Wegan Travels USA: Temecula Guide

We absolutely loved our short but sweet stay in Temecula. It felt like we had just entered a world where Italy meets California, and voila welcome to Southern California’s wine country Temecula! We made our drive from Newport Beach to San Diego and took some ‘back roads’ to see more coastal views along the way, thanks to our ride from Hertz.

TEMECULA: SLEEP, EAT, DO

WHERE TO SLEEP:

The Inn at Europa Village:

Located atop a hill just after you pass Europa Village winery, driving up the windy road to Europa Village Inn felt like we had stumbled across a gorgeous inn in Italy. We loved the bnb feel but with amazing culinary experiences thanks to Chef Dean (see where to eat).

Visit The Inn.

WHAT TO DO:

It may come as no surprise that we recommend you go check out wineries!

Lorimar Winery:

At Lorimar winery you’ll find a fusion of wine, art, music and food. It was the first one we visited and we absolutely loved the vibe. We happened to be there on a Sunday, when they have live music & a food truck outside. We also loved that the owners are brothers-in-law Lawrie Lipton and Mark Manfield, who named the winery by combining their names… Lorimar!

Visit Lorimar Winery

Europa Village Winery:

Located at the entrance of Temecula and nestled in 45 acres, you’ll find Europa Village winery. We loved the live music at Europa, as well as their unique stem-less wine glasses and passport stamps for tasting wines. Also, they will be expanding, so keep your eyes peeled.

Visit Europa Village Winery

Old Town Temecula:

Old Town Temecula feels like a step back into time, into a Western era with it’s wooden boardwalks but also lined with shops, restaurants, hotels and entertainment. Definitely worth the walk (and it’s where you’ll find EAT Marketplace, see where to eat).

WHERE TO EAT:

Palumbos:

The food was delicious, the ambiance was perfect and the hospitality was warm. If you are looking for tasty and authentic Italian food, then this little gem is definitely worth visiting. For our main course Whitney had one of her favourites, chicken picatta and Megan had one of her favs, eggplant parmesan. Dessert wouldn’t be complete without homemade cannoli’s which are one of Whitney’s all time favourites (& who doesn’t love a freshly baked cookie?!)

Visit Palumbos Ristorante

The Inn at Eurpoa Village:

Breakfast is a must here! Chef Dean is a culinary star and provided the MOST incredible breakfast with an unbelievable view, while we sat in the morning sunshine. He explained out loud each course (there were 2) to everyone at the breakfast table, and kindly made sure Megan had a vegetarian version.

Visit The Inn.

EAT Market Place:

If you’re ever in Temecula, then you MUST stop by EAT Marketplace. Chef Leah is an amazing and inspiring woman who runs her restaurant on the ethos of sourcing local food, and getting it straight on your plate. ‘From farm to plate’. We even got to meet the farmer whose avocados we were going to be eating that day! (& they were AMAZING). We had truly delicious vegetarian / vegan food, though they do also have meat options. Oh & did we mention they do vegan donuts?! They’re simply to-die-for. (Watch our San Diego vlog to see us dig in to them!)

Visit EAT Market Place.