Top photo courtesy of Visit Temecula Valley.
Bolero Restaurante is located inside Europa Village, a large resort-style winery along Rancho California Road in Temecula Wine Country. The “village” encompasses three wineries, each devoted to a specific European country. Bolero for Spanish style wines, C’est la Vie for French, and Vienza for Italian. While the tasting rooms can get crowded on the weekends, it’s hard not to be seduced by the place. The grounds are lovely, and the whole experience can be transporting. Lounging in the garden at Vienza on a Thursday or Friday afternoon with a glass of Prosecco, or sitting out back on the patio at Bolero with a Margarita, feels like vacation, even for this local. But I’m hardly the only one that holds Europa Village in high esteem. They were recently awarded California Winery of the Year at the 2025 California State Fair.
The restaurant at Bolero specializes in Spanish style cuisine: tapas, paella, seafood dishes, and giant Tomahawk steaks. Executive Chef Hany Ali leads the kitchen. A graduate of the International Culinary Institute of Egypt, his resume includes The Four Seasons in Newport Beach, Sur la Table cooking school, and the Great Wolf Lodge. Chef Hany is passionate about the food at Bolero and about keeping his guests happy. Every season, he holds a tasting of new dishes that he and his team have dreamed up with Europa Table members before anything new appears on the menu. He sources locally from farmers and ranchers, but also imports delicacies from Spain to make sure his food is authentic. A new item on the menu, Aceitunas Fritas, is made with goat cheese stuffed gordal olives come from the Andalusia region in Spain. They are delicious.
Favorites on the menu (other than the olives) are the smoky Mariscos & Chorizo Paella with shrimp, scallops, mussels, orange roughy, and pork chorizo pictured at the top of the page, Croquetas filled with creamy potatoes and Manchego cheese, and braised beef short rib; Empanadas filled with chicken, roasted poblano, tomato, charred corn, poblano, guajillo pepper aioli, radish; and the Zanahorias — Organic roasted baby rainbow carrots, Manchego, crispy chickpeas, roasted walnut, and piquillo pepper purée. There are also several shrimp dishes on the tapas menu that are wonderful like the Drunken Shrimp on grilled bread, and a new dish that mushroom lovers must try, the Champiñones: sherry-infused sautéed wild mushrooms in a garlic white wine butter sauce, with hazelnuts, garlic chips, that are buttermilk-batter-fried. I tasted them at Chef Hany’s last menu tasting and they were spectacular. Three tapas items for two people is usually plenty of food, especially for lunch. But if you’re unsure, ask the servers, they’re always friendly and happy to help.
Bolero wines can be ordered by the glass, bottle, or flight. The Bolero Albariño and Cabernet Sauvignon are good choices if ordering by the glass. Beer and brandy flights are also available, and there’s a full bar that creates a seasonal menu of craft cocktails. I’m a fan of the a fan of the spicy Paso Doble Margarita made with blanco tequila, cucumber, and Fresno chili.
Bolero’s dining room is filled with generously sized leather booths and there’s an attractive, if small, bar area, but the high, bare walls and industrial tile floors make the space feel more practical than cozy. So, if the weather permits, opt for a table out on the covered patio for a more intimate experience.
Things to know
Bolero is open daily. The tapas menu is available for every day for dinner and on weekdays for lunch. Reservations recommended.
On Saturday and Sundays they serve a brunch buffet with prime rib, seafood, egg dishes, pastries and more for around $60 per person. Browse all of the different menus on their website at the link below.
Bolero is also featured on our itinerary for foodies.
