Game time: Nino’s Grill in Templeton puts BBQ, burgers, salads and more in its lineup
It’s game on at Nino’s Grill in Templeton!
The Main Street restaurant kicked off a year ago in October 2015. It quickly established itself as a casual spot to watch all the day’s sports action, enjoy a weekday lunch or catch up with friends and family over dinner.
Nino’s Grill is the first restaurant for Steve Nino (pronounced “nee-no”), and his wife, Angela — but owning an eatery has been a longtime dream of his.
As a Templeton resident involved in youth sports, Steve Nino realized “that we usually went out of town for team parties.” When he spotted a “For Rent” sign on a vacant building downtown, he jumped at the chance to realize his vision to create a local hangout space.
A major remodel took the interior down to the studs, in part because an all-new kitchen and bar had to be installed in the former retail location. The resulting space offers several seating options: at tables in the main dining room, out on the spacious covered patio or at the bar.
Several flat-screen televisions throughout Nino’s Grill are typically tuned to sports, though the sound is kept low except during big events.
This time of year, during the NFL season, Nino’s Grill features all the week’s games. In addition to opening early for kickoff, the grill added breakfast tacos made with scrambled eggs have been added to the Sunday lineup.
The rest of the menu offers a good selection of pub grub, casual fare and hearty barbecue entrées.
Appetizers include layered nachos, jalapeño poppers filled with cream cheese and chicken wings tossed with your choice of barbecue sauce or spicy buffalo sauce. Among the other options are seared ahi tostadas with wasabi dressing, an order of three tacos (one each of tri-tip, chicken and carnitas) and a trio of sliders — a mini-burger, pulled pork and buffalo chicken.
The sandwich roster ranges from a teriyaki salmon with grilled pineapple to a Philly cheesesteak to a chicken club with chipotle aioli. Burgers and all-beef hot dogs are served with French fries, as are patty melts and garden burgers.
Slow-smoked over white oak, the barbecue specials include more sandwiches (pulled pork, brisket and tri-tip), as well as dinners. Tuck into a plate of baby back pork ribs, 10 ounces of tender tri-tip or half a chicken served with beans, salad and garlic bread.
The hearty salads at Nino’s Grill arrive at the table in an ample metal bowl — proof that they can easily be a meal in themselves. Go for an Asian chicken salad with pine nuts and wontons, a grilled salmon salad with spinach and feta cheese or a seared ahi tuna salad with alfalfa sprouts and wasabi vinaigrette.
Not surprisingly, the grill has a good selection of beverages in its playbook. A dozen taps always feature some local favorites, such as BarrelHouse Brewing Co.’s Sunnydaze and Tin City Cider Co.’s Original Dry Hopped Cider — both from Paso Robles.
The wine list reflects the restaurant’s location in wine country. And a unique winery partner program offers free corkage for patrons bringing in a bottle from participating wineries.
About 11 wines are available by-the-glass, including a viognier and zinfandel/syrah blend produced under the must! charities label. Grapes and labor for these wines were donated by local winemakers, and a percentage of sales at Nino’s Grill go to the Templeton organization.
According to the organization’s website, must! charities seeks to empower “local (nonprofit) organizations to make strategic change that creates long-term, philanthropic, sustainable transformation within the region.”
That approach dovetails with that of the Ninos.
“Nino’s Grill is very locally oriented, from our produce to our wine and beers,” Steve Nino said. “With that in mind, wines like the must! label were a perfect fit because (the charity) so aptly focuses on the immediate community and giving back within our own area.”
Katy Budge is a freelance writer from Atascadero. Contact her at ktbudge@sbcglobal.net.
Nino’s Grill
805-434-5500 or www.ninosgrill.com
Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily; opening at 10 a.m. Sundays during NFL football season
The scene: Sports are a theme, but not the focus, of this family-owned and -operated, family-friendly neighborhood grill.
The cuisine: Pub grub, casual fare and white oak-smoked barbecue are the menu mainstays. Local favorites are always showcased among the 12 beers and ciders on tap, and the wine list is predominantly local. Kids menu available.
Expect to spend: Most items $10 to 15, barbecue plates $12 to $27.
This story was originally published November 18, 2016 at 12:02 PM with the headline "Game time: Nino’s Grill in Templeton puts BBQ, burgers, salads and more in its lineup."