Diners' Choice: Hot spot restaurants in San Luis Obispo / Paso Robles

OpenTable

Updated June 05, 2025

Looking for restaurants that are the best hot spots in San Luis Obispo / Paso Robles? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyzes nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favorite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Japanese Restaurant Goshi

5.0

5 (551)

$30 and under

Japanese

San Luis Obispo

About the restaurant

Located in the heart of San Luis Obispo downtown, serving authentic Japanese food starting from Sushi and traditional tei-shoku. Don't forget to enjoy soothing sake and Japanese beer!

Top review

Steven

Dined on May 25, 2025

Great food and service . Always a wonderful experience

AronHill Vineyards Bistro & Tasting Room

4.8

4.8 (344)

$30 and under

Contemporary American

Templeton

About the restaurant

We are a Paso Robles area winery that offers a wonderful dining experience. At the AronHill Bistro you will enjoy fresh dishes made from seasonal and local ingredients, all paired with stunning hilltop views and even better wines.

The AronHill Bistro & Tasting Room is the Paso Robles wine country’s dining discovery, where you will enjoy fresh dishes made from seasonal and local sources, all paired with estate wines and stunning hilltop views.

Top review

TomVIP

Dined 6 days ago

Having lunch at AronHill was an absolute delight from start to finish. The ambiance was lovely and inviting, creating the perfect atmosphere for a relaxing lunch with a glass of Kickass Britchen Red. The service was impeccable; our server was attentive, knowledgeable, and genuinely passionate about the food and the wine. We had the Caesar salad and pizza and both were exceptionally flavorful and beautifully presented. I highly recommend AronHill Vineyards to anyone looking for a fantastic dining experience and wine tasting. We will definitely be back!

Bear & The Wren

4.8

4.8 (172)

$31 to $50

Pizzeria

San Luis Obispo

About the restaurant

A kindly-crafted wood fired eatery combining modern style with an aged finish. Located at The Creamery Marketplace, tucked behind the intersection of Higuera and Nipomo Streets, we offer an experience unlike any other. Our open-concept kitchen boasts an impressive wood fired oven were we craft hand-made Neapolitan style pizzas to order. Soft lighting, low music, and a relaxed atmosphere can be found throughout our indoor dining space. Garage style doors roll up to reveal outdoor dining on our bricked patio where heaters warm up the cooler months and an upbeat, lively feeling resonates throughout the spring and summer seasons. Full service is available at the bar, seating is first come, first serve. We welcome you to join us for dinner, Tuesday-Saturday from 4-10pm.

Please Note: Our seating is a mix of tall tables with barstool style seating, as well as standard height tables with traditional chairs. Our outdoor patio also includes two large tables with bench style seating.

Top review

JenniferVIP

Dined on Jun 6, 2025

Good food. Great service and loved the overall vibe.

Parchetto

4.7

4.7 (222)

$50 and over

Californian

Paso Robles

About the restaurant

Nestled in the heart of Paso Robles, CA, Parchetto (pronounced Par-kett-o) offers an exquisite dining experience, blending the elegance of fine dining with the ambiance of casual cuisine. From the moment you step into this charming environment, you will be welcomed by a warm inviting, atmosphere that harkens back to a different time. The décor combines elements that were restored from a century ago with contemporary touches that exude elegance without pretense.

At Parchetto, impeccable service and sumptuous cuisine come together to create a dining experience that is both sophisticated and comfortably relaxed.

Top review

WolfgangVIP

Dined 5 days ago

Very good food as well as service. Definitely recommend it in Paso. Thank you Natalie for your kind service!

Alex Madonna’s Gold Rush Steak House, at Madonna Inn

4.6

4.6 (4642)

$31 to $50

Steakhouse

San Luis Obispo

About the restaurant

Enjoy an award winning dining experience in our world-famous pink and gold Steak House - offering a comfortable and opulent dining atmosphere. Indulge in a delicious oak-pit-barbecued steak, fresh seafood, chicken, or vegetarian entrees. Featuring a superb wine list, decadent world-famous desserts and a whimsical, European atmosphere. Boutique shopping makes for a fun experience before or after you dine with us.

Top review

Abby

Dined 3 days ago

It was an amazing experience! We came for our anniversary and we were greeted with a Happy Anniversary! Service was amazing, food was amazing, ambiance was amazing. We enjoyed everything about the place. Their cakes are great too! Our lamb and ribeye were both cooked as we requested. The cocktails are great also! Kenji made our drinks to perfection as well!

Discover more

4.6

4.6 (1713)

$31 to $50

Peruvian

San Luis Obispo

About the restaurant

The word Mistura brings together the essence of Peru, a vision of its people and cuisine, a wondrous blend of cultures of priceless heritage. Our Mistura is a modern Peruvian restaurant that is as lively as the country and biodiversity it celebrates. Mistura captures the multicultural spirit of Peru, combining its native Incan and Pre-Columbian culinary heritage with the Italian, Spanish, Japanese, and Chinese influences that embody the country's flavorful cuisine. Mistura is an authentic tribute to the diversity of Peruvian food, proposing familiar yet unexpected and adventurous flavors.

Top review

Cayse

Dined 5 days ago

Delicious dinner, excellent cocktails, lovely service. Celebrating our anniversary and we were presented with complimentary champagne. Love this place. Will be back as often as possible.

Discover more

Experience

Chef's Table 5-Course

Experience

Chef's Table 7-Course

Barley & Boar

4.6

4.6 (286)

$31 to $50

Distillery

Atascadero

About the restaurant

Barley & Boar is a cozy boutique pub located in downtown Atascadero. We distill our own liquor, brew our own beer, and craft our own delicious fare from fresh and local ingredients. Dinner is full service, and our bar is open until midnight.

Join us monthly as we change our menu to showcase what’s in season.

Top review

Kaye

Dined 4 days ago

Yummm. I will definitely be a regular! The pork chop!!! Worth it! The braziano app was my favorite! Loved the look of the place. Great date night.

Mama's Meatball

4.5

4.5 (1161)

$30 and under

Italian

San Luis Obispo

About the restaurant

There are many Italian Restaurants in San Luis Obispo, but if you're looking for a truly authentic Italian dining experience, then you should consider Mama's Meatball Restaurant. Rated among the best San Luis Obispo restaurants, Mama's Meatball uses the freshest, quality ingredients grown locally to create some of the most outstanding dishes you could find in San Luis Obispo eateries. For your convenience, Mama's Meatball offers dine-in, takeout and delivery service. Mama's Meatball is one of the few restaurants near Mission San Luis Obispo, and a block away from hotels in downtown San Luis Obispo to offer private dining options and banquet accommodations for corporate parties and family celebrations. Click here to request a quote for your next private event. Check Out Charity Water! https://www.charitywater.org/mamas-meatball

Top review

Lynn

Dined 1 day ago

Absolutely delicious! This was our second time there and will definitely go back every time we are in the area!

Discover more

Popular dish

Tiramisu

Copper Café and Bakery, at Madonna Inn

4.5

4.5 (2082)

$31 to $50

American

San Luis Obispo

About the restaurant

The Copper Café is popular with tourists and locals alike for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, in a warm and charming atmosphere. Copper counters, rich Bavarian woods, and lovely natural lighting will transport you to a quaint European village. Our Madonna Inn Bakery, featuring world-famous cakes, pies, cookies, along with French and Danish pastries remains open and available for walk-in and pre-ordered items.

Top review

Jessica

Dined 6 days ago

Copper Cafe is a tradition whenever I’m in the area. The food is always delicious and the portions are generous. They have the best biscuits outside of the south. The food continues to impress, but the service wasn’t what we’ve had in the past. I felt like I was an inconvenience, not a paying customer. Definitely not as friendly as this place is known for. Maybe it’s because it was full?

Discover more

Lure Fish House - San Luis Obispo

4.5

4.5 (234)

$30 and under

Seafood

San Luis Obispo

About the restaurant

Welcome to Lure Fish House, if your preferred reservation time is not available about half of our overall seating is unreserved for walk-ins. Our bar and oyster bar areas offer our full service menu and are open seating in order of arrival. Lure Fish House is a Ventura California based family-owned restaurant featuring the freshest sustainable seafood from trusted sources. Our Arizona Lure has its seafood order prepared in our own Ventura California seafood cutting facility and is directly driven to Arizona about 15 hours after it is ordered from the chef in Scottsdale. We feature organically grown local produce and wines from local vineyards whenever possible. We also feature a full bar with specialty cocktails made with freshly squeezed fruit juices and a raw bar serving a variety of fresh chilled seafood and oysters.

Top review

Melanie

Dined on Jun 18, 2025

Our server was attentive and made our birthday lunch a fun experience. Love that you have a parking lot!

Explore Diners' Choice best of San Luis Obispo / Paso Robles

Explore more Diners' Choice lists