Blackbird Tavern - Temecula

The atmosphere was nice and all but I have to give this place a one star review because of what I experienced simply trying to get into this bar. The security guard checking ID’s denied me access the first time because they apparently don’t accept temporary ID licenses (since my drivers license was expired) which was fine, luckily I had my passport in the car so I went to go retrieve it. Came back and the same security guard had me stand there for a solid three minutes as he scrutinized my passport looking for the expiration date. He then tried to convince me that my passport was expired after all and denied me access for the second time. I told him that it can’t be, I’m from out of town and I’ve been using my passport to travel. Turns out he simply can’t read passports. I had to point out to him that he was looking at the “issued date” rather than the “expiration date”, then he finally allowed me in. They need to hire a better security team/bouncer since their guy checking for identification is completely incompetent. I was already irritated by the time I stepped in and was reunited with my cousins, who I haven’t seen in over 5 years. What a waste of time.

I held my Rehearsal Dinner and Welcome Drinks event at Blackbird in April and was not completely thrilled with the experience. Starting with the positives, yes, this is an eclectic venue with a huge outdoor space. The vibe is fun and casual with outdoor games, a fire pit and various seating options. However, I had a few issues with my event. 1. The event room was not setup when we arrived. I had to hunt down someone to help me rearrange the tables for our 30 guests in their side room. We were still setting the room up when guests arrived and this was stressful for me. 2. Upon booking the event I was told they would staff up for the evening to accommodate us. They did not. There was 1 server for our entire party. Because of that, our guests were not allowed to order drinks from the server and had to go to the bar themselves to get drinks. This was very disruptive. 3. One server also meant that food orders were slow and food arrived slow. It took well over an hour for guests to get their food and everyone ate at different times. I do understand large groups are challenging but this was a bit embarrassing for us. 4. We opted to host and open bar for our guests but due to no proper system in place, anyone dining at the restaurant could go up to the bar and put a drink on our tab. This meant that people who weren't part of our event ordered drinks on our tab. This was really frustrating and our bill for the night was AT LEAST 30% HIGHER than it should have been. I hope this review is helpful for anyone looking to host an event at Blackbird.

Bouncers refused my federal ID, was very annoying but luckily I had another on me. Just terrible to have a bunch of untrained people or bad policies monitoring the place. Then entered a dead atmosphere, nothing like it used to be However, bartenders were very kind and the music was great!

Mid -day, and we waited over an hour at the bar......told there was no room with 10+ empty tables. Girls at front seemed bothered that we asked where we were on the list after about an hour of waiting. Never got a table.......ate at the bar. The bartender was cool and kept us entertained.

They have an awesome spicy burger that is to die for. Their Bar manager Chis was such a sweetheart! They also have a great outdoor seating area with firepits and games. Great place to lounge and drink if that is what you're looking for.