The Bar Next Door

Slowest service ever.
Treated us like we were invisible.
Spent more time talking with friends talking sports.
It was our first visit and our last.

«Blah»… Nothing exciting and nothing bad. The smell of the place bothers me quite a bit but not bad enough to not go back. I think it smells like a bad sink drainage, but easily fixable. Some things taste okay and some things taste amazing. The Bruschetta is fantastic; however the Cheese Tortellini’s in Cream Sauce is good, but nothing special… nothing I can’t buy and make myself. We also enjoyed a pizza, which I would order again but not a reason to go out of my way to return. Drinks are good, and they have Fernet which is always a positive when a bar carries Fernet. Service was good, but nothing over the top. I’ve been here a few times and I’ll most likely return because it is right outside Wine Country which makes for a VERY affordable meal after spending a majority of your daily budget wine tasting.

The absolute worst night of my life a couple of nights ago. The bartender, MIKE has got to be the worst ever!!! I was there with my husband and mike was yelling at some man and his friends. They did nothing wrong!!! Do not go here if mike is working!!! Who runs this place, anyways??? STAY AWAY!!!

If I could give them negative 5 stars, I would! I’ve been here, probably 3 or 4 other times. I’ve always ordered the same thing: stuffed artichoke. I’ve always had the save server. Don’t know his name but, bald and with a Jersey or New York accent. Anyway, whenever I order stuffed artichoke, I ALWAYS, ask for a small bowl of butter and lemon juice. Simple you’d think, right? So, tonight I wanted to stop by with my gf for a bite. I again ordered the same thing, stuffed artichoke, and, when I asked the waiter for the bowl of melted butter and lemon juice he proceeds with a serious attitude telling me he wasn’t going to be able to do it. They were too busy. Are you kidding me? If you don’t want to work, just say so. Anyway, I will never be going here a again and, if the management reads this, I would seriously have a long talk with the waiter in question.

Nice little hide-​away bar, attached to family Italian restaurant. Bar keeps unusual hours and at times the staff can be a bit unfriendly, but atmosphere is really nice. Hours could be extended, can’t understand why no! There is no other bar in the area seems it would increase business.

This place is always my go to when I have friends in town or if I want to escape old town. Very modern and clean, and their restaurant next door is really good, too. I usually recommend my customers to come here during the week because I’ve always received good service and drinks — the bartender loves to experiment and will create something on the spot that’s fantastic. It is a bit pricey but I always have a nice time so it’s worth it to me. However it’s in an odd spot (middle distance between the wine country and the freeway) and in a residential area.

I used to like this bar! It’s close to home, the atmosphere was nice, the service was good, and the food was good. And then Mike took over and EVERYTHING changed! He’s rude, abrasive, passive aggressive, his drinks are terrible, and the WORST part is that it’s common knowledge that HE CHANGES THE CREDIT CARD TOTAL after you leave! My friend and I got charged $ 78.00 for TWO DRINKS! However, we signed a tab for the two original drinks! When I told a few other patrons that also USED to frequent The Bar Next Door, they told me that Mike had done the same thing to them and he «does it all the time!» Never Going Back! THATS FRAUD!

Bartender Mike 1 star
Credit Card Charges — fraud
Mike is not friendly, very rude, in fact, lacks customer service. Now to the good part.
I had two drinks paid on a credit card was charged $ 28 and change — my bank alerted me when a $ 78 dollar amount was taken from my account. This guy Mike like to add a little extra for himself. Apparently the bar likes changing a $ 5 dollar tip into $ 50.00 BUYER BEWARE AT THIS PLACE. My only suggestion is to pay cash. I wont be going back though, there are far better places in Temecula to have drinks and be treated with appreciation.

My wife and I went in at 10:00 on a Saturday. The 2 bar tenders behind the bar barely acknowledged our presence. We were 1 of 2 couples at the bar so there would be no reason not to engage in a conversation. They had very little personality and it felt like we were in a morgue. It was a depressing quiet atmosphere with no personal engagement and will not be returning.

Got stuck with paying for something I neither ordered nor ate. The server who took the order failed to put it on a friend’s bill so charged me for a pizza because I was the last one there watching the extra innings of game 1 in the World Series.
I had to pay for his mistake. Amazing how he remembered it later. Then, he did the same thing to a guy down the bar. A patron left and the server /​bartender claimed the guy next to him who just left did not pay for the last beer.
Incompetence or scamming?
A Starbucks is immediately adjacent and they would not allow one person in our group to drink a Starbucks coffee on their patio. After I paid for the pizza that I did not order or share in, I asked for one of their two WiFi passwords. He said they could not give that out.
The Bar Next Door to Customer Service! There are plenty of bars and pizza places in Temecula which still believe that the real people who provide paychecks are the customers!
Avoid!

We found this bar by accident. There’s no sign and its in a corner of a shopping center, but so worth finding.
Not a loud nightlife kind of bar; more of an adult chill bar. Good music, great drinks. Staff was super great. Nice outdoor seating. Good vibes and has a small menu. They’re connected to a pizzeria. Can’t wait to go back

First time last nught… was busy when we arrived and it took a while to get acknowledged but after we did the service was great and so was the food and sangria! We will be back.

You have to come and try the fried calamari — it’s fantastic! Very fresh and tender. The Pizza Con Rucola is absolutely wonderful, messy to eat but worth it! The bar tenders are always very friendly, knowledgable and attentive. Place is very small, that’s the only thing I can that isn’t 100% positive — so that’s a good thing. A must try.

Food: 4 out of 5
Drinks: 5 out of 5
Service: 3 out of 5
I’ve been here a couple times, mainly because I had a friend that worked there, but the drinks are amazing on top of that. With that being said I’ve had different experiences.
To begin the bar shares a pizza restaurant next door, hence the name bar next door so the food can be pretty great and they have a separate menu for the bar as well. Now the bar menu is pretty decent how we it’s a tad bit overpriced for the amount of food you get and the flavor is not that impressive. It’s delicious but it’s not the best in the world.
Now the drinks on the other hand… This is why I keep coming back. The well is stocked up with premium liqueurs and spirits. So a gin and tonic is Bombay and tonic. This would normally cost you about $ 8 – 10 depending on the place but not here. *again I had a friend who worked here so that could have just been a friendly upgrade. Besides that the selection of alcohol is top notch and their specialty drinks or signature cocktails-​which ever name you prefer-​are spectacular. My personal favorite is the Blood Orange Margarita. It is truly out of this world. So if you’re looking for something creative and delicious, come get a drink here. This is why I say 5 out of 5 for drinks.
As for the service like I said it has varied. Of course I got well taken care of while my friend hosted bar. However the other times I was either disappointed or pleasantly taken care of. It’s been a ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ with the service. Nothing terrible has happened, but nothing to exceptional has happened either besides the time my friend took care of us. I think a personal relationship with the rest of the bar staff is needed in order to be taken well care of so for now 3 out of 5.

When visiting family in Temecula this is definitely going to be my go-​to spot. They have a great selection of local wines, the service is great, and the antipasto platter is delicious!

Love this bar. It is small though, so don’t expect some huge establishment when you come to check it out. Has a very cozy homey feel to it, so small that you almost feel like you own the joint. If you came here with a large group you would probably take up the whole bar and really own it! Ha… So the bartenders were very nice and seemed to do okay. We had some issues ordering our pizza through the bar though. We put our order in and some people showed IP after us and they received their pizza before we did and ours STILL didn’t come out so I asked about our pizza and he went to check on it. Came back and said they are putting it in the oven now. Well… Okay so y’all forgot about the pizza we ordered because it had been an hour by this time and they were just putting it in supposedly. But yea there was definitely some communication error between the bar and spuntino. But the bar itself is cool and is a fun place to hang.

Best, most trendy place in town! Just before you hit the wineries and the best pizza next door (that you can order and eat at the bar!!). Ask for the «Angelo» delicious !!

Great Place
Saturday afternoon
RONNIE MIXOLOGIST
at the controls.
Fantastic Food
Fasntastic small bar atomosohere.

This place is such a nice bar. Cozy, long marble bar, connected to Sputino Italian Restaurant. Food comes from there. Yummy!!!

Long story short, the go to local spot!
Been going here for a little over a year and it has had its ups and downs. Great crowd of regulars keep me coming back, employees are awesome and, the new manager has done a great job with keeping this place up. The owner is hilarious once you get to know him. They will keep the place open late if it’s busy which is nice. As for the food cannot go wrong with the pizza or calamari, and the drinks are the best in town. Would definitely recommend this place to all who are in the area or sick of old-​town.
The negatives– none that come to me at the moment, granted i am here right now so that pretty much sums it up. Best place in town at the moment.
Tip for the bar-​if you guys are going to use pandora… Pay for pandora one;)