The Pinnacle at Falkner Winery

Michelle is the BEST waitress ever. Kind, efficient, and very pleasant. Always a class act. We request her every time we come in.
Brussel sprouts are a Must try.

Kinda letdown!
Our friends remember this place so fondly, so Pinnacle was the lunch pick when we needed to pause from wine-​ing through Temecula.
I was first struck by their super outdated décor. Even the menus are printed on this old-​style computer paper and put in plastic sleeves. Update, needed desperately!
Considering lunch meals average over $ 20, service is lacking too. Both our hostess & waitress came across very new & unprofessional, and the overall service didn’t match the higher-​end prices at all. Our server even brought out coffee that was so cold & old that we needed to send it back.
Food is mostly bleh across the board. My brussels sprouts small plate ended up being the only highlight, but it wasn’t good enough to return for alone.
Overall we were bummed with our experience at Pinnacle. The space has lots of potential, but we definitely recommend steering clear until the menu & service improve.

Tina was a great server. She recommended a great wine Luscito, I’m not sure how to spell it but it was great.
Entrees:
Ahi salad, Mediterranean chicken, pasta, and blackened Salmon Sandwich.
All delicious. Check in for a free ice cream!
Thank you, Tina! You are so great at your job!

The cheese plate was a huge letdown. We started our meal with it and it set up a subpar experience for the rest of the meal. The cheeses were clearly cut from the supermarket bought varieties and there were ritz-​like crackers to go accompany them. Extremely disappointing. Worst cheese plate ever and it was an insult to eat it.
The only dish worth the two stars as opposed TO no stars was the octopus which was tender and delicious. The scallops were overly seasoned and had a gross texture.
We got a «large plate» of lobster pasta. I put quotes around large plate because it was tiny and it cost $ 22. Completely overpriced. The pasta was cold when it got to our table and it was awful. We had maybe three bits of lobster the rest was the brown unappetizing sauce.
Otherwise it was okay but not worth the price and would not come back again.

Came for the Mother’s Day buffet. It was an absolute joke. NO FOOD, we made a reservation for 330 and were told the buffet was cut off at 3. No food, the carvers were done at 345. They ran out of prime rib, and chicken. The ice cream station was this junky freezer you had lean over and get melted ice cream out of. The cobbler was so dry and not delectable. The desert table was leaning so were the buffet tables. I wouldn’t have a problem paying 20 – 30 $ bucks for this… I got my bill…305 $ for 4 people!!! Absolutely not. PALA buffet, the best buffet in SoCal is 40 $ per person. This was an absolute joke, it’s a buffet and they tacked on a 50 $ mandatory tip. FOR WHAT? It’s a buffet. You didn’t take my order, deliver it, bring a desert tray offer deserts, set anything on fire in front me, sizzle my food, no! I got my own food and my brut champagne was warm! Never again, sorry mom, horrible Mother’s Day. Oh ya, there was no toilet paper.

Amazing food, amazing view, amazing staff. This should be a 10 star

We made reservations here because we also wanted to check out the tasting room and the view looked lovely.
We popped over after finishing the first leg of our tasting and were quickly seated at a round table next to the window. The place definitely looked like it was built to be a wedding venue… basically a big open room with windows. The windows weren’t so big and wide to provide a «breathtaking» view but it was good enough.
It took a while for our server to show up, during which we mulled over the pasta, salad, sandwich, burger and entrée choices. Prices were probably mid-​range, talking about $ 20-​$ 30 a person without alcohol.
We did start off with the grilled calamari appetizer which turned out to be pretty tasty… but skimpy for the price point. Or, as I reasoned, when it’s not battered and fried, they look skimpier maybe? But I felt that I could have had about 2 more orders on my own.
All in all, food was average plus a smidge. Brother’s gal ordered a seafood pasta and it came with pretty big portions of seafood including shrimp. I must not have read the description of my pasta (Shrimp and Asparagus Pasta under the Gluten Free menu) but at first I thought they forgot the shrimp. But then as i dug around, I saw that the shrimp had been chopped up and there wasn’t very much. Brother’s gal gave me a whole shrimp for which I was very appreciative. I didn’t offer a sampling which is typical for when I don’t think my food is super impressive.
Brother got the octopus entrée. Taste-​wise, it was good. We all did feel the octopus was a little overcooked (mushy). Hubby got the short rib appetizer as his entrée since he wasn’t too hungry. The meat came in little thin strips, looked and kind of tasted like jerky. Not bad tasting, though.
Food did take a while to get to us so lunch ran a little long. However, it was an okay experience with a good view. (They should probably switch to floor-​to-​ceiling windows or wider windows, though.)

AMAZING, AMAZING, AMAZING!!! SPECTACULAR food, fabulous service, Tina was phenomenal!!! I would recommend this place to everyone! We will be back for sure!!!

I never expected the beautiful interior of this restaurant based on walking up on the outside. The outside is average but the inside is gorgeous! Great views of the surrounding vineyards from every table. The staff was friendly and provided great service. I love how the menu had a suggestion for a wine pairing with each item. My husband and I stopped in just for a small bite in between wine tastings. We ordered the Baked Brie. It was good however I’ve had better at higher-​end restaurants. The Brie was a medium grade cheese and didn’t have that intense flavor of really high quality ones. I would order it again, like I said it was good. The prices matched the quality. I would like to visit again and try some other food from the menu.

We were here recently and were disappointed with our food. Salmon was drenched in a sauce and the flat iron had a odd tasting glaze. The bread was stale. Vegetables were fresh and service was good. Wine was not to our liking.

I had a very pleasant lunch here this past Sunday. The restaurant is set on the edge of the hillside property and the views are spectacular. The restaurant is very open and the light that comes through the floor to celing windows is heavenly. I can’t say enough about the beauty and elegance here. It’s very relaxing and it’s what you expect to find in wine country.
The food was outstanding as well. The bread was warm with a crispy exterior and perfect for dipping with the balssamic/​oil mixture. I started with the Mushroom Trio soup which was so creamy and loaded with porcini, button, and portabello mushrooms. Best I’ve had to date. I ordered the Lobster Canaloni to follow that up. Just imagine a deliious crêpe stuffed with chunks of lobster, artichokes, mushrooms drenched with a creamy, cheesy sauce topped with diced tomatoes. I did not leave a single crumb on my plate. My girlfriend’s plate was amazing as well. Jumbo Shrimp with penne pasta and vegetables in a wonderfully citric sauce. Like summer in a plate with bright yellow squash, green and red peppers. Only four shrimp however which is not enough if you ask me.

This restaurant is beyond elegant. As we walked in, we could see the amazing vineyard view because of the large open window space.
We were seated and greeted by a friendly waitress. The layout of the tables were a plus because there was enough room to comfortably get in and out of your seat and it offered privacy, meaning you’re close but not CLOSE to the next patrons over. I ordered the amazing Lobster Mac n Cheese while my boyfriend ordered their Blue cheese burger. The portion sizes were excellent and was a worry for me because, based on the ambience of the restaurant, one would assume the portions would be small. Not here! It was a great dining experience and an affordable bill.

We had lunch reservations for a large party, I called hours before our reservation time and informed them we were running 30 minutes behind and was assured that was not a problem. When we showed up we were told they had a private event that day and we had to urgently put in our food order, all this before we even sat at the table. We all urgently placed our order and was hoping that would be the end of «rush» but the entire time we were there we felt rushed and as if we were an inconvenience.
I wish they would have told me on the phone they couldn’t accommodate us 30 minutes later and we would have happily stayed where we were. This was a special event and it put a damper on our celebration. The sad part is the food was not worth the trouble. I am sure they are a wonderful restaurant with wonderful food and great service, sadly we received neither.

Our server Scott was very friendly and knowledgeable about their food and drinks. Thanks for recommending the sangrias!

A day of wine tasting in Temecula requires a serious lunch break, and with the several really good winery restaurants, it’s hard to choose. On our recent visit, we chose The Pinnacle, and I’m very glad we did. It’s kind of removed from the main road and attached to a smaller winery (Falkner) so it doesn’t get the traffic that the glamour winery restaurants do, and that’s good for everyone. At some of the restaurants, the lunch break really eats into your wine tasting day, and not in a good way.
The Pinnacle, as the name implies, is on the top of a steep mountain, actually more of a semi-​steep hill, and it has a very nice view of the valley, the highway, vineyards, etc. Good ambience. The menu is just fantastic. I wanted everything but chose the grilled octopus — four big tentacles with a garlic sauce on a bed of shredded cabbage, carrots and baby lentils. I can’t remember the last time I had octopus, but it couldn’t have been as good as this fork-​tender dish. My wife was in the mood for a fancy burger, and they have a lot of ways to present a burger. What’s nice is that you can choose between the ½ pound papa burger or the ¼ pound mama burger, and after splitting a basket of fresh baked bread, the mama portion was just right for the little woman. She also had a side of perfectly french-​fried sweet potatoes.
Like I said, I wanted to eat everything on the menu, so I guess we’ll have to go back.

We stopped here for lunch and it was a great experience. The ambiance of their restaurant is great and it over looks the some of the vineyards with huge windows.
The food was fantastic! I ordered the cheeseburger (and if you’ve read some of my other reviews you know I know what I’m talking about when it comes to burgers) this was one of the best burgers I’ve had. The meat was juicy and the produce was fresh. The French Fries were scrumptious as well. The sangria is better at the restaurant versus the tasting room, not sure why, but it seems to be the way they juice the fruits.
The service was great the waitress was very friendly, I wish I remember her name to give her the proper kudos she deserves.
I would definitely suggest this restaurant for lunch as They are only open for dinner for special events.

People who do not love this place are Bat shit crazy. We went to the winery for a tasting and the wines were so ridiculously good. We asked if we could make an impromptu reservation at the pinnacle restaurant because we were hungry! This place is gorgeous, great service, friendly staff. When they brought out my wife’s blackened salmon sandwich I almost died and went to heaven!!! I had a burger. It was good but not anything I would rave about.
Bottom line this place is the greatest!!! Can’t wait to come back! Omg lastly the prices… So flipping affordable!!!

Another great dining experience at The Pinnacle. Had the Osso Buco and wife had scallops salad, superb!
Topped it off with pistachio almond ice cream. Chef Gianni is outstanding and Tina our waitress is top notch.

Great food, ambiance and service! Sylvana was a great server. We started off with the Brie and Catalan shrimp. shrimp is a MUST get. Wonderful flavors. for our entrée we ordered the winemakers pasta with salmon. Which was cooked to perfection and the herb crusted Hokkaido scallops with risotto. cannot wait to return !

I suppose their reason for choosing the name «Pinnacle» for their brand and restaurant is that its situated at the top of a hill, over looking the Temecula valley. It certainly doesn’t apply to their food, wine, or even service.
Service was ok. I’m sure they have zero inclination to really go out of their way for the dozens of tour buses each day that dump dozens of alcohol-​seeking customers.
The food was the most uninspired I’ve eaten in a long time. Again, they’re probably just wanting to accommodate the tour buses full of people wanting to stuff their stomachs to keep from getting too drunk, but I feel there’s a severely missed opportunity there to create an experience worthy of a second time.
Basically, The Pinnacle offers cafeteria food with a nice panoramic view. With the perfect weather of Southern California, it was also a mystery to me why the restaurant remains temperature-​controlled with central air, rather than opening those beautiful windows and allowing natural breezes and fresh air in. the air in the dining hall remains as stale as the food.
In the future, I won’t return to Temecula for my wine-​tasting. Each winery felt like a freeway rest stop with rows of automatic wine vending instead of restrooms, even when there were actual people pouring the wine for you. It was impersonal, all the way.