The Restaurant at Ponte

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Address:
35053 Rancho California Rd
Temecula, CA 92951

Neighborhood:
Temecula

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Cuisine:
Californian

Price: $31 to $50

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The Restaurant at Ponte Details

Dining Style: Casual Dining
Website: http://www.pontewinery.com
Phone: (951) 252-1770
Hours of Operation: Monday - 11am to 4pm

Tuesday - 11am to 4pm

Wednesday - 11am to 4pm

Thursday - 11am to 4pm

Friday - 11am to 8pm

Saturday - 11am to 8pm

Sunday - 11am to 5pm

On Saturdays & Sundays, guests arriving by limo or bus MUST have a separate Limo confirmation. To submit a limo request, please go to the "Plan A Visit" tab at www.pontewinery.com.
Payment Options: AMEX, Discover, MasterCard, Visa
Cuisine: Californian, Mediterranean
Executive Chef: Salvatore Giuliano
Dress Code: Casual Dress
Accepts Walk-Ins: Yes
Additional Details: Beer, Cafe, Entertainment, Non-Smoking Restaurant, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Personal wines welcome, Personal wines welcome (corkage fee applies), Private Room, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine
Entertainment: Live music is always on the menu Friday and Saturday evenings beginning at 6pm.

Friday January 3
5:30pm - 8:30pm
Brian Stodart - Alternative Contemporary

Saturday January 4
5:30pm - 8:30pm
Ron Freshman - Flamenco Guitar

Friday January 10
5:30pm - 8:30pm
Michael LeClerc- Guitar + Vocals

Saturday January 11
5:30pm - 8:30pm
The Lookouts- Classic Acoustic Rock

Friday January 17
5:30pm - 8:30pm
Brian Stodart - Alternative Contemporary

Saturday January 18
5:30pm - 8:30pm
Ron Freshman - Flamenco Guitar

Friday January 24
5:30pm - 8:30pm
Michael LeClerc- Guitar + Vocals

Saturday January 25
5:30pm - 8:30pm
The Lookouts- Classic Acoustic Rock

Friday January 31
5:30pm - 8:30pm
Brian Stodart - Alternative Contemporary

Saturday February 1
5:30pm - 8:30pm
Ron Freshman - Flamenco Guitar
Special Events & Promotions: Special occasion, special location. For a wine country experience like none other, Ponte Family Estate Winery is the perfect setting for your wedding, rehearsal dinner, anniversary, or birthday party. We offer a full range of catering menus, beverage options and professional planning assistance to ensure that your event is a memorable success.

Getting there

Cross Street: Anza
Parking: Public Lot
Parking Details: On the weekends (Saturday & Sundays) only Limos and Buses with a prior Limo Reservation will be allowed to enter the winery between 10am-12noon. To make a reservation, please visit the "Plan A Visit" page at www.pontewinery.com or call us at (951) 694-8855.

Guests without a Limo Reservation, as well as those arriving after 12pm on Saturdays and Sundays, will not be admitted regardless of having a restaurant reservation.

A word from The Restaurant at Ponte

Recognized by OpenTable as one of the top 50 restaurants in the US for outdoor dining, the Restaurant at Ponte prepares wine country cuisine in a casual outdoor atmosphere. We are leading the way toward a community of wineries and restaurants dedicated to promoting local, sustainable farmers and… ranchers. Our dishes feature top quality seasonal and regional ingredients prepared in our kitchen and enhanced when paired with our wines. The Restaurant is open daily, although hours do vary.

The Restaurant at Ponte is open in inclement weather. Heaters and blankets are available in the winter, and misters and fans are used in the summer.

Guests Arriving By Limo or Private Bus: A separate limo reservation is required for the weekends. To submit a limo request, please go to the "Plan A Visit" tab at www.pontewinery.com. Continued

Foodspotting photos

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Awards voted by OpenTable diners

Diners' Choice WinnerCalifornian
Diners' Choice WinnerGreat for Lunch
Diners' Choice WinnerOutdoor Dining

The Restaurant at Ponte - Best Restaurants in Temecula

Diner Reviews

"We really enjoyed our time at Ponte on Friday..everything was wonderful!"
Dined on 7/18/2014
"We have eaten here several times. The food is always fresh and nicely prepared. It's a bit over-priced for what it is, but we still enjoy the lovely outdoor patio (it is all outdoors) and surrounding gardens. It's a nice place to bring out of town guests after/before a wine tasting adventure. Service can be a little slow, but servers have been very pleasant."
Dined on 7/16/2014
"First time back in about five years. Last time we were rushed through that left us unhappy and a overflow parking lot has kept us away. On a whim we decided to try a Friday evening out. Very happy that we did. We had a very nice appetizer and shared a meal. A very satisfying night out without breaking the bank. We will be back again... sooner then the last visit."
Dined on 7/11/2014
"The service was great and the food is always good and consistent"
Dined on 7/9/2014
"Our server, Jackie was fabulous! We were also visited by Debrah your manager, she too looked after us! The service and the food were wonderful!!! We will be back........the nice part is we live just up the road in Wine Country."
Dined on 7/8/2014
"I have eaten here several times and am never disappointed. This time I had the chicken (thigh/leg) over some orzo with flava beans and some type of delicious sauce. It’s always busy on the weekends but the service is always quick and professional. This is the place I bring friends and family when they come to visit."
Dined on 7/6/2014
"First time in Temecula wine country. Lunch was wonderful. The crab stack was delicious! Service was outstanding."
Dined on 7/6/2014
"We are wine club members and visit often. We've never had anything that we didn't love. It's definitely one of our favorite lunch spots."
Dined on 7/6/2014
"This place is really nice. Location wonderful, grounds amazing. Server went out of his way to us. The only problem, it was so hot. Not the restaurants fault, but i won't go back on a hot day"
Dined on 7/5/2014
"The day was perfect. Great service, great food and great atmosphere."
Dined on 7/2/2014
"The best winery restaurant in Temecula Wine Country"
Dined on 7/2/2014
"We live in Palm Desert and my son in San Diego. We met for his birthday lunch at the Ponte and had a great time. Good food, great menu, beautiful surroundings. It was 90* but the shade provided and the misters made it cool enough. The extras for salads, steak, chicken or fish were very generous. I had the steak and it was at least 8-9 oz."
Dined on 6/29/2014
"Ponte is the most elegant and classy wineries in temecula. The Inn is by far the only place to stay in town if you have high end tastes. But where the inn and scenery win points, the restaurant loses. The restaurant is outside and is beautiful as you look at all the wine tasters, covered trellises and lines of vines. We ordered the frito misto and were underwhelmed by it's doughy tasteless flavor - veggies used were cauliflower and onions and artichokes. The accompanying sauce was very vinegary and didn't help at all. We did enjoy the Mediterranean wrap - light and healthy with most of its flavor coming from the feta cheese. It needed some salt for additional flavor. We finished with the key lime mousse. It was very nice and light."
Dined on 6/28/2014
"We have been wine club members at Ponte for a long time. We frequently eat lunch at the restaurant and have never been disappointed."
Dined on 6/28/2014
"My husband and I enjoy eating here when we visit Temecula. It is especially nice during summer evenings when they have live music."
Dined on 6/27/2014
"Took my dad for Father's Day with my mom and son. They seated up toward the front and it was very cold and windy. I asked to be moved to another table but the two hostesses I asked refused to move us. Our reservation was at 5:45 and there were about 10 empty tables at this time. Not busy at all! We asked our warier and he was hesitant. Finally after pleading he allowed us to move 2 tables down. There were many many other tables available and they did not allow us to move to any of them. It was a windy evening and they still had the fans going and no one ever asked if they could turn them off or turn on the heaters that were all around the patio roof. The food was good and came promptly. I was just very disappointed with the service."
Dined on 6/15/2014
"We love everything about Ponte for dining, however, this time they sat us in an area where there were no fans above your head - it was hot and 2 flies were annoying. Not as enjoyable as sitting in the area where there are fans above your head - blows the flys away and also cooler. In the future we will always ask for the other area. It was all still wonderful!!!"
Dined on 6/13/2014
"I have been here before but it's been about a year since my last visit. The ambiance and setting are lovely. However, prices have skyrocketed. L.A. prices in Temecula. I had an appetizer: a 'meh' crab stack: $21. A glass of decent Malbec: $14.50. Plus tip, it's hitting in the $40 range. It has become overpriced and over-rated. I don't think I'll bother going back."
Dined on 6/12/2014
"We love Ponte and keep coming back every time. However, this time we were attacked by flies. It made it very uncomfortable to eat. Some of us couldn't even finish our meal. We spent most of our time fanning. Everything else was beautiful and will definitely come back, just not in June."
Dined on 6/8/2014
"There were so many flys the whole meal experience was terrible. The day was hot and some of the ceiling fans were not working so it made it worse. For the price we are taking this resturante off our list"
Dined on 6/8/2014
"The food was great, service was as well. However there were flies everywhere - outdoor dining and it couldn't be helped and isn't really their fault but it's there."
Dined on 6/5/2014
"Always a great time with the girls! Service could be much much better. Being it was so hot never refilled water glass to keep hydrated in the heat. Loved the food as always. "
Dined on 6/1/2014
"What else can I say? :) My wife and I went their to celebrate our anniversary (a few days late), based on a friend's recommendation. We had an 8:00 reservation, but we arrived early (7:30) and were seated almost immediately. We had some appetizers, and I ordered the Ribeye steak while my wife had scallops. We also tried the Wine Flight, where you get samples of 3 different wines. Our server, Laura, was attentive and fun. The atmosphere was good, including a live guitar player. It was somewhat noisy, but not so much that we couldn't carry on a conversation. I would definitely recommend The Restaurant at the Ponte Winery! It made our anniversary special."
Dined on 5/31/2014
"I made reservations on line, mentioned it would be a dinner with a special occasion, my wife's birthday. Nothing was said or done for it. Flies were a problem, because dishes were not picked up right away which made flies worst. All in all food was good, but service lacked."
Dined on 5/30/2014
"This is one of our favorite places to have a lovely lunch, in fact we drive 45 minutes to get there. We are generally pleased with the food, service and ambiance. This time, however, the server seemed overwhelmed and the appetizer plate didn't have enough bread/crackers to go with the amount of cheese. On balance, the food was good and the service was terrible. Let's hope that this is a one-time experience."
Dined on 5/26/2014
"One of my favorite lunch places to go especially spring and fall! The food is amazing and their wines are a little expensive but worth it!"
Dined on 5/25/2014
"great food and service, great to be a wine club member."
Dined on 5/24/2014
"This was recommended to me and it did not disappoint. Restaurant is situated in the beautiful grounds of the Ponte Vineyard, very relaxing and a great place to enjoy a glass of wine and lunch. (which we did). Afterwards be sure to walk the grounds."
Dined on 5/23/2014
"I have been to Ponte to eat several times in the past for lunch and had a large event last year. My wife and I were quite surprised because the food was excellent on all previous dining's. However, this time just ok. Had the steak special(NY w/ Shrimp scampi) and wife had Ribeye. Both were just needing for flavor and my shrimp tasted like chlorine. Was quite surprised because nothing like before. Plus on our reservations I indicated it was our anniversary and nothing special was done. Loved the music"
Dined on 5/17/2014
"We dined here for my birthday dinner. We are wine club members here so we received a free appetizer as well. The food was excellent. We had calamari which was seasoned very well. The dipping sauces were great. We both had the special which was a crab filled ravioli in a creamy red sauce. Everything tasted so fresh. Even the herbs on the food tasted fresh. The portions were very large. Since it was my birthday they gave me a free brownie ice cream sundae which was nice and unexpected. We were there on a day that was 100 degrees out. However with the fans and minsters we did not feel warm at all. They had live music which was very nice. Overall it was a great experience. "
Dined on 5/16/2014
"If you want to breathe in the intoxicating romance of a vinyard... and raise your glass to family and friends, then the Ponte is for you. "
Dined on 5/10/2014
"This is a great outdoor restaurant with beautiful views of their winery and surronding areas. I did the wine tasting here then my sister and I had lunch. It was lovely."
Dined on 4/29/2014
"Had a bridal shower with party of 10 there. Our server, Rudd, was very nice and good to us. However he was serving three other tables besides our large one and despite giving the busboy and server a hefty tip when we first sat down ensuring more later (which I did) we were not well looked after. Think I saw the busboy only one time after that. I was jumping up playing hostess and serving wine and refilling San Pellegrino to my guests. Bread usually is presented when you were first seated, but we went unnoticed until dinner was served. I blame management for having the stuff stretched too thin. The music was nice and the food was good, but for having spent hundreds of dollars I did not feel like I had a good time. "
Dined on 4/25/2014
"We enjoy our visits to Ponte, and go back often. The patio is just so lovely, the service is always friendly, and the food is good. This last visit we had one disappointment. We typically like white wine with lunch, but they only offered two varieties. We tasted both and did not like either. The server explained that they had sold out of all their other whites. I know wineries like to sell only their own wine, but in this instance, adding more variety to the white offerings seemed to be in order -- even if it meant going off vineyard."
Dined on 4/22/2014
"Our evening at Ponte was perfect! The wine, open air seating, food and wonderful live music made for a special treat. We can't wait to come again."
Dined on 4/19/2014
"My husband and I came to wine country for my birthday. Based on the reviews I read on Trip Advisor and Yelp, we decided to dine at Ponte. The ambience is amazing! It is all outdoor seating but they had blankets and heaters for those who were cold. We were fine and enjoyed the crisp air with our meal. They also had live guitar and flute music which was nice and it also covered the other music from two wedding receptions which were going on concurrently. We chose the wine flights which was great since we didn't get a chance to go in the tasting room. The pours were very generous and we enjoyed our selection. Our server Susanna was excellent and attentive. We were so full from our appetizer and dinners that we couldn't order dessert!"
Dined on 4/19/2014
"My wife and I ate dinner here on our final night in Temecula. The restaurant sits on the edge of the vineyard. It is not a large setting so I recommend reservations. The service staff were very good and she was able to discuss all the items on the menu. She convinced me to try the pizza - originally not my first choice - and I was not disappointed. "
Dined on 4/18/2014
"Enjoyed every aspect of Ponte from the abeyance, food, service and music. I would suggest the heat lamps blazing earlier. We were all chilly long before we ask for the heat lamp. As soon as the sun lowered and the breeze started the heat lamps should be started. Other than the chill our experience was delightful "
Dined on 4/18/2014
"Friday afternoon late lunch. great service,wine and food This has been a well kept secret but no more. this winery and restaurant are world class and a fun place to go and eat."
Dined on 4/18/2014
"Service wasnt as excellent as it usually is. Entrees arrived a few minutes after our cheese plate so we felt rushed. Server wasnt very attentive, forgot to bring sugar for coffee and didnt check in with us to make sure we were enjoyng the food. Not all dishes were cleared from the table. It was an off day and wont deter us from coming back but it made for an ordinary lunch instead of the expected fabulous."
Dined on 4/18/2014

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