My favorite hidden gem in California has incredible food and wine — and it's more affordable than Napa Valley

My favorite hidden gem in California has incredible food and wine — and it's more affordable than Napa Valley Paso Robles is my favorite hidden gem in California. Courtesy of JUSTIN Winery Where should you go in California for delicious food, sprawling vineyards, and the satisfying sound of a freshly uncorked wine bottle?Let me guess, you're thinking of Napa.But what if I told you there's a hidden gem on the central coast where you can get all of the above with fewer crowds, lower prices, and cooler tasting experiences?Welcome to Paso Robles.A wine for everyone You'll find the stunning Justin vineyards and winery in Paso Robles. Courtesy of JUSTIN Winery Growing up in the Bay Area, Napa Valley quickly became a special place for my family. With no relatives living in the US, my Greek parents took us there every Christmas to make the holidays feel special.I've visited Napa over 20 times, but over the past few years, Paso Robles has stolen my heart.Paso Robles is almost exactly in the middle of Los Angeles and San Francisco, about 200 miles each way. Parallel to the mountains and the sea, the region has a unique terroir due to big temperature swings. The topography's distinctive microclimates are perfect for growing a variety of grapes, helping Paso distinguish itself in a crowded California wine market."The diversity of this area really separates itself from the monoculture that Napa has become," Andrew Jones, the owner of Field Recordings Winery, told me.Adding to that diversity is the low barrier to entry in the Paso Robles wine industry. Most of the wineries are small and family-owned, and the winemakers are often on-site to guide you. This refreshingly laid-back approach makes tastings feel intimate and approachable, and they're at a far more accessible price point than Napa, where the high cost of winemaking has trickled down to tourists. Silicon Valley Bank's 2026 direct-to-consumer wine report found that the average tasting fee in Napa is $79, while it's $27 in Paso Robles. "Napa has a taller order; they have to live up to a brand that's worldwide," said Neeta Mittal, one of the first Indian women to open a winery in the US. "Where we thrive in Paso is we're able to etch our own identity, and that's a great nimbleness that we're allowed."Tasting experiences with a twist My wine-and-spice pairing at LXV Wine. Anneta Konstantinides/Insider Mittal and her husband, Kunal, own LXV Wine, which offers the only wine-and-spice pairing in the US. I visited LXV on my first trip to Paso Robles and was delighted that my tasting included cheeses covered in various spices. I learned how ginger and black truffle salt can bring out the flavors of Cabernet and why Szechuan peppers and Nebbiolo pair so well.I also love the tastings at Field Recordings, which prides itself on making wines that "are all about the flavor — with none of the pretension," as its website reads. Jones specializes in small-batch, single-vineyard wines. They're fun and funky, decorated with colorful labels and names like "Kitties" or "Super Gnario." Tin City is one of my favorite parts of Paso Robles. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider Field Recordings is in Tin City, my favorite part of Paso Robles. The converted industrial hub features over 20 wineries, all within walking distance of each other, where tastings typically cost between $20 and $30. It's perfect for a wine crawl, but there's also a brewery and the very fun Tin City Distillery if you're craving cocktails instead.Where you can wine and dineAnother reason I keep going back to Paso Robles is the fantastic restaurant scene. I never skip a dinner at The Alchemists' Garden, which has a fun cocktail list and some of the best fries.My parents still rave about the meal we had at Il Cortile Ristorante. Its pappardelle is handmade and paired with a rich, luscious Bolognese, and the branzino is light, bright, and cooked to perfection. But the star is the risotto covered in white truffles, a holiday splurge I've never forgotten. My first meal at The Alchemist's Garden, featuring the incredible french fries. Anneta Konstantinides/Insider The Restaurant at Justin, which earned its first Michelin star in 2022, bested any fine-dining experience I've had in Napa. I still have pictures saved from that dinner, where my fiancé and I feasted on maple-leaf duck breast, prime filet, and various veggies picked from their 26-acre farmstead.And no visit to Paso is complete without a stop at Brown Butter Cookie Company, which has mastered the salty-sweet combo in a little treat. The hand-rolled cookies are made locally and available in a variety of flavors.On my last visit, I grabbed a dozen bags for my family, friends, and myself, of course.A destination for any season The "Field of Light" is a popular tourist spot in Paso Robles. Jeff Amlotte/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images Blessed with California sunshine, Paso Robles is a great vacation year-round. I've gone in the fall, summer, and winter — where it's festively decorated for the holidays — and have always been charmed by the small-town vibes and friendly locals. (Don't miss karaoke nights at the Pine Street Saloon.)The winemaking world is slowly starting to learn about Paso Robles, but the town itself remains a hidden gem.For now, at least, this is California's best-kept secret. Read next Anneta Konstantinides is a lifestyle correspondent at Business Insider and has spent nearly 10 years reporting in the lifestyle space. Her focus is on food and travel, where she's known to take readers inside Michelin-starred kitchens or to the hottest new Las Vegas hotel. Sometimes it's Anneta doing the cooking, leading readers through the best recipes by Gordon Ramsay or Ina Garten. Anneta has also been deeply reporting on the pageant industry since 2019, interviewing dozens of Miss USA and Miss Universe winners. She was a two-time finalist at the LA Press Club Awards for her investigation into the 2022 and 2024 Miss USA scandals and was featured in The New York Times Presents episode "How to Fix a Pageant" on Hulu in September 2023. After graduating from UCLA with a B.A in English Literature and a minor in film & television, Anneta worked as a journalist in London, Sydney, New York City, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC. She currently lives in Los Angeles. California Travel Food More