New tapas restaurant in Paso Robles offers fusion cuisine with a view of passing trains
A new restaurant called Junction opened this summer in Paso Robles, serving up Spanish-style tapas and a full bar right beside the train tracks.
“You can literally catch your train from our backyard,” owner Nick Holguin said of Junction, which is located at 710 Pine St. near the Paso Robles train station. “Like sit, have a beer, wait for your train.”
Nick and Ingrid Holguin came up with the idea for the restaurant after being inspired by their time spent in Spain, according to Nick Holguin told The Tribune.
“I love the concept of Spanish food, because it’s really simple,” he said. “We’re kind of inspired by the challenge to keep the rest of the ingredients as minimal as possible to get the most flavor.”
Some other menu inspirations come from Chilean, Cuban, Peruvian, Mexican and Argentinian cuisine, Holguin said.
Among the menu highlights, Holguin points to their Vegetables and Nogada, meatballs and — most popular — the fideuà, a dish Nick likens to paella but using pasta instead of rice.
The couple designed the space to have an open, casual atmosphere — their 2-year-old yorkie-shitzu Chewie wanders around the restaurant, “just like in Spain,” Holguin said.
The Holguins’ first ventured into food service in San Jose, where they opened The Patio Kitchen catering company in 2015, according to their website. In 2017, they moved the business to Paso Robles, where Nick decided to buy one food truck, and then another.
“And then the pandemic just sort of made me decide that it was time to sort of take the risk and pull the trigger on a restaurant,” Holguin said. “It’s what we’ve always sort of dreamed of doing.”
Although they recently decided to press pause on the food trucks to focus on the restaurant, The Patio Kitchen catering business is still in full swing. Offering a fully staffed catering service, they have options for weddings, community events, nonprofits and more on their website.
The couple had planned to host a charity event Junction that was originally scheduled for Sept. 1 in partnership with Stillson winery of Paso Robles, but it was postponed due to COVID concerns with staff, Holguin said.
The event will be rescheduled, though a new date has not been determined, Holguin said.
The event — with proceeds going to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) — will begin with a social hour featuring a 20-ounce beer and an empanada, followed by a sit-down dinner for a flat rate of $125.
The Junction restaurant hosts happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m. daily, and dining is open 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday to Saturday, and Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Visit their website at junctionpaso.com or call 805-221-5865.
This story was originally published September 9, 2022 at 5:00 AM.