The Top 24 Places to Eat and Drink Near Pismo Beach Club
-
Rank 1. Outward Wines
Californian
-
Rank 2. Ember
Californian
An industrial-rustic room in Arroyo Grande where open-fire cooking arrives as comfort food: house-made sourdough topped with burrata and walnut pesto, chicken weighted under a brick, a fifty-layer lasagna that demands return visits. The blueberry cream puff with honey chèvre mousse and lemon buttermilk gelato suggests a kitchen that understands restraint.
-
Rank 3. Flour House
Modern Italian
-
Rank 4. Nate's on Marsh
American
A converted house on Marsh Street channels a peculiar warmth—palm-printed walls, an equestrian motif, the genial presence of Nate Long himself—that makes comfort feel like the point. The kitchen executes without pretense: a La Scala salad of shredded iceberg and crispy chickpeas, hand-cut pappardelle draped in lamb ragù, dishes that arrive as if they've been made this way for decades.
-
Rank 5. Ox + Anchor
Modern Steakhouse
Chef Ryan Fancher's steakhouse occupies its own building within Hotel San Luis Obispo, where butterscotch leather and stacked brick walls amplify the contemporary Southwest mood. Charred beef and creamed spinach with onion-ring crust anchor a menu that begins with goat cheese croquettes drizzled in lavender honey.
-
-
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · The 101 Best Restaurants in California
- LAist 2023 · Steak Dinner · Best Bites
-
Rank 8. Six Test Kitchen
Contemporary
In a Paso Robles industrial space with soaring ceilings and a wraparound wood counter, Chef Ricky Odbert practices a restrained craft of dry-aged fish and meat arranged with architectural precision. His chawanmushi with smoked pork and clam emulsion, his barley koji ice cream balanced against miso, suggest a kitchen that understands how flavors need silence to resonate.
-
-
Rank 10. Bell's
French
The Ryans' Santa Ynez bistro sources nearly everything within twenty miles, letting impeccable local ingredients speak through unfussy cooking. A three-course, three-option format keeps the kitchen focused on dishes—lamb merquez, halibut roti, tarte au citron—that taste as good as they look.
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurateur · Daisy Ryan and Greg Ryan - Companion Hospitality
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Nominee · Best Chef: California · Daisy Ryan
-
Downtown Paso Robles hosts this contemporary room with concrete floors and Edison bulbs, where Courtney and Julien Asseo build meals around impeccably cooked steaks and grilled leeks finished with herb vinaigrette and flaky salt. Warm gougères arrive first; the kitchen executes with precision across hearty appetizers and a focused menu that feels both welcoming and accomplished.
-
Rank 12. The Alchemists’ Garden
Californian
-
Rank 13. Priedite Barbecue
Californian
-
Rank 14. Bodega
Californian
-
Rank 15. The Hatch Rotisse
American
The Hatch builds its menu around a wood-fired rotisserie, where brined Mary's chicken emerges with crackling skin and smoky depth, sided by vanilla-maple slaw and Hatch hot sauce. Skillet cornbread and individual chocolate cream pies complete a down-home equation that justifies the crowds.
-
Rank 16. Bob's Well Bread Bakery - Artisanal Breads
Artisanal Bakery
-
Rank 17. The Restaurant at Justin
Farm-to-Table New American
Chef Rachel Haggstrom works the orchard and gardens surrounding this winery restaurant to compose a single tasting menu of exacting restraint. Snapper arrives shingled with potato, duck glistens with its own reduction—each plate argues that the best ingredient is the one grown a few steps away.
-
-
Rank 19. Bar Le Côte
Seafood
From the team behind Bell's, this cheerful seafood restaurant in Los Olivos excels at shared plates: urchin-buttered radishes, pristine oysters, and branzino simply prepared. Focused desserts and a curated wine list, including the house label, complete an unpretentious, sea-forward meal.
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurateur · Daisy Ryan and Greg Ryan - Companion Hospitality
- Wine Enthusiast 2023 · Forward 50 Restaurants
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
-
Rank 20. Na Na Thai
Thai
-
- Sunset 2025 · Markets and Bakeries · Where to Eat and Drink
- Sunset 2024 · Markets and Bakeries · Where to Eat and Drink
-
Rank 22. Hitching Post 2 Restaurant & Winery
Santa Maria Barbecue
- Sunset 2024 · Superior Sips · Where to Eat and Drink
- Sunset 2025 · California Classics · Where to Eat and Drink
-
Rank 23. The Tavern
American
A former stagecoach stop turned Auberge gem, Mattei's Tavern marries 1880s bones with live-fire cooking and an on-site garden. Braised abalone and wood-fired cabbage anchor a seasonal California menu that honors the building's outlaw past without nostalgia.
-
Rank 24. Industrial Eats
New American