Leslie B.
Yelp
Recently, I met up with one of my women's groups for a gift exchange and late lunch at Blackbird Tavern at 3 PM on a Sunday. We chose the location due to the proximity to some of our group members. It is located in Old Town Temecula, making parking a potential challenge. There were parking lots nearby, but not as close as we would have liked, since many of us were carrying a lot. I was lucky to secure a street space right at the front entrance.
At the beginning, the experience was positive. They offered us a large gathering spot on sort of a patio that was located inside the restaurant, near the bar. It was a perfect spot for our group of 12 with our gifts and games. The staff was friendly and offered me help when they saw me pulling a wagon filled with gifts. The restaurant was very spacious with both indoor and outdoor seating.
Once most of our party had arrived and we started to order, we learned they had no wifi (one lady did not have cell service there), nor would they offer separate or even two or three checks. In addition, there was an included gratuity of 20% for large parties, which, unfortunately, they didn't end up deserving. We sat for at least a half an hour before they brought drinks. However, they were accommodating in that a couple members of our party arrived late.
I didn't find a lot on the menu of interest to me, as I was looking for something on the healthier side. I decided on the spinach apple salad with chicken, and dressing on the side. I also chose an iced tea. The salad was large and fresh with apples, cheese, blueberries and pumpkin seeds. It was a bit too much spinach compared to the other items but not bad. The side of dressing was only half full. I realized the salad needed some flavor, and it took a while to get a server so I could get more.
Service was generally friendly but slow. They were out of some of the menu items. I think most of our group was generally pleased with their food.
I think two big downfalls were the fact that the bathroom was quite fithy. It wasn't crowded so I am unsure as to why it wasn't being cleaned. The other was that it took us about 20 minutes to figure out how to split the check at the end, which really was an unnecessary challenge.
All in all, it wasn't terrible, but if I find myself in Old Town again, I will make another restaurant choice.