Eating and Drinking in Paso Robles

[Lars_B]

Santa Barbara County has a thread, and I noticed San Diego, Montreal and Provence all got theirs recently, so it seems strange that Paso Robles doesn’t have one. Time to fix that.

My wife and I have lived in Paso since 2017 and spend a perhaps unreasonable amount of time eating, drinking and exploring around here. Full disclosure: we also run a small hospitality business locally. I won’t use this thread to promote it, I want this to become a useful place for Berserkers to share what they’re finding in Paso.

And there’s a lot more here than there was even five or seven years ago.

Obviously wine is the reason most people come, but I’m hoping this thread can go broader: wineries and producers worth seeking out, new discoveries, restaurants, coffee, breweries, distilleries, Tin City, Templeton, Santa Margarita, and the occasional place that’s worth the drive.

I’d include the coast too. Cambria and Morro Bay are only about 40 minutes away, and heading south brings you into Edna Valley and the SLO Coast, which is a completely different wine experience. If you’re staying in Paso and it’s something you’d recommend doing, I’d say it belongs here.

One thing I’d particularly love to see is discussion of the smaller producers. Paso has become a big destination and the same handful of winery names tend to show up again and again in travel articles and recommendation threads. There are a lot of people doing interesting things here who don’t get nearly as much attention.

Same with restaurants. Some of the best meals aren’t necessarily at the places that appear on every “Best of Paso” list.

I’ll add some of my own favorites as we go, but I’d rather not start by turning this into another list of one person’s recommendations.

So, Berserkers who have been here recently:

What have you eaten or drunk in Paso that you’d go back for tomorrow?

And for those who’ve been visiting for years, what has changed that people who haven’t been here in a while should know about?

I’ll try to keep the first post updated with useful recommendations as the thread grows.

[Adam_Frisch]

I have to say Lars, that when I was there for Hospice du Rhone a few years back, the choices of good restaurants were limited in the downtown area. We basically all ended up in one place. But this is quite a few years ago now, so things might have changed considerably - will follow this thread to learn more!

[Robert_Dentice]

Cool idea. I am overdue for a visit to Paso. I want to visit the Inn Paradiso as the owner is a big record collector.

[Lars_B]

You definitely need to come back then! I think the food scene in Paso has changed pretty dramatically over the last several years.

We now have Six Test Kitchen, which has a Michelin star and is doing some really creative tasting menus, the restaurant at Justin has a Michelin star as well, plus Somm’s Kitchen, which is a pretty unique experience if you’re into wine: 14 seats around the counter with Ian Adamo pairing some seriously interesting wines with each course.

Les Petites Canailles is excellent for French, and In Bloom is another favorite, very seasonal, creative food with a fantastic wine list.

There are quite a few more places I really like, but I don’t want to give away all my favorites right at the start of the thread. I’m genuinely curious to hear where other Berserkers have been eating (and drinking!) in Paso lately and what everyone thinks is worth seeking out.