Lunch Soon On The Menu For Old Town Temecula's Gambling Cowboy Eatery

TEMECULA, CA — The Gambling Cowboy, the third-story steakhouse in Old Town Temecula, will be adding menu items from the now-closed Rene's Cowgirl Cantina, owner Rene Emcke announced.

The Gambling Cowboy, upstairs in the Penfold building facing Old Town Front Street, is located at 42072 5th Street. It has long been a favorite place for Temecula residents to head for special occasion dining in a rodeo-style atmosphere. Building and restaurateur Rene Emcke plans on keeping it that way, she told the PE in a recent interview. Adding to the flavors, she said diners can expect a smattering of her cantina menu to be added to the Gambling Cowboy's lunch and bar menus in the coming days.

The Emcke's first announced the closing of Rene's Cowgirl Cantina over social media on Aug. 26. As her family now owns the Penfold building, she told the PE that her attention will be focused on the restaurant at the top of the stairs.

"The Gambling Cowboy will continue dishing out some of our favorite cantina items," she said. "Please join us upstairs and further support this rodeo lifestyle with our delicious food, great company, and amazing environment."

Restaurant customers shared what they would miss most about the cantina, including the tacos, chile verde, chips and green salsa. Those items will likely make it to the new menu, according to Emcke.

The Gambling Cowboy remains one of Temecula's favored steak houses and is now open Tuesday through Sunday, with varying hours. Come by for lunch on Fridays from 11:30 to 2 p.m. for lunch, according to the website.

The restaurant, which sits on the third story of the building in the heart of Old Town Temecula, offers expansive views and hearty cowboy-sized steaks and other entrees.