Celebrity chef opens revamped cowboy bar and restaurant in SLO County

A Michelin-star chef has opened a restaurant and bar in Paso Robles as the “first phase” of his three new establishments set to open by this summer.

Cattlemen’s Bar opened Feb. 21 at the Paso Robles Inn, with award-winning chef Charlie Palmer inviting the SLO County Cattlemen’s Association and the Cattlewomen’s Association to celebrate its opening and revamp.

The bar and restaurant is an ode to the old Cattlemen’s Lounge, which was founded at the inn in 1942, and where, as the story goes, cattlemen would ride their horses upstairs have a drink at the bar.

Now, Cattlemen’s Bar has reopened under the direction of the award-winning Palmer, a pioneer in the culinary and restaurant industry. Palmer has won over 20 Michelin stars and two James Beard awards while opening restaurant locations in New York City, Napa and Reno, Nevada.

“We want to be authentic, not a modern version of something that could have been, but something that’s real,” Palmer told The Tribune in a recent interview. “We’re trying to think of every little thing that makes it a really great environment and a place that people just want to come back to again and again.”

In a nod to the region’s ranching heritage, cattlemen and cattlewomen of SLO County branded oak panels featured at the restaurant with their real branding irons to showcase local working ranches. The panels can be seen up the staircase leading to the bar, on the side of a working fireplace and in the entryway of Cattlemen’s Bar.

“It was really interesting to me to hear their view of things, because these are real cattle people,” Palmer said. “Their families are generationally tied to it in a very authentic way. I think that’s what I’d like to see us do, is continue to reflect that with the bar itself as we grow and as we rethink it to be in the next generation of that bar.”

The restaurant and bar’s menu encompasses the ranching lifestyle and taste, like the stockman burger with dry-aged beef, La Panza pie, cattlemen’s chili and classic steaks and salads. Fan favorites include the hot honey chicken biscuit and a chocolate peanut butter pie for dessert.

“What if a real cattle person would come into this bar, what would they want to eat?” Palmer said of the menu. “We call it a stockman burger because it’s dry-aged beef, and it’s really well put together. Is it something that you can’t find anywhere else? Absolutely not. But it’s the very best of what we want it to be for cattlemen.”

For the drinks, classic cocktails “with a rowdy twist,” like the hibiscus margarita, Gold Rush with ginger liqueur and the Ranch Hand with tequila and pomegranate accompany wines by the glass and bottle.

With Cattlemen’s Bar focused on the true cowboy and cattleman style and heritage, guests are invited to wear cowboy hats and boots to dine in or stay for a drink or two.

If a guest does not have a boot, the restaurant partnered with Tecovas to provide Cattlemen’s Tecovas Boot Bar, where guests can borrow Tecovas boots and step into the feeling of a cowboy bar.

“With the latest addition of Cattlemen’s Bar, the hotel further cements itself as a destination that celebrates the region’s storied ranching heritage,” area general manager David Morneau told The Tribune in an email. “From Jesse James to John Wayne, the walls of this 1942 watering hole have seen it all, and now Chef Charlie Palmer brings Cattlemen’s into its next chapter.”

2 more Palmer eating establishments to open in Paso Robles

Beyond Cattlemen’s Bar, Palmer is preparing for two more destinations to be a part of Paso Robles Inn — a rooftop bar called Salina Rooftop and a modern tavern know as The Pass by Charlie Palmer.

Salina Rooftop is set to debut in May at The Piccolo at Paso Robles Inn, located at 600 12th St.

The rooftop bar destination with a full garden surrounding it will offer seafood, shareable plates and vibrant produce from the Central Coast, as well as tropical cocktails, Palmer said.

As for The Pass by Charlie Palmer, the restaurant will open this summer as a tavern serving prime cuts, fresh seafood and a seasonal menu.

For more information

Cattlemen’s Bar at 1103 Spring St. is open from Sunday to Thursday from 4 to 10 p.m. and Friday to Saturday from 4 to 11 p.m.

For more information about the restaurant and bar, visit its website at cattlemenspaso.com.

This story was originally published March 18, 2026 at 5:00 AM.