When you think of the wine country in California, do Napa and Sonoma immediately come
to mind? Naturally, other areas of the Golden State grow vineyards and produce wine – the Santa Ynez
Valley, Temecula, and Monterey. But Paso Robles, a Central Coast town midway between San
Francisco and Los Angeles on US Highway 101, has become the newest wine country
destination. The area now features over 300 wineries and a healthy representation of craft
breweries and distilleries.
With all this beverage production, a great culinary scene would naturally follow. That’s what has
happened in “Paso,” as locals call it, and it’s an exciting time for wine, beer, and spirits lovers
and foodies to visit.
I recently stayed in the area and went to three restaurants, a wine bar, a craft brewery, and a
throwback tropical bar. This small representation will give anyone traveling to Paso Robles a
solid introduction to the quality of dining and drinking here.
Paso Robles Wine Merchant
Located in the downtown area of the Paso Market Walk, this venue exudes a casual vibe that’s
more like a friend’s dining room than a pretentious wine bar. Bright and airy, with a vaulted
ceiling and picture windows, our group sat at two beautifully decorated tables that resembled a
French picnic.
Charcuterie platters waited on both tables, along with three different kinds of wine – a white
(estate Viognier from Alta Colina), a red (Grenache from Epoch), and a rosé (from Nenow
Family Wines). One of the owners, Julie Fischer, hosted us and explained the varietals and the
foods on the plates.
Julie and her husband Justin were inspired to start the Wine Merchant after their wedding in
Paso. Formerly from Los Angeles, they created a space for friends to gather and enjoy wine and
food without the attitude. Their business achieves that objective, as we felt comfortable asking
questions and simply enjoying the experience.
Cane Tiki Room
Inspired by the vacation vibes and flair of the South Pacific, this retro lounge is also in the
downtown area. Its atmosphere is pure tropics, and you might momentarily believe you’re at a
thatched-roof bar, warm trade winds breezing through and viewing white-sand shores and
turquoise waters.
The cocktail menu incorporates plenty of liquors and juices that stay true to the tropical theme, such as rum, tequila, citrus, tamarind, and coconut. What makes it fun – and helpful – is a skull and crossbones legend that indicates how strong the alcohol content is for the drinks. It ranges from one for mild to four for yikes! The creative names for the concoctions will also make you smile.
They include 2 Barrels Fightin’ Under a Blanket, Tradewinds, 28 Ingredients Later, and Told Ya
So, among others. Cane’s also offers single shots of liquor, including nearly 150 kinds of rum.
Need some sustenance to go with some of those strong drinks? Order some pupu platter options,
such as egg rolls, potstickers, noodles, spam musubi, or ahi poke.
Barrelhouse Brewing Company, Paso Robles
While Paso Robles has become a popular wine destination, craft beer breweries have also made a
significant mark on the local scene. The place that best exemplifies that development is
Barrelhouse, which has three other Central California taprooms and its flagship location in Paso.
With an extensive outdoor location in the revitalized Tin City artisan area, Barrelhouse has an
inviting picnic area with a falling water feature and outdoor games like cornhole. It’s an ideal
place to try their brews while hanging out with friends. Those beers include a regular selection of
lighter ales, IPAs, and stouts and a changing selection of seasonal brews, seltzers, and sours.
When I visited, they offered a warm-weather special — a beer slushie.
If you’re adventurous, Barrelhouse has a few specialty cans for sale, such as a Pineapple
Milkshake IPA and a hard seltzer with pomegranate and goji berry tea. In addition to their patio, there is a 1000-seat amphitheater that hosts live music concerts during the warmer months on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.
Della’s
When you have a bountiful wine country like Paso Robles, you will have food that seamlessly
accompanies it. The main culinary focus of the downtown restaurant Della’s is wood-fired
pizzas, with dough that cold-ferments for 72 hours. That combination creates an irresistible
earthy crust that is crispy and chewy, like the finest artisan-baked bread.
Some of the pizzas my group and I tried included a Margherita, playfully called Straight Up Now
Tell Me; Smoke Show, with a slow-smoked short rib, jalapenos, and hot honey; Day Trip to
Denver, featuring a fruity taleggio contrasting with a sharp Parmigiano and balanced with smoky
mushrooms; and Carte Blanche, with creamy buffalo mozzarella, buttery Castelvetrano olives,
Calabrian chili, garlic, and basil. Just for good measure, we also enjoyed Della’s house salad,
fried artichokes with Meyer lemon aioli, meatballs in marinara sauce, pappardelle Bolognese,
and New York strip steak.
The wine that accompanied our meal was from Tablas Creek. The winery’s general manager and
partner, Jason Haas, brought a few of its offerings. These included a bright and fruity 2022
Patalin de Tablas Rosé and two different vintages of the same red wine, Esprit. All three paired
nicely with the incredible sampling of Della’s pizzas, starters, and entrees.
Fish Gaucho
Not all restaurants in Paso Robles highlight their wine selection. This elevated
Mexican eatery, Fish Gaucho, features more than 100 brands of tequila and mezcal. They serve an intriguing
menu of artisan cocktails and seasonal margaritas to accompany them. There are also flights of
tequila, mezcal, other spirits, and – naturally – wine.
True to its name, you’ll find an appealing selection of seafood-forward entrees that taste like
dining on a fishing boat in Ensenada. Some standout items include the ahi crudo, with sushi-
grade tuna, avocado, cabbage, tortilla crisps, and a lime and cilantro vinaigrette – a nice interplay
of tangy citrus, crunchy corn, and hearty ahi. Another refreshing option was the aguachile – raw
sliced Alaskan halibut with avocado, micro greens, and a floral yuzu chili sauce. My companions
enjoyed the mejillones con chorizo, a stew with blue mussels and sausage bathed in a white wine
chipotle cream broth.
If you’re partial to meat dishes, the tacos are a suitable option, especially the tomatillo-laced
short rib and tropical-flavored carnitas. Another great choice is the chile relleno fundido with a
pasilla pepper filled with chorizo, pico de gallo, and sharp Oaxaca cheese covered with cilantro
crema, birria, and pepitas.
Etto
In Italian, an etto is a typical one-quarter-pound serving of pasta. It may seem like a minimal
portion. But when it’s made fresh on the premises, you don’t need much to enjoy a memorable
meal like the one at this Tin City establishment. The passion of married owners and business
partners Brian and Steph Terrizi is evident in every aspect of their store and restaurant.
On the sunny patio, we enjoyed a multi-course feast of these kinds of pasta, as well as some
succulent, flavorful starters (a capicola plate and burrata in olive oil and balsamic reduction) and
roasted and grilled meats (rosemary and garlic chicken and bistecca alla Fiorentina).
Two standouts were the 12-layered lasagna with creamy bechamel and hearty Bolognese sauces,
parmesan and sofrito, and the casarecce alla gricia, with a smoky and crispy guanciale, tangy
pecorino romano and fresh pepper. Fresh-baked, pillowy soft bread complemented the entire
meal and was an ideal way to soak up residual sauces.
The Terrizis have their winery, Giornata, and we tasted three of their varietals along with the
meal. These included two reds, a fruity Nebbiolo and earthier Aglianico, and the more unusual
Orange Tango, which wasn’t a white or a rosé but more amber with an acidic citrus profile.
Each of these six Paso Robles establishments will make your visit to California’s newest wine
country a delightful culinary memory.
VisitPaso hosted me, but all opinions are my own.
