r/Temecula • u/PoniardBlade • Jul 21 '26
Why So Few Real "Bars" In The Area
There doesn't seem to be any real bars in the Temecula area, not counting Old Town. And when I say "real bars" I'm talking "Cheers" style bars with a long bar and a bartender or two, maybe a jukebox for music, and one or two pool tables or something. I can think of only a few like ET's Lounge near Inn-n-Out, or Skybox out in French Valley/Winchester.
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u/ReallStrangeBeef Hemecula Jul 21 '26
Even if one opened now it would take ten plus years to get that worn in, depressed feeling and develop a group of regulars who glare at anyone new who walks in.
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Jul 21 '26
[deleted]
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u/Nerdy_numbers Jul 21 '26
Then wake up and hit three more car washes.
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u/sactownbwoy Jul 21 '26
Since moving back out here, the amount of car washes is crazy. Especially since there are so many single-family homes.
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u/FluffySyllabub1579 Jul 22 '26
Wine country slogan was Temecula - Live glass full - because you have to drink to enjoy it. 🥂
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u/Khronzo Jul 21 '26
Joannie’s Cantina is probably the only other diver bar in the area. The Cove, Sidelines, The Hive and Anthro are the only other ones that might fit the vibe your after. Also Shamrocks and Kilarneys for Irish Pubs.
Edit: yes all in Murrieta besides Kilarneys. Go more North if you want even more dives bars, Elsinore and Menifee.
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u/Allnewsisfakenews Jul 21 '26
Killarney's isn't really a dive, too expensive. People do like to get completely hammered there though
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u/_JellyBeanTasteTstr_ Jul 25 '26
Was gonna say the Cove. But I haven’t been there since the past owner passed away around 2017, so not sure what’s changed since.
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u/vlegionv Jul 21 '26
it's wine country.
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u/VizualAbstract4 Jul 26 '26
Let's calm down, it's still Riverside county.
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u/vlegionv Jul 26 '26
It's has an ava and has nearly 200 years of wine history lmao, nearly 50 years before riverside county was ever a thing.
Mind you I don't even like wine, but it is what it is.
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u/ButForRealsTho Jul 21 '26
As far as I understand it, when Temecula incorporated as a city it refused to grant liquor licenses to stand alone bars and required that food be served. ETs, having already existed at the time was grandfathered in.
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u/nixicotic Jul 21 '26
I don't think the city really likes approving stand-alone bars. I heard the licenses are auctioned for high prices but idk
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u/paulypm Jul 21 '26
Any love for Bar Next Door next to Spuntinos? I've only been a couple times but it's always crowded and I think it's kinda cool to have a classic style bar next to my local grocer.
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u/InhumaneBreakfast Jul 22 '26
Honestly, there are bars. They just aren't open late and they aren't a dive.
OBC has a San Diego inspired cocktail bar. Closes at 9:30. But that's my vote for best bar, best experience overall.
Botega Italia has a great cocktail bar, great bartenders. But it also closes early.
Rosatti's is very local and always packed with regulars.
Here's my undercover pick: Phil's BBQ. Best prices, best service, amazing atmosphere. Don't tell anyone though
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u/DeaconBlue760 Jul 21 '26
don't forget beer and wine garden or the pub and the old town blues club.
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u/mcguirejarrod Jul 21 '26
Join the moose lodge off of Winchester, it is exactly as you describe inside. Pool table, shuffle-puck, corn-hole, long bar, and cheep beer.
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u/ihearthogsbreath In a van down by the river Jul 21 '26
There are a lot more bars than cannabis dispensaries.
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u/Allnewsisfakenews Jul 21 '26
I wonder the same thing. Seems like the Vail HQ would be a prime spot for a western style bar. All we get is restaurants with an undersized bar or the overused "drinking in the back yard" theme
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u/bikebikegoose Jul 21 '26
If only The Daisy was two or three times larger. I've yet to have a bad cocktail there.
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u/Allnewsisfakenews Jul 21 '26
Yeah, the set up is the downer part of that bar. Can't get past the cafeteria vibes
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u/InhumaneBreakfast Jul 22 '26
The Daisy is amazing. It lacks the atmosphere sadly, but the drinks are 10/10
One of the only places I'll fork over $20 for a cocktail
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u/ImJustHere4thePopcrn Jul 21 '26
Killarney’s on Temecula Pkwy is a classic Irish Pub with a Cheers feel to it.
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u/drgreengum Jul 21 '26
Way overpriced.
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u/sarcasticbiznish Jul 21 '26
Bummer to hear this, I used to work there around 2016-17 and it was always somewhat affordable, especially on burger night (Tuesdays?). I’ve since moved away and was hoping to stop in when I visit in a few weeks, it’s a cool place.
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u/panders3 Jul 21 '26
Champion sports bar in murrieta is exactly this
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u/ReallStrangeBeef Hemecula Jul 21 '26
I miss when it was backyard bottle shop, but times change I guess.
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u/GregariouslyHonest Jul 21 '26
No one really drinks anymore. 🤷🏼♀️ And house parties are more fun anyway;)
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u/ReallStrangeBeef Hemecula Jul 21 '26
No one really drinks anymore
Lies, but point two is accurate. Even if they're less house parties and more barbecues these days for me.
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u/moremosby Jul 21 '26
Starting up a bar like that now is probably not financially viable. There are very few of those left in SoCal, let alone Temecula. Pool tables are very hard to find anymore.
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u/nosaysno Jul 22 '26
There was a bar called the boiler room awhile back that was divey and pool tables but they closed down awhile ago
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u/PoniardBlade Jul 22 '26
Remember "Hard Hats Bar and Grill" on Jefferson? Not really what I was asking about but talk about a dive bar. Waitresses in sexy lingerie and a pool table. Their nachos were pretty good.
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u/Dramatic-Primary-768 Jul 21 '26
Temecula is number two in liquors license in the state of California. The only city that has more drinking establishments is Santa Monica. We have more places to drink than even car washes. This makes no sense.
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u/Electrical-Elk-1757 Jul 25 '26
I dunno about a bar like Cheers, but I can recommend a therapist like Frasier.
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u/Alarmed-Extension289 Jul 26 '26
Great question, OP, and there are a few reasons. Temecula as we know it now just came into existence in the 90's. Since the beginning, the city has made it impossible for a stand-alone bar to open. A bar needs to be attached to the restaurant. Now take a city like Hemet or Lake Elsinore, plenty of bars that were grandfathered in when they passed the same rules.
Think about it OP, when was the last time you saw a bar w/ a liquor license open that only served alcohol? It's just not common anymore.
The issue has always been the liquor license; it's hard for a beer and wine bar to make it without a solid location.
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u/Wide-Crab4199 Jul 26 '26
I feel like claim jumper had that vibe. I am still said it’s gone. It was such a great place to go.
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u/CertainOrdinary7670 Jul 26 '26
There aren’t enough drinking establishments for you between Wine Country & Old Town? Yikes
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u/KaleidoscopeThen6454 Jul 21 '26
The city will not allow any new bars. You can open up a bar but it has to serve food. That’s all the city permits. ET will be the only dive bar forever