Page 80 - SLO Visitors Guide - Spring 2026

80 SPRING 2026 slovisitorsguide.com
Paso Robles
(805) 202-4700 • www.PrimalHousePaso.com
3330 Ramada Drive, Paso Robles
• Restaurant - Lunch/Dinner
• Sunday Brunch
• Craft Beer & Sodas - Made in House
• Fresh Full Service Butcher Shop
• Fresh Local Produce
• Local & Unique Market Goods
• Host Your Luncheon
Rustic Fire remains a Paso Robles
favorite after nearly 20 years
For nearly two decades, Rustic
Fire has been a familiar land-
mark just off the freeway in Paso
Robles. It’s a place where locals
mingle with travelers, where
families return year after year, and
where the pizza arrives crisp and
straight from a roaring brick oven.
Siblings Jonathan Gannon
and Connie Kahanu have created
a restaurant where everyone in
the family can find something
they like. Rustic Fire’s menu is
expansive but intentional. Nearly
At the heart of the restaurant is
its high-heat brick oven, producing
pizzas with a thin, crisp center and a
golden rolled edge. Guests can choose
from multiple crust styles: tradi-
tional, ultra-thin, or thick, along with
cauliflower and gluten-free options.
The menu is designed for customiza-
tion, but also anchored by longtime
favorites like pepperoni, margherita,
Hawaiian, and the fully loaded Rustic
Fire Works pizza.
One item, however, has achieved
near-legend status—the Italian cheese
breadsticks served with the house
pizza sauce and ranch dressing for
dipping. “People come back once a
year during the fair, and that’s the
first thing they ask for,” Gannon says.
Made with fresh dough, olive oil,
garlic, and high-quality cheese, they’ve
become a must-order for first-time
visitors and regulars alike.
They want everyone to be able to
enjoy the pizza, and they truly mean
it. Rustic Fire offers two gluten-free
preparation methods for general
gluten sensitivity, and a fully separate
protocol for guests with celiac disease.
“For celiac, it’s a completely separate
process,” Gannon explains. “New
gloves, separate screens, separate prep,
separate storage. It takes longer, but
that’s the point.”
They even use rice flour instead
of wheat flour in the kitchen to
reduce airborne contamination. It’s an
uncommon step that doesn’t go un-
noticed by guests. “We hear it all the
time,” Kahanu adds. “People say, ‘I can
eat here and not get sick.’ That’s huge.”
The home of
local, legendary
Italian cheese
breadsticks
Where happy staff means
happy guests
The atmosphere is warm and
inviting with brick walls, televi-
sions in each booth, and also placed
throughout the restaurant, so no-
body misses the game. Perhaps the
warmest and most inviting feature is
the staff. A core group of staff have
been at Rustic Fire almost since the
beginning, along with several others
who have been there for more than a
decade. “Our turnover is really low,
and we’re proud of that,” Gannon
says. “Happy staff means happy
guests.”
Owners Gannon and Kahanu
grew up in Paso Robles, and they
champion local partnerships. Their
wine list is extensive and offers
wines exclusively from the Paso
Robles area. The gelato is from their
friends at Leo Leo Gelato in Paso
Robles. Leo Leo Gelato sources
its dairy from Cal Poly. Their new
coffee bar features local organic
coffee from Joebella Coffee Roasters,
which is out of Atascadero. Guests
frequently ask for recommenda-
tions, and the team is happy to play
informal concierge, guiding visitors
to wineries, events, and hidden gems
around town.
After nearly 20 years, Rustic
Fire remains rooted in its original
values of consistency, quality, and
connection. “People choose to spend
their hard-earned money with us,”
Gannon says. “We owe it to them
to give them the best experience we
can, every single time.”
Judging by the generations of
families who keep coming back,
Rustic Fire has done exactly that. To
visit, it’s an easy stop off Highway
101. They offer dine-in, takeout, and
delivery, and they’re a perfect end to
a day of local wine tasting.
Rustic Fire is located at 1145
24th St., Suite D, Paso Robles. Open
daily at 10:30 a.m. Closed Tuesday.
For more information or to place
an order, visit rusticfire.com, or call
(805) 238-7711
—Karen Lycan
20 specialty pizzas, multiple crust
styles, vegan and gluten-free op-
tions, sandwiches, house-made
soups, fresh salads, desserts, and
gelato. Owner Jonathan Gannon
says. “We prep everything fresh,
every day.”