DiStasio's On the Bay

DiStasio's On the Bay is a beautiful Italian restaurant on the coast of Central California. While vacationing in Paso Robles, Mike and I decided to check it out because we were in the mood for some good Italian food. It was a nice scenic drive over to the coast from Paso Robles. The restaurant was located right on the water with fantastic views all around the dining area.

DiStasio's offers all the traditional Italian favorites, along with a large gluten-free menu. Their marinara sauce is a unique family recipe which has been used for 100 years. Gluten-free folks will be pleased to know that they carry GF pasta and pizza. I was excited that they had butternut squash ravioli, which is one of my favorite dishes and unfortunately not a common menu item. It was absolutely delicious and also a nice sized portion leaving me with leftovers for the next day. Mike loved his Chicken Marsala dish. The menu changes frequently, so make sure to check the website. One disappointment of the visit was the rather stale bread. As it was provided complimentary, I won't complain.

Service was pretty bad here due to a lack of employees. The waitress came over when we first arrived and said that there was only one cook and it would be awhile and it was up to us if we wanted to stay. We decided to stay hoping she would at least bring some bread and drinks out right away. We couldn't leave now that we had already driven an hour to get here. She didn’t even take a drink order! I looked around and saw other people getting frustrated. We proceeded to wait about 20 minutes before she brought over drinks. Even if she was busy she could have brought a drink! We ended up sitting for over an hour before we got our pasta. I think the service could be improved at this restaurant. You shouldn't keep your customers waiting. Also, please hire back up cooks!

I loved the waterfront location. I would much rather spend my money to eat somewhere with a view, rather than just pay for food I can cook myself at home. There were excellent views from every seat in the dining room. The dining area was small with a cozy, romantic feel. I just read that they opened a new location (the address provided is current).

I would come back to DiStasio's because the pasta was excellent and the views were amazing. I just hope that they hire more waitstaff and cooks before my next visit!