There is a relatively new spot in Templeton located right on their quaint main drag called Nino’s Grill. It’s always fun to check out new places when they come in so we decided to head down for lunch recently. On this outing we decided to bring Sammy along. A few people had told us it was a kid friendly restaurant, so what the heck?
I definitely dig the vibe. It’s comfortable, casual, and fun. There’s a cool bar with a couple of TV’s, a main dining area, as well as some outside seating, but it’s enclosed. Annie ordered the Tri-Tip Salad, I got the Nino’s Sliders (1 cheeseburger, 1 pulled pork w/ coleslaw, 1 buffalo chicken w/ bleu cheese crumbles), and we ordered the Grilled Cheese for Sammy.
The food was solid and well worth going back for. Remember, it’s bar food or BBQ joint food…it’s not 5-star gourmet dining so if you’re looking for that don’t go. But if you’re looking for a fun place to hang out with friends or family, this could be your joint. They also have a good beer list and decent wine list to go with what I think is a well-rounded menu. I’m looking forward to going back and trying some of their “BBQ Specialties”.
You can read a bit more about Nino’s Grill on their ‘About Us” page here. So, have you been to Nino’s yet and if so, what did you think?
Side note: I forgot to mention customer service when I originally wrote this which is not like me at all. The staff all had smiles on their faces and seemed to know everyone that came in. The woman that waited on us was great. She had just the right amount of helping us and leaving us alone. She did great interacting with Sammy as well.
Clara and I went to lunch there for the first time last Wednesday and enjoyed it! Surprisingly busy at 1:00 PM as the place was almost full. We both had salads, her the kale salad and I had the Asian Chicken one and both were large in size, ample portions of the chicken, tomatoes, cukes, etc. We both had “bottomless” ice tea; we decided not to have “libations” in the middle of the afternoon as we both still had quite a few chores to do but the selection looked good! We were also surprised to see one of our favorite people working there…Nikki Hanna! She was our waitress at the Jardine tables at the Vina Robles Amphitheater concerts this past year and she is such a vibrant, full of life gal that you can’t help but have fun around her!!! You can recognize her by the crazy, head of black hair she has! Ask to be seated in her section if she is there and you will appreciate it!!! Cheers!
Awesome, Steve…thanks for the comment. Glad you enjoyed it too. We’ll definitely go back when in the neighborhood!
Mehhh…..I will pass. Which is disappointing as a Templeton resident.
Why. what’s the scoop?
I’ve been here a couple of times and two out of three were great. Customer service is always awesome. Waiters are always smiling and super nice.
The only negative was when I ordered something to go they got it totally wrong. Disappointing when you have already left and hungry!
My favorite is the salmon salad though. If you haven’t tried it, go! I loved it!
All restaurants aren’t for everyone sometimes but if you’re looking for some good BBQ and smiling faces, “Nino’s” is the place to go.