Rustic Fire — Restaurant in Paso Robles

Original review in 2019:

Delicious pizza! I get the gluten free. And the gelato is DELICIOUS, too! Portions are small, though. They provide little spoons, to make it last longer.

Update in Dec 2021:

We went here recently, and our experience wasn't as great, as in the past. There prices seemed to have increased. They are high! It would make more sense to charge such prices, if it was a regular sit-down restaurant, but it is not. They only bring you your pizza, they don't actually serve the tables and bring drinks, etc.

My pizza was not cut all the way to the middle, so I had to tear every slice with my hands, and being gluten free, it did not hold up well to tearing.

The tables are packed in, so there is not a lot of room to walk over to the soda machine, to get your drink. You kind of have to walk through the maze of tables, if there's someone in the way of the small walkway. Perhaps they have so many tables, because it gets very busy and packed in there. But that tells me that they should probably be in a bigger space/building.

The water from the soda machine tasted really strong like chlorine! And we could even taste it in the soda/fountain drinks.

Also, in the women's restroom, there are only two stalls, and one of them was out of order. And there is a large space between the handicap stall that is open, to where you could see out and people could see you inside, if they were looking.

I hope they take a look at this review, and make some changes. This has been a favorite of ours, for some time, but not...

If you think you like pizza, and I did, let me tell you something. You have never had any pizza like Rustic Fire pizza! Absolutely phenomenal pizza! Cooked the right way, with fire and stone, top notch ingredients, thin and perfectly cooked crust, not soggy at all, the end crust a very nice size and brushed with what I believe is an olive oil blend. I ordered the pepperoni, sausage and mushroom, but with the white garlic sauce instead of the normal red sauce, and it's hands down one of the best pizzas I've ever had. The restaurant is well appointed, ample seating but not crowded. The staff was SUPER friendly and helpful, my friend and I were looking at the menu posted, and the cashier came and handed us menus so we didn't have to try and stare at the overhead sign, offered to get us drinks while we decided, and made sure to point out their specials. My friend got the buffalo ranch pizza. I didn't try it, but he said it was fantastic as well. Once we finished, with about half our pizzas left over, I started to get up to get boxes, and one of the ladies making pizzas near where we sat saw me, and before I could even say anything, she asked if we were ready for boxes, they even looked at what we had left, selected the right sizes and brought them to our table. I cannot recommend this restaurant any higher, and it was WELL worth the money, and I will definitely be back again to try another pizza!! Thank you...

When I visit Paso Robles, Rustic Fire is on my short list of must-visit places.

I am a lover of pizza and I tend to like most of it. There are few pizza places I really love, though, and Rustic Fire makes that short list.

Their pizza and other foods are absolutely great! The giant wood fire oven behind the counter must be a bit magical, as the food here is better than I’d expect from most pizza places. I love the Thai peanut pizza, the all meat variants, and even a normally boring just pepperoni pizza or their great salads. They’re all great and I always look forward to any leftovers!

Then, after eating amazing food and foolishly thinking I’m full, it’s gelato time! Joy on top of joy. Again, I have to assume the proximity to the magic oven must enchant this dessert treat because it is special.

While I don’t drink, my dining companions always seem to be very pleased with the beer and wine choices available here. The Coke machine with a few thousand options in it are my choice and add some nice additional variety for me and the kids.

The only issue I have with Rustic Fire is how sad I am typing this review. It maybe be a considerable amount of time until I return to this area and will therefore not have Rustic Fire for a long time! Alas, something amazing to look forward to on my next trip to Paso Robles. Do yourself a favor and visit Rustic Fire....