Bistro Laurent

We love French food and reserved a table at Bistro Laurent as part of a special weekend away. Although it is lovely inside, we were unimpressed by the pris fixe menu. The wine pairings were sensational, but the food was disappointing.
At the beginning of the meal, the waiter asks about allergies/​sensitivities, etc. We specifically requested no garlic in anything. Our main course was two very thin ribs from a lamb rack with garlic reduction sauce. We questioned the garlic and they immediately took it back to the kitchen. They replaced it with very well-​done (as in overcooked, maybe microwaved to reheat??) thin lamb ribs with a not too tasty wine reduction sauce — no garlic… we didn’t have the nerve to send it back again, but the meat was tasteless and a bit too chewy.
For dessert, while the table next to us was exclaiming over their crème brulees, we were served a dried-​out square of pineapple tart. Uninspiring and possibly leftover from the day before… We truly wanted to love this place, but it missed the mark.

Went to the Bistro last week and loved it. Had the 4 course diner with wine. All the food was very good and the wine was also nice. Don’t expect large portions. Would definitely go back, not every week as it is spendy. But for that special occasion for sure. Small place so if there’s something going on that weekend in Paso make a reservation for sure. I’d give it 4 ½ stars but can’t do ½ stars on Unilocal

My fiancée and I came here for dinner the night before Valentine’s Day and they had a pre fix menu that was set. The couple next to us were regular’s so they were offered a completely different menu because let’s face it they came often so they knew the owners and servers. The couple that got a different menu suggested we ask for their menu as it was excellent. We proceeded to ask our server if we could get that menu and they said no. I made a slight fit about it cause that’s really not cool to offer «select» people one menu. They ended up giving us a choice of hanger steak instead of the fish they were serving and we gladly accepted. It was really really good so thank you!
Right near downtown, awesome wines, and excellent food. We’ll be back and hopefully can bump up our stars to five :)

The best way to describe Bistro Laurant is just to say it’s amazing! We go every year for the four course chefs choice. It’s always absolutely delicious and includes wine pairings.

$ 200+ for two people. The food and wine should be significantly better for that price. The host wasn’t very welcoming and acted like a doosh.

Recently dined here with 10 people on a Saturday night. We enjoyed having the chef decide our dinner and wine (4 courses, 4 wines). Service was fast, but perhaps not so friendly. We liked each dish prepared for us and everyone liked at least one of the wines. Great choice for a group because we don’t have to think about ordering and bill pay is a breeze. Also, it’s a great deal! Recommended.

Very cute bistro right across from the park. Had a seafood penne pasta, in a light saffron cream sauce which was very good. Hubby ordered the goat cheese/​sausage pizza which was loaded with cheese. Friends had a salmon salad and a shrimp salad. Everyone was please w/​their meals.

This dining experience was worth the 3 hour drive. The 5 course with wine pairings was phenomenal. Highlights were the homemade ravioli and the beef filet cooked to medium rare gloriousness.

Small & intimate setting.
Suggest trying their Pairing Menu, food tastes best when paired with Wine!
I would have given another Star if portions were a little bigger. I know my husband would have left hungry, but being with an all girl group we were well fed.

We came in and had a wonderful dinner.
I take one star away based on two experiences. 1^st, after placing our 1^st course order our me yes were taken. Interesting. So our course came. French onion soup. Highly recommended. It was wonderful. Rich and savory. Great Crustini’s and melted Gruyère. We also tried the smoked salmon tart. Great. Our plates were collected. At which time we were asked if there was anything else we could have been given. We caught him off gaurd I think when we said yes. We’d like to order entrees.
We had the filet mignon and the lobster risotto. Both were great. Potatoes on the filet were world class. Filet cooked perfectly. 8 to 10oz cut. Pan seared. It was over salted on the seared side. Making difficult to truly enjoy. But nonetheless still good.

Third times I have been here. Dinner was good. not much of wine selection nor beer. Price pretty high. Lunch — is good here. however, sittings are all outside so it can get pretty warm during the summer. pesto pizza was great, ham/​cheese sandwich more cheese than ham, ravioli dish was good, seafood pasta was great, roast beef sandwich was ok. special pork pâté was awesome. Serive was good. We’ll be back for lunch if we can’t decide on other places.

Bistro Laurant is French Classic Cuisine paired with local ingredients fueled by an experienced Chef with Michelin Star Experience.
This is a small bistro in downtown Paso Robles every time I’ve been here I noticed that every seat gets filled early so you do indeed need a reservation to get in.
For dinner you can choose to order a la carte or a multiple course tasting. They show you a menu for the multi course but our waiter insisted on ordering for us after discussing dislikes and or allergies. I got several courses I never would have ordered on my own and also missed a few I would have enjoyed but this dinner still turned out to be very enjoyable and was my most memorable and favorite dinner in Paso Robles. I do recommend going with the wine pairing if your doing the multi course tasting. The wines paired really well and they were very generous pours.
We got started with an amuse bouche crostini topped with sweet breads and apples.
Then got vichyssoise is was light but rich with more leek flavor than potato.
The tomato cheese basil tart was light as a cloud and was divine. I wish someone would deliver me one every day.
Raviolis were perfection –my husband happily helped me with them for precious stomach room.
The filet was absolutely perfect. Flavorful, buttery medium rare, seasoned just enough with a slight crust, in a delicious sauce. Fluffy buttery potatoes with an accent of crispy onions.
Then came the CHEESE PLATE THAT WAS TO DIE FOR…
Maybe the presentation was very basic but it was like I never tasted very good cheese before. The cheese they gave us was amazing. (the list of cheese I had is on my blog under Best Forking Cheese Plate I ever Had!)
Lately came an amazing dessert called floating Island. It was a meringue with a hard candy crust floating on a rich but thin cream with fruit. It was delicious and light as a feather.
This was among the best meals I had this year.
For me this is a must go to dinner destination in Paso Robles

Dined here on a Friday night in January 2015 and we decided to order the 5-​course pre-​fix with wine pairings. We also added a cheese course. Each wine was very good and the notes we were given with each wine were spot on and added to our enjoyment of the wines. The cheeses presented were amazing, but could have used some jams, berries or honey to break up the richness of the cheese. The food was delicious across the board. This was the best of the restaurants we went to during our long weekend. I would definitely come back if I was in Paso Robles!

My wife and I have been fortunate enough to have done a fair bit of traveling and eaten at some amazing restaurants around the world. I believe we are in agreement when I say that this is our favorite restaurant. We always get the five course meal, paired with wine. We never order from the menu, but instead trust the chef to select every course. It’s always fun to guess what the next course will be, and then be blown away by whatever it is. The wine pairing is always spot on too. It’s a mixture of French and local Paso wines. We’ve discovered so many great wineries this way.
I was tempted to not write this review, simply because I selfishly don’t want it to become too crowded and hard to reserve a table. But these guys deserve the 5 stars. Do yourself a favor a come here!

While visiting Paso we had dinner one evening at Bistro Laurent. We chose the 5 course tasting menu with wine pairings. The chef determines the dishes served. Honestly we were not impressed with the food. The service seemed rushed between courses even though the restaurant was half full on a Saturday night, so no need to turn the tables quickly. I have eaten at many French restaurants and I was quite dissapointed with this one. Dine across the street at Artisan it’s much better!

Horrible experience all around. So so disappointed. Basically $ 100 for boiled chicken and mashed potatoes. Someone needs to put life back into the food.
Service: We were greeted at the front and everything seemed fine. The host/​waiter/​manager sat us at a table for four. Restaurant was freezing so right away I was uncomfortable. It was probably more for him than keeping guests comfortable. It was a cold windy day in Paso. He said there’s two ways to order. You can close the menu and the chef will make what he wants, which is a four course meal. $ 60 something with no wine pairing. Or you can order by item. We asked a few questions and while my husband was right in the middle of talking he walked away! We couldn’t believe how rude he was. It was that feeling like he thought we didn’t have enough money to be eating there. He came back and rushed us through our ordering. I wasn’t quite ready and he seemed super annoyed. Felt like he wasn’t even listening and later found out wasn’t as our appetizer order was completely messed up.
Food: My salad was soaked in dressing. So green lettuce, dressing and carrots for $ 10.00. I ordered the chicken and it was rubbery and was definitely boiled and then quickly grilled. The mashed potatoes had an old oil, box taste. $ 29.50. Husband got salmon. Not fresh and the vegetables were so oily they were clear. Just horrible and $ 33.00.
Please don’t go here. Not worth your time and hard earned money. Maybe at one time this was a delicious place to eat but is now a has been and needs to be on the show Restaurant Impossible.

The food was fantastic! The service was excellent. First time here and we will be back. My Niçoise Salad was so good it reminded me of being in Paris.

We opted for the 4 course dinner. We received a complementary appetizer. Every plate was paired with wine. A great meal, great wine, great pairing.
The crab salad was paired with a dry rosé.
The salmon lentil was paired with Adelaida Pinot Noir.
The duck with raspberry sauce and potato hash was paired with a really good syrah.
Lastly, the crème brûlée was paired with a Port Blanc.
We enjoyed our dinner here very much.

Bistro Laurent is a quaint and elegant bistro in the center of Paso Robles. Paso Robles is known for good eateries and wineries, so when we rolled into town for lunch on our way to Monterey, I was ready to shake off the road dust and enjoy a good meal. I decide on the special of the day — Seafood Francaise, a seafood style soup/​stew. The seafood consisted mostly of fish and a couple of scallops and a shrimp. There were at least 3 types of fish cooked (and some overcooked) with the skin on, this gave the broth quite a strong fish flavor, maybe even overpowering. I felt the broth did not complement the fish. It lack any flavors to balance the strong flavor of the fish yet the wine used came out much too prominent. The variety of the fishes and cuts of the fishes were good yet the skin on belly cuts gave the dish an overall fatty fishiness that I just did not enjoy.
Next time? I will order off the menu.

Pros:
DELICIOUS
Better than some French dishes I had in France.
Beautiful presentation
Cons:
Everyone has to order either the tasting menu or a la carte. They cannot be mixed.
Wine pairings.
They served room temperature white wine. Could not believe.