I loved the vibe here. My friends and I came in close to closing time, but they were still kind enough to let us order from what was left on the menu. The service and food were both really good. I just wish they had more items available at that hour.
Such a wonderful night!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Benny
We had a fantastic dinner at Alchemists' Garden! The steak was cooked perfectly, and the holiday cocktails were absolutely wonderful—creative and delicious. A huge thank you to our server, Valentina, for the amazing service. She made our night extra special. Highly recommend stopping by!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Popcorn Your Way
Jason Herriven
There isn’t much to review, as we never made it to the food, drinks, or even a glass of water.
What I can review is the service—or rather, the lack of it. We arrived for our reservation and were seated promptly, which, unfortunately, was the high point of the experience. After that, we sat for over 30 minutes without a single server stopping by. No water, no drink order, no food order, not even a polite “I’ll be with you shortly.”
Around the 20-minute mark, we attempted to make eye contact with anyone who looked remotely capable of helping us, but that effort was entirely unsuccessful. Once the half-hour mark passed, we gave up and left.
What makes this experience especially puzzling is that there were plenty of staff members on the floor. They just seemed deeply committed to walking back and forth and making sure no orders were taken.
Service: 1
Jonathan Siebel
My wife and stopped here for dinner with our two children (1 and 4). Immediately we were offered a high chair and everyone there was so extremely helpful with our children, offering us off menu items for them, and constantly picking up toys that got tossed. The service was excellent!!!
The drink and food presentation was magnificent, and we were very excited about what the menu had to offer. As people who indulge in fine dining around Los Angeles, taste fell short of the fine dining prices.
I could not have been more excited for a cocoa nib infused old fashioned with crème de banane, but unfortunately it was way too sweet. My wife found the same with her gin cocktail. The himachi crudo was made with a beautiful yellowtail, but was overwhelmed in flavor by too much sesame oil. All in all the food was good but not great. We were both a bit surprised to be walking away paying $300 for essentially dinner for two plus butter pasta.
I’d recommend this place if you’re in Paso but keep your expectations tempered.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Ravi Mistri
Beyond exceptional. The cocktails are spectacular. The food is delicious. But it’s the service which makes it such a special place. We came back after 4 years, anxious about whether it would still be as good as we remembered it but it was even better. Michelle took such good care of us.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Stacy Rankin
Had dinner with my family here recently. I had a minor request (health related) for my mother and it was rudely dismissed by the manager. We did not get a warm feeling here and the manager seems overly aggressive. The plating was beautiful but the food is extremely overrated and overpriced. We should have gone to a more trusted local restaurant.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 1
Rina Rivera
I visited this restaurant recently and was very disappointed with the experience. The manager spoke to me in a way that felt dismissive and disrespectful, and some of the comments came across as racially biased. The staff also gave off unfriendly and unwelcoming energy throughout the visit. On top of that, the food didn’t match the quality I expected, it was bland and felt overrated for the price. Overall, the atmosphere and treatment made the entire experience uncomfortable. I hope the restaurant takes steps to improve both customer service and staff training, but based on this visit, I wouldn’t return.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 2
Kristie Drawe
I was pretty excited to visit here but was slightly disappointed with the whole experience. We ordered the corquette, duck date wrap, deviled eggs, cabbage, steak, burreta, pork chops and fall pasta I thought the pork chop was too sour with the vinegrette and the whole thing was deep fried. The fall pasta was a bit boring, and the 6 thin slices of bread added to the cheese was $12?! Everything was overpriced and sub standard. Service - I think they wanted to be attentive, but it felt rude to be honest. Our server kept coming to the table and talking to us without waiting for our attention and interrupting. We had a random server who checked how everything was tasty right after food was delivered...nobody has taken a bite yet. We didn't order any drinks and can't comment on it. The photos look beautiful though!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 3
asli kazdagli
Very mean waiters!!!
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Emre K
Not good. Food is very ambitious but weak. Super sweet sauces, absurd flavors. Don’t waste your money here.
Doug, our gracious server, and the bottle of Pellegrino were the only highlights of an otherwise disastrous dining experience at The Alchemist’s Garden.
The restaurant’s apparent theme is “wilted arugula,” which makes an appearance under or over nearly every dish.
How any competent chef could assemble such tasteless piles of ingredients and call it a meal is beyond comprehension.
The ordeal began with a few overcooked, unseasoned, leathery mushrooms tossed over—you guessed it—a bed of wilted arugula. A generous shower of sesame seeds did little to disguise the dish’s shortcomings.
My 18-ounce pork Milanese was equally dismal—completely devoid of seasoning and as tough as the leather sole of a hiking boot. The panko crust was saturated with oil to the point that one might need a snorkel to reach the meat beneath. Naturally, it was topped with yet another heap of the restaurant’s trademark wilted arugula.
My wife’s halibut fared no better. Lacking any trace of marination or seasoning, it was accompanied by a sad pile of limp, colorless asparagus stems—leaving one to wonder what became of the tips.
Even a novice home cook would be embarrassed to serve such dishes.
Two hundred dollars later, we left our untouched meals and uninspired wine behind, salvaging the evening with a handful of peanuts in the car.
Don’t be misled by the black rope “security” checkpoint at the entrance or the restaurant’s $10-per-person cancellation fee. These are nothing more than desperate gimmicks meant to project an illusion of exclusivity and sophistication — which this restaurant most certainly is not. The dining room was nearly empty, and most of the patrons were dressed in shorts and worn-out sandals.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
M. T.
Tacos and fries were 5 star. The tuna appetizer was 2 stars and what lowered our rating. It did not taste very fresh, it grew in my mouth. The drinks were 5 stars. So was the waiter.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Tabnie Dozier
Chef Andrew takes pride in this establishment and I understand why! The fresh oysters with passionfruit foam had me ready to grab the entire bucket from the back!!! Eddie and Justice were fabulous behind the bar. I love the atmosphere and must check out the speakeasy when I come back. Please make sure to visit this eye-catching restaurant and enjoy the amazing food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
y “Ari” r
I cancel reservation and still get charged $20 for no show despite having email from the restaurant that reservation was cancelled
Ravi Dixit
Samantha was an incredible waitress. From the moment we were seated, Samantha took care of our every need. She was attentive, knowledgable about the menu, and made every effort to make our visit here memorable.
We were also attended to by Andrew who was so kind. He made an extra effort to make sure we had a special time here. This is our first time dining at The Alchemist Garden and our first time in Paso Robles. When we return, we will absolutely come back.
If you appreciate impeccable service, delicious and unique food/drinks, and a variety of food options for all dietary restrictions, look no further than the Alchemist Garden, and ask for Samantha and Andrew at the door!
I loved the vibe here. My friends and I came in close to closing time, but they were still kind enough to let us order from what was left on the menu. The service and food were both really good. I just wish they had more items available at that hour.
Such a wonderful night!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We had a fantastic dinner at Alchemists' Garden! The steak was cooked perfectly, and the holiday cocktails were absolutely wonderful—creative and delicious. A huge thank you to our server, Valentina, for the amazing service. She made our night extra special. Highly recommend stopping by!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Popcorn Your Way
There isn’t much to review, as we never made it to the food, drinks, or even a glass of water.
What I can review is the service—or rather, the lack of it. We arrived for our reservation and were seated promptly, which, unfortunately, was the high point of the experience. After that, we sat for over 30 minutes without a single server stopping by. No water, no drink order, no food order, not even a polite “I’ll be with you shortly.”
Around the 20-minute mark, we attempted to make eye contact with anyone who looked remotely capable of helping us, but that effort was entirely unsuccessful. Once the half-hour mark passed, we gave up and left.
What makes this experience especially puzzling is that there were plenty of staff members on the floor. They just seemed deeply committed to walking back and forth and making sure no orders were taken.
Service: 1
My wife and stopped here for dinner with our two children (1 and 4). Immediately we were offered a high chair and everyone there was so extremely helpful with our children, offering us off menu items for them, and constantly picking up toys that got tossed. The service was excellent!!!
The drink and food presentation was magnificent, and we were very excited about what the menu had to offer. As people who indulge in fine dining around Los Angeles, taste fell short of the fine dining prices.
I could not have been more excited for a cocoa nib infused old fashioned with crème de banane, but unfortunately it was way too sweet. My wife found the same with her gin cocktail. The himachi crudo was made with a beautiful yellowtail, but was overwhelmed in flavor by too much sesame oil. All in all the food was good but not great. We were both a bit surprised to be walking away paying $300 for essentially dinner for two plus butter pasta.
I’d recommend this place if you’re in Paso but keep your expectations tempered.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Beyond exceptional. The cocktails are spectacular. The food is delicious. But it’s the service which makes it such a special place. We came back after 4 years, anxious about whether it would still be as good as we remembered it but it was even better. Michelle took such good care of us.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Had dinner with my family here recently. I had a minor request (health related) for my mother and it was rudely dismissed by the manager. We did not get a warm feeling here and the manager seems overly aggressive. The plating was beautiful but the food is extremely overrated and overpriced. We should have gone to a more trusted local restaurant.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 1
I visited this restaurant recently and was very disappointed with the experience. The manager spoke to me in a way that felt dismissive and disrespectful, and some of the comments came across as racially biased. The staff also gave off unfriendly and unwelcoming energy throughout the visit.
On top of that, the food didn’t match the quality I expected, it was bland and felt overrated for the price. Overall, the atmosphere and treatment made the entire experience uncomfortable. I hope the restaurant takes steps to improve both customer service and staff training, but based on this visit, I wouldn’t return.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 2
I was pretty excited to visit here but was slightly disappointed with the whole experience. We ordered the corquette, duck date wrap, deviled eggs, cabbage, steak, burreta, pork chops and fall pasta
I thought the pork chop was too sour with the vinegrette and the whole thing was deep fried. The fall pasta was a bit boring, and the 6 thin slices of bread added to the cheese was $12?! Everything was overpriced and sub standard.
Service - I think they wanted to be attentive, but it felt rude to be honest. Our server kept coming to the table and talking to us without waiting for our attention and interrupting. We had a random server who checked how everything was tasty right after food was delivered...nobody has taken a bite yet.
We didn't order any drinks and can't comment on it. The photos look beautiful though!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 3
Very mean waiters!!!
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Not good. Food is very ambitious but weak. Super sweet sauces, absurd flavors. Don’t waste your money here.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 2
Restaurantji Recommends
Doug, our gracious server, and the bottle of Pellegrino were the only highlights of an otherwise disastrous dining experience at The Alchemist’s Garden.
The restaurant’s apparent theme is “wilted arugula,” which makes an appearance under or over nearly every dish.
How any competent chef could assemble such tasteless piles of ingredients and call it a meal is beyond comprehension.
The ordeal began with a few overcooked, unseasoned, leathery mushrooms tossed over—you guessed it—a bed of wilted arugula. A generous shower of sesame seeds did little to disguise the dish’s shortcomings.
My 18-ounce pork Milanese was equally dismal—completely devoid of seasoning and as tough as the leather sole of a hiking boot. The panko crust was saturated with oil to the point that one might need a snorkel to reach the meat beneath. Naturally, it was topped with yet another heap of the restaurant’s trademark wilted arugula.
My wife’s halibut fared no better. Lacking any trace of marination or seasoning, it was accompanied by a sad pile of limp, colorless asparagus stems—leaving one to wonder what became of the tips.
Even a novice home cook would be embarrassed to serve such dishes.
Two hundred dollars later, we left our untouched meals and uninspired wine behind, salvaging the evening with a handful of peanuts in the car.
Don’t be misled by the black rope “security” checkpoint at the entrance or the restaurant’s $10-per-person cancellation fee. These are nothing more than desperate gimmicks meant to project an illusion of exclusivity and sophistication — which this restaurant most certainly is not. The dining room was nearly empty, and most of the patrons were dressed in shorts and worn-out sandals.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Tacos and fries were 5 star. The tuna appetizer was 2 stars and what lowered our rating. It did not taste very fresh, it grew in my mouth. The drinks were 5 stars. So was the waiter.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Chef Andrew takes pride in this establishment and I understand why! The fresh oysters with passionfruit foam had me ready to grab the entire bucket from the back!!! Eddie and Justice were fabulous behind the bar. I love the atmosphere and must check out the speakeasy when I come back. Please make sure to visit this eye-catching restaurant and enjoy the amazing food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I cancel reservation and still get charged $20 for no show despite having email from the restaurant that reservation was cancelled
Samantha was an incredible waitress. From the moment we were seated, Samantha took care of our every need. She was attentive, knowledgable about the menu, and made every effort to make our visit here memorable.
We were also attended to by Andrew who was so kind. He made an extra effort to make sure we had a special time here. This is our first time dining at The Alchemist Garden and our first time in Paso Robles. When we return, we will absolutely come back.
If you appreciate impeccable service, delicious and unique food/drinks, and a variety of food options for all dietary restrictions, look no further than the Alchemist Garden, and ask for Samantha and Andrew at the door!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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