Paso Robles Sept 2026 day 4 and 5

Recovery Day 

We did an extra day on Sunday to recover from the tasting. 

Also, Sunday is where a lot of tourists will go home and Paso becomes nice and quiet again. 

The hotel has free bikes for so Bill and I decide to try a bike ride. We went up the Salinas River Walk in Paso which is a 2 miles path (4 miles total). 

It took us about 1.5 hours total but was a good way of seeing different parts of Paso. 

Dorky Bikes and helmets =) 

After the bike ride, we went for breakfast at Just Baked.

Favorite breakfast joint at Paso : Just Baked Bakery. You won't regret the quiche!

After that we went out for more wine tasting 

Fratelli Perata

This is a place that we usually stop by in Paso to pick up a wine shipment for a friend. And we enjoy their wine and it's nice that they usually give us free tasting for picking up the wine. 

Fratelli Perata where we picked up wine for a friend

Truss 

Last year we found Truss by accident and tried their barrels tasting. Also, they were still building the tasting room last year and we sat at the pond with a very peaceful wine tasting. We also got a couple of pinot and white wine last year as they are good So this year we wanted to see how the wines turned out. So they finished their tasting room which is very nice. Their wine is very Bordeaux style but I was surprised that they got a lot less bold from what i remember in the barrels. The whites are not very flavorful too. Again, seems really overpriced with all reds at $75 so we just paid the tasting fee and went on our way. 

Truss and Miss Dottie the dog!

After that we went to J Dusi and then head back to our hotel room for a simple lunch. 

J Dusi!

Simple lunch at our room patio

We went to 915 Lincoln winery in downtown Paso as we wanted to try their wine after the Taste of Paso yesterday. The owner is very nice and their wines are very big and bold. Definitely worth visiting again. 

915 Lincoln

Olive oil and vinegar tasting at Pasolivo

We wanted to go back to Junction for Spanish tapas and paella. The chef is very good but it's not a cheap place. $54 for a paella that barely feeds 2. 

Well executed Paella and Pulpo

Spending the rest of our hotel credit with churros and a drink

Our Paso Loot this year =) 

Paso Robles Sept 2026 day 3

Taste of Downtown Paso 

Today is the main reason why we came to Paso. It is an event call Taste of downtown Paso

https://pasoroblesdowntown.org/downtown-event/taste-of-downtown-and-arte-de-tiza/

They do a 11am-4pm tasting with 44 places participating (wine and food)  over a 2 block area around the park. 

Map for Taste of downtown

It was a bit of a blur eating and drinking solidly for 5 hours but u need that time to finish that many places! 

We got to 42 as one of the place Catch didn't prepare for it. It was our first stop and the employee went "my boss didn't tell me anything!!=) "

It's quite funny that they just closed down for the day instead of just pouring some wine for tasting haha.

The last place is Oxford street Bistro which is a little far and we didn't feel like going for the after-party. 

Anyway, we walked around town till 1045am and joined the queue for getting our wine glassa and wrist bands.

We are good to go! 

 

We started at the Pine Street and 11th area first. 

Beef empanada, Monarca has a nice flauta, Pappy has a really good truffle Mac & Cheese with bacon bits and the wine tasting inside the cinema

Crossing 12th street for Austin Hope with Caviar and Cab, Alchemist vegan croquette, and a new coffee place with their cold brew

Went to 13th street area for wine tasting, aracino balls, Street side mac& cheese and Tapenade and pumpkin soup at a bistro place

Kept going 13th street for cerviche, Hatch potato chips with pimento dip and Calipaso champagne. 

Turning around to 13th street and Spring for pizza, Just baked desserts and cocktail in Grains & Grapes

Turned to 12th and Park. Justin wine, Allegretto wine and food, and Indigenos wine with very good truffle cheese

Jefferey's BBQ with pork belly Mac & Cheese, Boba, and mediterranean salad

915 Lincoln wine, and 2 brewing company with their backyard. Enjoyed a seltzer and a beer

Went for dessert course. Ice cream with lemon olive oil and sea salt, peanut butter cheesecake from Paso Robles Inn, Ice cream from Slo Sweets and chocolate from Templeton Chocolate

Our record cards after the event! 

I do remember a few highlights. 

Pappy McGregor has a really good truffle and bacon that I would go back next trip. 

We went back to sunshine olive oil as their goat cheese ice cream with olive oil and sea salt is really special. 

The place beside Hatch served a Arancini ball that's really good but their menu is pricy. 

Junction ran out of paella but we went back the next day for dinner as their paella setup looks authentic. 

Allegretto Vineyard resort has really good wine and food that I'm tempted to check them out next trip. 

There are some places that didn't hit the spot. 

The cabernet from Hope at the park just isn't my favorite but i like their caviar =) 

Jefferey's Mac & Cheese is good but their biscuit and gravy is too weird. 

The bakeries just had small samples but Just Baked is still my favorite place in town! 

We had a lot of fun and it was not too crowded. The impression is 300 to 400 people participated but it's spread out and most places are prepared to serve quickly. There's a sense of fun descending as a mob on places that's prepared to handle the crowd and happily introducing their restaurant and wineries to us. 

The Chalk art in the side walk by the kids

2nd breakfast at the hotel before the Taste of Downtown

Paso Robles Sept 2026 day 1 & 2

Paso Wine Tasting Trip Day 1 & 2

It is time to collect our Bushong wine and I got a good deal with Ava Hotel with Hilton. 

On top of that, I noticed a downtown Paso tasting event that seems fun. So off we go to Paso! 

I saw this article about top 10 waterfront resturant and Mersea at Avila beach is on it. As it's on our way to Paso, we decide to stop there for our lunch to break up the 6 hours drive. 

https://www.timeout.com/usa/restaurants/best-waterfront-restaurants

The whole area is super cute too. Might be worth an overnight stay next time. 

Mersea with good chowder, fried seafood and fish sandwich

The craziest thing though is that AM Paso has a high speed chase through the 101. 

https://www.ksby.com/paso-robles/pursuit-ends-in-crash-shuts-down-portion-of-hwy-101-in-paso-robles

They closed the freeway and Paso downtown and the areas around it was gridlocked but we totally missed the whole thing. 

We wanted to check out Caelesta winery https://www.caelesta.com/

So we got off the 101 freeway at Atascadero and took the scenic route through the wine country!

Anyway, Caelesta is an interesting find. Brian & Brian are the young wine maker with the dad financing the winery. The wine maker is very enthusiastic about wine and we really like his white wine. His red is good but too pricy at $75 range. What's interesting is his truffles growth! Turns out they have a truffle farm and they do truffle butter etc. We got a tasting and it's really nice. But they don't make enough to sell, only for their members pickup party. 

Caelesta

Anyway, we got to Paso Downtown and checked into our hotel. We checked in at the hotel and started our adventure! 

Ava Hotel with Hilton at Downtown Paso

First stop is Hoyt winery.  It's still a good and cute tasting room in downtwon Paso. But the wines are very similar to last year. So we just got a bottle of Dylemma to even up the tasting fee. 

Hoyt Tasting room in downtown

After that we did a tasting at Bushong to get a feel for their release. But we went back the next day to taste again before deciding what we want for the wine club releases. 

Discussing with Mike on the releases this year

After that we called it a night and went back to the hotel room for some cheese and crackers for dinner. 

Day 2 - Scavenger hunt day

We slept in a little and had breakfast at the hotel bistro. 

They gave us $30 a day to spend at the hotel and another $100 for miscellaneous expenses. 

So it make sense to get coffee and breakfast almost every AM and it's a pretty good breakfast. 

Breakfast at the hotel Bistro

After the breakfast, we went out to do our scavenger hunt. This was something that I found on Viator where you can find clues and solve puzzles in downtown Paso. 

https://www.viator.com/tours/Paso-Robles/Paso-Robles-Scavenger-Hunt-Adventure/d24369-10211P16

It turns out to be quite fun but I'm not going to reveal the questions here. Just took some pictures of the places that we went to: 

The realm of inner peace and healing, with a sculpture garden and Hotel Cheval

The library and Paso Hotel and a 1945 old menu from Paso Hotel Ballroom

Paso park with the Time capsule and the plague showing it's a gift

The art gallery that featured the realm of inner peace and healing

It took us about 1.5 hours to finish the scavenger hunt before we head out for wine tastings. 

Thacher is our list this year as they have funky Friday which has weird wines for tasting and a regular wine list. It's an interesting natural style wine making concept but again, the wine is just not quite worth the price tag $65 and up. We end up getting a bottle of cider and a bottle of their sparkling wine to offset the cost of the tasting. 

What's interesting is they got a huge barn and there's 2 owls living up there.. Elton and John =) We only saw Elton 

Thacher with Elton the barn owl

Our 2nd stop is Dilecta. This comes recommended by a couple of people. Very cute wine labels and their wine is good but again, not worth the price tag. We end up just paying for the $30 tasting as everything is at $75 range. 

Dilecta winery

After that we went back to our hotel room and had lunch with the cider from Thacher. We went to Bushong to do another tasting and finally decided on our wines. 

Our dinner that night is Grace and Rose. https://www.graceandrosepaso.com/

We found them last year and the food is so good that we wanted to go back. 

They do not disappoint.  Everything we got are well executed and on point. The Branzino is crispy skin and perfectly cooked. Pork chop is still pink with flavourful beans. Their figs with goat cheese and spicy honey is inspiring and the mushroom and artichoke dip is very tasty. 

Dinner at Grace & Rose