We were staying at the Ponte Inn (which is wonderful btw) and went down to the Cellar for a light dinner and some wine. The place is very nice, although it did get a little crowded as the crew from that evening's wedding found their way there as well. The food was just what we were looking for and the Ponte wines were very nice. Even able to try some they didn't have at the winery like "Angry Wife". I do have to say though, the best part were the two guys providing the music, one on the guitar and the other playing percussion by hand. They played some classic songs that are perfect for folks who actually listened to music in the 70's and 80's!
We are definitely coming back to the Inn and the Cellar Lounge!
The Cellar Lounge is part of the Ponte Winery and Inn; I spent a couple of nights next door at the South Coast Wine Resort. While I loved South Coast, the only aspect lacking was a lone mediocre, overpriced restaurant. While doing a wine tasting, we at some point commenced talking about local restaurants with the gentleman pouring our wine and he mentioned that the restaurants at Ponte were a significant improvement. I wish we had learned this earlier in our stay as we enjoyed the food, ambiance, and staff we encountered.
The Cellar Lounge is below ground and has an intimate ambiance with the dark lighting and had the vibe of a sheik lounge. A beautiful wine display comes into view as you enter and you have the option of sitting in stools along the lengthy granite bar or at a variety of tables, couches and plush chairs. There is a well stocked bar (the only full bar nearby), three local beers on tap (several more in bottles) and a variety of wines by Ponte as well as from elsewhere. A wide array of craft cocktails run $12.
The menu is small, but nice featuring upscale pub food ( i.e. the sliders are made from short rib rather than beef patties). 4:00pm to 7:00pm on weeknights is happy hour. One beer on tap, two wines (a red and a white) and well drinks run $4 to $6 and three food items are priced at five bucks each. We took advantage of this and ordered all three items (the aforementioned sliders, nachos and a Caesar wrap). For five dollars this was a steal; my favorite was the Caesar wrap, everything tasted fresh and I particularly loved the Parmesan cheese. The nachos were quite good too; the tomato salsa appeared to be homemade and again the ingredients seemed fresh - while there was no meat included, the more expensive non happy hour version contains sausage. The sliders again were spot on with the only criticism being that they were just a wee bit dry.
While the lounge seating looked nice, we sat up to the bar and really enjoyed bantering with the staff; everyone was quite friendly and we left not only wanting to return, but also wanting to partake in Ponte's two other venues, The Restaurant at Ponte (casual setting serving American cuisine open daily for lunch, but only weekends for dinner) and Boquet (fine dining venue that was awarded four diamonds by AAA in 2012). If you are in Temecula definitely check this venue out!
I was staying at a nearby winery but decided to come to The Cellar Lounge on a Wednesday night to try out their happy hour (happy hour is from 4 pm - 7 pm). I was very impressed by this lounge. At first, my husband and I had trouble finding it and had to ask a few hotel employees where The Cellar Lounge was. Once we were there, we settled in quickly in a booth and was approached by the server.
The menu offers some pretty good dishes. We got the happy hour sliders, chicken ciabatta, and the grape leave. The chicken ciabatta was really good and came with a salad side. We tried the grape leave but didn't finish it; it wasn't really to our liking. We loved the sliders and I would definitely recommend the happy hour sliders.
Aside from the food, the atmosphere was great. There was a live acoustic duo performing whom my husband and I really enjoyed. The lighting was dim which made the cellar seem even cozier. The only problem I had with this place was the service. While our server was really nice, I noticed she was the only server for the first half we were there. We arrived when happy hour started and there were only a few other people seated. But the placed filled up fairly quickly and I was surprised to see that there was still only ONE server. I watched her hop from table to table, rush to the back and get drinks, come back to the dining area only to be flagged down by other diners. My husband and I had requested some ketchup at the start of our meal and we finally got it about an hour later when she was clearing off our table. She apologized sincerely and I knew it wasn't her fault. It's just frustrating to see just one employee serve dozens of people. This is when the live music comes in--the music was so good that it distracted us from the fact that we didn't get good service.
When we were about to leave, we noticed that there were three more servers that popped up. When things were finally settling down, that's when they decided to send out more servers. It didn't make sense. So, while the food and ambiance was terrific, the service was lacking.
Located at the basement of Ponte Inn exists this wine cellar that provided live music to the patrons and a well stocked of their house made sangria.  To four girls who were quite thirsty, our wine  sommelier knew exactly what we wanted.
We visited last February for our girls weekend getaway. Â We wanted a little appetizer before we had dinner. Â So partnered with our bottle of moscato , house made sangria, and a bottle of chardonnay we had:
Lobster bisque, savory yet light. Â But definitely flavorful.
Apple arugula salad-organic greens, gala apples, crimini mushrooms, pecans, parmesan, with citrus vinaigarette. Â Another salad I truly enjoyed accompanying our wines.
Kobe beef sliders- with cheddar cheese, red onions, spicy ketchup, on brioche bun. Gotta have some kind of beef between us....and dinner. Â Hahaha. Absolutely perfect portions and right on with the flavors.
Fast forward to an hour or so later, we pretty much took care of.....monkey business that is. Ladies and gentlemen, the rest belongs in the vault!
Awesome ambiance. Great service. Â Beautiful live music. Delish grubs.
Cheers !
I love this place, this hotel and this winery. I am so happy I decided to become a member. I came here with a few friends after another friend told me I HAD TO TRY THE NACHOS!!! So we did and they were good but my favorite was the Kobe Burgers. The Syrah here is absolutely delicious. The staff is super friendly and there are nights when they have a live band. If you are in the area and want to relax this is the perfect place to throw your feet back.
Review Source:Visited the cellar lounge shortly after it had opened on a warm evening in July.  Service was slow, looked like the bar staff was still learning their roles, and cohesion as a unit, but I didn't mind waiting in such a swanky atmosphere.  Also, I had a bottle of The Angry Wife white for lunch so I was in a much more agreeable mood than usual.  Food service was equally slow, not for the lack of effort on the part of the wait staff, they were hustling and buzzing around.  The problem as explained to me by my visibly stressed out waitress, was that the new kitchen at the Inn upstairs was not yet operational, so food was being ran out of the main kitchen across the property.  Personally, I would not have offered food service in this situation, but California probably has some crazy law that prohibits that.  I'll give them three stars for now, but once they iron out the kinks in the  service process and have a fully operational facility, I would expect the Cellar Lounge to be another five star experience I've come to rely on from Ponte.
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