The Piccolo at Paso Robles Inn

Restaurants nearby

• Six Test Kitchen★ Michelin Hidden away in industrial Tin City, Chef Ricky Odbert has, for many years now, quietly and confidently cooked like few others in the region. Dry-aged fish and meats, seasonal produce and delicious sauces come together in a breezy space with soaring ceilings, charcoal-tinted walls, metal edges and a stunning wood counter that wraps around the kitchen. It’s a fitting stage for food that eats as beautifully as it looks. Recent highlights include aged black cod poached in wagyu tallow, or the chawanmushi made with smoked pork broth and with a clam emulsion mixed with trout roe. Desserts, like barl5.6km
• Les Petites Canailles Courtney and Julien Asseo have named this Paso Robles restaurant in honor of their three children (the name translates to "the little rascals") but this welcoming spot with a spot-on kitchen is more head of the class than detention bound. Set smack in the heart of downtown, the space's pressed concrete floors, simple furnishings and Edison lights read contemporary. Meals begin with a warm gougère before moving on to a selection of hearty appetizers. The menu features several entrées, though most eyes land on the perfectly cooked steaks. Leeks à la plancha, served on an oversized platter, are g105m
• The Hatch It's all hail to the bird at The Hatch. This downtown Paso Robles restaurant reveres the rotisserie and roasted chicken is indeed the must order. Brined and smoky, the half Mary's organic chicken is sided by a vanilla-maple slaw, buttermilk dip and Hatch hot sauce, and its perfectly salty skin coupled with flavorful meat gives an expensive steak a run for its money. The skillet cornbread, finished with brown butter, flaky salt and honey, is a worthy sidekick. With down-home style cooking, it may come as no surprise that cream pies are the focus come dessert. Order the chocolate cream pie, an i340m

Includes Michelin / Black Pearl / guide picks (reference quality, no prices); data from Overture, Michelin Guide and others.