Good Mornings & Farewells to Ortega Hwy's Hell’s Kitchen

At his much beloved roadhouse off of Ortega Highway, Frank Opp opened up Hell’s Kitchen this past weekend in a bitter-sweet goodbye to the iconic community landmark. We arrived around 10 am Sunday morning for breakfast hosted by Taylor , repping the Fast Babes holiday event. Pancakes and a Temecula Spark of Love toy drive drew masses of bikers in, crowding the parking lot and side streets as was typical of the pre-pandemic Kitchen. Sounds of engines reigned over the tree line all morning long. Hell’s Kitchen hasn't been so busy since pre-closure, but in a final send off, the community really showed-out in full support. 

One of Santa’s Reindeer 

This was Hell’s Kitchen's last event ever at their Ortega Highway location. With sustained Covid restrictions keeping businesses closed through the many, many months in the pandemic, and after a recent fire in the kitchen of the roadhouse, the landlord finally decided not to rebuild was the final nail in the coffin. We will miss stopping highway-side for meal and company, visiting Frank and his crew on sunny weekend mornings. But, even though we are saddened by this course of events, it was clear from the 500+ visitors in the first couple of hours that the influence of Hell’s Kitchen in the biking community has not been lost.  

With a new Year, comes a fresh start. It sounds like Hell’s Kitchen will find a new home in Lake Elsinore next to Harleys Custom Cycle Works, a motorcycle shop servicing the bikes of a-many local motorcyclist. Frank plans on continuing Hell’s Kitchen's legacy as a weekend check point for bikers all across the region as restrictions lift and the crew settles into their new location. You can keep track of the re-opening on Hell’s Kitchen's Facebook and Instagram, or by giving a call anytime for questions. We know we'll be visiting in the new year to continue our support. We hope to see you there too!