oldest family-owned and operated restaurant in Temecula, and you can taste that history with every bite as you enjoy their authentic Italian cuisine. Their lounge (added in 2008) adds live entertainment options to their dining experience, making it perfect for a night out.

If you’re looking for something for you and your date to do, why not take a tour? Best Coast Tours offers guided tours of classic Southern Californian sights, like the fantastic coastline or a Temecula wine-tasting tour. These tours can be reserved for private events and feature professional insight into the areas and custom pickup and drop-off locations. Check out our tours tab to find out more or book a spot.