A rooftop bar atop the historic Paso Robles Inn that once couldn't cook hot food is now turning out wood-fired pizzas topped with linguica and hot honey, thanks to a renovation that finally gave the space working ovens. Salina Rooftop opened to the public on June 26, taking over the perch above The Piccolo at the inn, and it's already drawing attention for pairing a chef with Michelin-kitchen credentials with a menu built around Central Coast ingredients.
Salina is the second of three revamped dining concepts at the property, according to Paso Robles Daily News. Celebrity chef Charlie Palmer is behind the trio of projects, as reported by SFGATE. The first of the three, Cattlemen's Bar, debuted inside the hotel earlier in 2026, while a steakhouse called The Pass, specializing in dry-aged steaks, is slated to open in 2027, per the same report. Sources differ on how much Palmer and Peregrine Hospitality put into the culinary overhaul — SFGATE reports the figure at $13 million, while Nation's Restaurant News describes the investment as more than $13 million.
From New York's Aureole to a Rooftop in Paso Robles
Running Salina's kitchen is Michael Freeman, who was named the inn's culinary director in April 2025, according to New Times San Luis Obispo. Freeman previously worked at the Michelin-starred Aureole in New York City and most recently cooked at Charlie Palmer Steak in Washington, D.C., per SFGATE. He got the call from Palmer in 2025 and moved his family from the East Coast to California for the role, the outlet reports.
Freeman has a child who is 3-and-a-half years old, and he and his wife wanted a change from city life, considering Paso Robles a good place to raise their family, according to the same SFGATE account. “The Central Coast is easy to fall in love with,” Freeman said, per the outlet's report. He's also said that sourcing local products for the menu has been inspiring, the article notes.
Pizza Ovens Where There Were None Before
The rooftop previously lacked the ability to cook hot food at all, and the renovation added outdoor pizza ovens to change that, according to PMQ Pizza. Salina's kitchen now consists of a 4-by-5-foot stone-top table, two coolers and the two outdoor ovens, with dough and other prep handled in a banquet kitchen in a separate building, SFGATE reports.
The pizzas themselves lean New York-style with Neapolitan influences, per the same account. The signature Salina pizza comes topped with blistered tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, fresh basil and cracked pepper for $22. There's also a hot-honey pie PMQ Pizza describes as a spin on the now-familiar hot-honey pizza trend, made with linguica, mozzarella, hot honey, chili oil and basil — a nod to a cured sausage popular in the region, per that outlet's report. The Central Coast Shroom pizza, running $26, includes Mighty Cap mushrooms, fontina, sage and Parmesan.
Cocktails, Salads and a Weekday Happy Hour
Beyond pizza, SFGATE lists a fall fig and fennel salad at $18 and Morro Bay oysters with yuzu-pickled shallots at $24. The bar grows its own basil and chamomile, the outlet reports, ingredients that show up in drinks like the Filthy Little Thing — a $20 cocktail made with dill, celery bitters, seasoned mozzarella and olive-oil fat-washed vodka — and the $14 Solar Spritz, which includes chamomile honey.
PMQ Pizza reports that Salina runs a weekday Flower Hour from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, offering discounted pizzas, cocktails, wine and beer. SFGATE and PMQ Pizza list the rooftop as open Sunday through Thursday from 3 to 10 p.m. and Friday through Saturday from 3 p.m. to midnight.
A 137-Year-Old Inn With Outlaw Lore
Salina sits atop a hotel with deep roots. Paso Robles Inn was founded as a Victorian spa in 1889 and is now 137 years old, according to SFGATE. The property was rebuilt in 1942 after a fire, per New Times San Luis Obispo's reporting. SFGATE's account adds that John Wayne and Clark Gable once frequented the inn's saloons and parlors, and the article reports that Jesse James allegedly hid out in the inn's underground tunnels.
Salina describes itself on its website as Paso's only rooftop bar, according to SFGATE, which also notes the space features pink menus, floral walls and a Mediterranean-leaning food sensibility. The rooftop was formerly known as Tetto Rooftop Bar before its relaunch, per New Times San Luis Obispo's reporting on the broader culinary transformation underway at the inn.
